Chapter 203: The Summoning of the Merlin Family
And that wasn’t the end of it. Over the next few days, more and more alchemists arrived, and the old steward welcomed them all. So when Leon returned, Gilded Rose already had over two hundred alchemists...
In terms of sheer numbers, they could already rival the Alchemist Guild...
Of course, the old steward knew these alchemists couldn’t be trusted with major responsibilities yet. First, they weren’t familiar with the Gilded Rose’s alchemy system, and second, they hadn’t proven themselves trustworthy. So for now, the old steward kept them working on the assembly line—busy every day, but just repeating the same tasks. This way, he made use of their labor without exposing them to the core techniques of the Gilded Rose.
“Are alchemists in Seaview City really this worthless now?” Leon was dumbfounded...
“Heh, well, who wouldn’t want to work at the Gilded Rose...” William Merlin’s laughter was tinged with undisguised pride.
This wasn’t just bragging. Lately, the reputation of the Gilded Rose had even surpassed that of established powers like the Viper’s Nest. Add to that the famously generous benefits offered by the old steward, and it’s no wonder alchemists were practically begging to join.
Under these circumstances, forget about working the assembly line...
Even if they were sent to do apprentice work, they probably wouldn’t even bat an eye...
“By the way, how are things going with the Mercenary Company?”
This was all part of Leon’s plan from the beginning. The Black Death Rune combined with Soul Fire was merely a shortcut for mages—but once they reached the rank of Archmage, accumulating mana was no longer the main concern. At this stage, the most important thing was inscribing their own Arcane Runes. Only after inscribing their personal Arcane Runes could an Archmage truly wield power befitting their title.
But when it came to inscribing Arcane Runes, the Black Death Rune and Soul Fire were of little help...
Of course, Leon had already made arrangements for this batch of Archmages’ Arcane Runes. Now, he was just waiting for everyone to leave the Bone Plane, at which point he would teach them the methods for inscribing these runes. In time, the Gilded Rose would possess a Mercenary Company whose members all bore top-tier Arcane Runes.
Once Leon was sure everything at the Gilded Rose was running smoothly, he locked himself away in the alchemy laboratory again—remotely guiding the Gilded Rose’s development while experimenting with integrating the mysterious glyphs from the Book of Death into the magitek armor...
Day by day, the time drew closer for the journey to the Vaughn Treasury...
That day, after finishing his work, Leon was about to check on the growth of the Obsidian Flower when he bumped into William Merlin in the main hall...
"Cousin..." William Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but then seemed to remember something, and a look of hesitation flickered across his face.
"What's wrong?" Leon was taken aback. His cousin had never been one for formalities—so what was with this sudden awkwardness? Rushing over to find him, only to wear that constipated expression... Was this some kind of 'guess what I'm thinking' game?
"Uh, cousin, my grandfather—well, your grandfather’s brother, that is, the current Patriarch of the Merlin Family..."
"Just get to the point!" Leon felt a headache coming on...
"Oh, the point, the point..." William Merlin was startled by Leon’s impatient look. "Anyway, the Merlin Family sent me a letter a few days ago, written personally by the Patriarch. He hopes you can come to Auckland next month. The Patriarch will arrange for you to enter the Merlin Ancestral Estate and formally announce your return to the family..."
William Merlin’s voice grew quieter as he spoke...
He couldn’t help it. After all this time in Seaview City, William Merlin knew full well that Leon wasn’t exactly thrilled about returning to the Merlin Family...
But not saying anything wasn’t an option—the letter was written by the Patriarch himself. Even if he was now part of the Gilded Rose, he was still nominally a member of the Merlin Family. With the family personally reaching out, there was no way he could refuse...
"Just to be clear, I’m not here to play messenger. If you want to go, go. If you don’t want to go, then..." William Merlin added cautiously, afraid of becoming the target of Leon’s irritation.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
"Why wouldn’t I go?"
Before William Merlin could finish, Leon agreed without hesitation.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? I already said I’ll go..." Right now, Leon’s magitek armor had reached nine units. With a bit more refinement, he’d be at the pinnacle of Archmage. He was already thinking of an excuse to visit the Merlin Ancestral Estate...
He hadn’t expected the Merlin Family to be so accommodating—just as he was looking for an excuse, they handed him the perfect opportunity...
If he missed this chance, the only way to get into the Merlin Ancestral Estate next time might be to force his way in.
As for actually rejoining the Merlin Family, Leon didn’t really care either way.
What gave William Merlin headaches was something Leon never even worried about...
What’s there to worry about...
If the Merlin Family showed enough sincerity, rejoining them was no big deal—just a few more relatives, that’s all. But if they wanted him to hand over the Nether Iron Vein, or even the Gilded Rose, then after his visit to the Ancestral Estate, he’d simply walk away. What, were they going to tie him up and drag him back?
"Boss, someone from the Alchemist Guild brought a letter—they’re asking you to drop by." Just as Leon was about to leave the Gilded Rose, Remy came in from outside with a letter in hand.
"Oh?" Leon opened it and saw it was from Lace himself. The letter was brief, just a few lines: the joint expedition to the Vaughn Treasury was almost ready. If Leon was free, he should come to the Alchemist Guild to discuss details and meet the representatives from the other factions.
"Cousin, come with me."
"Me?" William Merlin looked surprised.
"Yeah, you." Leon nodded, repeating himself.
The reason Leon invited William Merlin along was that he suddenly remembered the Vaughn Laboratory had two magic artifacts that would suit William perfectly.
Right now, the only people Leon trusted with real responsibility were Faro and William Merlin.
Faro would take charge of the Gilded Rose’s core technologies and focus on alchemy in the future. William Merlin, on the other hand, was one of the Mercenary Company’s two captains—combat power was his main concern. That’s why, for this joint expedition to the Vaughn Treasury, Leon planned to bring William along and see if he could claim one of those spirit-linked magic artifacts...
But those spirit-linked artifacts were notoriously temperamental. Even Leon couldn’t guarantee William Merlin would be accepted by them.
It all depended on William Merlin himself...
Half an hour later, Leon and William Merlin walked into the Alchemist Guild.
This time, it wasn’t Morin who greeted Merlin.
Basolo and Granger personally came out to welcome Leon and William Merlin, guiding them to the top-floor lounge of the Alchemist Guild. Inside, a scattering of people had already gathered. Leon glanced around and saw most of Seaview City’s notable figures: Sas from the Silvermoon Mercenary Company, Soth from the Viper’s Nest, Monchy from the Monchy Family, Saluman from the Sage Tower... As the two entered, several people greeted them, and Leon nodded back in turn.
"Merlin, come here, let me introduce you..." Lace was sitting by the fireplace, quietly talking with a middle-aged man. When Leon entered, the president of the Alchemist Guild quickly stood up and ushered him over.
"Come, Merlin, let me introduce you. This is Fran the Master from Mercury Tower, one of Nolan the Creator’s personal disciples."
"Hello, Master Fran." Leon smiled politely and reached out his hand.
"Mafa Merlin, I know you. Seth’s disciple..." Yet Fran sat unmoving, not reaching out to shake Leon’s hand. His gaunt face even held a trace of a cold smile as he looked at Leon. "It seems you didn’t spend enough time under Seth. You haven’t even learned basic manners. Seth never used ‘you’ to address me..."
Faro was set to take over the Gilded Rose’s core technologies, and his future path would be in alchemy. William Merlin, meanwhile, was one of the two captains of the Mercenary Company—his role demanded much greater combat prowess than Faro’s. So for this joint expedition to the Vaughn Treasury, Leon planned to bring William along to see if he could claim one of those sentient magic artifacts...
But those sentient magic artifacts were notoriously temperamental—even Leon couldn’t guarantee William Merlin would be recognized by them.
It all came down to William Merlin himself...
Half an hour later, Leon led William Merlin into the Alchemist Guild.
This time, it wasn’t Morin who greeted Merlin.
Basolo and Granger personally greeted Leon and William Merlin, ushering them into the top-floor lounge of the Alchemist Guild. Quite a few people were already scattered around the room. Leon glanced over and saw nearly all of Seaview City’s most prominent figures: Sas from the Silvermoon Mercenary Company, Soth from the Viper’s Nest, Monchy from the Monchy Family, Saluman from the Sage Tower... When the two entered, several people greeted them, and Leon nodded back in acknowledgment.
"Merlin, come here, let me introduce you..." At that moment, Lace was sitting by the fireplace, quietly talking with a middle-aged man. When he saw Leon enter, the president of the Alchemist Guild quickly rose to welcome him over.
"Come, Merlin, let me introduce you. This is Fran the Master from Mercury Tower, one of Nolan the Creator’s personal disciples."
"Hello, Master Fran." Leon smiled politely and extended his hand.
"Mafa Merlin, I know you. Seth’s disciple..." Yet Fran sat unmoving, not reaching out to shake Leon’s hand. His gaunt face even held a trace of a cold smile as he looked at Leon. "Seems you didn’t spend enough time under Seth. You haven’t even learned basic manners. Seth never used ‘you’ to address me..."