After Matthew Merlin emerged, he did only one thing: he handed over dozens of already-prepared alchemical potions to Perry, the old butler, and then plunged right back into the alchemy laboratory.
As for the management of the Gilded Rose, Matthew Merlin wasn't worried at all.
First, Perry was in charge. He'd followed Roger Merlin for decades and was surprisingly skilled at running things. Even with limited funds and time, he managed the Gilded Rose efficiently—proof enough of his abilities.
Besides, there were those dozens of alchemical potions Matthew Merlin had handed to Perry...
These weren't ordinary alchemical potions. While analyzing Dragonblood Ink, Matthew Merlin also sorted out the formula for Mana Baptism. Although he didn't have enough materials to make Mana Baptism itself, he could still brew some potions with similar effects.
These potions weren't as potent as Mana Baptism, which improved one's physique, but they were still highly effective for helping apprentices accumulate mana for the first time. Even the weakest apprentice could reach ninth-level with one of these.
Matthew Merlin figured that such potions would be pretty attractive to the vast number of magic apprentices. At the very least, they could easily cover the daily expenses of the Gilded Rose.
With his worries out of the way, Matthew Merlin returned to the alchemy lab—and this time, he stayed there for three whole months without coming out...
Matthew Merlin devoted all his time to studying magic.
Mages of this era would probably find it hard to understand why a twenty-something fifth-level mage would be so harsh on himself. At his age, reaching fifth-level was already quite an achievement. If nothing went wrong, he'd surely advance to Grand Mage before thirty.
After that, he even had time to try breaking through to the Ninth-Rank Mage realm. Once he stepped into that realm, he'd be as formidable as one of the Three Giants—among the very top in all of Seaview City.
A life like this, an achievement like that—what more could anyone ask for?
But Matthew Merlin was different. He had personally lived through the era of mana depletion, witnessed countless mages leave the Sanctuary Tower's protection just to squeeze a little more mana from the void. Most of them never returned...
To Matthew Merlin, everything now felt like paradise: mana everywhere, abundant resources—everything was like the most beautiful dream.
During those first few days after crossing over, Matthew Merlin didn't even dare sleep, afraid that he'd wake up and everything would vanish like a dream...
When Matthew Merlin finally became certain that this wasn't a dream, that nothing would disappear, his feelings were something mages of this era could never understand—just as they couldn't understand why he was so harsh on himself.
For Matthew Merlin, being able to freely absorb mana and study magic at will was already an immense happiness.
This relentless attitude, combined with knowledge far beyond his era, allowed Matthew Merlin to cover in just three months what took most mages ten years.
After three months, Matthew Merlin quietly reached the ninth level...
Once you're a Ninth-Rank Mage, you're just one step away from becoming a Grand Mage.
For Matthew Merlin, only by advancing to Grand Mage would he truly possess power of his own. The difference between mage and Grand Mage may be just a single word, but the gap is truly vast.
Once a mage shatters their Mana Vortex and steps into the realm of Grand Mage, they immediately touch a whole new world. The mana they absorb during meditation alone is dozens of times that of an ordinary mage, not to mention the various evolved magical abilities. It's no exaggeration to say that in a direct confrontation, a Grand Mage could easily slay a dozen mages without breaking a sweat.
But Matthew Merlin just couldn't take that step...
Matthew Merlin's body had far too many flaws. Now, the only way to become a Grand Mage was through Mana Baptism.
The dragon's blood was finally secured, but the other materials were still lacking. Raymond hadn't sent any news either—most likely, he'd come up empty-handed.
"Looks like I'll have to figure something out at Sage's Spire..." Matthew Merlin sighed, gently setting down the drop of dragon's blood sealed in ice crystal.
That seemed like the most feasible solution. If there was anywhere in all of Seaview City that could gather the magical materials Matthew Merlin needed, it had to be Sage's Spire.
Three Grand Mages, over a dozen Ninth-Rank Mages, more than a hundred mages, and countless apprentices—the amount of magical materials consumed daily was astronomical. Only a place like this could possibly fulfill Matthew Merlin's list.
"It's been ages since I went to the library," Matthew Merlin thought, tidying up before heading out to read—and maybe ask Solon if it was possible to buy some magical materials from Sage's Spire.
"Boss, boss..."
Just as Matthew Merlin was about to leave, Remy came running over, out of breath.
"What's the matter?"
"Boss Perry sent me to find you. He wants you to hurry back—he said... he said Felix brought people and surrounded your house!"
"Huh?" Matthew Merlin froze for a moment. Do they really think I'm easy to bully? The debt's paid, yet they still come to surround my house. Maybe it's time I taught them a lesson they'll remember...
"Alright, Remy, do me a favor and head to Sage's Spire. Find a mage named Solon and give him this..." Matthew Merlin pulled a note from his pocket—the list of materials missing for Mana Baptism. "Tell him I'm asking for help, see if he can find any of these materials."
"Okay, boss."
After sending Remy off, Matthew Merlin flagged down a carriage by the roadside and hurried home.
As soon as he arrived at his doorstep, he saw dozens of people gathered there. Leading them was his uncle Felix. Maybe it was because he felt emboldened by the crowd, but Felix was especially cocky today, standing outside with his hands on his hips and a voice so loud it was startling.
"The thief is definitely in this house—I saw it with my own eyes! What nerve, to steal from the Viper's Nest! Once we're inside, search thoroughly. We'll find that damned thief for sure!"
His uncle was getting more and more shameless...
Getting off the carriage, Matthew Merlin muttered to himself. Catching a thief—was that really Felix's excuse? If that was enough, anyone could storm Sage's Spire or Monty's Manor. No thief here? Impossible, I saw it myself. Deny it, and you must be the thief's accomplice!
After getting off the carriage, Matthew Merlin didn't rush over. He just stood at a distance, observing the group Felix had brought—around thirty or forty people, all quite capable. Especially one middle-aged man in a gray robe; he looked like a Ninth-Rank Mage!
That was a bit much. Ninth-Rank Mages were already top-tier, just one step from becoming Grand Mages. Hiring someone of that level wasn't a matter of a few thousand or tens of thousands of gold coins.
"Where did Felix get that kind of pull?" Matthew Merlin frowned. Something was definitely off—what was Felix up to?
When Felix first showed up with that eight-thousand-gold promissory note, Matthew Merlin thought he was just trying to take advantage of Roger Merlin's absence. So, after crippling Jimmy's right hand, he didn't make things too hard for his uncle. He even paid the full eight thousand gold after selling the Rainbow Potion.
But now, it looked a lot more complicated...
That promissory note was shameless, but at least it was in writing. This 'catching a thief' act? Calling it disgraceful would be too kind—it's pure nonsense. And bringing in a Ninth-Rank Mage? Unless there's a special reason, Matthew Merlin couldn't believe Felix would go this far.
"Could it be there's something wrong with this house?"
The more Matthew Merlin thought about it, the more plausible it seemed...
Otherwise, why did Felix first want to use the house to pay off the debt, and now wants to search it? If nothing was special about this house, why does he keep coming back to make trouble over it?
"Come on, everyone—let's go in and find that thief!"
Before Matthew Merlin could figure out what was really going on, Felix shouted and led his group toward the house.
"This is getting a bit much..."
There was no way Matthew Merlin was letting them rush in. This wasn't some inn or tavern you could just walk into.
"Stealing from the Viper's Nest—must've eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall! You think hiding here means we won't find you?" Maybe having a Ninth-Rank Mage backing him made Felix extra bold today.
With a Ninth-Rank Mage backing him, Felix was determined to show off. After all, there weren't many Ninth-Rank Mages in all of Seaview City. With someone like that in his corner, what was there to be afraid of?
Matthew Merlin, aren't you supposed to be so tough? One word from you and Jimmy loses his right hand, and you kicked me out like a fly. Well, now I've got a Ninth-Rank Mage backing me. Even if I barge into your house to catch a thief, what are you going to do about it?
Matthew Merlin, aren't you supposed to be so tough? One word from you and Jimmy loses his right hand, and you kicked me out like a fly. Well, now I've got a Ninth-Rank Mage backing me. Even if I barge into your house to catch a thief, what are you going to do about it?
What's going on? This is the front gate—why does it feel like a swamp?
Felix looked down suspiciously...
...
(Irrelevant author note about chatting in a reader group—skip translation for this line.)