Chapter 175: Chaos Theory
Nobody saw it coming—Leon stepped forward right when things were about to go sideways.
"Leon..." Joey's face went pale the moment Leon spoke up. After centuries of wrangling with Oswald, Joey knew exactly how volcanic the old man's temper could get—especially now, with the Ascension Elixir fiasco still smoldering. If Leon stuck his neck out at this moment, he'd be lucky not to get roasted alive by Oswald's fury...
Sure enough, Joey barely got a word out before Oswald's face turned thunderous. Those eyes bored into Leon, and his brows knitted so tight you could squeeze blood from them.
"Who are you?"
"Leon, over here! Let me introduce you—this is Lord Oswald, one of the kingdom's three legendary Creators. The man’s a living legend in potion alchemy." Joey, sensing disaster brewing, jumped in to play peacemaker, buttering up Oswald while shooting Leon a desperate look.
Joey was practically waving Oswald's credentials in Leon's face, just in case Leon missed the memo about how much trouble he was in.
After all that, Joey shot Leon another look—a mix of exasperation and 'what the hell are you thinking?' Sure, this young Archmage was sharp as a tack, but right now he seemed hell-bent on acting like a fool.
Oswald wasn't just any Creator—he was the top dog in potion alchemy. If he’d already called the Ascension Elixir a bust, who in their right mind would dare say otherwise?
Aren't you basically questioning a Creator's judgment?
Joey mulled it over—maybe the kid was just running on impulse. Salomon had mentioned that Leon was no slouch in potion alchemy, maybe even a prodigy. Maybe he just wanted to throw out some wild theory to catch Oswald’s eye.
If he could leave a strong impression now, getting Oswald’s advice down the line would be a whole lot easier.
Unfortunately, he chose the wrong approach...
Joey let out a silent sigh. Ambition was fine and dandy for the young, but reckless stunts? That was asking for trouble. Whatever—he’d just wait for this mess to blow over, then figure out a proper introduction for Leon. They’d all be heading to Rockridge soon, and after a few days of rubbing shoulders, Oswald might actually be willing to toss Leon a few alchemical bones.
For now, all Joey could do was play damage control and pray Oswald cooled off before someone got burned...
But just as Joey was chewing over his next move, Leon flashed a grin and jumped in: "Lord Oswald, pleasure to meet you. I'm Matthew Merlin from Seaview City. I've dabbled a bit in potion alchemy myself, and I tagged along with Lord Joey hoping you might share some of your wisdom."
"Heh. I can't help you." Oswald snorted, his laugh colder than a winter grave.
Oswald was ancient—about Joey’s age, which meant centuries of being a cantankerous old monster. As one of the kingdom’s top three Creators, he’d seen every breed of alchemist under the sun.
Alchemists tossing out jaw-dropping theories just to show off? Oswald had lost count. Back in the day, he’d waste his breath explaining, dissecting, and debunking their nonsense...
But after a while, Oswald realized it was all a waste of breath.
For these alchemists, the ideas themselves were never the point. They didn't care about right or wrong—they only cared about catching Oswald's attention.
It happened so often: while Oswald was patiently explaining and analyzing, those alchemists would already be eagerly asking if they could become his disciples...
Every time this happened, Oswald was left both exasperated and amused...
If it were one of his own disciples making such a basic mistake, they'd have been kicked out long ago—no chance for lengthy lectures.
The problem was, these alchemists never understood that...
Once or twice was tolerable, but after countless times, Oswald was utterly fed up. Now, whenever he encountered an alchemist trying to impress with shocking ideas, he simply gave a cold laugh and couldn't be bothered to say another word.
To Oswald, this Matthew Merlin standing before him was, without a doubt, just another one of those alchemists.
So, after his cold laugh, Oswald's face grew stern. He didn't even look at Leon, but instead fixed Joey with a frosty stare: "Enough, Joey. You've seen the Ascension Elixir. I have other work to attend to, so I won't keep you."
It sounded like he was talking to Joey, but in reality, the words were meant for Leon—and they were anything but polite. He might as well have spelled it out: You're not welcome here. Hurry up and leave with Joey...
"Come on, Oswald, that's a bit much..." Joey's face flushed red. He'd known Oswald was ill-tempered, but hadn't expected him to be this harsh...
But never mind. The old man was in a foul mood right now, and the Ascension Elixir's failure had hit him hard. Whatever Joey said would probably fall on deaf ears. Better to leave with Leon for now and try to have Leon apologize at the Rockridge gathering in two days...
With that thought, Joey quietly tugged at Leon, intending to lead them both out of Nightsong Forest...
But to his surprise, Leon didn't budge.
Not only did the young Archmage refuse to leave, he stepped forward, standing directly before Oswald.
"Damn, this is bad..." Joey realized things were about to go south. With Oswald's temper, if Leon kept talking, a fight could break out right here.
But it was already too late to stop him...
As Leon took that step, Oswald's already grim face turned downright ugly. His gaze at Leon now burned with anger...
Even Joey couldn't help but worry now. This was the wrath of a Creator—never mind a fifth-rank Archmage, even a fifth-rank Magus or Title Magus might not withstand it.
Yet Leon seemed utterly unfazed, walking right up to Oswald with a relaxed smile.
"Lord Oswald, no magical fluctuations at all doesn't necessarily mean the Ascension Elixir has failed..."
"Ridiculous..." Oswald sneered, just as expected. These ridiculous alchemists always did this—throw out a shocking theory, then offer some half-baked method, all to prove how talented and original they were.
In the past, Oswald would have dismissed them with a cold laugh and ignored them. But this time, he was truly angry. After his "ridiculous," he didn't let Leon off the hook.
"Let's hear your reasoning!"
This time, Oswald was determined to let Leon speak. If his explanation was lacking, Oswald wouldn't be polite about it. How dare any attention-seeking alchemist question a Creator to his face?
What was he trying to do...
Was he trying to challenge a Creator's authority?
Fine, I'll let you keep talking. Let's see what you come up with. If there's even a single flaw, don't blame me for embarrassing you in front of Joey.
But to his surprise, this young Archmage named Matthew Merlin was truly bold. Even after Oswald's challenge, Leon kept speaking—and not politely, either...
"Lord Oswald, surely you haven't neglected to study Chaos Theory?"
"Leon!" Joey was startled, unable to care about anything else as he quickly interrupted Leon's next words.
That was far too bold...
The earlier doubts, while excessive, could still be explained away—if you had thick enough skin, you could call it scholarly debate between alchemists.
But that last sentence...
That was truly outrageous. To use that tone with a Creator, asking if he'd even studied Chaos Theory—what was Leon thinking? It was pure mockery, like slapping a Creator across the face. Not even a fifth-rank Archmage, or a Title Magus, could bear the consequences of such disrespect!
Just thinking of the consequences made Joey inwardly groan...
If he'd known this would happen, he would've used a flight spell to take Leon and Salomon straight to Rockridge. Why had he brought them to Nightsong Forest? Now, not only did they miss out on the Ascension Elixir, they might have just offended Oswald.
And worst of all...
Oswald definitely wouldn't let Leon off the hook...
If a fight broke out, Joey couldn't just let a genius like Leon fall here. That would jeopardize centuries of friendship with Oswald.
"Leon, that's out of line. Lord Oswald is not someone you can question! If you want to seek guidance, you need to show proper respect. Apologize to Lord Oswald—you're young and don't know better, and Lord Oswald won't hold it against you..."
Joey scolded Leon while anxiously watching Oswald's expression...
For a moment, he didn't dare relax at all, worried that Oswald might lash out in anger. If that happened, it wouldn't just be the loss of a young genius—the entire Cloudspire Tower and countless mages would suffer an irreparable blow.
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