Chapter 292: The Merlin Family Responds
Compared to these Grandmasters—prodigies barely in their twenties, some not even thirty—Farrow's talent, frankly, isn't worth mentioning. Still, Leon is convinced that if Farrow gets enough time, he'll not just catch up to them, he'll leave them eating his dust.
Because Farrow has something they don't—dogged diligence and a thirst for knowledge that borders on obsession...
It wasn't obvious back when Farrow was tagging along with Kadgar, but after he joined the Gilded Rose and started working as Leon's assistant, those traits started shining through, bit by bit.
These days, Farrow's hunger for knowledge is almost scary—he's like a sponge, soaking up every scrap of wisdom he can find. Whenever Leon throws him a job, Farrow bombards him with questions until every detail, every nuance, is nailed down.
Sometimes, Leon can't help but get a little impatient—but Farrow's relentless curiosity is downright intimidating...
So Leon's gotten used to it. Now, whenever he's tinkering with alchemy, he walks Farrow through every step—one detail at a time. Why do it like this? Why not like that? What's the downside of that approach, and what's the edge with this one...
Of course, Leon isn't above slacking off now and then...
When that happens, Leon just hands Farrow a pile of exercises—sometimes tough experiments, sometimes complicated chores. He's not expecting miracles overnight; as long as Farrow picks up something new each time, that's enough.
Like today...
"Boss, I... didn't do too well..." Farrow heard Leon's question, and a flush of embarrassment crept across his face. His voice grew quieter and quieter: "Of the three formulas you gave me, I only managed to finish one..."
Leon chuckled and shook his head. The three formulas he'd assigned last time were all Grandmaster-level material—Farrow managing to solve even one was impressive. By Leon's estimation, Farrow was already at the level of a top-tier alchemist.
Looks like when I get back from Auckland, I can help Farrow prep for his breakthrough—maybe he'll step into the ranks of Grandmasters even sooner than I thought...
"Boss, look, these are the other two formulas. I've been working on them for days, crunching numbers, but I just can't figure them out..." As he spoke, Farrow fished a stack of Drafting Parchment from his pocket, covered in cramped symbols and equations. One glance told Leon Farrow had poured serious time into these.
"Let me take a look..." Leon reached for the pile of Drafting Parchment, just as he was about to skim through them, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the Alchemist's Lab.
Farrow sighed, helpless, and trudged over to open the door.
Farrow knew all too well: once the Boss set foot in the Alchemist's Lab, nobody dared disturb him.
"Once the young master heads upstairs, even if the Gilded Rose catches fire, as long as the flames haven't reached the second floor, nobody's allowed to knock on his door!"
That was Perry's exact words...
But if the door was being knocked on, it could only mean something important had come up. In other words, the guidance Farrow had waited days for was probably going up in smoke...