"Let's go." After finishing everything, Leon carefully stored the three glass bottles filled with potion and turned to leave the alchemy laboratory.
"Oh, okay!" Raymond, who was just contemplating how to abandon his pride, quickly nodded in response to the command. But just before leaving, he suddenly remembered—if he hadn’t mistaken it, this young master Merlin had tossed the test tube containing the Red Coral Solution into the incinerator while cleaning the alchemy table...
Although it had already been confirmed that the flames from the firestone, burning at several hundred degrees, wouldn’t cause the Red Coral Solution’s magic to go out of control, Raymond’s ingrained beliefs still made him hesitate for a moment. "That Red Coral Solution..."
"Don’t worry, it’s not a problem." Before Raymond could finish his question, Leon gave a reassuring answer. He knew exactly what Raymond wanted to ask—whether the leftover Red Coral Solution in the incinerator would lose control magically.
Of course, it won’t lose control...
It won’t be long before alchemists discover that while the Red Coral Solution does lose magical control when exposed to high temperatures and agitation, it’s actually solvable—a pinch of Moonlight Sand and a short incantation can easily resolve it.
When that time comes, this discovery will change the course of alchemy entirely. New techniques will emerge in droves, and countless alchemists will throw themselves into researching Red Coral Solution. Harnessing its immense magical power, they will achieve countless astonishing feats.
Among those feats are the three bottles of Chromatic Elixir currently in Leon’s pocket.
That’s right, it’s Chromatic Elixir, not Prismatic Elixir. Of course, Raymond isn’t entirely wrong—at least the scent and magical fluctuations of Chromatic Elixir are exactly the same as Prismatic Elixir, and even the effects are quite similar.
But pay attention—it’s only similar, not identical.
The unique properties of Red Coral Solution mean that the effects of these two elixirs can never be exactly the same. After all, the Prismatic Elixir is solely used to purify the Mana Vortex and doesn't require the dangerous and immense magical power of Red Coral Solution.
Only the Chromatic Elixir needs such power. While it can also purify the Mana Vortex, its greater purpose is to strengthen it. After being bathed in the light of Moonlight Sand, the magic of Red Coral Solution stabilizes considerably. Then, with the handling of Sevenleaf Clover and Thousand-knot Flower, this magic finally becomes absorbable by mages.
Absorbing this magic is still quite strenuous and takes a lot of time, but even the most mediocre mage understands its value. What does a mage desire most? Undoubtedly, it's a powerful Mana Vortex. With a strong enough Mana Vortex, a mage is nearly omnipotent.
And the Chromatic Elixir offers mages that possibility.
Although it's not as effective as the Prismatic Elixir at purification, its unmatched ability to strengthen the Mana Vortex makes the Chromatic Elixir even more valuable.
This is especially true for mages who haven't reached the ninth rank. Their need for purification isn't urgent, but their desire to strengthen the Mana Vortex is intense. They're the real customers of the Chromatic Elixir—and there are far more of them than those about to break through to the ninth rank.
"By the way, Raymond, I need a favor."
"Huh, another favor?" Raymond was momentarily stunned, blurting out the question instinctively. But he quickly realized his mistake—this was a twenty-year-old alchemist, someone who could trample his pride at any moment. Offending him was simply not an option. Raymond hurriedly put on a smile: "Just tell me what you need."
"Alright—the auction house, the Mage Guild, and... up to me?"
"Mm, 'up to you' means you can decide for yourself—drink it, give it away, whatever you want."
"Ah..." Raymond's hand trembled as he held the Chromatic Elixir, nearly dropping the three bottles of priceless alchemical potion.
"This is called the Chromatic Elixir. Besides purifying the Mana Vortex, it can also strengthen it. I think you're about a fifth-rank mage now—drinking it should be beneficial for you."
"Isn't this... isn't this a bit too valuable?" Raymond never expected the last bottle of alchemical potion would be given to him. It wasn't the Prismatic Elixir he'd hoped for, but just hearing its effects made it clear—the Chromatic Elixir was a treasure among treasures. Purification and strengthening of the Mana Vortex—either effect alone was a mage's dream, and now he had both at once...
Just moments ago, Raymond had been worrying about how to offer up his pride for Leon to trample. The shift was dizzying. He'd thought that attacking a future master alchemist would cost him dearly—if not his life, at least his dignity. He was already considering how to make amends.
But barely out of the Gilded Rose, a huge pie had fallen from the sky and knocked him senseless. For a moment, Raymond didn’t even know what to say.
"Alright, go take care of it." For Leon, giving away a bottle of Chromatic Elixir was nothing special, so he didn't give it a second thought.
Only in this era is the Chromatic Elixir considered precious, since the Red Coral Solution processing technique hasn't been invented yet. But for Leon, that technique holds no secrets. Plus, Red Coral is everywhere nowadays—if he wanted, he could make a dozen or twenty bottles of Chromatic Elixir anytime. Giving one away was just a habitual way to pay for help.
Raymond helped with the magical processing, so giving him a bottle of Chromatic Elixir as payment was simple as that.
As for what Raymond thought, Leon truly didn't have the time to care...
He'd just witnessed the end of the world with his own eyes, then inexplicably ended up in a stranger's body. Such a thrilling, dizzying experience—he hadn't even recovered yet. How could he have the energy to worry about anyone else's feelings?
Raymond was efficient. By noon on the third day, he knocked on the door of the Merlin family home, explained his two-day absence to his father, and headed upstairs to Leon's room.
"Here's the thirty thousand gold coins from auctioning the Chromatic Elixir." Raymond handed over a crystal card, his face tinged with regret. "It's a shame the time was so tight—the auction house couldn't promote it, so they only spread the word among mages in Seaview City. In the end, an eighth-rank mage bought it. Even the auction house said that with a few more days, they could've fetched fifty thousand for the bottle."
"Thirty thousand is enough." Leon shook his head. Thirty thousand or fifty thousand gold coins didn't make much difference to him. Sure, he needed money, but tens of thousands of coins were far too little—the things Leon wanted to accomplish couldn't be done with even hundreds of thousands.
Thirty thousand gold coins easily covered daily expenses. For Leon, the most important thing now was to understand this world. After all, Matthew Merlin was only a mage apprentice, and his memories were limited to that level. Anything higher was beyond his grasp. Relying on those memories to explore the world would always be limited.
So by comparison, Leon was far more interested in what happened to the second bottle of Chromatic Elixir.
"What did the Mage Guild say?"
"Oh, the Mage Guild..." Raymond was still mourning the lost twenty thousand coins, but hearing Leon's question, he pulled out a second crystal card. "Everything went smoothly. I found a senior working there, and once I explained, the higher-ups agreed right away. They did ask if you'd be willing to meet with them when you have time."
"There'll be a chance." Leon put away the two crystal cards, neither accepting nor outright refusing the Mage Guild's invitation.
It was only natural—if he wanted access to the Mage Guild’s library, there was no way to avoid interacting with them. Better to meet openly than be approached indirectly later; at least then he could see what they really wanted to discuss.
"Great! I'll go report back to my senior at the Guild right away."
"Wait a moment, I have another thing I need your help with."
Another favor? Raymond nearly drooled. After running all over with the Chromatic Elixir—auction house, Mage Guild—he knew perfectly well how valuable it was. The auction had drawn in the chief alchemist for a personal appraisal, and the Mage Guild had sent one of the legendary Three Giants, a figure rarely seen, just to meet a mere fifth-rank mage like him. Why? All thanks to the Chromatic Elixir.
He had a bottle of this precious alchemical potion himself, all for performing a little magical processing on a few glass bottles.
Now, being asked for help again, Raymond couldn't be more willing—he wished he could help a dozen more times.