End Of The Magic Era

by Stayrr

The world that nurtured the civilization which reached the pinnacle of magic was on the verge of destruction. The last survivor transmigrated to the past, when the magic civilization started growing, as countless mages were still fumbling their ways through the thorny paths of magic knowledge. He, who came from the end of the magic era, aim to reach the pinnacle of magic.

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End Of The Magic Era

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The world that nurtured the civilization which reached the pinnacle of magic was on the verge of destruction.

The last survivor transmigrated to the past, when the magic civilization started growing, as countless mages were still fumbling their ways through the thorny paths of magic knowledge.

He, who came from the end of the magic era, aim to reach the pinnacle of magic.

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Read End of the Magic Era - Chapter 1 - World's End online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 1: World's End

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

After copying the last character of the Figaro formula, Lin Yun carefully closed his magic book and left the empty, decaying library.

A deep crack stretched across the sky, coming from the Netherstorm. The blood-red sun seemed to be giving out its final radiance, spilling with light and heat. The cruel, hot sunshine bathed every corner of the city while forming a fog of steam, taking away the last bits of life from there.

The shelter tower in the center of the city was still working, but that faint, bleak light always made people think about the old man past his prime who had always protected Heiss City's shelter tower for three thousand years, while also reminding them that this era was about to end.

…

This was Noscent, a world which had once birthed a magnificent magic civilization, but was about to die due to mana depletion…

When Noscent was at its peak, humans truly were able to bring magic to unimaginable heights. The mages from that time had world-shattering power. They sent expeditions through myriad planes and countless other races shivered under their staves after being subjugated.

They even proclaimed themselves living Gods. In fact, if the mana hadn't been used up, some of them really would have been able to live almost eternally and have God-like power due to their thorough understanding of the secrets of magic.

Unfortunately, these times of grandeur had come to an end with the exhaustion of the world's mana.

Humans weakened day by day, and the huge magic fleet remained docked at the harbor. The frightening magic crystal cannon couldn't let out its ear-splitting sound anymore, and those countless planes once again regained their peace and no longer had to worry about the threat from these conquerors.

Even those mages that had once been able to challenge the Gods eventually began to fall. They were shocked to discover that they were powerless before the ravages of time after they lost their magical abilities. Name after name that would once conjure forth heroic memories became engraved on tombstones. They followed Noscent's decline and gradually became forgotten in the ash heap of history…

The only things they left behind were the magic books in the library that Lin Yun just left. Each of them contained the crystallization of their experiences and the knowledge of many lifetimes. In the era before the exhaustion of mana, such a bounty would have been enough to make any mage go crazy from joy.

But now…

These books rested in the library untouched, covered with a thick layer of dust. They no longer had any meaning, except as a reminder of Noscent's former glory.

In Lin Yun's eyes, they weren't even as useful as the Figaro formula. At the very least, the Figaro formula could let one extract a bit of mana from the void while meditating. In this mana-depleted world, the books with their powerful spells and widespread, profound knowledge could only be considered materials for leisure reading.

"I'm so unlucky…" Ever since he appeared in Noscent twenty years ago, Lin Yun had always been brooding over his misfortune.

Wasn't the usual transmigrator able to save their world and then enjoy a fulfilling life? Why did he have to hunt for food in the desert? Why did he have to be buried with this world that was about to perish?

This was too unfair…

At the very least, he should have ended up in a better time period…

Such as the Noscent of countless years ago.

Although the magic civilization was far from mature at that time, countless mages were still fumbling their way forward, slowly exploring the applications of magic. Humans hadn't yet reached their greatest heights, where they would one day use magic to create miracle after miracle.

But at least the Noscent of that time hadn't yet had its sky ripped apart by the Netherstorm and its land parched into endless deserts. The world had still been brimming with inexhaustible mana.

Most importantly, the people of that time hadn't needed to suffer through countless nightmares about the imminent end of the world…

"Ughh… " Lin Yun sighed. He dragged his exhausted body through a deathly silent street. There was not a single sound in the surroundings, making it seem as if Lin Yun was the last person remaining in the entire world.

Noscent was slowly treading toward its death. The natural resources that mankind relied on to survive were steadily getting exhausted every day. The human population of Heiss was getting sparser and sparser. At this rate, they might not even last until the final moment of the world. It seemed that Heiss might turn into a true ghost town under this silence.

This near-at-hand and desperate future made Lin Yun feel a chill.

'That's not right, it's actually a bit cold…' Lin Yun had lived in Heiss for twenty years and had long been used to the cruel sun as well as the scorching desert outside the city. This feeling of cold that he hadn't experienced for the past twenty years felt like a viper digging into his clothes, leaving a tingling feeling in his back.

Fear flashed across Lin Yun's face, and he raised his head to look at the sky before paling in fright.

Heiss' sky was pitch-black, and boundless darkness was swallowing all the light between heaven and earth. The shelter tower that had protected Heiss for a few millennia ultimately exhausted its mana.

With that faint radiance extinguishing, Noscent was on the verge of welcoming its end.

As the radiance extinguished, the Netherstorm ripped through the sky. A huge, flaming meteor flew down from the heavens. Berserk energy rose up, crazily tearing apart the fragile space. Gales whistled past outside Heiss. The peaceful dunes transformed into waves of sand, flowing toward Heiss.

The earth was caving in. The entire world was swaying fiercely as the lofty buildings toppled over. Lives faded away one after the other.

Cries for help, prayers, screams…

Heiss, which had been silent for millennia, suddenly became extremely noisy. Blood and flames filled every corner of the city. The last city of mankind was finally reaching its end…

'It's finally coming.' Lin Yun stood outside his dwelling, watching the situation unfold, feeling stupefied.

Then, the boundless darkness swallowed everything.

…

When Lin Yun eventually woke up, he saw that the sky had become azure. It had no giant crack spanning the sky and no bloody-looking crimson sun. There also was no endless desert outside.

Dense forests, unending mountain ranges, surging rivers… everything in this world was filled with boundless vitality.

Naturally, there was also mana, mana everywhere…

Compared to that final era countless years later, the Noscent of this era was like a shameful nouveau riche filled with abundant mana everywhere. Even the air seemed to ripple with a strong aura of mana, inexhaustible mana that any mage could tap into and spend lavishly without though.

For Lin Yun, who had lived over twenty years in that era of barrenness and decay, always thinking of any possible way to gather the slightest bit of mana, this was the paradise that he had been yearning for.

But now, Lin Yun didn't have time to be happy about waking up in such a paradise.

He had just discovered that he was occupying an unfamiliar body.

From the memories left in his mind, the original owner of this body had been called Mafa Merlin, and was a hard-working 9th Rank Magic Apprentice who had come under the tutelage of Archmage Sethman. His father, Locke Merlin, had operated an alchemy business. He had been in charge of Flashing Gold, one of the seven great alchemy chambers of commerce of Thousand Sails City.

It seemed pretty good: a well-off family and a promising future.

Unfortunately, this was already something of the past.

Mafa Merlin was really unfortunate; he had just stepped through the threshold to become a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice, putting him one step away from being able to wear the black gown and truly become a respected mage.

But at that time, his affluent father had an accident.

A storm swallowed the fleet of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, including Locke Merlin. Several hundreds of people weren't able to survive, and the priceless goods sank to the bottom of the sea.

It was a true disaster, and it startled the entire Thousand Sails City.

This naturally included the creditors of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce…

The Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, one of the seven chambers of commerce of Thousand Sails City, was emptied overnight by those creditors. Moreover, there would be family members of the victims coming to request compensation every day, weeping for their relatives while carrying home the remaining valuables of the chamber of commerce.

After losing his source of income, Mafa Merlin couldn't afford to continue his expensive magic studies and had no choice but to curtail his path to become a mage a month early and return home to help deal with the debts.

His large place of residence was now completely empty, and even rats wouldn't go there. The last servant had snuck out three days ago with a few dozen gold coins, all that he could find, and now, besides an old butler that was unwaveringly loyal to the old master, only Lin Yun remained.

'Eh, right, there is also a contract…'

That contract was sent by Locke's younger male cousin, Fario. According to the family tree, he would be Mafa's uncle. When Locke was still there, he took care of that younger cousin, giving him a lot of shares of the business every year. Later, he spent a lot of money and used his connections to get him a seat as a public security official. This was a very lucrative job, and all kinds of money would land in his hands every year.

It was the same this time. Before Locke went out to sea, he gave his cousin a contract promising a share of the profits as per usual. He didn't need to spend anything and would get a large payment once the voyage was over.

No one had thought that such a freak disaster would happen on this trip, just as no one had expected that right after Locke died, his dear cousin would bring the contract and ask for money as the terms promised.

This was the contract that was now in front of Lin Yun. It wasn't a huge amount, a total of 8000 gold. Back when Locke was still around, one of Mafa's magic experiments might have used more money than that.

But the problem was the timing…

To the current Mafa Merlin, owing such an amount was enough to induce despair. He wouldn't be able to produce the money even if he sold his entire body.

But even that wouldn't work, as the current Fario wasn't as nice as before…

As the repayment date approached, Mafa was getting more and more exhausted, both physically and mentally, and ultimately collapsed just after eating breakfast on this very day. Lin Yun was the one who inexplicably woke up a few hours later.

'That guy is so unlucky…' After digesting the memories left in his mind, Lin Yun had no choice but to sigh. This Mafa Merlin guy was truly unfortunate. It wasn't easy for a youth from an affluent family with a promising future to fall into such a hole.

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Chapter 2: Creditor

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

But soon, Lin Yun threw these things to the back of his mind and shifted his attention to the state of his body. This was what Lin Yun was truly concerned about.

Surviving 20 years at the end of Noscent's gradual deterioration made Lin Yun have a near fanatical thirst for mana. If he ran out of mana, the Lin Yun of that time wouldn't have been able to survive for even an hour. The fierce sand beasts, the constant high temperature, the Netherstorm with its mortal radiation, all of those could easily kill Lin Yun.

What Lin Yun used to survive in that era wasn't something like a powerful family, nor some promising future, but rather, his fine control of the mana he possessed.

Lin Yun didn't care how physically weak this body was, or how much debt he owed. A 9th Rank Magic Apprentice wasn't strong enough. If Mafa had been an Archmage, then let alone eight thousand, who would dare to ask him to return eighty thousand gold? Even if he was willing to pay them back, they would have to be bold enough to accept it…

After some careful inspection, Lin Yun discovered that this young man called Mafa Merlin was actually not too bad. Although the status of a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice wasn't worth mentioning, his foundations were very firm, and because he had been very hard-working, his mana had already formed the mana whirlpool boundary. The only reason he had still yet to advance was his insufficient control over his mana.

This was definitely a lot simpler…

During those twenty years, Lin Yun had always been focused on trying to extract the all of the additional mana that was possible, always calculating how to use every bit of mana to the highest levels of efficiency. Over twenty years, Lin Yun's mana control had reached an outrageous level.

To be fair, it wasn't just Lin Yun. Every mage in that mana-deficient era was like that. They could survive the deadly radiation of the Netherstorm and the scalding hot deserts for a few days only to extract a bit more mana from the void.

Growing up in such an environment, Lin Yun's mana control far surpassed that of the current casters, to the point that Mafa Merlin couldn't even enter his eyes.

Lin Yun spent about ten minutes analyzing the body's potential for magic.

Ten minutes later, Lin Yun was convinced that his understanding of this body was no less than that of Mafa Merlin himself, and thus, he started gathering mana. Guided by his precise control, the sturdy mana seemed like a flowing river…

At first, this flow seemed gentle and relaxing, like a whispering brook, but with his continuous prompting, the mana began to stir and turned into a surging river. With a whistle, the swirling waves kept crashing against his new body.

This was the most critical period for a Magic Apprentice. If the Magic Apprentice lost control of the surging mana, they would fail the absorption and would have no choice but to start accumulating mana from scratch. The setback could even cause some to lose hope of ever forming a mana whirlpool.

This was why there were many Magic Apprentices, but very few Archmages. It was also why Mafa Merlin was unable to progress past being a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice for three years. He had actually yet to give it a try, worried that he might not succeed.

But Lin Yun didn't have such a problem…

Lin Yun had an amazing level of control. He didn't even need to focus in particular, and in an instant, the mana surged ever stronger. Regardless of the rough flooding of the mana, Lin Yun easily controlled all of it, and the seemingly berserk mana flowed through the path that Lin Yun guided it through.

It took an instant for the mana whirlpool to form in Lin Yun's body.

When Magic Apprentices reached this step, they gained the qualification to finally put on that black gown. After some time, the mana whirlpool would completely stabilize and it would be considered true completion of the achievement, becoming a mage.

But Lin Yun didn't plan on stopping here. As if he didn't know that the mana whirlpool had already taken shape, he forcibly pushed the mana further, despite the fact that it had already seemed close to its limits. The weak and recently formed mana whirlpool suddenly let out a popping sound, like that of a bubble, and collapsed from the pressure of the eruption.

Lin Yun wasn't worried in the least. He only kept gathering mana once more and proceeded to roughly form a mana whirlpool before collapsing it in a surge of mana yet again…

That loop, which would have been enough to shock any contemporary mage, went on for no less than ten cycles before the weak mana whirlpool finally stabilized.

Once the mana whirlpool didn't collapse regardless of how much mana he forced inside, Lin Yun was satisfied and gathered some mana at the center of the whirlpool.

The mana whirlpool slowly started rotating around and around, never stopping. Lin Yun raised his hand and several magic runes appeared on it, followed by a fierce magical fluctuation filling the room. A small buzzing sound could even be heard in the air…

Even if a picky mage saw this scene, they would have no choice but to admit that this was a near-perfect mana whirlpool, with astonishing endurance and frightening burst power that could compare with that of a first-rate mage. What was unbelievable was that the formation of this mana whirlpool only took a few minutes.

No one of this era could have accomplished such a feat.

This was because many years later, when the mana control of the mages reached a completely new level, they developed this improved method of forming a mana whirlpool. They had found that this seemingly rough and precarious method would not only create a mana whirlpool very quickly, but also give it sturdiness and explosive power that would have been hard to imagine in the past. And after going through hundreds of years of refining, this technique that would be considered unimaginable in this era was learnt by Lin Yun.

As he waved away the scattered magic runes, Lin Yun was about to fortify his mana whirlpool further when he suddenly heard a voice outside.

"This is all written very clearly! Before my dear cousin went out to sea, he took eight thousand gold coins from me as an investment. But his business ended up as a failure, so shouldn't I get my eight thousand gold back? Naturally, I am not an unreasonable person, and I know you have no money at the moment. How about this? This house is still worth some money, so I'll take a loss and buy the house for ten thousand gold. This way, you can pay back your debt and still have two thousand left to spend."

The voice in the distance was hoarse and broken, sounding sort of like a loud duck. There was no doubt as to what sort of reaction Lin Yun, who was currently trying to consider the best way to further enhance his mana whirlpool, would have after hearing such an annoying sound…

"There is no need to be so excited about settling a debt," Lin Yun muttered under his breath while grinding his teeth. He was already thinking of going to break that duck's neck.

But unexpectedly, before Lin Yun even got up, that duck actually came to his own door and opened it with a loud "bang". A corpulent man that certainly weighed more than 150kg staggered in, followed by an old man that seemed to be perhaps 60 years of age. The two were pulling at each other, apparently disagreeing over something.

"Let go of me, I told you to let go, didn't you hear? Pavey, you old geezer, don't think that you can act recklessly because I'm being nice for now! You should be clear of one thing, you are just a butler. This isn't a matter you can deal with!"

"Fario, you should be well aware of what the eight thousand gold was! That was a gift that the Master generously offered you that would come from the profits of the voyage! Did you even put in one copper? Now that the Master is gone, you want to take over the estate he left behind? Do you feel no shame?" The old man pulled at Fario's sleeve, and due to excessive exertion, or perhaps his great anger, his wrinkled old face had turned red. He jabbed at Fario's face and declared, "Fario, unless this old body of mine dies, don't think of trying to lay claim to this house!"

"You old geezer, is this a threat?" The fat man suddenly became enraged when he heard the housekeeper's words. "You best learn your place and stop acting up in front of me, or I will-"

"Or you will?" Lin Yun interrupted, as the two of them kept fighting.

"Or I will…" Fario was just halfway through making his threat before he had to stop, feeling a bit confused, due to realizing that the one repeating his words wasn't the old butler, but rather his own nephew, who some believed had the potential to become a mage.

Fario had always been disdainful about all that boasting. How could that kid become a mage? And that was without even mentioning all the gold wasted on him over the past few years. And after all that, had he become a mage yet?

There was no need to even consider it now. After the death of his father, Locke Merlin, that kid had even written him a letter begging him to extend the deadline by a few days. If he really had any chance of becoming a mage, would he go that far?

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'What is going on today…'

After Fario spat disdainfully, he couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled. He was waving the contract around, but that kid didn't hurriedly start talking about it or begging for an extension. He was just sitting there, seeming very carefree… and he was looking at him very strangely.

That gaze didn't seem to be one that would be given to a creditor, but more like one that would be used when looking at a ridiculous clown.

Fario wanted to shout a few ruthless threats to cow this kid into a wretch that would fall down and start begging him once again, but for some reason, the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. The most frightening thing was that he suddenly felt like he needed to gather himself a bit when he saw this nephew in person again after so long.

"It's not important," he finally managed to say. "In any case, either you repay your debt today, or you use the house to repay the debt. Otherwise, I'll hand this contract to Thousand Sails City's Chambers of Commerce Union. Let's see who will dare to do business with your Flashing Gold chamber of commerce after that!"

These words even made the old housekeeper pale in worry.

Fario's threat was truly vicious. The Flashing Gold chamber of commerce was in dire straits, and even its buildings had been seized by others to repay the debts, but the old butler knew that much of this would be temporary. The old Master had built his connections and his reputation over the decades, and those weren't things that would be taken away from one accident at sea. As long as the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce had some time, it could get out of its predicament. And even if it couldn't reach its former glory, it would certainly provide enough for the young master to not have to worry about food and clothing. It might even be possible for him to continue his magic studies, and maybe, one day he could become a true mage…

But they definitely couldn't let him give the contract to the Union. The chamber of commerce would need its reputation in order to survive. If the Union even had to make a decision on this, it would definitely have a negative effect on their reputation as doubts would spread.

The old butler's face turned white and his right hand, which had been pulling at Fario's sleeve, slowly started shivering.

But quite strangely, Lin Yun was still relaxed, as if he hadn't heard Fario's malicious threat. He joked to the old butler, "I told you that uncle was concerned about us! See, he is already worried that no one will do business with us."

"Young Master, you are jesting," the old butler forced out, an unsightly look on his face.

Lin Yun smiled, but didn't say much more. He had some respect for this old butler. For him to remain despite the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce crumbling around them and to do his best to defend Mafa Merlin, he had already gone far beyond his required duties as a butler.

"Good, Kid, don't be a hypocrite and act apathetic. We still have to talk about business!" Even if Fario had thick skin, he couldn't help becoming angry from Lin Yun's sarcastic mockery. "You already saw the contract, your father took eight thousand gold from me! I'll give you two paths. One is to pay now directly, and the other is to use your house as payment. I still have business to take care of, so don't waste my time."

"The house is definitely a no," Lin Yun retorted. "Your price is too fair! I'm worried you'll suffer a loss." Back in the day, the house had been purchased for about a hundred thousand gold… so using a debt of eight thousand to purchase it was indeed overly "fair".

Fario's expression seemed almost murderous as he ignored Lin Yun's sarcasm and pressed on, "So, you'll be paying the gold directly?"

"Paying back with gold coins isn't impossible…" Lin Yun began, before trailing off.

"You really want to pay back the gold?" This answer was far beyond Fario's expectations. He was feeling quite stunned and confused because all of Thousand Sails City knew that after the accident at sea, the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce was already in the red. Even this house left by Locke Merlin was completely emptied by the family members of the victims and there was not even a single rat to be seen here. How could they come up with the money?

No way, that would be impossible!

Fario coughed twice, trying to show a calm face. "That's good, wanting to repay the debt is naturally for the best… The total is eight thousand, go get it."

"There is no problem with repaying the money. But, Uncle Fario, I just returned a few days ago, so could you give me some time to understand everything? Otherwise, how do I know that someone isn't cheating us of our money? Oh? Sorry, Uncle Fario, I wasn't trying to say that you are a swindler…"

"Are you making fun of me?" Fario's expression became very nasty when he heard that. He gave Lin Yun a vicious glare before yelling in his duck-like voice, "Jimmy! Jimmy! Damn, get in here, quick!"

Shorty after Fario's yell, a few fiendishly huge men entered. Their leader was a bald man with a long scar on his face and an ominous glint in his eyes.

"Fario!" When he saw that brusque group making their way inside, the old butler's expression worsened, and without a care for his old age, he stood in their way. "Fario, you are going too far! You were treated well during Master's time, but for just eight thousand gold, you actually hired such people!"

The old butler had lived in Thousand Sails City for dozens of years, so how could he not know who these people were? They were all vicious scoundrels, especially that Jimmy. He had come from the underground power known as Red Scorpion, and had been acting as a loan shark and also as muscle for others for the past few years. More than a dozen people had died at his hands, to act as examples for those that would think of failing to pay.

"Fuck off, Geezer!" How could Jimmy put the old man in his eyes after being hired by Fario for an exorbitant fee? After entering the door, he shoved the old butler to the ground.

Afterwards, he casually walked up to Lin Yun and asked, "You are that kid, Mafa Merlin?"

"Was it the right hand?" Lin Yun asked cryptically.

"What?"

"I'm talking about the hand you just used to push the old butler… It was the right hand, right?" Lin Yun patiently explained.

"Fucker, speak less bullshit!" Jimmy was in the loan shark business, and he had seen all kinds of debtors. After so many years of work, Jimmy already understood that debt collection was something vicious and merciless. He would always need to apply pressure to get the victim to cough up the gold.

It would be exactly the same this time…

Perhaps it was because he had been distracted for a moment by Lin Yun's question, but Jimmy felt like he had lost face, so he slapped at the upstart youth with his right hand.

Lin Yun didn't even bat an eyelid as he effortlessly caught that right hand while politely asking, "How about medium well?"

"Wh… What?"

It was immediately followed by a blood-curdling scream.

A dense stench of burnt flesh spread through the air, and soon, the entire room was filled with the smell. To everyone's shock, Jimmy's right hand had been engulfed in raging flames, searing it in just moments.

Not overcooked, not undercooked… A perfect medium well.

Jimmy certainly wasn't weak for his position. During his time in Red Scorpion, he had even gotten rid of a mage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get such a reputation as an able loan shark in Thousand Sails City, a place where dragons and snakes mingled.

It was really unfortunate that he met Lin Yun, someone who had managed to form his mana whirlpool in just ten minutes, a monster that was already able to match an experienced mage. Although he was only a 1st Rank Mage, the reality was that ten of Jimmy wouldn't be enough to face him. This was the difference of tens of thousands of years. It wasn't something that his efforts could make up for.

Lin Yun didn't even use an incantation and instantly cast Burning Hands, taking care of this famous scoundrel of Thousand Sails City.

After letting go of that burning right hand, Lin Yun acted as if he hadn't heard that mournful scream at all and instead turned to look at Fario, his calm smile still plastered on his face.

Fario froze in place, his eyes blank and his mouth wide open, and his fat face filled with disbelief. 'Th… th- this… This is way too different from what I planned! Shouldn't the events have started with Jimmy coming in, beating the kid up for a bit, and then ended with the kid giving up and sincerely taking out the deed? How could it become like this?'

He had trusted Jimmy so much, but now the scoundrel was lying down and covering his burnt right hand while howling in pain. Meanwhile, his nephew, who he had imagined would hand over the deed while shedding pitiful tears, was standing there casually, still looking at him with that strange smile…

'That smile… Hold on, that kid also smiled at Jimmy like that just now.' Fario couldn't help shivering when that thought popped into his mind and he stumbled a few steps back. "W- wha, what are you trying to do, you should know, I- I- I am your uncle! If you dare to harm me, I'll…"

"Don't jest, Uncle Fario. How could I have time to harm you? I am very busy…" Lin Yun walked right past Fario to help the old butler up and check him over once. After confirming that there were only some bruises, he turned back to tell Fario, "Come get your money in three days."

Fario felt as if he had been given a second chance at life. He staggered toward the door, yet as he reached the threshold, he regained some courage and didn't forget to turn back to say a few parting words. "Good then, you really grew up, and you don't even put your uncle in your eyes. I'll come get the money in three days and see if you'll return it to me then…"

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Chapter 4: Mage

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

After watching Fario's fat silhouette flee into the distance, Lin Yun turned back around and looked at Jimmy's two thugs. "Still not leaving? Are you waiting for me to invite you to stay for dinner?"

The two dumb thugs were knocked out of their stupor by Lin Yun's words. "Eh? We are on our way, let's go…"

Once the two thugs carried Jimmy away, the big house once again regained its peace, and Lin Yun led the old butler to a chair. The bruises on his arm had been wrapped. They weren't much of a hindrance, but he was still frowning as he muttered, "Young Master, the eight thousand gold…"

"Rest assured, I can deal with it," Lin Yun casually answered. He truly didn't take a debt of a mere eight thousand gold seriously. The reason behind this wasn't the fact that the concept of currency had fallen out of use near the end of the world. In fact, Lin Yun thirsted for money more than anyone else. He'd long since had his fill of that world where people would fight to the death for a bit of fresh water. His situation was far better now. As long as he was wealthy enough, he could buy anything that he needed or wanted.

But eight thousand really wasn't much, at least for someone who was far beyond the mages of this era. Repaying eight thousand gold coins wouldn't give him much trouble at all, since he had many ways he could get that much within three days.

Given that he'd just had a narrow escape from the end of the world via transmigration, then ended up in an unfamiliar body, and finally was confronted moments later by Fario and Jimmy… After all this, his mind was in a mess, so how could he still have time to think about a mere eight thousand gold?

But even if he didn't care about it, it didn't mean that his butler wouldn't. Seeing his young master's carefree face, the old butler hurriedly warned, "Young Master, we can't really get this sum for the time being. In order to compensate for the losses, we already sold all our properties and compensated the family members of the deceased. We really have no money…"

"I just remembered that when my father was alive, he put an alchemy workshop under my name, didn't he?" Lin Yun had looked through Mafa Merlin's memories and found this fact rather interesting. But although the workshop was under his name, it would normally be operated by Locke Merlin's people. The only thing his father had done was to make it easier for him to purchase magic materials and reagents.

"That alchemy workshop is still there, but…"

"But?"

"But after the accident at sea, the three alchemists all left. I don't blame them. With the current situation of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, they also need to think of themselves," the old butler explained while shaking his head. The most important part of an alchemy workshop was its alchemists. Locke Merlin had spent a great amount to get those three alchemists who were at the peak of Thousand Sails City from the other chambers of commerce. If they had stayed, they might not have been able to let the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce truly rise again on their own, but there wouldn't have been an issue with dealing with the current crisis. After all, that was an extremely lucrative business, and it would easily generate much more than eight thousand gold.

Unfortunately, all three of the alchemists left, and even if there were still materials left in the warehouse, they would only be cheap goods. Without the abilities of an alchemist to turn certain raw materials into gold or other things, selling all of that certainly wouldn't be enough to repay the debt.

"Anyways, let's take a look."

"Young Master wants to take a look?" The old butler froze for a bit, feeling a bit strange. Ever since his Young Master woke up from that fainting spell, he seemed a bit different. The previous Mafa Merlin never would have been able to say such bold words in front of that wretched Fario.

And there was that Jimmy. The miserable scene of him howling and weeping after his right hand was burnt scared the butler too. His young master didn't even frown or wince and remained perfectly calm while roasting the thug's hand. It was as if he had become a totally different person from the anxiously sighing young master from a few days ago.

'Young Master truly grew up from facing the adversity. Unfortunately, Master will never be able to see it.'

As the two talked, footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door. This guest was a youth that seemed to be about twenty years old and was not very tall. He was wearing a black gown, on the cuffs of which was embroidered a wyvern. This was the standard gown of Okland, the best magic school in the eastern side of the kingdom.

This was definitely a student of the Okland magic school, and he must have already become a mage, because only a mage was qualified to wear a black gown.

That young mage hurriedly entered without waiting for permission of any sort. After a glance at old Pavey's dusty bandage, he suddenly grew angry. "Mafa Merlin! Look at what you did! My father has worked for your Merlin family for more than 30 years, and now he still has to help you deal with your mess. Is this the worth of the Merlin family? How could you feel no shame letting my father be harmed like this?"

"Raymond, shut up!" The old butler loudly berated his son and wanted to explain what happened in defense of his young master.

But the problem was that Raymond had quite a temper. How could he listen to an explanation upon seeing his father hurt like this? His father had worked for the Merlins for over 30 years. He had always worked tirelessly without any complaint, and been unerringly loyal. Even though the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce was now sinking, he still stubbornly remained to take care of that young master, and what was the result?

After the news of the accident at sea had spread, Raymond had become very worried. He was afraid of what his father might encounter here as people came to demand money, so he found a way to apply for a ten-day vacation before travelling from Fallen Star Lakeside to Thousand Sails City. And on the way, he found out that Locke Merlin's younger cousin, Fario, had hired Jimmy and brought him to collect a debt.

Raymond had grown up in Thousand Sails City as a child. How could he not know who Jimmy was? He hurried toward the Merlin family house, his heart burning from anxiety, and as he entered, he noticed his father's appearance. The anger he felt was naturally re-directed toward Lin Yun.

To be honest, Raymond had always been looking down on Mafa. This young master had a rich and powerful father, and had always been given the best conditions after stepping into the world of magic, even getting the chance to be mentored by an Archmage. When he needed materials for experiments, his father simply gifted him an alchemy shop. Every year, he would use up at least a hundred thousand gold.

But despite enjoying these superior circumstances, he had always been lingering at the door to becoming a mage. After so many years, after so much money used, he was still a mere 9th Rank Magic Apprentice. Raymond had always believed that if he'd been given these benefits, he would have had far more achievements already.

Later on, Raymond successfully became a mage and returned to look at that Mafa Merlin, but there was no envy or jealousy anymore. Since he was a mage, he couldn't envy or be jealous of a mere Magic Apprentice, because the two belonged to two different worlds, and it seemed unlikely that they would intersect. Like those professors at the school said, an inferior existence like a perennial Magic Apprentice couldn't even enter the eye of a mage…

"Young Master, I'm really sorry, this little brat shouted at you without knowing anything. Just wait, I'll scold him and make him apologize to you."

"It doesn't matter, Raymond is still young, so it's quite normal for him to be impetuous, " After saying a few words to the old butler, Lin Yun just headed for the door. Just before going out, he said, "Oh right, Raymond, your father was injured and needs to rest. You got here at just the right time, follow me to the Gilded Rose."

"I… " Raymond almost choked in anger. 'Does that scoundrel want to die? A mere 9th Rank Magic Apprentice actually used that kind of tone to order around a great mage!'

Unfortunately, this great mage didn't have time to explode in anger, as the old butler on the side exploded in anger first. "You little dolt, do you want to anger me to death?"

"Okay okay, I got it…" Raymond did not have a mother as a child, so he had been raised solely by old Pavey. Raymond was both respectful toward and somewhat afraid of his father. When he saw how angry his father had gotten, the young mage's dignity was immediately thrown to the back of his head. He smiled and asked about his father's injury, and after confirming that everything was okay, he picked up his magic wand and chased after Lin Yun.

The road from the Merlin House to the Gilded Rose was about a 20-minute walk. On the way, Raymond didn't really look at Lin Yun. For the sake of his old man, he would at least show the veneer of good grace, but if this fellow didn't know his place, then Raymond would definitely try to embarrass him.

Raymond was quite sure about what Mafa Merlin's goal was.

An apprentice stuck at the 9th rank managed to get in touch with a true mage; how could he not take the opportunity to try to befriend him? Not mentioning anything else, just Raymond's own experience of forming the mana whirlpool would be enough to help Mafa Merlin avoid countless detours. As long as this young master Merlin wasn't a fool, he would definitely ask all kinds of questions.

'When he comes and tries to befriend me, I'll stop playing along and taunt him, and then use the tone of a mage to chastise him.'

'Good, sounds like a plan!'

Thus, Raymond waited for his quarry to approach…

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Chapter 5: Treasure

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

As a result, this 5th Rank Mage waited for a long time. The twenty minutes were almost over, yet that scoundrel was still acting, walking at a steady pace with his head lowered and his hands clasped behind his back, a thoughtful look on his face the entire time.

'What's with that thoughtful look? You are just an apprentice, what kind of profound question could you even be thinking of…'

After waiting and waiting, as time passed, Raymond couldn't wait any longer and his mind had become filled with who knew how many curses. 'This scoundrel can really act! Hurry up and ask me for guidance, can't you see that I've been waiting for a long time? If you don't hurry up, we will reach the Gilded Rose, and by then, there will be no onlookers! What would be the point of me taunting you then?'

'This won't do, I have to think of a way to bring it up myself…'

"Oh right, Young Master Merlin, did your teacher tell you which specific few formulas you should master when preparing to form the mana whirlpool?" Raymond was extremely pleased with himself after asking this question. It was a perfect suggestion, and the arrogance of a senior from a magic school was plastered all over his face.

Then, Raymond waited for quite a long time…

He turned and saw that the youth beside him was still looking down at the ground with his hands behind his back, seeming to be thinking about something.

'Fuck… That's too much!'

Veins could be seen palpitating on Raymond's forehead. 'I'm a great mage, yet I took the initiative to speak with a mere apprentice like you. Even if you aren't overwhelmed with awe, you still shouldn't dare to ignore me! Do you wanna die?'

"Hey! Young Master Merlin!" Raymond restrained himself once again, restraining the urge to curse at him, and raised his voice to shout.

"Hmm? What?" Lin Yun finally snapped out of his reverie with great difficulty. He was at a loss first, before finally managing to react. "Oh, the formulas that need to be mastered before forming the mana whirlpool, that's simple. The Nossen formula can be used to form the foundation of the mana whirlpool, the Jide formula is used to calculate the direction of the mana, and hmm, if the conditions are met, it's best to master the Figaro formula, this way, you can save a lot of mana when building the mana whirlpool.

After saying that, he threw Raymond a strange look and asked, "In fact, isn't this knowledge that an apprentice should know about already?"

"I…" Raymond suddenly became angry, almost stomping the ground. 'What does he mean by that!? I'm a great mage, do I still need you to teach me knowledge of mere apprentices?'

'This won't do, I have to think of another way to shame that scoundrel!'

Raymond was fuming, but unfortunately for him, before he could think of a way, they reached the Gilded Rose…

The Gilded Rose was located in the Victorious Return main street. This was the most flourishing zone of Thousand Sails City. The most people, the most expensive goods, everything was concentrated on this lavish street. With the power of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce at that time, Locke Merlin was able to let the Gilded Rose enter Victorious Return street after a few jokes and some compliments.

But with the decline of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, the originally bustling Gilded Rose was now deserted. The three peak alchemists of Thousand Sails City had left early on, and they had taken a lot of expensive alchemy materials with them. Their reasoning was that the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce was behind on paying their salary, so they took materials as replacements.

But in reality, what they took was worth ten times their salary. They only left behind the most inexpensive reagents.

Admittedly, the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce truly was unable to pay their salary at that point. Even Fario's eight thousand gold couldn't be repaid, so the salaries of those alchemists which amounted to tens of thousands didn't even need mentioning.

And after all that, if the clerks leaving one after the other were added to the mix, each taking this or that, the formerly highly respected Gilded Rose was now but an empty shell of what it had once been. In fact, if not for the old butler noticing the strange situation and hurriedly sealing the warehouse, even those remaining cheap reagents might have been filched away.

When Lin Yun opened the door and entered the Gilded Rose, he couldn't see anything. The previously dazzling shelves were now completely empty, and dust filled the air, which had a moldy smell.

"This is too much," Raymond sighed after entering, a look of pity appearing on his face.

But he was already inwardly gloating. 'Despair? Shock? Thinking of the time when you were a rich young master that didn't have to worry about food and clothing? Thinking of that formerly lucrative Gilded Rose? Don't joke with me, the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce already collapsed, the Gilded Rose already withered, and you are just a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice, one that has been stuck there for years. Nothing more!'

Raymond was ready, ready for despair to appear on that scoundrel's face so that he could jeer at him.

But after waiting for a long time, Raymond couldn't wait any longer. He realized that something was wrong… after that insufferable wretch entered, he didn't react at all. He was neither stunned nor losing hope. Even his own exaggerated sigh and head shake hadn't drawn a reaction. It was as if the youth didn't even look around and just passed straight through the empty lobby to go to the back of the Gilded Rose.

"Hey…" Raymond started speaking, wanting to needle some sort of reaction out, but he trailed off because that guy was walking too fast. By the time Raymond had thought of something to say, he could only see his back.

'Damn! Just wait until I teach you a lesson!' Raymond inwardly cursed while sullenly chasing after Mafa Merlin.

They turned left after heading out the back door and then down a narrow street that led to the warehouse of the Gilded Rose.

When Raymond caught up, Lin Yun had already unlocked the entrance of the warehouse with his keys. He had entered and was standing in a daze among all kinds of cheap materials.

"You ran off so fast…" Raymond started, intending to grumble a bit after catching up, but after seeing Lin Yun's appearance, he cut himself short. There was no need to grumble. The lad had run into his misfortune so quickly that Raymond hadn't even had time to celebrate it yet, so how could he complain about that?

As he observed the lifeless look on that scoundrel's face, Raymond felt a lot better. It seemed that he was finally dumbstruck by the discovery of the cheap materials that were left behind. Altogether, they wouldn't even be worth a thousand gold, so how could he use them to settle his debt? His fatty uncle wasn't a philanthropist!

It actually took Raymond great effort to restrain himself from bursting out into maniacal laughter.

But Raymond definitely wasn't aware of Lin Yun's actual thoughts…

Lin Yun was also making great efforts to restrain himself from letting out maniacal laughter.

…

Based on the memories left behind by Mafa Merlin, Lin Yun had been aware that the current era was rich in resources. Despite this, after seeing the materials piled around, Lin Yun was stunned! He hadn't thought that this era would be flourishing to such an extent…

Let alone the other stuff, just those three full boxes of red coral… What kind of concept was that? In his later era, just a few pieces would have been enough to trigger an intense conflict in the relatively monotonous land of Heiss. Oh, and that bag of moonlight sand too, it might not have been possible to dig out that much even after hundreds of years of digging in the deserts!

'Hold on, that thing over there…'

After forcing his stare away from the moonlight sand, he was quickly attracted by a bright light.

'This wouldn't be… the rumored magic iron?'

Lin Yun subconsciously gulped, focusing his gaze on that glimmer in the corner of the warehouse carrying a fierce magic fluctuation. 'This can't magic iron, right?'

This was the first time Lin Yun had ever seen real magic iron. That exceptional magic metal simply didn't exist at the end of the magic era. A few millennia before Lin Yun transmigrated, the last piece of magic metal had already been extracted, and in the endless years that followed, people could only look at the descriptions of their incredible properties by poring over books…

All the magic metals were gifts of the earth. They naturally had unique magic power, and with some special handling, they could become powerful alchemy items. If they fell into the hands of a powerful alchemist, they might even have the chance to become a magic tool, such as the Shelter Tower in the middle of Heiss. That was the greatest magic tool in all of Noscent's history. It was able to stall for time in a world that should have already been destroyed, delaying the final days for thousands of years. This power already couldn't be described as just a miracle.

After circling the warehouse, Lin Yun couldn't help cursing inwardly, 'This really is an utterly heartless era filled with an abundance resources! Magic iron thrown in a corner, three boxes of red coral, a whole pouch of moonlight sand, and they all are given the same description, cheap magic material…'

'Too extravagant, too wasteful!'

Lin Yun gulped and then forced himself to not look at those treasures any longer. He was like a starving man that had just seen a table filled with delicious food. The fact that he wasn't shrieking and pouncing at the materials could already be considered an incredible show of self-restraint, but even Lin Yun's self-restraint couldn't stop him from falling into a daze.

Afterwards, Lin Yun finally recovered and got on the move. The three boxes of red coral were quickly emptied, followed by the full bag of moonlight sand, and naturally, the few pieces of magic iron weren't let off either. After five trips, everything in the warehouse was moved to the Gilded Rose's alchemy laboratory.

Raymond seemed rather confused about these actions. What kind of stimulus had that young master felt to make him suddenly act so strangely? Did he crack from the pressure and lose his mind?

Could it be that he didn't notice that after taking five trips back and forth, becoming drenched in sweat, he had only moved less than five hundred gold worth of stuff? Would Fario's debt claim a second victim in the family? Aside from the three boxes full of red corals, there was also a bag full of moonlight sand… But these things were all the most common magic materials in Noscent. One only needed to throw out a few coins to buy a large pile. Those pieces of magic iron were still worth a bit, but the problem was that there was no alchemist. All he had was himself… Did he plan to use his teeth to magically transform it?

'He's finished, finished, he truly lost his mind.'

Raymond got a headache. He didn't care if that scoundrel suffered, but did he have to involve those around him too? The old man who worked for the family for decades treated that insufferable fool as his own son. If he learnt that this pompous brat had lost his mind shortly after Raymond's arrival, Raymond would definitely have bad days ahead of him.

The problem was that… he really was innocent…

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Chapter 6: Frost

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

While Raymond's mind was in a mess, Lin Yun had found a few cat's eye gems hidden behind the box, so he looked around some more. After making sure that he hadn't missed anything, he called out to Raymond, "Come help me."

He didn't wait for Raymond's answer and just took a few gems that were relatively pure before walking out.

As he was left behind, Raymond felt stunned. 'You think I'll help just because you asked me for it? Am I your friend?'

'Besides, you dare to ask a great mage like me to help you work with such cheap magic materials? Are you joking? Do you think a mage is someone you can hire in the streets for a few coppers?'

Raymond entered the Gilded Rose while full of complaints.

"Let's agree on something! Don't look for me for troublesome things, I can't waste mana like this, don't think that a mage can spend mana so casually. The mana that we mages use isn't something that an apprentice like you can imagine… Hey! Are you listening to me?"

After Raymond complained for a while, he realized that he hadn't gotten an answer yet so he looked over to see what was going on.

He was instantly startled.

"Fuck! What are you doing? Stop! Quick!"

When Raymond glanced over, he noticed Lin Yun shaking a test tube that contained a thick, red liquid inside. It was definitely red coral solution. When Raymond saw this, he immediately paled in fright. Red coral solution was known to be very unstable. High temperature or agitation could make it emit fierce magic fluctuations, and those were very frightening. The effect was completely disproportionate to the cheap price of the red coral. If such a thing happened, then let alone this laboratory, even all of Gilded Rose might be leveled.

That was a destructive power that eluded the control of the mages. It was dangerous, powerful, and unpredictable.

Over thousands of years, who knew how many people had tried to take advantage of that power… Countless sages fell one after the other, hoping to grasp that explosive power within their hands. But regretfully, the red coral was a problem that nobody had managed to solve, despite countless efforts in the past millennia. Those fallen sages either died or became disabled after their accidents.

In the last hundred years, the red coral solution had even become a taboo of alchemy. Any alchemy apprentice would be repeatedly warned by their teacher that there were many ways to handle red coral, but that they absolutely couldn't dissolve it into a solution.

Red coral in its solid state could only be considered a mediocre magic material. Compared to typical magic conductors, it could only release weak mana for two to three days. These two properties made it so that red coral could only be considered a low-tier magic conductor.

Moreover, the production of red coral had always been high, and supply often exceeded demand. Thus, the price had always been very low, making it one of the cheapest magic materials in Noscent.

But once it was dissolved into a solution…

Knowing all this, the blood drained out of Raymond's voice. He was afraid to physically stop the maniac in case it caused him to drop the test tube, which would be disastrous. His voice even shook as he repeated, "Didn't you hear? I told you to stop… Fuck, what are you doing!?"

Raymond's words were cut short because after that scoundrel was done shaking the test tube, he went even further to court death by igniting a small lamp and holding the test tube above the flame.

'If I don't stop him, it'll definitely cause a disaster!'

Thinking of the frightening explosion that could erupt from the red coral solution, sweat dripped down from Raymond's forehead. Raymond instantly cast a Frost spell, putting great effort into shortening the incantation and the somatic component, which sharply increased the consumption of mana. In a flash, a third of the mana within Raymond's body was used up. To a mage, this was like losing half his life.

But that would be better than losing his whole life. After consuming so much mana, the speed and power of the Frost spell were far greater than usual. Almost at the same time that the spell was cast, the empty laboratory was filled with a bone-piercing chill. It was immediately followed by a spiralling blue light, and the lamp was extinguished.

And that wasn't all. After the lamp stopped burning, that blue light seemed to spread crazily like grasping vines. It reached out to the test tube of red coral solution and Lin Yun's right hand, freezing it all in place.

"Fortunately, nothing happened…" Raymond was still shaking as he wiped his cold sweat. That scene had been far too frightening, if he had been a few seconds too late, the entire alchemy laboratory might have already exploded. 'That scoundrel is too reckless, it doesn't matter if you want to play with red coral, but don't involve me…'

After getting over the sudden fright, Raymond was completely filled with shock and anger. In fact, with Raymond's level of magical ability, he could have controlled the Frost spell to only extinguish the lamp and freeze the test tube, without freezing Lin Yun's hand.

That's right, Raymond had done that deliberately.

'This scoundrel doesn't know what he is doing, it'll be a good lesson for him.'

Since he still thought that Lin Yun was a Magic Apprentice, he would never think of treating him as a fellow mage. If not for that scoundrel's relationship with his old man, how could he even care to look at a Magic Apprentice that was so heavily in debt? Let alone one that would try to order him around! If it were anyone else, they would have already been turned into an ice statue by Raymond!

'I have endured enough of this bullshit!'

Raymond had already thought about it when casting the Frost spell. He would let that scoundrel freeze for an hour, and only then would he mercifully rescue him while strictly admonishing him at the time. Hopefully, this would make that wretch behave himself. And if his father asked, he would justify everything by emphasizing the dangerous nature of the red coral solution. He wasn't lying, after all. Red coral solution really was that dangerous. He did all this for the safety of 'Young Master Merlin'…

The more Raymond thought about getting to let off some steam, the more cheerful he got. It was to the point that he didn't even notice that Lin Yun was completely unfazed by what had happened.

With what Lin Yun had experienced at the end of the magic era, an attack like a Frost spell could hardly fluster him. What's more, that Frost could hardly be considered an attack. Raymond hadn't thought of Lin Yun as a fellow mage and definitely wouldn't expect that he was a freak that had only needed a few minutes to form a mana whirlpool. Raymond might have been a mage longer than Lin Yun, but when it came to their levels of power, the two were simply not on the same level.

Facing Raymond's mana-charged Frost, Lin Yun didn't even use a spell to counter it. He only controlled the mana whirlpool within his body to form a thin layer of mana to act as a shield.

That mana shield was definitely rough, because it didn't have any elemental arrangement. It was just an accumulation of mana. If it had been done by another mage of their time, that Frost spell might have been able to just overpower the shield and freeze it out of existence.

But it was clear that Lin Yun wasn't an ordinary mage…

Surviving for over twenty years at the end of the magic era let Lin Yun accumulate knowledge that far surpassed what was known in this era. Moreover, the finesse and precision of his casting also were exemplary. This sort of casting ability was unrelated with ranks themselves. It was the result of Lin Yun's sweat and tears. In the Noscent of this era, there wasn't any mage that was more familiar with the usage of magic for battle than Lin Yun. Continuously fleeing from the sand beasts' claws, always living on the edge, always hunting, always being hunted. All this made Lin Yun develop a beast-like instinct. He didn't even need to think to know of the most mana-efficient way to kill his opponent.

Just like this mana shield: it seemed rather rough and brittle, but Lin Yun was able to block Raymond's Frost spell with it.

Not too weak, not too strong, just enough to do the job.

Just as the icy mist dissipated, the mana shield's mana also depleted. The thick layer of ice seemed to have frozen Lin Yun's right hand, but it only froze over the mana shield. When the mana of both sides depleted, the mana shield faded away and Lin Yun only lightly shook his hand for the large sprawl of ice to fall down with a "crash".

"No way…" Raymond's eyes widened. He didn't dare to believe what he had just seen. 'This… This… This… How could this be? How could a Magic Apprentice's body resist a Frost spell? Even a mage can't! Although Frost is a control-type spell which had never been particularly high in firepower, it is still a 2nd rank spell! To use his flesh to resist a 2nd rank spell… Even a bold mage wouldn't dare to do so. And that scoundrel not only dared to do so, but he even succeeded!'

'No way, there must be a problem here!'

'Yeah…'

'Even if that scoundrel is very weird, he is still Locke Merlin's son. During the Flashing God chamber of commerce's peak, just the word 'wealthy' was not enough to describe it. Locke Merlin's dear only son, even the alchemy workshop is under his name, how could he not have prepared a few alchemy items for him? And not just alchemy items, he could even have a magic tool!'

'It was definitely a defensive magic tool that blocked the Frost spell!'

'Yeah, definitely!'

'Otherwise, how could that scoundrel be totally unharmed after being hit by a Frost spell?'

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Chapter 7: Screwed

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

Such a miscalculation! If he had thought about it earlier, he definitely wouldn't have used Frost. After all, it was only a control spell with limited power. It would have been better to use a spell with burst power like Flame Burst! Even if that fellow had a magic tool that could resist magic, he definitely would not have had such an easy time stopping it. Just the shockwave from Flame Burst would be enough to leave him cutting a sorry figure on all fours. The stress had apparently gotten to Raymond, making him forget the reason for casting Frost in the first place.

'Okay, this was a bit unexpected, but using Flame Burst will fix it!'

Raymond used a few words to comfort himself before chanting the incantation for Flame Burst, full of confidence. Raymond appeared very calm this time. He shortened neither the incantation nor the spell gestures this time and just resolutely chanted his spell. Even the arrangement of the elements spinning in his mana whirlpool was textbook, to the point that if a strict teach saw his spell, they wouldn't find any faults.

'There won't be anything unexpected this time,' Raymond thought complacently.

But the result was…

Before Raymond even finished casting, a sharp whistling sound suddenly passed by his ear.

That "whistle" felt like something was ripping through the air. It was followed by Raymond feeling his shoulder tingle before his whole body was sent flying like a cannonball…

Raymond landed on the ground a few meters away.

At that time, Raymond felt a painful heat on his shoulder and connected it to that sharp sound he'd heard a second ago. Raymond realized that this was the 2nd Rank spell, Tornado Whip!

But recognizing it didn't mean that he understood. In fact, after he noticed that it was Tornado Whip, Raymond was even more confused. 'Wh-what… What happened? How could a Tornado Whip appear here?' For a moment, Raymond even thought that he had chanted the wrong spell, mistaking Flame Burst's chant for that of Tornado Whip, causing him to receive backlash from the misfire.

If that wasn't the reason, the only possibility was that it had been cast by this apprentice.

But the situation quickly changed…

Raymond didn't have time to get up before a sharp whistle echoed once again. He felt his other shoulder go numb this time before he went sailing through the air.

'That's not it…'

Raymond lay on the ground once again, in a state of complete bewilderment. He didn't cast anything this time, so how could another Tornado Whip appear?

'No way, is it…'

As he gradually gathered his thoughts, Raymond raised his face and slowly paled. Even a lousy mage couldn't cast two completely wrong spells in a row like that, let alone having the same backlash twice. The only reasonable explanation was that those two spells truly came from that 9th Rank Magic Apprentice.

No, not a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice…

The two spells that came from that guy were clearly both silent and quickened. 'Damn, that scoundrel is an actual mage, a mage who has mastered at least two types of metamagic!'

At this time, Raymond really wanted to find a hole to hide in. 'You could have just said that you were a mage, why did you have to pretend to be a magic apprentice? And did you even need to use Tornado Whip on me twice? Are you a psycho?'

Raymond really couldn't understand at all… When did Lin Yun break through to become a mage? He was clearly a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice just a month ago, so how could he suddenly become a mage? And a mage that could easily use two metamagic abilities, how heaven-defying was that?

"How could you have become a mage!"

"Why not?" Lin Yun looked at Raymond strangely, not explaining anything. He only casually continued, "Oh right, don't forget to thank your father once we return."

"What do you mean?" Raymond froze when he heard that.

But Lin Yun didn't plan to answer.

In fact, if not for Lin Yun thinking of that old man who was quite worthy of respect, Raymond would have already turned into a corpse the instant he cast that Frost spell. With the vigilance and alertness he cultivated for twenty years at the end of the magic era, how could he even let Raymond cast his shortened cast spell that still needed spell gestures?

The moment that the mana fluctuation had appeared, Lin Yun had instantly formed an Icicle spell in his hand. If it went as he predicted, once the Frost spell was released and the mana whirlpool shrank, Lin Yun would cast his Icicle and pierce Raymond's head with it.

It was as Lin Yun had said. Raymond really should thank his old man. Just as the Icicle was about to be cast, Lin Yun suddenly realized that this wasn't the dog-eat-dog era that he had lived in for so long. The other side's attack wasn't aiming at killing him. Moreover, that young mage's father was a worthy man.

Thus, Lin Yun held back the Icicle spell and used a rough mana shield to block the Frost.

"Oh right, come help me."

It was the same commanding tone, but this time, Raymond didn't dare to disregard his words. It wasn't a good idea to refuse a mage that could casually cast two Tornado Whips. If they fought, Raymond would definitely be the one that would suffer a loss.

Thus, Raymond had no choice but to keep it in. "What do I need to do?"

"Enchant those." Lin Yun was busily refining with one hand while using his other hand to point at a few glass bottles.

"Eh…"

Enchanting was the easiest task in alchemy. It wasn't hard at all for a mage like Raymond. In fact, every mage had studied alchemy to some extent, some more than others. There were many high ranked mages who were peak alchemists.

Since the birth of alchemy, it had been linked in countless ways to magic. They complemented each other. If one wanted to walk far in the world of magic, it would be impossible without the help of alchemy. Alchemy equipment could bring about direct improvements in power. Refined potions could replenish strength in times of need. Puppets created through alchemy had even greater strategic uses. If a mage didn't have the support of alchemy, even if he was a unique genius, his accomplishments would be limited.

It was the same for alchemy, which was also linked inevitably to magic. A good mage wasn't necessarily a good alchemist, but a good alchemist was bound to be a good mage. This might sound a bit strange, but it was a well known fact. Some complicated alchemy formulas needed a deep and wide understanding of magic. Some people might rely on talent and hard work to have some achievements in alchemy, but only a mage could keep researching deeper and deeper.

Without enough knowledge of magic, one wouldn't be able to understand those complex alchemy formulas. Without enough skill with metamagic, one would never be able to make their own magic tool.

Raymond's achievements in alchemy couldn't be considered very high, and he was still very far from being able to make his own magic tool, but there was no problem with enchanting a few glass bottles. Raymond started enchanting the bottle, skillfully and casually while still wondering how this scoundrel had become a mage.

'Eh? What's that smell?'

While Raymond was lost in his thoughts, a strongly irritating smell assaulted his nostrils. Raymond first frowned with annoyance before suddenly paling.

Raymond realized that the person at the alchemy table next to him had put a flame rock into that test tube…

"Shit…" Raymond held his breath. If a flame rock was stimulated with magic power, it would instantly reach a high temperature. Throwing that thing in a red coral solution was like throwing fire on a pile of fireworks.

'Doomed! This scoundrel really will kill us this time!' As the flame rock fell into the test tube, a red light burst out, and Raymond could already feel the high temperature from his location.

Raymond wanted to curse, but it was too late. Under the high temperature, the red coral solution was already out of control. The berserk mana was wreaking havoc as the red light soared, dyeing the entire laboratory in a bloody crimson light. A surge of red bubbles was striving to rush out of the test tube.

Feeling the horrible mana fluctuations, Raymond closed his eyes, resigned to his fate.

"We are screwed…"

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Chapter 8: Miracle

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

The peaceful alchemy laboratory was so quiet that time seemed to had been frozen, and only the sound of the bubbles in the test tube could be heard.

Raymond cringed back and waited for a long time, waiting for his last moments to arrive. But after waiting for a long time, he suddenly heard a voice.

"What are you doing?"

"Eh?" When Raymond, who had been waiting for his death with his eyes closed, heard this voice, he initially thought it was just his imagination. But then he thought about it. 'Would there be such an annoying voice right after I entered the afterlife?'

Thus, Raymond opened his eyes and looked over. That scoundrel, who should have been buried in a magic explosion already, was standing there as if nothing had happened. He was still holding that frightening test tube in his hand. But at that time, Raymond didn't focus on the test tube at all. Instead, he was wondering why there hadn't been an explosion, or even anything out of place at all. 'Why? The red coral solution should have already gone out of control due to the high temperature, so how could it remain completely unagitated within the test tube?'

Raymond's mind was in a total mess, as if it was melting. No problems had arisen when the red coral solution was heated to a high temperature, which was something that Raymond couldn't accept. This was simply like shaming Raymond's knowledge of alchemy. And Okland's alchemy professors had emphasized many times that red coral shouldn't be dissolved into a solution no matter what, let alone having it come into contact with high temperatures.

If he had to choose between this being his own misunderstanding or his professors making such a huge mistake, he would rather believe that everything he had just seen was only a figment of his imagination.

Indeed…

As if to prove that everything wasn't just an illusion, that really annoying voice echoed once again, and moreover, it seemed quite impatient this time. "How long could it possibly take to enchant a few glass bottles?"

As he said that, Lin Yun came over, still holding his test tube that was filled with the red coral solution.

"You… Don't come!" Raymond jumped back in fear. He subconsciously wanted to stop him, but he soon recovered and immediately changed his tone, "I'll bring them to you…"

Raymond felt a bit regretful after saying that…

Doing someone's dirty work without profiting from it and still having to bring it to them afterwards… This was losing one's pride!

But he had already spoken these words and couldn't take them back. Thus, Raymond could only suffer in silence and finish the last enchantment before enduring the shame and bringing those few glass bottles to that scoundrel.

In order to retain a bit of pride, Raymond put the bottles down on the alchemy table one after the other and was going to snort coldly to show his displeasure, but as he caught sight of that deep red test tube again, he didn't keep up the act in the slightest due to his worry. He looked at Lin Yun, feeling rather angry but not daring to speak.

Lin Yun didn't bother about him at all as he took the enchanted bottles and arranged them on the table before pouring the red coral solution into the glass bottles, giving each a precisely even portion. During the entire process, Raymond's eyelids couldn't help twitching.

After he was done with all this, Lin Yun finally put the dangerous test tube down and began to sift through the pile of low-cost magic materials, organizing them. He then ground some dried thousand knot flowers, used a filtering cup to extract the juice of seven leaves grass, and spread a bit of moonlight sand on a white sheet of paper. After a few simple incantations, the scattered sand began shining gently.

The radiance gradually became increasingly more dazzling, and Lin Yun started working faster. The juice of the seven leaves grass was poured into the glass bottles and the diluted red coral solution's red radiance dimmed. When the powdered thousand knot flower was added in, the irritating smell slowly disappeared.

When the glow of the moonlight sand disappeared, the three bottles of light red liquid revealed their true appearance through a faint mist.

"My god…"

After Raymond saw all of this, although he had still been regretting his loss of pride before, he slowly opened his mouth wide, a sluggish expression appearing on his face. He was completely stunned as he looked at Lin Yun with fear, as if this person before him was actually a monster!

'H-h-how could this be a Colorful potion!'

Raymond clearly remembered that a few months ago, when he had just broken through and become a mage, the magic school allowed him to enter Okland's laboratory to study for a week as a reward. There, he learnt about a whole new world. That place could be considered the learning center of the kingdom. There were two Archmages as well as seven Great Alchemists. It was even said that the one who was truly in charge of Okland's laboratory was a Master Alchemist… Their existences made Okland's laboratory a holy land in the hearts of countless alchemists.

When Raymond visited, he had really felt like he was making a pilgrimage.

That week was like a dream for Raymond. Being in the central hub of learning and having the chance to see those legendary existences, while even getting to hear them discuss their work if he was lucky. Furthermore, he occasionally was able to watch their research… To Raymond, this experience was worth all the wealth he could ever earn in his lifetime.

There weren't many people that could get an opportunity like Raymond's. Whether it was an Archmage or a Great Alchemist, they were all people standing at the peak of their domains. They were somewhat already separated from the commonfolk, and they could unconsciously say something that might very well enlighten mages like Raymond and save them years of fumbling their way forward.

Raymond still remembered the afternoon of the 3rd day that he was there. He had been fortunate enough to have the chance to spectate Great Alchemist Gustave's potion-making. He was creating a bottle of Colorful potion, specialized in cleansing away a mana whirlpool's impurities. For a mage that was already standing at the peak of the standard mage level and urgently wanted to shatter their mana whirlpool to step into the Great Mage stage, the value of that Colorful potion simply couldn't be calculated.

This was a miracle of alchemy. After witnessing the miracle personally, Raymond felt that every detail was worth cherishing. The young mage felt that even if ten years passed, he would still remember everything that had happened there.

And nowhere near ten years had passed, so Raymond's current understanding was even clearer.

Perhaps it was because of this vivid memory, but Raymond seemed to lose control…

Regarding the three bottles on the alchemy table, whether it was the smell emanating from them or their magic fluctuations, it was all exactly the same as that Colorful potion!

What did that mean? It meant that this person who had been stuck as a mere apprentice for a few years wasn't just a mage who had mastered two kinds of spellcasting abilities, but he was also a very gifted alchemist!

'I must be dreaming, right…?'

As a mage, Raymond naturally knew that regardless of whether it was magic or alchemy, they all required a great amount of time and experience. Being gifted in these two domains wouldn't decisively change that fact. No matter how outstanding and gifted someone was, they would need time to gather knowledge and temper their skills. No one could skip this process.

Among the numerous branches of alchemy, potioneering was the one that consumed the most time. With the large numbers of formulas and neverending testing, all the potion alchemists had grown through countless failures, so up to now in the Andlusa Kingdom, the youngest potion alchemist was at least 30 years old.

This was already the limit. Without at least that much time to gather knowledge and experience, it was simply impossible to become an alchemist.

But that young master Merlin was only 20 this year, he was shockingly young if his accomplishments here were real. If he truly was a potion alchemist at this age, then he was bound to become a Great Alchemist!

'I just attacked a future Great Alchemist…'

As this thought came to mind, cold sweat dripped down Raymond's forehead.

This wasn't a joke.

'How about I take the initiative and apologize first, before asking for forgiveness in a sincere tone?'

Although this sounded like throwing away his pride, after offending someone that would gain such incredible status, there was no other choice. He had already lowered himself anyway, so there wouldn't be much of a loss if he lowered himself more.

'Right, let's do this.'

Thus, Raymond began racking his mind to decide the best way to proceed. Since it was necessary to throw aside his pride, it would be better to think about how to do it…

As a result, Raymond had yet to come up with anything good when Lin Yun's work was already complete.

The alchemy table had been neatly cleaned away, and the few tools that had been used were back in their places, including the crucible that had been picked out from a trash can. This was a habit that Lin Yun picked up from living at the end of the magic era. In that era which was so deficient in resources, even a crystal the size of a grain of rice would be a huge treasure. After living a life in that poor environment, Lin Yun simply wouldn't put up with any wasteful actions.

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"Let's go." After finishing, Lin Yun took the three potions and left the alchemy laboratory.

Lin Yun's words snapped Raymond out of his intense introspection about his pride, and after getting his bearings, the young mage mumbled, "Eh… Yes!" But before leaving, he seemed to recall something… If he wasn't wrong, when Young Master Merlin cleaned the alchemy table, he seemed to have thrown the test tube used for the red coral solution into the incinerator…

Although he had already seen with his own eyes that the flame rock didn't cause the red coral solution to erupt earlier, he still had those teachings stuck in his mind. He began to ask, "That red coral solution…"

"Don't worry, there will be no issue." Before Raymond had even asked anything, Lin Yun had already answered. Lin Yun knew what was troubling Raymond, which was whether the remnants of the red coral solution would explode in the incinerator.

It wouldn't, of course.

How much longer would it take before alchemists were able to find out that the problem of red coral solution going violently out of control when heated or agitated wasn't something unsolvable? A bit of moonlight sand and a short incantation was enough to fix that problem.

When that time came, the discovery would change the way that alchemy was taught, a great number of new techniques would emerge, and countless alchemists would be deeply immersed in studying the red coral solution. They would make use of the incredible amount of magic contained inside to make countless shocking achievements in the field.

And among these were the three Spectrum Potions in Lin Yun's pocket.

That's right, these weren't Colorful Potions, they were Spectrum Potions. Naturally, Raymond wasn't completely wrong in his assessment. The scent and magic fluctuations of the Spectrum Potion were the same as those of the Colorful Potion, and even the effects weren't totally different.

Though, even if they were similar, they weren't completely the same.

After all, the added effect of the red coral solution was a game changer. The only use of the Colorful Potion was to purify the mana whirlpool. There was no need to use a dangerous material that was full of mana like the red coral solution for this.

Only the Spectrum Potion had this kind of mana requirement. Even if the Spectrum Potion could also purify the mana whirlpool, the main effect was to strengthen the mana whirlpool. After bathing in the glow of the moonlight sand, the red coral solution's mana was even more stable. Adding the thousand knot flowers made it so that the mana could be absorbed by mages.

Although absorbing the mana seemed difficult and would need a large amount of time, it was extremely valuable. Even the worst mage would be able to understand. What did a mage yearn for most? It was definitely the chance to strengthen their mana whirlpool. As long as they had a mana whirlpool that was strong enough, a mage could be nearly omnipotent.

And the Spectrum Potion offered that possibility.

Despite it not being as good at purifying the mana whirlpool as the Colorful Potion, there were no other alternatives for strengthening the mana whirlpool, so the Spectrum Potion was bound to be worth more than the Colorful Potion.

Especially for the mages that had yet to reach 9th Rank. They weren't in a hurry to purify their mana whirlpools and were still trying to just strengthen them as much as possible. They were the true targets for the sale of the Spectrum Potion. Moreover, there were far more of those mages than the ones at 9th Rank who were on the verge of breaking through.

"Oh right, Raymond, help me with something."

"Eh? Help?" Raymond was still a bit dazed and subconsciously expressed his confusion, but he immediately reacted and corrected himself. 'That's a 20-year-old alchemist, he is someone that can trample my pride anytime, I can't offend him, I really can't offend him.'

Thus, Raymond hurriedly answered with a smile, "Please tell me what to do."

Unfortunately for him, Lin Yun didn't pay attention to the fact that Raymond was addressing him so politely for the first time. He only took the three potions from his pocket and said, "Help me deliver these potions. This bottle is for the Victorious Return Main Street's auction house, tell them that I need it sold within three days, and let them decide the price. This potion is for the Mage Guild, I need a library pass with the highest privileges. As for the remaining potion… Do as you wish."

"Okay, auction house, Mage Guild, me… As I wish…?"

"Yes, as you wish, you can decide. If you want to drink it or give it away, do as you wish."

"Eh…" The hand that was holding the Spectrum Potions suddenly shook, and he nearly dropped the potions.

"These are Spectrum Potions. Besides purifying the mana whirlpool, it can also strengthen the mana whirlpool. I see that you should be a 5th Rank Mage, so drinking this should be very beneficial for you."

"This… isn't this too precious?" Raymond hadn't expected that the last bottle of potion would actually be given to himself. It turned out that this wasn't the Colorful Potion that he'd thought it was, but just by listening to the description of its effects, he could tell that this potion was a treasure among treasures. Purifying and strengthening the mana whirlpool at the same time, either of these two effects was something that every mage longed for, yet this did both at the same time!

Considering that Raymond had just been thinking about how he should curry favor with Lin Yun, this was a bit too much. He originally thought that since he had attacked a future Great Alchemist, even if he didn't die, he would still be in a precarious situation. He had already been trying to figure out how to resolve this issue.

Yet in the end, after leaving the Gilded Rose, a pie fell from the sky, leaving Raymond feeling confused and stunned. Even after a long time, he still didn't know what to do.

"Okay, hurry up and take care of it." Gifting a bottle of Spectrum Potion wasn't that big of a deal to Lin Yun, so he didn't take it to heart.

Only in the current era would a Spectrum Potion be regarded as precious, because no technique to handle red coral solution had appeared yet. However, that technique was nothing secret later on, and red coral could be seen everywhere in this era. As long as Lin Yun wanted, he could make dozens of Spectrum Potions, so giving out just one potion as a reward was just being polite.

Raymond had helped him with enchanting the bottles, so he gave him a Spectrum Potion as a reward, it was that simple.

As for what Raymond thought, Lin Yun truly didn't have the time to care about it…

After seeing the world end with his own eyes just a short while ago, he had inexplicably ended up in an unfamiliar body. With such an exciting and satisfying experience, he still hadn't fully recovered from it. How could he care about what sorts of social intrigue others were thinking?

…

Raymond did his work efficiently, and on the 3rd day at noon, the bell of the Merlin family house resounded. After explaining to his father why he had disappeared for two days, he went upstairs to Lin Yun's room.

"This is the thirty thousand gold from the sale of the Spectrum Potion at the auction house." Raymond handed a crystal card over, some regret showing on his face. "Unfortunately, time was too tight. The auction house didn't have enough time to spread the information about the item. It could only reach the ears of the mages in Thousand Sails City, so in the end, an 8th Rank Mage bought it. The auction staff said that if they had a few more days, they could definitely have sold this Spectrum Potion for at least fifty thousand gold."

"Thirty thousand is enough." Lin Yun shook his head. Whether it was thirty thousand or fifty thousand, each was the same in his eyes. Indeed, Lin Yun was in need of money, but just tens of thousands was really too little. What Lin Yun wanted to do wasn't something that could be accomplished with a few tens of thousands gold, or even hundreds of thousands.

But thirty thousand gold would be enough for their immediate daily expenses. For Lin Yun, the first thing he needed to do was to get a better understanding of this time period. Mafa Merlin was only a Magic Apprentice, so he only knew things up to that level. He had no understanding of the higher realms. His understanding of this world through his memories was too limited to begin with.

Thus, Lin Yun was even more concerned about the whereabouts of the 2nd Spectrum Potion.

"What about the Mage Guild?"

"Eh? The Mage Guild…" Raymond had still been feeling regretful about the loss of twenty thousand gold. Upon hearing Lin Yun's words, he remembered something and fished out a 2nd crystal card from his bag. "It went very smoothly with the Mage Guild. I found a senior working there and the higher-ups expressed their approval. But they asked something. They would like for you to visit them when you have time."

"There will be an opportunity for that." Lin Yun put away the two crystal cards, not expressing a clear refusal to the Mage Guild's proposition.

Since he wanted to access the Mage Guild's Library, there was no way he could choose not to meet them. Rather than having someone inquiring, it was better to meet them openly to see what they wanted.

"Good, I'll go give the answer to my senior."

"Wait a bit, I still need your help with something."

'A-again?' Raymond almost spat out. After running around with the Spectrum Potions these past few days, how could Raymond not know of their true worth? That time, the auction house had disturbed their chief alchemist to have him personally appraise that potion. The Mage Guild even bothered one of their three big shots, someone that would rarely appear in public, but he did come out to personally receive a mere 5th Rank Mage. And for what? Out of respect for the Spectrum Potion…

And Raymond had one of these incredibly precious alchemy potions, and he only got it by helping with enchanting a few glass bottles.

Now that he was being asked to help once again, Raymond was naturally very willing to do so. He was yearning to be of use to Lin Yun.

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"What do I need to do?"

"I need some magic materials. This is the list, can you see if you can help me with it?" Lin Yun asked as he passed it over to Raymond.

After finishing the Spectrum Potions, Lin Yun had not gone out. He had been very dissatisfied by the efficacy of his two Tornado Whips. Whether it was power or accuracy, they were both miles apart from what he had been capable of in the past. Lin Yun even doubted whether those spells had been cast by him.

But after thinking about it, that Mafa Merlin had been stuck as an apprentice for so long, which made it make more sense. He had very poor innate talent. Whether it was sustaining mana or controlling it, his ability was far below average. This could already be considered a flawed body. Hard work and diligence could only make the accumulated mana stronger, but he couldn't overcome his body's flaws and advance to become a true mage.

Naturally, after Lin Yun arrived, he relied on his mana control that far surpassed that of others of this era and used a method that could be considered rough and simple to advance to the Mage realm. But this was only because the master of the body was now Lin Yun, not because the problem of this body had been settled.

The problem was far from being resolved. Although the mana whirlpool had already smoothly taken shape, in the future, from Mage to Great Mage, from Great Mage to High Mage, and from High Mage to Archmage, each time he would have to break through, this body's flaws would cause Lin Yun further complications. If he didn't solve that problem early on, Lin Yun would suffer from it sooner or later.

In this era when the research on the subject hadn't matured enough yet, this kind of physical defect was equivalent to being cut off from the path of mages. If one couldn't even sustain a slightly more intense mana flow, how could one become a qualified mage?

Fortunately for him, Lin Yun didn't belong to this era.

Solving the problem of mana sustenance wasn't a problem, as Lin Yun had at least two ways.

One used a special meditation technique to change the pattern of his mana flow, but the time needed for this method wasn't insignificant. Lin Yun wouldn't be able to advance to become a Great Mage for at least three to five years if he went down that path. The second one was using an alchemy potion to strengthen one's body. This method was a lot faster, ten days at best, fifteen at worst, but compared to three to five years, it was negligible.

Naturally, the cost of this method would be enormous. Many magic materials could be described as precious even in this era, and the thirty thousand gold in Lin Yun's hands was far from enough…

But it wasn't urgent. Lin Yun estimated that he should have a good amount of time before advancing to Great Mage, so during that time, he would get a better understanding of this world.

…

After getting another opportunity to help, Raymond simply couldn't wait. There wasn't even enough time to relax as the rest of his ten-day vacation wouldn't be enough to finish this. He hurriedly hugged the potion bottle and ran out, making the old butler shake his head with a lonely expression. He sighed, muttering to himself that his son had grown up and was no longer willing to stay and keep his old man company.

"Indeed, he isn't very filial. You should beat him up next time he returns…" Lin Yun had no issue slandering Raymond as he prepared to go to the Mage Guild.

…

The Mage Guild was also on the Victorious Return Main Street. It was only two crossroads away from the Gilded Rose, and one could see the Sage Tower reaching into the sky. The runes carved on the tower were always flickering, and even when the sun was shining down, they would still be covered in that mysterious dazzling light.

Lin Yun stood underneath the tower, sizing up the runes carved on its exterior while waiting for the guard to inspect his pass. From the runes carved on the tower, the tower should have been built in an era that wasn't peaceful, because those runes were mostly used in battles between armies, at least on the scale of tens of thousands. Moreover, from the mana flow of the runes, they had definitely been used more than once. Rather than a tower, it was more suitable to call that place a stronghold.

"Welcome to the Sage Tower." When he saw the golden magic symbol on the crystal card, the guard immediately stood at attention and his tone became much more respectful. This symbol meant that the bearer had the highest privileges and was free to read any book in the Sage Tower's library. In the entire Thousand Sails City, only seven people had that privilege. Every one of them was a figure at the peak of their field. He wasn't someone a small guard like him could neglect.

"Thanks." Lin Yun recovered the inspected pass and smiled at the respectful guard before entering the millennium-old magic hall.

If one could say that the Sage Tower was the Thousand Sails City's palace of magic, then the Sage Tower's library was definitely the treasure room. It had the richest collection of books of all kinds in the kingdom's east. Countless sages had left their prints here, and every year, countless mages went to the trouble of travelling across long distances to come here and enter the Sage Tower's library, even if it was just to stand inside foolishly for a long time.

To mages, knowledge was like a drug, and their thirst for knowledge surpassed everything. In the Loshent area, many mages would pay huge sums that ordinary people couldn't even imagine just to get a pass to the Sage Tower's library, and without any regrets.

Naturally, Lin Yun held the highest pass so he didn't have this kind of feeling.

Slowly going up a delicately decorated flight of steps, he would sometimes brush past a few hurrying mages, and before long, Lin Yun stood outside the library on the 18th floor of the Sage Tower.

The library was very peaceful. Looking from outside, one could see many black-gowned silhouettes sitting down at various desks. They would rarely talk among each other, and even when they had no other choice but to talk, they would whisper very quietly to the point that Lin Yun, who stood at the entrance, couldn't hear anything except the rustling noise of the pages being flipped.

'Truly a good reading environment…'

Lin Yun entered the library and tried to not make a sound. He found an empty desk leaning against the wall and set his pass down to show that he had taken this spot. However, when he was about to go look for a book, a young black-gowned mage sat in front of him.

When that young mage sat down, he put the three books in his hands onto the desk with some force, letting out a loud thud. Lin Yun, who had just gotten up, couldn't help frowning as he gave the other mage a strange look.

"What, Merlin, forgot me that fast?" The young mage seemed to be around 25 years old, and he could be considered quite handsome, but his current expression was very disagreeable. Thus, Lin Yun couldn't help frowning after seeing him.

But this young mage wasn't Raymond. If Raymond saw Lin Yun frown, he would definitely shut up. Ever since that day in the Gilded Rose where Lin Yun almost killed him, Lin Yun had only frowned once, and now he had frowned twice.

The one who had just come up didn't seem to understand the meaning behind the frown. Lin Yun's frown was clearly unhappy, and he actually didn't seem to remember him at all, but that guy exaggeratedly continued, "We saw each other last month, how could you forget me so quickly? Being that forgetful isn't good. I'm Mason, I beat your nose to a bloody pulp at last month's Chambers of Commerce Union gathering, that Mason!"

"Mason?" Lin Yun carefully thought back through his newfound memories and discovered that there was really such a person.

And he had left a deep impression…

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Chapter 11: History

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

According to Mafa's memories, this Mason fellow also came from a merchant family. His father was Monchi, the president of one of the seven great chambers of commerce of Thousand Sails City, the Twin Moons chamber of commerce. As a matter of fact, the status of the Twin Moons chamber of commerce was even higher than that of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce among the seven. After all, the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce had only risen up in the last few decades while the Twin Moons chamber of commerce had already established itself for a millennium, and its true power was far stronger than what it showed.

It was just that the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce had risen too quickly these past decades, outshining the Twin Moons chamber of commerce to the point that almost everyone believed that the number one chamber of commerce in Thousand Sails City was the one headed by the Merlins.

Coincidentally, Mason and Mafa both became Magic Apprentices later on while the two major chambers of commerce were fighting, both openly and covertly. Naturally, many busybodies started comparing the two of them.

But that comparison stopped after a few months.

Because Mason managed to advance and became a mage.

Afterwards, at a meeting of the seven chambers of commerce, Mason found an excuse to ruthlessly teach a lesson to Mafa. As he had just said, he had beaten Mafa's nose into a bloody pulp. That created a large conflict between the two chambers of commerce. If not for Locke Merlin having an accident at sea, who knew what would have happened.

This was definitely not a good memory for Mafa Merlin. It could even be considered a great humiliation. But for Lin Yun, who had witnessed the end of the world, this was really not worthy of his attention. A 9th Rank Magic Apprentice and a 1st Rank Mage that relied on alchemy potions to advance… Lin Yun felt like their struggles were similar to kids playing house.

Thus, Lin Yun didn't even bat an eye and only nodded, expressing his understanding before turning to leave his desk for the first bookshelf in front of him and focusing on what he had been looking for.

Soon, Lin Yun found what he needed, a thick book entitled Noscent History. Lin Yun grabbed it and started slowly flipping through the pages.

Lin Yun was so focused and conscientious in his studying that he didn't even notice that Mason had already come over.

"Tsk tsk tsk, lemme see that… Noscent History? No way, it's really Noscent History, hahahaha! Merlin, you Magic Apprentices are really strange…" As he said this, Mason's laughter grew even more exaggerated. "How much money did your Merlin family spend to send you here? And you don't even cherish this opportunity. This is the Sage Tower's library. Even if you don't understand those books, you can still get some insights from them if you try hard enough. There is no need to put on an act and read children's books. Tsk tsk tsk, Noscent History, I would feel embarrassed for you if people saw you with that cover showing…"

With an exaggerated double take, Mason continued, "Oh right, I forgot to ask, didn't the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce go bankrupt? How could your family still have money? If I were you, I would repay the debts first before spending money. I heard that a few days ago, your uncle Fario took a contract to your house to ask for money. How about I ask my father to lend you some gold for you to repay him first?"

Aft first, Lin Yun didn't pay attention to him, but Mason kept on talking. The more he talked, the more excited he became, as he had no intention of letting Lin Yun off. Lin Yun finally frowned for the third time.

"Manager." Lin Yun's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed for a bit in this peaceful library and seemed abnormally lofty, to the point that many reading mages couldn't help glancing over, some curious, and some annoyed. As for the library manager, a 30-year-old 9th Rank Mage, he slowly came over from a doorway.

"What?" As the manager made his way over, his demeanor showed that he was clearly annoyed. He had chosen to become the manager of the library because this place was quiet, so he could ponder over his work or other issues without being disturbed. But now he was being bothered by two kids in their twenties, so it would be strange if he was in a good mood.

"I would like to file a complaint against Mage Mason here. He is excessively trying to chat me up and has already affected my reading experience. So I hope that the library staff can keep him as far as possible from me."

"Mage Mason, is this the case?" Regardless of the reason, directly disturbing others from reading was absolutely not allowed in the Sage Tower's library. Thus, the 9th Rank Mage looked at Mason with a severe expression.

"No… It's not like that!" Mason was suddenly startled. He had spent a lot of his father's money to be able to enter the Sage Tower's library. It would definitely be too unfair if he was kicked out now because of a few sentences.

'No good, I have to find an excuse.'

Mason glanced at Lin Yun and suddenly thought of a plan, so he kept his voice and expression stable as he pointed at Lin Yun. "I only was suspecting that he had entered the library through improper means and wanted to question him."

"Eh?"

"He simply doesn't have the qualifications to stand here. He is called Mafa Merlin, the son of Locke Merlin of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice. If I'm not wrong, only 1st Rank Mages are qualified to enter the Sage Tower's library."

Once these words came out, not to mention the onlookers, even the 9th Rank Mage was taken aback for an instant before turning to Lin Yun and inquiring, "Mister Mafa Merlin, can I take a look at your pass?"

Calling him Mister and not Mage already showed that Mason's words had had some sort of effect.

But that effect instantly disappeared when Lin Yun handed over his pass.

The 9th Rank Mage casually received the pass and then froze, before an appalled expression appeared on his face. Even though he quickly covered it up, when he spoke again, everyone could hear the respect in his words.

"My apologies, Mage Merlin, I'll properly take care of this matter and give you a satisfactory explanation."

After saying that, he respectfully returned the pass with two hands as if it was a treasure.

'You are kidding, the highest privilege pass, and it was issued two days ago, what does that mean? Two days ago, the three big shots issued such a pass in the middle of the night. If the mages of the Sage Tower were to learn that the owner of that pass was wronged by the library manager, I would be the first to suffer.'

"It's not necessary." Lin Yun nodded and put the pass into his pocket, picking up the book about Noscent's history once again.

"Mage Mason, please follow me." On the side, the 9th Rank Mage's face was scarily gloomy. Although the words he used to address Mason seemed very polite, just hearing the sinister tone was enough for Mason to feel a chill.

It was no wonder that the 9th Rank Mage felt so resentful of Mason. He truly had been led into a hole by that bastard. 'You can't just stick to reading when you're in the library? Do you want to cause trouble everywhere? And you even had to provoke someone that alarmed the three big shots. It's fine if you are courting death, but why are you involving me?' As he stewed in his thoughts, the library manager became more and more upset.

"I… I truly only had suspicions…"

As he was being led away by the 9th Rank Mage, Mason was still trying to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, no one wanted to listen to what he was saying anymore…

When those two left the library, Lin Yun had already flipped his way through more than half of Noscent History.

'This was actually a time transmigration of thirty thousand years.'

Lin Yun slowly closed the book. He didn't need to look at the rest of the contents. If the history he knew of wasn't wrong, the current period should be shortly after the destruction of the 3rd Dynasty. Mankind had just recently started the era of Plane Colonization, and there were about thirty thousand years left until the eventual destruction of Noscent.

This was a truly great era.

Noscent's glorious magic civilization started during the colonization era.

Countless resources passed through the colonies and endlessly flew towards Noscent, the magic civilization expanded at a crazy speed, the power and the ambitions of mages increased accordingly, and the magic system was overturned time and time again. The magic civilization was pushed towards a peak that could never have been imagined before.

All the way up until Noscent's mana was exhausted and the mages that could once be compared to gods fell back to being mortals. The formerly glorious magic civilization dimmed, and the world ended up being swallowed in flames and darkness.

Of course, all this had yet to happen.

Lin Yun put Noscent History back on the shelf and then took a book on the Jide Formula.

From this book, he could see that the Sage Tower truly had a rich collection. Lin Yun had read about the Jide Formula in that decayed library in the end of time. That place had been said to contain the last embers of the magic civilization. The books that could be stored there, even in a corner, were definitely quality books among quality books.

Naturally, the two versions of the Jide Formula had huge differences.

This was normal, since the one that Lin Yun had read about had been refined by countless mages over countless years. It had already been revised close to the point of perfection.

Compared to that, the book in his hands could be considered a semi-finished product at best…

But to Lin Yun, it didn't matter whether it was only semi-finished or not. He knew the perfected Jide Formula so well that even if he had the finalized version in front of him, it would be a bit of review. What Lin Yun wanted to do with this Jide Formula was to judge the magical knowledge of this era and what kind of level it had reached. This would let Lin Yun better understand the period that he was now in.

A book on Noscent's history wasn't enough.

In fact, Lin Yun's only knowledge of this era so far was the point in history that he was currently in.

Nothing could be done about it. There were a lot of useful things in the end of the world, but that definitely didn't include a detailed record of history. In a world where surviving to the next day wasn't certain, who would want to pay attention to what had happened so long ago in the past? In fact, about a hundred years after the mana was exhausted, Noscent's history had been almost completely severed. Lin Yun only knew about some major events that had been passed down by word of mouth through some stories. As for the details, as Lin Yun put it, 'All the conscientious historians died…'

Lin Yun sighed and focused his attention back onto the Jide Formula.

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Chapter 12: Get Him Out of Here

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

At that time, someone knocked on the door of the reception room on the top floor of the Sage Tower.

Three people were sitting in the reception room, one old, one middle-aged, and one young. The old one was wearing a gray gown. He had a grizzled beard and thin figure and was issuing a few coughs from time to time, his body seeming to be in poor shape. In comparison, the middle-aged man sitting in front of him seemed a lot more lively, his hair and beard meticulously combed. And although the clothes he wore seemed neither luxurious nor ostentatious, the exquisite clothing was finely handcrafted. A person with a discerning eye would notice that they had been made by a famous tailor. It was highly possible that this set of clothes was worth enough to pay for the expenses of an ordinary family for an entire year.

The youth sitting to the side wasn't even 30 years old, but the shocking part was that the cuffs of his black gown had some thin, silver lines.

In other words, this was a Great Mage that was less than 30 years old!

But in this reception room, whether it was the rich middle-aged man or the young Great Mage, they both had a very respectful attitude toward the old man.

This was because that old man was the leader of Thousand Sails City Mage Guild, one of the three big shots of the Sage Tower, Solomon.

In Thousand Sails City, the three big shots of the Sage Tower were legendary existences. They would rarely appear in public, and in the past few years, almost no one had ever caught sight of them. People only knew that these three powerful mages who were jointly controlling the Sage Tower had been on the path of growing as High Mages for the past dozen years or so, and that they had deep and unmeasurable strength.

Their existences were the sole reason that the Mage Guild towered above Thousand Sails City. No one would challenge the Mage Guild. Who would dare to face the fury of three High Mages? It would be a joke. It had to be known that they weren't some kind and benevolent elders. Back in the days, the outstanding and vicious bandit group called Black Wing was burnt to ashes by these three big shots. That bandit group had consisted of more than a thousand people, but ultimately, no one was left alive.

"Come in." The knocking sound had interrupted the discussion between the three men. The old man could only smile apologetically at his two guests.

"President Monchi, Mage Ryan, I'm sorry for the disturbance." The one who opened the door was a young mage that was perhaps almost thirty. If Lin Yun were there, he would definitely be able to recognize him at first sight. That young mage had been in the library earlier, and when Mason was taken away, he had thrown a few curious glances at Lin Yun.

After entering, the young mage first apologized to the two guests before whispering a few words into Solomon's ear.

"Okay, I understand." After listening to the young mage's report, Solomon merely nodded and did not give the young mage a real response. In fact, he turned towards the two guests with an apologetic smile. "I'm truly sorry, President Monchi, a problem happened in the library."

'The library?' When Monchi heard that, his eyelids twitched a little. 'Isn't Mason in the library right now?'

How could Monchi not know of his son's character? Usually taking advantage of his family's influence, he didn't have any scruples doing anything he wanted. And with Mage Ryan's help, he had recently advanced and become a new Mage. Feeling burgeoning pride in his recent success, he became even more arrogant, to the point that at the last gathering of the seven chambers of commerce, he had casually found an excuse to punch Locke Merlin's son, almost creating a huge problem.

Currently, he had poured a huge amount of money into drawing up a plan to cooperate with the Sage tower, sending his son to the library in the meantime, as he had felt that it was less likely to come into conflict with anyone when everyone there was just quietly reading. Before he left, he had specially warned his son that the Sage Tower wasn't just any place. He couldn't act arrogant there or he would bring a lot of trouble to the family.

As he thought of what might have happened, Monchi couldn't help having a headache. Sometimes, he really couldn't understand. They were both his sons, so why was the difference between Mason and Ryan so great? One was steady and shrewd, managing to become a Great Mage at a young age, while the other was always only stirring up trouble. Even his eventual breakthrough to become a mage had only been accomplished through relying on his older brother.

After he returned this time, he would properly discipline Mason. Otherwise, if it kept going, he would bring a great disaster to the family.

Monchi hesitated for a while before forcing himself to ask, "Leader Solomon, did Mason…"

"Don't mind it, it was a minor issue." Solomon waved his hand, his smile still on his face, "A disagreement happened between Mason and a young mage just now in the library, it's not that big of a deal, Solon took care of it."

"I am truly ashamed…" Monchi repeatedly apologized while relaxing somewhat. Hearing Solomon's tone, it seemed that, thankfully, Mason must not have have provoked an important mage of the Sage Tower. If that was the case, giving Solomon a suitable apology and then paying his respects to the Sage Tower should be enough.

As for that young mage, it would be better for him to be tactful. If he wanted to get into trouble with someone, he should know who he was talking to. The Monchi family wasn't one to be trifled with.

The only thing that mattered now was the attitude of the Sage Tower, but it seemed that there was not much problem with it. After all, he had brought up the cooperation plan, so he should have a lot of sway for the Sage Tower right now. At this crucial moment, Solomon would give him some face despite his son's actions.

Just as Monchi expected, Solomon quickly accepted his apologies and didn't talk further about Mason's faults. Afterwards, the discussion continued quite pleasantly and was no longer just limited to business talk. It wasn't so stiff anymore so the atmosphere in the reception room naturally became more harmonious sounding more like old friends were talking.

Solomon even talked about of some of his past experiences. He was someone who had been a High Mage for more than a dozen of years, after all. His experiences were legends for many people. Regardless of whether it was the extremely wealthy Monchi or the Great Mage Ryan who broke through before even reaching 30, they both listened, enraptured, as these stories were an eye-opener to them.

When leaving, Solomon surprisingly also accompanied them to the door. This was a rarely seen treatment and was happening for the first time in years.

After seeing off the father and son, Solomon returned to the reception room once again. Solon, who had been waiting there the whole time, carefully asked, "Teacher, should I appease Mason?"

Solon assumed that since his teacher had talked so happily with this father and son duo for all this time, the Sage Tower and the Twin Moons chamber of commerce would most likely finalize the cooperation agreement, and the young Mason who had been driven away from the library might need to be appeased. He was Monchi's son after all. If he made too much noise, it might not bring any benefit to the imminent partnership.

Solon hadn't expected that after sitting down, the old man would fire off such sharp words.

"What do you mean, appease? Get him out of here!"

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Chapter 13: Here We Go Again

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Ah?"

"Ah what? Causing trouble in the library is definitely an affront to the dignity of the Mage Guild. Not breaking his legs is already letting him off easy. Oh right, if that Monchi comes to look for me tomorrow, you can tell him that I went to Olana and that I will take ten days… No, I should come back in a month."

"Ah?"

Solon didn't even know how to react to this. 'Wh-what's happening, didn't teacher change his attitude way too quickly?'

'Wasn't he chatting very happily just now? Why did he suddenly become so hostile and tell me to get Mason out of here? And then afterwards, he no longer even welcomes Monchi himself? Isn't this a bit irrational?'

"You seem rather confused about this. Speaking of that, it's not without reason that you took so long to advance to Great Mage. You are not using your brain properly, why do you think I chatted that pair of father and son so much? Isn't it because I don't want to hear about their proposition? If not for the sake of those old guys of the black tower, I would have already kicked them out too."

"But why? Teacher, didn't you say before that the cooperation with Monchi was truly advantageous? That it would bring benefits to our Sage Tower without bringing any troubles?" Solomon hadn't explained his sudden change of heart, and thus, Solon couldn't understand.

"That was before!" Solomon looked at his disciple unhappily, a sneer appearing on his old face. "That father-son pair really thinks that I'm clueless because I'm old. Locke Merlin's shipwreck last month definitely had the shadow of the Twin Moons chamber of commerce behind it."

"…" This time, Solon didn't say anything. He only glanced at the old man while having some doubts in his heart. 'Locke Merlin's death was a month ago and you are only just now thinking of fighting for justice? Since when did you become so righteous?'

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Solomon suddenly flew into a rage, viciously lashing out at his disciple, "Are you implying that I, your teacher, am not a man of justice? That's why you spent so long to become a Great Mage, it really makes sense, you really can't understand the path your teacher is teaching you!"

"No no no, Teacher, you misunderstand…" Faced with such vicious scolding, the young Great Mage was quickly driven to the verge of tears.

"Forget it, this isn't important…" Solomon waved his hand and let his only disciple off the hook for now. "What's important is that the owner of the pass is Locke Merlin's son. Since that's the case, I need to be righteous here."

"Why is that?"

"Because that pass was granted for an alchemy potion."

"You mean, the alchemy potion that we received a few days ago?" As Solomon's only disciple, Solon naturally knew that a few days ago, someone had brought a potion to the Sage Tower and exchanged it for the pass that granted the highest privileges, but Solon still wasn't clear about the details of the potion. Even hearing Solomon talk about it now, he still felt a bit unconvinced. "That potion is that important?"

"If you dare to ask that in front of Thorpe, he will be happy to air dry you until you shrivel up and then turn you into an experiment."

"…" The young Great Mage immediately shrank back. Great Alchemist Thorpe, one of the three people in charge of the Sage Tower… If he really wanted to turn him into an experiment, then even his teacher's reputation might not stop him. That was the only dangerous person in the entire Sage Tower that would dare to curse in front of his teacher's desk.

However, after the initial twinge of fear, Solon couldn't help feeling curious. What kind of potion would make the three big shots so interested…

Originally, Solon had guessed that this potion might have used some precious materials or might have been something that one of them had needed for a long time.

But Solon definitely didn't expect that it would be so serious. Serious was the wrong word… Would Thorpe really have made him into an experiment for questioning the importance of that potion?

"I'm not just trying to frighten you, you just haven't seen old Thorpe's reaction. Excited wasn't enough to describe him when he held that potion bottle, he was stuttering and stammering as he shouted something masterpiece, something Great Master, something bound to be written in history books, and so on. In any case, he was in a bizarre state…"

The young mage became even more intrigued. Thorpe was a publicly known figure with the greatest achievements in potioneering in the entire Thousand Sails City, and he had always set his gaze very high. Even that Great Alchemist of the Twin Moons chamber of commerce didn't enter his sight, as he had always been disdainful of both predecessors and newcomers.

For many years, Solon had rarely heard him give anyone the slightest bit of praise. Just hearing the words "acceptable" from him was already an honor.

But he actually lost control of himself? Even talking about it being written in future history books…

'Was that potion really that miraculous?' he wondered.

"You know me, I'm not an expert in potioneering alchemy." Solomon glanced at his disciple, giving him a rather irresponsible answer to his unspoken question. "In any case, I heard Thorpe say that each bottle of this alchemy potion might bring another Great Mage to the Sage Tower!"

Just as he finished this sentence, Solon couldn't help sucking in cold air. 'What was all this about Great Master, Masterpiece, and history books, the matter of Great Mages was far easier to understand…'

The Sage Tower had a total of 13 Great Mages, of which only 7 resided there permanently. The big three had usually remained in seclusion for most of the past decade, and the Sage Tower's external expansion, fights over resources, and other conflicts were simply in the hands of these seven Great Mages. In other words, the current Sage Tower's status was half-established by these Great Mages.

That was the case with seven Great Mages…

If it really was like Thorpe had said, and each bottle of potion was able to bring a Great Mage to the Sage Tower, then Solon really didn't dare to imagine what kind of scene it would be.

It was no exaggeration to say that any power that could obtain the favor of that Great Alchemist might easily be able to rival the Sage Tower in Thousand Sails City. This was a factor that the three big shots had taken into account. If that person had a way to restrain the three of them, then destroying the Sage Tower might be as easy as waving his hand…

Thinking of this, cold sweat dripped down Solon's forehead.

The bright side was that the Great Alchemist apparently seemed to prefer remaining inconspicuous. He hadn't made his plans public yet, whatever they were. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a young mage deliver the potion and then gifted the pass to another young mage.

The key to figuring these things out should be these two young mages…

Especially that Mafa Merlin. He should have a rather close relationship with the creator, or else the alchemist wouldn't have given him the pass.

'No wonder teacher would have such an attitude…' Solon concluded. 'If it really was like Teacher said and the Twin Moons chamber of commerce was linked to Locke Merlin's shipwreck in a bad way, and their plot was brought out to light, then that chamber of commerce might face the fury of an incredible Great Alchemist…'

As Solon considered the idea, Solomon concluded their discussion. "Knowing the current situation, only a fool would cooperate with the Twin Moons chamber of commerce."

"…" The young mage suddenly sympathized with that father-son pair. In order to cooperate with the Sage Tower, they had prepared for half a year and accepted all kinds of conditions, but in the end, it wasn't as good as a single potion.

"Okay, I told you everything that you needed to know about this, so you decide how to handle it. Don't always rely on me. You'll take over my seat sooner or later, after all. It'll be good for you to learn how to deal with these kinds of matters."

"Yes, I'll take care of it…"

…

A month passed. Ever since that conversation in the reception room, Solon had felt that paying close attention to that young mage was an absolute must.

From his observations, Solon found out that this young mage was truly interesting. His range of reading material was really vast, from light reading material about Noscent's history to the profound and abstract knowledge of the Jide Formula, he would casually hold a book and read it all day long. Sometimes, Solon even doubted whether there was any sort of criteria for the books he picked out, or if he was just reading for the sake of reading.

Quite a few times, Solon wanted to remind him that the chance to enter the Sage Tower's library really was a rare opportunity. Many mages would even sell their entire family fortune for the chance, while he didn't seem to be cherishing it, picking random books every day, completely without rhyme or reason, sometimes reading them with great interest as though he was just reading for fun. Solon wanted to tell him that he might one day regret treating this opportunity so lightly…

And today was such a day.

Solon went to the library after breakfast. As always, he glanced at a particular corner because he knew that every day at this time, that young mage would sit at the same desk and would spend the whole day reading after casually picking up a book.

Sure enough, when Solon glanced there, that young mage was already sitting at his seat, holding a book with a red striped cover and reading it with great interest.

'Here we go again…' Solon sighed. It didn't seem to be light reading today, but in Solon's eyes, this wasn't too different from light reading.

The red stripes on the cover meant that the knowledge of the magic book was at least Great Mage level. For a recently advanced 1st Rank Mage, how could it not be leisure reading?

Moreover, it wasn't the first time Mafa had done something like that. Solon even saw him reading a silver striped magic book with great interest once. That was preposterous, as that meant that the contents included knowledge on the level appropriate for High Mages.

Solon really couldn't stand watching anymore. How could a mage who wasn't respectful of knowledge itself have any accomplishments in magic?

Even a book that only Great Mages were qualified to read was just leisure reading material to him. He definitely wasn't pondering over the information, as he wasn't even taking notes or pausing. He was simply flipping through page after page with a pleased expression on his face, to the point that Solon even wondered if he was trying to study at all, or just relaxing.

Solon would have been astounded if he'd discovered that he had actually guessed correctly this time…

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Chapter 14: Reaching Beyond His Grasp

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

Lin Yun truly had tired himself out this month. In order to quickly understand the current era, Lin Yun had swept across more than a dozen bookshelves. Such frightening reading speed, if someone else had tried that, their mind might have already melted.

When Lin Yun walked into the library today, he decided to take a rest day and not overwork his brain with the relatively dry and uninteresting historical knowledge or the task of comparing the magic knowledge of the two different eras. He decided to look for a relaxing book to pass time…

Thus, Lin Yun picked up a book called The Fanrusen Formula.

To Lin Yun, these books that were intended for Great Mage were nothing more than leisure reading material. It definitely didn't require much brain power for him to read page after page. From time to time he would find some mistakes inside and would mutter to himself, criticizing the errors.

Sitting under the gentle rays of the sun, reading a light book while scolding the author, truly a beautiful life.

"Tsk tsk tsk, a High Mage that doesn't know right from wrong, he still believes in that superstitious seven string theory? Shrinking the mana whirlpool and cross-arranging? Such a mess…"

"What is a mess?" When Solon approached, he happened to hear that last part and couldn't help giving that young mage a strange look.

"Good morning, Mage Solon. Nothing is a mess, did you mishear?" How could Lin Yun own up to his words just now? He just raised his head and answered, playing dumb.

"Is that so…" Solon smiled and did not comment. He didn't pursue that line of questioning, as he felt that it didn't really matter. He had come over to give some reminders to this young mage out of good will, after all.

Perhaps it was because he had gotten his pass too easily, but this young mage wasn't treasuring it at all, and whether it was the way he chose books or his attitude while reading these books, they both seemed too casual, lacking the proper seriousness. He might not feel anything about it now, but in a few years, when he strove to attack the Great Mage realm, he would definitely feel regret that he wasn't conscientious enough back then.

As someone who was more experienced and who could be considered part of an older generation, Solon really didn't want to see something like this happening. Sometimes, if the opportunity was missed, it couldn't be grasped again and it would be too late for anything but useless regrets.

"Mage Merlin, that…" Solon started talking, before hesitating a bit. Although this person was merely a 1st Rank Mage, behind him most likely stood a Great Alchemist. Naturally, he couldn't lecture him in a way that might draw his ire.

"Eh? What?"

After a slight pause, Solon answered, "It's not an important matter, I just came over to ask if Mage Merlin had any requests. You are one of the noble guests with the highest pass, so if you have any requests, we will definitely satisfy your needs." After this polite opening, Solon stopped and suddenly said, "Oh right, Mage Merlin, I wonder if you need some book recommendations? I've worked here for two years and could be considered to have some understanding of the books here."

Solon felt a bit helpless about having to be so polite to a 1st Rank Mage. He couldn't do anything about it, since there might be a hidden Great Alchemist behind this fellow. In this situation, even his teacher Solomon didn't want to act without thinking. Even if he wanted to give him a suggestion, he could only recommend it very tactfully. He had to consider the consequences, after all. If he was too direct, he might exasperate this young mage, and who knew what kind of temperament he might have…

Thus, Solon could only inwardly sigh, 'I've given you the opportunity, it's up to you whether you grab it or not.'

"How could I trouble you with that…" Lin Yun felt that this was a bit of an annoyance. He had finally decided to take a rest day. 'What kind of recommendation can you give me? Are you disturbing me on purpose?'

But declining was no good because Lin Yun could tell that this library manager really had good intentions. Thus, Lin Yun could only say a few polite words while inwardly considering what kind of excuse he could use to brush him off.

"Mage Merlin is truly too polite. Regardless of anything else, you are an esteemed guest of our Sage Tower, so offering you a bit of help is definitely something we should do."

The young Great Mage then started enthusiastically introducing a few books. "You should be a 1st Rank Mage, right? If you are interested, I would recommend you to study Gaude's Notes. Those notes were left behind by Archmage Gaude, the last Archmage of the 3rd Dynasty. He recorded all his experiences during his progress through the Mage realm. Oh right, Farrel's Conjectures is another interesting read. Although many of his theories have already been proven to be wrong, I personally feel that the way he pondered through novel ideas with a wild imagination is worth learning from."

"Sure, sure, I'll go take a look later." Despite this young Great Mage being very passionate about the matter, to Lin Yun, these recommendations really weren't worth mentioning. they were too shallow and were for complete beginners. They couldn't even be leisure reading materials for him. Reading through them would only have a hypnotic effect, making him drowsy.

"Okay, and if these don't interest you, then I would suggest that you research the Flame Spear spell. That's the spell closest to Great Mage level spells. You might need it in the future…" Sensing that the other side was answering perfunctorily, Solon's tone became harsher. He especially emphasized the last word, 'future', to remind him that he was but a mere 1st Rank Mage now!

Unfortunately, Lin Yun had no reaction after hearing that. In fact, the mention of the Flame Spear spell made him remember something else.

"Oh right, Mage Solon, I heard that the Sage Tower seems to have collected the full Star Path incantation, I wonder if I could be allowed to broaden my horizons?"

If there were any spells in this era that could interest Lin Yun, Star Path would be one of them. Even at the peak of the magic civilization countless years later, those powerful mages still had a very high assessment of that particular incantation.

Lin Yin had actually seen the Star Path incantation in that decaying library, but that one had already passed through countless edits and revisions. Lin Yun had never seen the original version.

"Star Path?" Solon almost laughed out loud when he heard that. It was true that the Sage Tower had collected the entire Star Path incantation, but that spell was on the level of forbidden magic. Even if the big three joined hands, nothing would come of it. How could a mere 1st Rank Mage dare to think about it?

Not knowing whether he should laugh or cry, Solon answered once again, but he wasn't as polite as before. "Mage Merlin, don't you think it's a bit too early for you to study Star Path now? What I say might not be pleasant to hear, but you are a 1st Rank Mage, there aren't that many books suitable for you in this library and so the choices that would be proper for you are really limited. There is no one that can jump through into the heavens of the magic world in a single step. Even if I arranged the Star Path in front of you, would you be able to understand any of the runes?"

"…" Lin Yun very much wanted to answer that he would indeed be able to understand them. 'I have seen them so many times, how could I not understand them?'

Unfortunately, the young mage didn't give him the opportunity to answer. "Well, Mage Merlin, I still have something to take care of, so I'll take my leave."

Solon exited the library with a belly full of grievances, and after thinking for a bit, he once again returned to the study at the top floor of the Sage Tower.

Solomon was sitting by the fireplace, a gray blanket covering his thin body, a magic book propped open across his knees, with a fierce cough bursting out from time to time…

'Teacher's body is getting worse…'

Solon sighed inwardly when he entered. Solomon had been seriously injured twenty years ago. This was a secret that only a few people of the Sage Tower knew about. Most mages didn't know what had originally caused his condition. It was because of this serious injury that Solomon had lived a life of seclusion for so many years, his strength stopping at the peak of High Mage, unable to break through.

"Teacher, your cough is getting worse. Should I ask High Mage Thorpe to make a few potions for you?"

"No. Thorpe's potions are too unpleasant to drink. I don't want to drink those horrors. In any case, it's been so many years and my body still hasn't failed yet."

"Understood…" Solon had a sad expression. Solomon's condition was the thorn in the minds of all the mages of the Sage Tower. Everyone hoped for the High Mage to recover soon, but no one found an effective remedy. Even the Great Alchemist Thorpe had tried for two years before having no other choice but to give up. He was only able to refine a few potions for Solomon from time to time to lessen the pain when his condition flared up.

In fact, Solomon himself didn't really take it to heart. "Oh right, you came from the library? How are things with that young mage, Merlin?"

"Still the same, he would come first every day and leave last."

"You have been in contact for so long, what do you think of that young mage?"

"He behaves very well, and he is very smart and courteous, but…"

"But?"

"But he seems to be reaching for what is beyond his grasp."

"Eh?"

Solon thought about what had happened in these past days, hesitated for a while, but then finally explained, "Oh right, today he looked at a book on the Fanrusen Formula. When I went over, I seemed to have heard him saying that it was a mess."

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Chapter 15: Cut It Out Already!

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"A mess?"

Solon carefully thought back to what he had heard and hesitantly continued, "It seemed to be about the seven string theory."

It had only been some mumbles under the breath, and Solon himself hadn't taken it to heart. However, he hadn't expected that these words would make the old mage resting with his eyes closed suddenly sit up straight and give him a sharp look. "Are you saying that he looked at the Fanrusen Formula and assessed that the seven string theory was a mess?"

"Yes… That should be what he said, more or less." Solon was a bit overwhelmed by his teacher's sudden reaction.

"That's not completely implausible…" Solomon smiled and then chanted an incantation. A bony finger softly slid through the air as huge amount of mana gathered at his fingertip. A light that was visible to the naked eye streaked across the air in front of him, and immediately after, the entire region of space before him seemed to be torn apart, exposing a curtain made of white light.

In this light curtain, a young mage was sitting at a desk, leisurely looking at a book, a smile appearing on his face from time to time while he seemed to be mumbling some things to himself.

This was a replay of everything that had happened in the library earlier.

The High Mage's Temporal Recall could even track a scene that had happened more than ten years ago, let alone a scene that had just taken place nearby.

Of course, the more recent the event, the clearer the scene would be.

Even now, the scene in the light curtain was so clear that each hair of the young mage could be clearly seen. Even Solon had no problem seeing all the details from behind his teacher. That young mage was holding the book about the Fanrusen Formula, flipping through the pages very quickly while having a weird smile plastered on his face, as if he was looking at something ridiculous.

'What is so ridiculous about it?'

The young Solon thought for a long time, but he couldn't understand. But the High Mage before him seemed to have noticed something as amazement suddenly appeared on his old face.

When he reached the 12th page of the book, the young mage on the light curtain put the book down, and the smile on his face on his face seemed even more derisive as he mumbled some things while facepalming.

At first, Solomon's face was filled with amazement, but when he realized what the young mage had mumbled, the High Mage suddenly paled, and the right hand casting the Temporal Recall suddenly shook, causing the curtain of white light to flicker, making the image lose focus.

"Teacher, you…" The young Great Mage was worried. It was the first time in many years that he had seen his teacher forget himself in the Sage Tower.

"It's nothing…" Solomon shook his head as he scattered the Temporal Recall spell, which had already lost its stability. "Okay, you leave first, I need to think about something."

"Yes, Teacher."

After Solon walked out, the study became quiet once again.

Solomon sat still for a bit before getting up. He went to a desk at the edge of his room and sat down to begin writing a letter.

This letter was written to Star Sage Jouyi, one of the three Archmages of the east. He was also the one who had taught Solomon for twenty years. Solomon wrote down everything he had just seen while using Temporal Recall.

Solomon didn't tell Solon that Mafa Merlin wasn't the first mage who had said that the seven string theory was a mess.

The words had made Solomon remember that he had heard at least one other mage say that before.

And that was Star Sage Jouyi!

A few years ago, there had been some research done on the seven string theory in the Cloud Tower, and the one in charge of that task was the Star Sage. At that time, he had said the same words, that the seven string theory was simply a mess. It had sent who-knew-how-many mages down a winding road… But the research into the seven string theory in the Cloud Tower didn't make much progress. They lacked a few crucial pieces of data, causing the whole project to stagnate.

But just now, upon seeing the 12th page of the Fanrusen Formula, that young mage had mumbled a few sentences to himself.

Temporal Recall didn't reproduce any sounds, so Solomon didn't actually hear what the young mage had said. However, he had become very good at lip reading because of how often he had used this spell. The mage had muttered something in the Nesser Language. His words contained four key pieces of data, and those four might be the key points that could prove the seven string theory wrong.

This was why Solomon had been so agitated…

After finishing the letter, Solomon sealed the envelope and called for Solon to come back in.

"Send this letter to the Cloud Tower, it is for Star Sage Jouyi."

"Yes, I will ensure that it is done."

"Oh right, tomorrow when Mafa Merlin comes, invite him here. I have some things I want to ask him."

"I will, Teacher." When Solon withdrew from the study room once again, his mind was full of doubts and amazement.

After all, Solomon's study wasn't a place that just anyone could enter.

Even Monchi and Ryan had only been invited to the reception room. One of them was a rich businessman of Thousand Sails City and the other was a Great Mage that wasn't even 30 yet, and they had came with a huge plan that had been prepared for months.

What was so special about that young mage…? But the comment about the "mess" had made his teacher lose his self-control and fail to maintain the Temporal Recall… And now he was even inviting that young mage to his study for a chat.

…

In the end, Lin Yun didn't go to the library the next day.

That day was the day of the Gilded Rose's reopening. With the thirty thousand gold from the auction, the old butler was a lot more relaxed. Not only had they settled Fario's debt, but the butler had even begun to draw up plans for the revival of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce.

Lin Yun originally didn't want to worry too much about it. Thirty thousand wasn't that big of a number, and he could just casually buy some magic materials to deal with the daily expenses. But reviving the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce… Wasn't that a bit too much?

But the old butler couldn't wait to settle that matter…

After Lin Yun turned him down a few times, the old butler began to act like a rascal. He would sigh every day within Lin Yun's hearing range, talking about how he was getting on in his years and that he knew he didn't have long to live. If he suddenly departed and met the old master in the heavens, would he have to explain that after so many years of flourishing, the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce was now on the verge of death?

In the end, Lin Yun had no choice but to make concessions. There was no point mentioning the revival of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce yet, but the Gilded Rose could actually be reopened almost immediately.

Thus, the twenty-some thousand gold that was left over was put into renovation, employee recruitment, and material purchases… Not much remained of the money.

The old butler was left dumbfounded…

'What can we do? We have no money left… What about the alchemist? An alchemist workshop without an alchemist… What difference is there from opening a restaurant without a chef?'

When this matter had come to light, the old man had gained a few more white hairs. Nothing could be done about it, since alchemists had very high status. Even if all the twenty thousand gold had been used for it, it would only have been enough to pay for the wages of a peak alchemist for perhaps two months, let alone now that they only had a few hundred gold left on hand. Did they have to hire apprentice alchemists to make it up?

This would ruin their reputation…

Since there was no other choice, Lin Yun had to personally act.

After coming out from the Sage Tower the day before, Lin Yun did not head straight home, instead heading to the alchemy laboratory of the Gilded Rose. He spent the entire night using the remain cheap materials to make a dozen potions, along with a few magic armors and magic weapons. As for magic tools, he was powerless to do anything about it. He was restricted by the shoddy materials. Even if Lin Yun had knowledge that transcended the era, he couldn't make miracles out of nothing.

As for the grand reopening, there was no need for Lin Yun to worry about it. This was in the hands of the old butler. Lin Yun simply handed over the results of one night of work before finding a room in the Gilded Rose to sleep.

After spending the night hard at work, even an energetic alchemist wouldn't be able to handle it.

Lin Yun's mana whirlpool was far more robust than that of ordinary mages, while his mind had the knowledge of alchemy far beyond the people of this era. Many problems that his contemporaries would be unable to settle were casual matters in his hands.

But even if that was the case, this night had exhausted all of Lin Yun's energy, as the mana whirlpool within his body had been working on overload, almost exhausting his reserves. It was quite nice to be able to lie down for some rest.

He kept sleeping through the afternoon, and when the sun was about to set, Lin Yun was woken up by a loud sound.

"Someone is courting death…" Lin Yun said, still half-asleep, before turning to face the other side to try to rest a bit more.

But it seemed that the person outside was deliberately set against him. Before he even finished rolling over, he heard a loud "Bang" come from outside. It wasn't from the door, but from the sales counter…

"Cut it out already!" This time, Lin Yun could no longer bear with it and angrily got out of bed, dressing himself and heading for the door. 'I want to see who dares to cause trouble here.'

After entering the hall, he saw a group of people in a circle. A shelf had been knocked down, the counter had been smashed, and the recently decorated hall was left in a complete mess. A few employees were already ducking on the side while the old butler was arguing loudly with that group. One young mage seemed especially conspicuous.

"Smash everything! You dare sell fake items to me? Don't look at me like that, you think that I'm easy to bully? I'll let you know, old geezer, if you don't hand Merlin to me right now, not only will I smash this thieving shop, I'll report it to the Chambers of Commerce Union and have Thousand Sails City's people take a look at how shameless the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce is."

"Get the hell out, this place doesn't welcome you!" The old butler had followed Locke Merlin for twenty years. He considered the reputation of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce more important than his own life. Hearing Mason insulting the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, the old man burst in anger, and regardless of whether they were customers or not, he raised his hands to push Mason toward the exit.

The old butler was an ordinary person, so even if he had been twenty years younger, he wouldn't have been able to threaten a mage. But Mason simply wasn't paying attention to the old butler, being too excited, gesticulating and splattering saliva while shouting, and thus, he was shoved back, causing him to stumble.

"Old Geezer, you dared to hit me?" This time, Mason had an even nastier expression.

A mighty mage was almost pushed down by a 60-year-old butler. If this spread, would anyone still respect him?

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Chapter 16: Apology and Compensation

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

After recovering from staggering, a fierce glint appeared in Mason's eyes and the magic staff in his hand was activated, the gem at the end letting out fierce mana fluctuations.

"Give it a try." Lin Yun had already arrived during the argument, and although there was a smiling expression on his face, the mana fluctuations around him let everyone know that if Mason dared to make a move, the young master would definitely not be polite.

"Merlin, you came just on time!" As he saw Lin Yun appear, Mason didn't dare to attack the old butler, but he still kept his overbearing attitude. "I came with good intentions and brought friends for your Gilded Rose's reopening to give you some business, but I didn't expect you to be selling fake items. My friend just drank your potion and has some problems. You should compensate him!"

"I know that this dragon eye gem is quite precious, but you don't need to raise it that high for me to see…" After Lin Yun drew closer, he first pushed away Mason's magic staff before casually asking, "Which potion did your friend drink for him to have a problem?"

"It was that healing potion!" Mason unhesitantly answered. He had asked around before, and healing potions were truly first-rate potions. There weren't that many alchemists in Thousands Sails City that could craft effective healing potions, and they all had high status. They weren't people that the current Gilded Rose could hire.

Moreover, that healing potion was dark red…

Only failed healing potions were dark red.

"Take a look, he already drank more than half of the potion and his injury didn't improve at all! Moreover, the wound that had already been scabbing started bleeding again!" Mason made his subordinates bring a stretcher while explaining.

A young person that was perhaps in his late twenties was lying on the stretcher. His right arm was wounded, and after opening the bandage, a deep and long cut was revealed. And from the bloodstains and the residue, it was evident that it had truly been healing before splitting open.

"I know you have no money right now and can't even afford your uncle's debt, but surely it wouldn't be good to use that as an excuse? For the sake of our friendship, I'll ask my father if he can help you. But what about the fake potions?" Mason had a grieving and sorrowful expression, but he was inwardly gloating. 'You dared to humiliate me in the Sage Tower, so today I'll destroy your workshop and humiliate you in public. Indeed, that so-called friend was someone I spent a few hundred gold to hire, he agreed for me to cut open the wound on his right arm. As for that healing potion, I already had people throw half of it away. The remaining half should be good enough as evidence. With the testimony of that guy and the potion, you will be the one suffering!'

Mason felt that Mafa's fate was as good as sealed. 'What will you do? Planning on saying that this healing potion is a real one? Such a joke, you could cheat other people, but you can only dream if you want to cheat me. The Twin Moons chamber of commerce has a Great Alchemist, he patted his chest and guaranteed that a dark red healing potion was definitely a failed product.'

"What do you think? I'm helpless, my friend suffered such a huge loss, what does your Gilded Rose think about that? I have a very simple suggestion. First is to compensate my friend, I guess ten thousand gold should be fine. If you can't procure it, then you are definitely lacking sincerity. In that case, you'll have to admit that the Gilded Rose sold him a fake potion that harmed him and then guarantee that no such things will ever happen again."

Even Mason himself felt that the two conditions were harsh. The entire Thousand Sails City knew that the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce had gone bankrupt and that Locke Merlin's son wasn't able to pay the debt that he owed his uncle. How could he come up with ten thousand gold for compensation? Moreover, before the matter of the compensation was even settled, he still had to publicly apologize and admit that he sold a fake potion. That would truly be a great humiliation. After that, proudly raising his head in Thousand Sails City would be a dream for Mafa Merlin.

Of course, when those two conditions were put forward, Mason was already prepared to haggle over the amount of the compensation. When the time came, it would be fine as long as he insisted on the 2nd condition. As for the ten thousand gold, he didn't care much about it, as he didn't lack money. The goal was to ruthlessly trample on that kid's pride.

"That sounds reasonable. Our Gilded Rose opened to do business, so if there really was a problem with that healing potion, offering compensation and apologizing is a matter of course." Who knew that Lin Yun would be extremely straightforward and not argue the matter at all?

"Ah?" Even Mason, who had always been thinking about how to shame this guy to get his revenge, couldn't help freezing. He had prepared so many more arguments. 'How can he agree so quickly? Well, it doesn't matter, saving some effort is also good.'

"Since that's the case, then hurry up and settle it, you should compensate and apologize. I still have things to do, I don't have time to chat with you."

"Hey, Mason, did you listen to me? I said, 'if there really was a problem with the healing potion'… You should understand the meaning of this, right? Or do I need to explain for you?"

"What do you mean?" Mason had an unpleasant expression.

"Looks like you really didn't understand…" Lin Yun regretfully shook his head, inwardly cursing the standards of Noscent's compulsory education before very patiently explaining to Mason, "What I mean is if there is an issue with that healing potion, we will definitely compensate and apologize, but if there is no issue with that healing potion, I wonder what Mage Mason plans to do?"

"No problem?" Mason lowered his head to look at that half-empty bottle of healing potion, and when he saw the unsightly dark red color, he steadied his resolve and declared, "If there is no problem with that healing potion, I'll eat its bottle!"

"Good." Lin Yun nodded and waved to an employee in a corner. "You, please come over."

"Eh?" That employee was about 20 years old, a faint mana fluctuation could be seen on his body, he should be someone who just became a magic apprentice. Nothing could be done about that, as studying magic was very expensive. An average person without a family background like Mafa Merlin or Mason simply couldn't cope with such a huge expenditure, thus, most magic apprentices would look for work to ease the burden.

"What's your name?"

"Boss, I'm called Remy."

"Very good, Remy, do you want to get a raise of one hundred gold to your salary starting next month? If you are willing, roll up your sleeve…"

"Eh?" Although the young apprentice rolled up his sleeve, his mind was in chaos. His current salary was only 100 gold, so how could his salary double just by rolling up his sleeve, wasn't that too irrational?

While he was thinking about it, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right arm.

"Ugh…" Remy felt a chill as he looked down and saw that his boss had given him a deep cut.

'Damn, I knew that an offer to double my salary couldn't be anything good…'

"Good, help me test the flavor of this healing potion." Lin Yun said as he handed over the remaining half of the potion. "Don't just stare at it in a daze, drink it fast, I still have things to take care of."

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Chapter 17: You Must Act With Integrity!

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"…" Remy hesitated a bit, but he ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of having his salary doubled. He ground his teeth before drinking down more than half of the remaining contents of the potion while inwardly hoping, 'Boss, please don't cheat me…'

Before he could even finish his thought, the wound on his hand suddenly itched, and under his amazed gaze, the deep cut quickly healed at a visible speed.

"That healing potion is real!"

Along with Remy's surprised shout, the others also focused on the wound, especially Mason. His mouth was open, and he couldn't seem to close it.

'Fuck, how could a dark red healing potion be truly real? A dark red potion is a failed potion, that's what the Great Alchemist said! This is definitely some sort of trick!'

"How about it, Mage Mason, would you say that our Gilded Rose's healing potion is effective?"

Lin Yun talked in an unhurried voice, but the tone felt ear-piercing in Mason's ears. He thought for a bit and couldn't think of any other explanation for what had happened, so he glared with an angry expression. "Mafa Merlin, you definitely did something! How could a dark red healing potion really work? That must be it, that guy was one of your employees after all, who knows what kind of trick you prepared!"

"True…" After listening to Mason, he nodded and agreed, "This healing potion is being sold by the Gilded Rose and an employee of the Gilded Rose just tested its effects, it does sound a bit too unfair…"

"Good that you know!" Mason cut in.

He didn't expect that before he could even finish his words, a cracking sound came from under his feet.

It was followed by a blood-curdling scream.

A blood-red vine suddenly burst out from under Mason's feet. It was a bright red and carried a dense, bloody smell. That blood-red vine quickly wrapped its way around Mason, starting from his feet up until it covered his whole body. It constricted him very tightly, to the point that no matter how much Mason struggled or screamed, he couldn't stop the viper-like vine…

"The Blood Vines spell!" someone exclaimed from the crowd.

Indeed, the 5th Rank Blood Vines Spell.

This was a truly sinister spell. It was rumored to have come from a demon, and had been created based on the Bloodsucking Vines of the Abyss. This magic created creeping tendrils that were just like the Bloodsucking Vines. Once they coiled around a target, their thorns would enter the target's body and greedily suck out the victim's blood. If the caster didn't stop the spell, the target would eventually be drained until they became a dried corpse.

"Wh-what do you think you are doing!" When he thought about what would happen to him, Mason felt the fear of death for the first time and his voice became hoarse and dry.

"Didn't I just explain? I agreed that having anyone from the Gilded Rose test the effectiveness of the potion is truly unfair. Thus, I believe having Mage Mason display the effects is a lot better." Lin Yun's voice was still perfectly calm. If not for having just seen it with their own eyes, who would have thought that such a gentle young man was using such a sinister spell?

"No! Don't kill me! I will compensate, I'll apologize!!!" To the panicked Mason, this smile was simply more frightening than any evil grin. Mason, who had never met any setbacks, was truly fearing for his life this time. The blood vines around him were coiling even more tightly as sharp thorns kept piercing his skin one after the other, his blood constantly being absorbed by the thorns. Mason already started feeling his body turning cold.

Struggling, screaming, pleading…

Mason looked like a sheep under a butcher's knife. Besides incoherently begging for forgiveness, there were only desperate shrieks and rough breathing.

The subordinates brought by Mason tried to rescue him, but they couldn't break through the blood vines. Even without Lin Yun's direction, those crazily spreading blood vines were keeping them away.

Soon, only a passionate red mass stood out in the room.

Lin Yun unhurriedly remarked, "Mage Mason truly loves making jokes. Why would I kill you? The Gilded Rose is open for business, and customers are kings. Killing is something that would never happen here, we are only having a friendly chat to check the effectiveness of this healing potion."

"Yes, yes! Check, check!" At this time, Mason could only say that much. Let alone testing the sketchy potion, even if Lin Yun made him admit that he was a goblin, Mason wouldn't hesitate at all at this point.

"Good, now we can proceed with the testing." Lin Yun looked at Mason before softly lowering his right hand that had been controlling the Blood Vines Spell. The tyrannical blood vines withdrew underground with a burst of magical fluctuations, disappearing in an instant, as if none of this had ever happened.

It felt as if they had never even been there.

Mason, who had just narrowly escaped death, was the only proof that those tyrannical blood vines truly had appeared. They had tightly coiled around him and pierced his skin with the sharp thorns, leaving numerous small cuts. At this moment, Mason looked as if he had been stung by a hive of bees. Just looking at him made people feel a bit nauseous. Blood was continuously flowing out, and in a short amount of time, a puddle of blood colored the ground.

Mason seemed to be at his last breath as he was laying on the ground. Even if an outstanding doctor saw his condition, he would most likely be shaking his head while sending him home to prepare for his funeral.

Lin Yun put the remaining dregs of the healing potion in front of Mason, and after looking once again to check Mason's wounds, he nodded with satisfaction. "This kind of injury should be convincing enough."

"…" Everyone present, including the young apprentice who had been cut a moment ago, immediately felt cold when they heard that inhuman statement.

"Good, there, Mage Mason, I'll have to trouble you to drink this, let us take a look at the effects."

As Lin Yun supported him, Mason managed, with some difficulty, to right himself. He then struggled to drink what remained of the healing potion. The whole time, Mason didn't dare to look at Lin Yun. Those blood vines had definitely left him thoroughly frightened.

The healing potion once again displayed its miraculous effects. Mason had only just drunk the last gulp, yet the bloody wounds had already started healing, and after no less than half an hour, Mason could be said to be as good as ever before. If not for his whole mage's gown still being in a mess, Mason could almost imagine that everything that had just happened was a nightmare.

An extremely frightening nightmare.

After finally waking from that nightmare, how could he dare to stay in the Gilded Rose? After his injury recovered completely, he was about to leave, crestfallen, with his subordinates…

"Hold on."

But in the end, the nightmarish voice echoed once again, and Mason completely stiffened up.

"Wh-wh-what is it?" Mason managed to get the courage to open his mouth, but his voice was still trembling.

"Mage Mason, isn't this a bit wrong? Didn't we come to an agreement? If this potion had a good effect, you would eat the bottle. Mage Mason, you can't be like this! You must act with integrity!

"…" Mason's face suddenly froze. Seeing that fist-sized potion bottle, Mason truly felt like his heart was dying.

"How is it, Mage Mason? Are you eating it yourself? Or should I help you?"

"…"

"Bon appétit."

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Chapter 18: Spell Extraction

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Remy, help me take care of it. After Mage Mason is finished with his meal, don't forget to remind him to compensate our workshop for the losses," Lin Yun explained while yawning. He was truly too tired. His output from that whole night of work was equivalent to what many alchemists would need a month for, and he would need to sleep well for a few days to recover.

Unfortunately, his idea to go back to sleep was instantly destroyed.

Lin Yun had barely turned to leave when a commotion could be heard outside the Gilded Rose, followed by a young mage pushing the door open.

This young mage was not yet thirty, but surprisingly, the cuffs of his gown had a silver lining. His identity as a Great Mage was clearly visible. Many onlookers recognized him when he entered. There was only one Great Mage this young in the entire Thousand Sails City, Monchi's eldest son, Ryan.

It was said that Ryan had displayed shocking magic gifts when he was young and that Monchi had originally planned to send him to Okland Magic School, but when he was 15, a powerful master from the kingdom paid them a visit and then left with Ryan shortly after.

That was ten years ago, and fairly recently, Ryan, who had already become a Great Mage, returned to Thousand Sails City. Soon, everyone in Thousand Sails City was shocked. A Great Mage that had yet to reach his thirties, what kind of idea was that? This was a genius that might not even appear in a hundred years! He would most likely be able to set foot into the High Mage realm, and at that time, he might become an existence that could walk shoulder to shoulder with those three of the Sage Tower.

This sounded especially plausible after the news spread that Monchi and Ryan paid a visit to the Sage Tower and that Solomon, one of the big three, had personally seen them off. Ryan's reputation in Thousand Sails City became even more resounding.

Who was Solomon? He was an existence that was close to being a living legend. For so many years, countless people had visited the Sage Tower, but how many had been personally sent off by Solomon? Those could be counted on the fingers of just one hand…

Ryan's name spread throughout Thousand Sails City so quickly that it even surpassed that of his father, Monchi, the president of the Twin Moons chamber of commerce. Even those young magic apprentices who had just broken through and become mages already viewed him as their idol. The higher-ups of every major power were very courteous to Ryan. Especially after they heard that Ryan still had yet to marry and wasn't engaged either. Some families with daughters had begun visiting Monchi to make overtures.

Nothing could be done about all this attention. Becoming a Great Mage before even turning thirty was too dazzling, even an idiot could understand that. As long as he didn't run into some incredible obstacle, Ryan's prospects would inevitably be bright. Sooner or later, he would become a grand figure comparable to the top three of Sage Tower, or maybe even surpass them… Eventually standing alone at the peak of Thousand Sails City didn't seem impossible.

And now, this young Great Mage with a shockingly impressive reputation was standing at the doorway of the Gilded Rose, dressed in a simple black gown, and besides the silver line on his cuffs, there was nothing extraordinary about him. When he saw Mason with pieces of glass in his mouth, his face didn't even display the slightest hint of anger, as if this person wasn't his younger brother, but a random passerby.

"Take him back."

With Ryan's words, the hoodlums that Mason had brought with him felt as if they were granted amnesty and they quickly helped Mason out.

This time, Lin Yun only stood there, sizing up that young Mage with a curious look.

"The Twin Moons chamber of commerce will compensate for the damage Mason caused you. Tell me the amount and I'll send someone to deliver it to you tomorrow." After Ryan entered, he only glanced at Lin Yun and didn't ask what happened or who was right or wrong. He just directly issued this statement instead.

Ryan didn't care what this fledgling mage was thinking.

As the widely lauded Great Mage, how could he care about what a newly advanced mage was thinking?

"As for you, you used the Blood Vine Spell. That Blood Vine Spell will be extracted."

Ryan's words immediately changed the atmosphere.

Spell Extraction referred to the process of a mage transferring a spell onto an item at the cost of completely forgetting about it. That item could be a magic scroll, a piece of magic equipment, a magic gem, anything could do as long as it could hold mana. After transferring it, that item would obtain powerful magic ability and might completely inherit that spell ability. In Noscent's history, there had been several powerful magic tools that had been created that way.

But the extraction process was extremely painful to a mage because this was equivalent to pulling the spell out from a mage's soul while still alive.

To a mage, this kind of torture for the soul was far more terrible than any magical backlash.

In history, those mages who voluntarily had their spells extracted had already reached their limits and had wanted to leave some heritage to their disciples or the later generations. With shocking willpower and endurance, they extracted the spells they were the proudest of from their souls.

The number of mages who had done this of their own will, from the 3rd Dynasty until now, might not even amount to 10.

Ryan talked about it as if it was nothing and asked Lin Yun to have his spell extracted.

"Ryan, you are going too far!" The old butler stood out with a face red from anger, shielding Lin Yun behind him.

Ryan stood there looking at Lin Yun as if the old butler wasn't there. "Mason was the one in the wrong, but the prestige of the Monchi family cannot be provoked. Mafa Merlin, you should know that if I make a move, you'll feel even more pain."

"Mage Ryan, you said so much, but there is something I still haven't understood…" Lin Yun gently nudged the old butler aside and then smilingly walked towards Ryan.

"What's the problem?" Ryan frowned slightly. He didn't like that young mage's attitude.

Lin Yun stood in front of Ryan, and after scrutinizing him closely, he asked him, "Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" Ryan didn't react at first, but he then was hardly able to keep his anger suppressed. 'A little mage dares to ridicule me?'

"You brought this upon yourself!"

Ryan fiercely raised his magic staff, and shocking mana fluctuations immediately filled the atmosphere before a vivid red spread through the entire lobby. Amidst cracking sounds, countless blood vines crawled up from the ground. Their growth was quick and violent as they covered the lobby in a bloody color.

The same Blood Vine Spell in Ryan's hands and in Lin Yun's hands seemed completely different. This wasn't because Lin Yun's casting ability was inferior to Ryan's, it was the gap between a normal mage and a Great Mage being too huge. After a Great Mage got rid of the bindings of the mana whirlpool, their strength reached a whole new level, a completely different world. A mage that had yet to step on that path couldn't imagine how frightening the power of a Great Mage was.

This kind of gap almost couldn't be breached. Regardless of how impressive one was at conducting mana, regardless of how skilled one was with metamagic or the process of casting spells, when faced with that immeasurably huge gap, these could all only be considered funny tricks.

The earth-shattering vines instantly flooded the entire lobby. Everyone was enveloped by the frightening vines, and as long as Ryan sent out a bit of mana, the entire lobby would truly be covered in blood.

In the eyes of this Great Mage, those below him weren't even worth mentioning.

At that moment, startled shouts and cries for help echoed throughout the lobby. And even the old butler who always refused to admit defeat was now exposing an expression of fear.

But Lin Yun, who stood in front of Ryan, had a smile on his face.

The Blood Vines were spreading over from the center of the room, and despite the menacing bloody shadows, the smile on his face didn't change at all. All he did was flick his fingers, and a small flame came out of his fingertips.

Among these overwhelming blood vines, that weak flame seemed like a rock thrown into an ocean, and it drifted to the ground while giving the feeling that it would stop burning anytime.

But then, a loud "Bang" echoed.

Just as the flame fell on the ground, a raging blaze flared up, as if someone had covered the ground in something inflammable. The faint flame turned into overflowing, raging fires as they burnt away the blood vines, and only those. In a short time, those large blood vines had all turned to ashes.

This had all happened too fast to the point that no one was able to react.

Shock was plastered on the faces of all the employees, and Ryan, who had just cast his Blood Vines spell, still had his arm outstretched as if trying to channel mana into his recently extinguished spell.

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After that, a "slap" echoed out while everything else in the entire lobby remained silent.

It was as if time had frozen. Ryan was tightly holding his magic staff, looking at this young mage in front of him, full of disbelief.

'That "slap" just now, where did that come from?'

As if to prove that this wasn't an illusion, another clear sound echoed out when Ryan had started thinking that it had been all a dream.

Another slap. The group of newly hired clerks looked dumbfounded at the scene, blankly thinking, 'No way?!'

"When you are still half-asleep like this, you should hurry back to bed instead of sleep-talking in the Gilded Rose. You'll have to compensate for interfering with my business." Lin Yun delivered some stinging words after slapping him twice.

The gap between a normal mage and a Great Mage was truly insurmountable. Even Lin Yun couldn't directly bridge that gap. But it was different for spells themselves. Lin Yun had more than a dozen ways to restrain the Blood Vines.

Thirty thousand years later in Noscent, Lin Yun had even struggled with the pernicious Abyssal Bloodsucking Vines. What was an insignificant imitation spell compared to that?

Lin Yun didn't even need to use a spell, he just threw out a wisp of Mana Seal Fire. Even those vines from the abyss would be burnt cleanly. Mana Seal Fire was the nemesis of the Bloodsucking Vines. Just a bit would be able to scorch an ocean of Bloodsucking Vines into ashes.

That wisp of Mana Seal Fire had been extracted from a Mana Seal Stone a few days ago by Lin Yun. He had wanted to use it to concoct a dose of Burning Panacea, but because Ryan had used the Blood Vines Spell, he could only use up that wisp ahead of time…

When he thought about this, Lin Yun felt extremely angry. 'If you want to help Mason out of his predicament, just do it, why do you have to talk about the prestige of the Monchi family? Is that even as valuable as a wisp of my Mana Seal Fire?'

At this moment, Ryan was still completely stunned by the two slaps, or perhaps, terrified.

He was in complete disbelief. How could he have been ruthlessly slapped by a newly advanced mage, and twice! What had just happened was too unexpected, to the point that Ryan even forgot to block or retaliate. He just stood there lifelessly, his gaze filled with confusion and bewilderment.

'How could this happen…'

'Wasn't it said that the power of Great Mages surpassed the power of the normal ones by tenfold, or even hundredfold? Isn't the gap between Great Mages and Mages something that could never be bridged? This guy clearly only just became a mage, why could he completely ignore my Blood Vines Spell? How did he do that without even using a spell? How can he slap?'

Countless questions appeared in Ryan's mind, but he couldn't find a rational explanation… Let alone a rational explanation, he couldn't even find a single excuse to comfort himself.

He clearly couldn't just say that he was "not prepared" or "careless" to make himself feel better…

If an elephant was careless, could it still be tossed aside by an ant?

It seemed like nobody in the lobby could move. Ryan stood there in a daze, anger gradually joining the confusion on his face. He wanted to use the Blood Vines Spell once again to prove that this gap was truly unbridgeable. But those countless questions in his mind kept reminding him to not just act without thinking.

During that time, the atmosphere in the lobby became even more strange and tense.

But that strange atmosphere didn't last long, because someone pushed the door to come in.

"Mage Merlin, congratulations…" The new arrival was Solomon's only disciple, Solon.

With Solon's high status, the reopening of a workshop like the Gilded Rose wasn't worthy of his attention. Solon wasn't just Solomon's sole disciple, he was also the successor of the Sage Tower chosen by the respected High Mage himself. He would become the new leader of the Mage Guild sooner or later. He represented not only himself, but also Solomon, and even the entire Sage Tower.

Even if he wanted to come to see this new shop, he would have to take into consideration the reactions of all the forces that might notice.

But today was truly a bit special.

After the discussion in the study yesterday, Solon decided that he would definitely have a proper discussion with that young mage the next day. Thus, Solon had waited in the library all day, but even after waiting for the whole morning, Lin Yun still didn't arrive.

In the end, he felt so fidgety and impatient that he sent someone to inquire. Only then did he find out that it was the day of the Gilded Rose's grand reopening, so the young mage wouldn't be visiting the library today.

This got Solon a bit worked up, who was thinking at the time, 'I have so many unsolved questions, how could you not come?'

'Forget it, I'll visit you myself.'

Thus, Solon took two scrolls of the Sage Tower as a congratulatory gift and rushed to the Gilded Rose, burning with anxiety.

The building itself seemed oddly damaged, but perhaps that was a choice of style?

When he opened the door, Solon felt as if his brain had short-circuited…

"What… What happened?"

'That young mage with both cheeks swelling, isn't he the famous son of the Monchi family? Great Mage Ryan of the Ash Tower?'

'How could he look so awkward? Both sides of his face have clear red imprints, has he been slapped by someone?'

'That can't be… Besides perhaps the big three of the Sage Tower, who would even be able to slap a Great Mage in Thousand Sails City? No no, this must definitely be some sort of a magic ritual I don't know about.'

'But in that case, why is Great Mage Ryan's expression so strange? …Has he truly been slapped twice by someone?'

'Oh right, there is also that young mage, Mafa Merlin. Why is he standing in front of a Great Mage smiling so leisurely like that? Isn't that attitude a bit too arrogant?'

As he processed this strange scene, Solon started feeling rather regretful. 'Why did I have to arrive with such timing? Such a tense atmosphere doesn't bode well for our interaction.'

"Eh…" Solon gulped awkwardly and forced himself to break this deadlock. "Great Mage Ryan, such a coincidence! We haven't seen each other in a while, but you still look as elegant as last time."

"…" Solon merely said that out of politeness, but to Ryan, it didn't sound like that. This time, Ryan really wanted to swear. 'Do you fucking have to speak bullshit? I got slapped twice, how could this possibly appear elegant?'

"Ah, Great Mage Ryan, I didn't mean that." As soon as the words left his mouth, Solon had also realized that he had misspoken. He wanted to quickly remedy it, but he didn't know how he should do it.

"Never mind." After Ryan took a deep breath, using the opportunity created by Solon's appearance, Ryan regained his bearing.

As he calmed down, the bewilderment and confusion on his face slowly disappeared. Everything had happened too suddenly, he had been completely caught off guard by the circumstances. A mage had broken his Blood Vines Spell and then slapped him twice, leaving him in a stupor.

But Ryan was a genius who had broken through and become a Great Mage before he was even thirty, after all. After finally calming down, it wasn't hard to figure out that this fellow simply knew the weak point of Blood Vines and that he wasn't actually powerful enough to bridge the immense gap between Mages and Great Mages.

With this understanding, Ryan's mood finally calmed down. As long as this was the case, he would get back at him for everything that had happened today sooner or later.

But he definitely couldn't act today…

Because of Solon's appearance.

Solon himself was a Great Mage, and he was also High Mage Solomon's precious disciple. His arrival itself represented the Sage Tower's attitude. Ryan, who had just calmed down, was greatly agitated by this new discovery. Why would the Sage Tower suddenly display such goodwill for a young mage of a declining family? What did that mean?

'No good, I have to return and consult with father about this.'

"Mage Merlin, I hope you'll have such good luck again next time."

With these words, Ryan turned around and left, not even greeting Solon.

Upon hearing Ryan's parting words, Solon had stiffened in astonishment. 'It couldn't be… right?' His gaze drifted over to Lin Yun before stopping.

The sentence was self-explanatory. If Solon only had an inkling before, he was now certain. That Merlin was most likely the culprit behind the red imprints on the young Great Mage's face.

'Oh God…'

When he thought about this, Solon couldn't help holding his breath. That was a genuine Great Mage. Even if his hands and legs were tied, he would be easily able to kill a few novice mages just by opening his mouth. 'How could this be… How could he be slapped twice by someone like Mafa Merlin?'

'This is too irrational…'

'How many secrets does this young mage have?'

'I have to tell Teacher Solomon about this matter.'

"Congratulations, Mage Merlin, I hope that your business is ever-thriving, this is a small congratulatory gift, I hope you'll like it, see you later!"

After quickly blurting out these words, Solon didn't even wait for an answer as he thrust the two scrolls into Lin Yun's hands before running away.

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Chapter 20: Dragon Blood Ink

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

After Solon left, Lin Yun did not return to his room. Instead, he washed his face with cold water and then picked up the two scrolls before heading to the place where he had overworked himself for a whole night, the alchemy laboratory.

Solon's arrival wasn't strange at all. The value of the Spectrum Potion was something that even a new mage like Raymond knew, let alone the Sage Tower that held three High Mages. What truly baffled Lin Yun was the two scrolls that Solon had brought…

A few alchemy formulas were written on the two scrolls, and they were relatively uncommon. They would be worth several thousand gold on the market. This was definitely a very good congratulatory gift.

But to Lin Yun, these few alchemy formulas weren't important. The key part was the two scrolls themselves.

When he first accepted the two scrolls, Lin Yun actually didn't take them seriously and was only being polite. His mind was filled with too many perfected formulas from the end of the magic era, so how could he still care about other alchemy formulas of this period?

But after taking a few glances at them, Lin Yun suddenly found out that the letters on the scrolls seemed a bit too bright.

After taking a careful look, he realized that these two scrolls had actually been written with Dragon Blood Ink.

"This is just too shameful!" Lin Yun lamented.

'Too extravagant, too wasteful…'

The best use for Dragon Blood Ink was for alchemy arrays because the blood of dragons had astonishing amounts of mana within. Not only was this mana very easy to control, but it could even be brought to its full potential with only a few runes. If an alchemy array used Dragon Blood Ink, then the mana source used to power it could be reduced by a few grades because the power of the Dragon Blood could support most of the array's operations. The mana source would only take an auxiliary role.

But here, that Dragon Blood Ink had been used to write a few mere alchemy formulas.

'Do you need to use precious Dragon Blood to write an alchemy formula?'

"I wonder which bastard wasted so much…" Lin Yun kept swearing while carrying the two scrolls toward the alchemy laboratory. He was unaware that in the distant Cloud Tower, an old mage sneezed.

Afterwards, Lin Yun started getting busy.

The always stingy and economical Lin Yun was surprisingly extravagant this time. All kinds of magic items came out, and many bottles of reagents were set up. Lin Yun spent a whole ten hours, working from the afternoon into the night, not taking any breaks.

This was how important the Dragon Blood Ink was to Lin Yun.

Mafa Merlin's body was far inferior to that of the average mage, after all. If not for Lin Yun's arrival, with Mafa's talents, he might have never become a mage in his lifetime.

These kinds of inherent bodily flaws were unsolvable in this era. The only one that could fix it right now was the one coming from the end times, Lin Yun. But the methods were very troublesome, including special meditation or customized potions.

Because the meditation would take too much time, Lin Yun unhesitantly chose the latter option.

The name of this potion was Mana Baptism. At the peak of Noscent's magic civilization, nearly every newborn kid would receive a Mana Baptism. This Mana Baptism would not only enable them to gather their first bits of mana, but it would also greatly increase their constitution. Thus, in that era, nearly everyone would be gifted. Everyone would stand at the same starting line and there was no longer any requirement of a minimum amount of innate talent. What would decide their future would be their efforts and their luck.

Afterwards, along with Noscent's mana exhaustion, fewer newborns were able to enjoy a Mana Baptism. After the most powerful mages were buried in the sand, no more of those precious potions appeared in Noscent.

Because there were no longer any mages that were able to slay a dragon.

Dragon Blood was the most important component of Mana Baptism. Without Dragon Blood, Mana Baptism would only become a common potion and wouldn't be able to bring forth the mana gathering effect, let alone further increasing one's constitution.

Even though he had returned to this era that was so rich in resources, Lin Yun still couldn't avoid the headache of having to obtain some Dragon Blood. It was truly too uncommon. Let alone a fledgling mage, even some High Mages might not be able to see a drop of Dragon Blood during their lifetime.

They were an existence far above High Mages. Extremely tyrannical physical power combined with magical abilities inherited through their bloodlines let the dragons stand proudly at the top of Noscent's food chain. From ancient times till the current day, there had been no more than three people that could slay a dragon. Each of them could be considered genuine legendary figures!

When Lin Yun had included this in the list of things for Raymond to get, it was with a "just in case" attitude. He wasn't actually expecting to hear any news of it on that side.

He had been prepared to struggle for a long time to obtain some.

If it came to it, he would first operate the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce and build it up, before relying on financial resources. If a hundred thousand gold wasn't enough, then he would use a million. He would even use all of his family fortune to get a drop of Dragon Blood.

At that time, Lin Yun couldn't have thought that someone would just drop by and gift him a drop of Dragon Blood.

Naturally, it was too early to say that this was actually a drop of Dragon Blood.

It was at best a few alchemy formulas written with Dragon Blood Ink…

But it was already enough for Lin Yun.

These formulas were written with Dragon Blood Ink, which obviously contained Dragon Blood. What Lin Yun needed to do now was to reconstitute the Dragon Blood Ink from the alchemy formulas and then extract the true Dragon Blood from the Dragon Blood Ink.

It sounded very simple on paper, but carrying it out was an extremely complicated process.

First of all, there were no fewer than 37 formulas for making Dragon Blood Ink. Even if Lin Yun already knew all the current 37 formulas, he couldn't find out in a short time which one had been used for the ink on the two scrolls.

The only way was to do some testing.

This was a large project. The importance of Dragon Blood Ink lays in using the power of the Dragon Blood to amplify the might of the arrays, to the point that it could even replace the mana source. To some extent, each drop of Dragon Blood Ink was like a miniature alchemy formula. Thus, the formula of Dragon Blood Ink was famous for being complicated.

During those ten hours, Lin Yun compounded almost a hundred bottles of all kinds of reagents. He then used those reagents to various types of testing, all the way until it was the afternoon of the next day. After a whole 24 hours had passed, he had only eliminated two of the 37 formulas for sure.

By that point, Lin Yun was no longer able to keep going.

Analyzing the Dragon Blood Ink's formulas wasn't something that could be completely solved with just the reagents. It relied more on the alchemist himself, while the reagents were only the materials.

Analyzing the formulas would consume a great amount of energy and mana. Ordinarily, it would take a group of a few alchemists, sometimes even a dozen, working together to carry out something on the level of the Dragon Blood Ink analysis that Lin Yun was doing. If word of his feat spread out, it might frighten many people.

After eliminating two of the formulas, Lin Yun decided not to continue. Otherwise, he might collapse before managing to extract the drop of Dragon Blood.

He washed his face with cold water and then told the old butler that unless he gave his authorization, no one was allowed to enter the Gilded Rose's alchemy laboratory. After doing that, Lin Yun returned to his room to sleep for twenty hours straight.

For some time, Lin Yun stayed in the alchemy laboratory day and night, analyzing the formulas, eventually eliminating twenty kinds. If nothing unexpected happened, Lin Yun would be able to completely determine what formula was used in at most half a month.

And at the same time, the business of the Gilded Rose also gradually improved. It was the richest district of Thousand Sails City, after all, and the golden signboard of the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce was very good for drawing attention. Even if a fool was in charge of the place, the business wouldn't be too bad, and Lin Yun was no fool.

The potions crafted by Lin Yun had already run out of stock a week ago, and the magic armors and magic weapons had been bought up at very high prices in the first two days. Now, most of the items arranged on the shelves of the Gilded Rose were various kinds of alchemy products that the old butler had people import from outside. The price wasn't nearly as high, but they were practical.

From this, it could be seen that the alchemy business was indeed a business that required daily work. Besides all the things that Lin Yun had personally crafted on the first day, the rest was stuff that the Gilded Rose acquired wholesale at a low price and was selling with some markup. They could easily make a profit of over ten thousand gold in under a month.

The old butler was even thinking about hiring some alchemists at a high price once the business was back on track the next month. At that time, he would contact the old mercenary groups to get a steady supply of magic materials. His goal of restoring the Gilded Rose to its former splendor was almost in reach.

Half a month soon passed. After Lin Yun finally found out which formula had been used, he didn't immediately leave the alchemy laboratory. He busied himself inside for two more days before pushing the door open to leave, feeling completely exhausted.

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Chapter 21: 9th Rank Mage

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

After Lin Yun came out, he only did one thing, which was to hand out a few dozen bottles of compounded potions to the old butler, before returning to the alchemy laboratory.

As for the operation of the Gilded Rose, Lin Yun wasn't the least bit worried about it.

It was because the old butler was overseeing it. That person had followed Locke Merlin for a few dozens of years, and he was very talented at handling the business side of things. Despite being short on funds, he still managed to tidy up the Gilded Rose in such little time. This showed that there was nothing to worry about.

Besides, there were also those potions…

Indeed, those weren't ordinary alchemy potions. When Lin Yun analyzed the Dragon Blood Ink, he wrote down the recipe. Afterwards, he discovered that even though he had insufficient materials to craft the Mana Baptism, there would be no problems compounding some potions that had some of the desired effects of that potion.

Although these similar potions didn't have the effect of improving one's constitution as the Mana Baptism potion did, it would still be beneficial for helping Magic Apprentices that were attempting their first mana gathering. In other words, the customer base that this potion aimed at was just the apprentices. Even a subpar apprentice would be able to easily become a 9th Rank Magic Apprentice after using this potion.

Lin Yun felt that this kind of potion would have a lot of appeal to the huge numbers of Magic Apprentices that were still struggling to advance. At the very least, there would be no issue with the daily expenses of the Gilded Rose.

With no worries left in mind, Lin Yun returned to the alchemy laboratory and didn't come out for three months.

Lin Yun spent all his time on magic studies.

It might be very hard for the mages of this era to understand why a young, 20-year-old man who had just become a mage and was on the level of a 5th Rank Mage would be so demanding toward himself. After all, becoming a 5th Rank Mage was already an amazing achievement. As long as nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be able to advance to become a Great Mage before the age of 30.

After that, he would still have time to try to break through to the High Mage realm. And if he became a High Mage, he would be on the same level as those three big shots of Sage Tower, one of the few at the top overlooking Thousand Sails City.

How could he not be satisfied with such an achievement?

But Lin Yun was different. He had personally experienced that mana exhausted era in the future. He had seen mage after mage leaving the cover of the Shelter Tower just to have the chance to gather a bit more mana from the void. Most of them never returned after leaving…

Lin Yun felt like this was heaven. Mana everywhere, abundant natural resources, it felt like the most beautiful dream.

The few days after his transmigration, Lin Yun didn't even dare to go to bed. He had been afraid of waking up and finding out that the dream had suddenly disappeared.

What Lin Yun felt when he was finally convinced that this wasn't just an ephemeral dream was something that couldn't be understood by the mages of this era, just as they couldn't understand why Lin Yun was being so hard on himself.

To Lin Yun, the freedom of being able to absorb mana, to be able to study magic at will, this was a huge joy in itself.

This demanding attitude that ordinary people couldn't comprehend, along with knowledge far surpassing his era, allowed Lin Yun to walk a path that would take most mages 10 years, in just a few months.

After three months, Lin Yun secretly reached the 9th Rank.

This was but a step away from the Great Mage realm.

To Lin Yun, only by becoming a Great Mage would he consider himself to have mastered his own power in this body. There was only a one-word difference between Mage and Great Mage, but they were two entirely different things.

Once a Mage crushed his mana whirlpool, he would tread on the path of growth as a Great Mage and would step into a completely new world. Even the amount of mana gathered and expelled during meditation would be a few dozen times higher than what a common mage would process. Not to mention the appearance of all kinds of metamagics following the breakthrough. Saying that a Great Mage could casually kill ten normal mages in a fight without even breaking a sweat… this was no exaggeration.

But Lin Yun couldn't take that step.

The flaw of Mafa Merlin's body was too serious. If he wanted to advance the last step to become a Great Mage he only had one realistic solution, which was the Mana Baptism.

He actually had the Dragon Blood, but he still was far from having all the other materials gathered up. Raymond had yet to return from his travels, so there might be no solution on that side.

"Seems like I have to find ways to get them from the Sage Tower…" Lin Yun sighed and kept the Dragon Blood preserved in ice.

It was the most plausible place to find them. If there was any place in the entire Thousand Sails City that could collect all the materials needed by Lin Yun, then it would definitely be the Sage Tower.

Three High Mages, a dozen Great Mages, hundreds of Mages, as well as countless Magic Apprentices… Heaps of magic materials were used every day. Only such a place could satisfy Lin Yun's needs.

'It has also been a long time since I've been to the library,' Lin Yun thought. He tidied up a bit, planning to check out the library once more and also ask Solon whether he could buy some materials from the Sage Tower on the way.

"Boss, Boss!"

But when he came out, he was greeted by Remy, gasping as he ran over.

"What?"

"Boss Pavey sent me to find you and ask you to return at once. He said, that Fario brought people to surround your house!"

"Eh?" Lin Yun was honestly quite astounded when he heard that. 'Do you think that bullying me is easy? I already gave you the money, but you still brought people over to surround my house? Looks like I need to leave a stronger impression on you…'

"In that case, Remy, go to the Sage Tower for me. Look for a mage named Solon and then give this to him…" Lin Yun fished out a slip of paper from his bag, and on it was the list of materials that he still needed to make the Mana Baptism. "Ask him if he is able to help me out by finding those materials."

"Yes, Boss!"

After sending Remy away, Lin Yun headed home.

Just outside the house, he saw many people surrounding the place, headed by that cheap uncle, Fario. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was surrounded by a lot of people, but he seemed to be overwhelmingly confident. He had his hands on his hips as he stood outside, bellowing with his shockingly loud voice.

"The thief must be in that house, I saw him with my own eyes. So bold, he dared to steal things from the Viper Nest! Everyone, search carefully after going in. Make sure to find that damnable thief!"

That cheap uncle was getting greedier and greedier.

While getting down from the carriage, Lin Yun mumbled, 'Trying to use an escaped thief as an excuse… As if that would work. If this was really the case, everyone would go to the Sage Tower or the Monchi's manor to search for thieves… No thief, you say? No way, I saw it with my own eyes! You must be an accomplice!'

After getting down from the carriage, Lin Yun didn't feel too worried as he looked at Fario and his people from the distance. About thirty to forty people with pretty good strength, especially that middle-aged man wearing a grey gown. It seemed like there was actually a 9th Rank Mage!

That was rather excessive. Someone at the 9th Rank would already be a first-rate existence among most mages. Only one more step and he could reach the Great Mage realm. To invite someone of that level, a few thousand gold wouldn't be enough.

'How could Fario be brave enough to do something so bold?' Lin Yun frowned. This was very abnormal, why was Fario going so far?

At the start, he had come with an eight thousand gold debt. Lin Yun had thought that this cheap uncle was only taking advantage of Locke Merlin's promise to try to stake his claim on the house. Thus, after disabling Jimmy's right hand for his actions, he didn't make things too difficult for that cheap uncle and even paid him the debt after the sale of the Spectrum potion.

But now it seemed that it wasn't that simple…

At that time, he had demanded the money quite shamelessly, but he did indeed have the contract, which had its terms written in black and white. But now, trying to use the pretext of a thief to enter the place… Way too greedy. This was completely unreasonable, not to mention that he had invited a 9th Rank Mage. Lin Yun believed that if there wasn't a special reason, Fario would never be willing to part with so much money to hire someone like that.

'Is there something about the house?'

The more Lin Yun thought, the more he felt that it was possible.

Otherwise, why would Fario specifically bring up taking the house to repay the debt when he first came? And now, he also wanted to search the house… If it wasn't about the house, why would Fario come time and time again for the house?

"Let's go! Everyone follow me to look for the thief!"

Before Lin Yun could think further about what the issue with the house was, Fario shouted loudly and led everyone to force their way in.

"It's a bit too much…"

How could Lin Yun let them go ahead? It wasn't a tavern where everyone could enter.

"To dare steal the stuff of the Viper Nest, truly a bold and ambitious person. You thought I couldn't find you if you hide here?" Maybe it was because he had a 9th Rank Mage behind him, but Fario seemed especially excited today.

With such a powerful mage supporting him, Fario took the lead in an awe-inspiring way. This was a 9th Rank Mage! Not that many of them could be found in the entire Thousand Sails City. With such support, what could he be scared of?

'Aren't you very powerful Mafa? Instantly disabling Jimmy's right-hand and treating me like a fly. Now I have a 9th Rank Mage with me. What can you do if I force my way into your house to catch a thief?'

'Strange… Why is the soil so soft…'

'What's going on? Isn't this the entrance? Why does it feel like I'm trudging through a swamp?'

Fario looked down at the ground.

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The agitation then turned into a blood-curdling screech.

'Fuck, this really is a swamp!'

Fario was trapped inside the swamp. His fat body was desperately struggling, but the more he flailed, the quicker he sank down. In a short time, he was chest-deep in that black mud!

"Careful! This is a Rotten Swamp!" The 9th Rank Mage in the middle of the group shouted a warning to the Viper Nest group while quickly casting a spell.

Rotten Swamp was only a 3rd Rank spell, so it couldn't enter the eyes of a 9th Rank Mage. One Soil Petrifaction would easily solve it.

In fact, that 9th Rank Mage did just that. He quickly chanted his incantation and that Soil Petrifaction spell quickly took shape. As long as he controlled the spreading of the Rotten Swamp, they could easily take their time to help Fario escape from it.

But, just when the 9th Rank Mage was about to cast the spell, a deathly chill blanketed the area, and before he could react, the swamp was already frozen over.

"This…" The 9th Rank Mage suppressed the Soil Petrifaction spell. It wasn't even a matter of whether he should cast it or not anymore. At this moment, he felt a small backlash, and this pain was truly hard to bear with. The swamp was already frozen, so his spell was simply meaningless now. But he couldn't just not do anything. Did he have to helplessly watch as Fario was turned into an icicle? This was someone that the chief had personally asked him to protect…

Fortunately, the 9th Rank Mage didn't have to keep thinking for long.

Because Lin Yun had already approached.

"How come you are so free today, Uncle?" Lin Yun walked along a small path, not getting close to the 9th Rank Mage, who was still dumbfounded. He stopped at the edge of the frozen swamp and squatted down and smiled as he looked at Fario.

"Re-re-release me!" Fario had never been in such an awkward situation before, with more than half of his body frozen in the swamp. Under the bitter chill, his teeth were chattering constantly. It felt as if countless knives were cutting his body.

He couldn't escape, but he wasn't sinking either. After the swamp completely froze over, it was as hard as steel. Not to mention Fario, even a 10th Rank Warrior wouldn't be able to struggle free.

"Sure, I can get you out without any problem. But… Uncle, there is something I don't understand. You brought so many people to my house today, what for?"

"Cap-capturing a thief, ow…" Fario just started talking when he suddenly felt emptiness open up below his feet. He sank down a bit more. Feeling completely terrified, Fario waved his arms around wildly as he shouted, "Qu-quick, grab me! Pull me up!"

"Uncle Fario, you are definitely dishonest." Only when half of Fario's face was left above the swamp did Lin Yun casually grab Fario's collar. "Are you such a magnanimous person that you would muster such a large force for a thief?"

"Ge-Get me out first!" Fario urged in a muffled voice, not saying any more this time.

Thus, Lin Yun didn't say anything else and simply loosened his grip.

"Ahhhhh!"

As Lin Yun let go, Fario let out a blood-curdling shriek. The two fat hands flailed around chaotically, trying to clutch on to one last hope for survival. After struggling, he barely managed to grab the corner of Lin Yun's gown. Fario held on as if his life depended on it. "Mafa, I am your uncle, ge-get me out of here…"

"Enough, Fario shut up!" The 9th Rank Mage who had been watching the play while completely dumbfounded finally shook himself out of his stupor. He raised the staff in his hand and a vine suddenly appeared beside the frozen swamp. Imbued with the surge of mana from the 9th Rank Mage, this vine grew to have a length of a few meters and the thickness of an arm.

Immediately afterwards, the vine swept over the struggling Fario and he was pulled out from the frozen swamp steadily dropped on the ground.

"I wasn't done questioning yet…" Lin Yun patted the dust from his gown while grumbling, but he didn't actually care that much.

He was quite sure that Fario was at most an errand boy. No matter how much he questioned him about it, he wouldn't learn much.

Moreover, there was still that 9th Rank Mage.

That mage had no idea that he had been silently marked as a target for questioning. He was frowning, looking at the young mage causing problems for him.

This young mage had to be the owner of the house, Mafa Merlin. He seemed to be about 20 years old and wearing a brand new black gown, so he shouldn't have been a Mage for long. And judging from the two spells he had cast, he was probably somewhere between 3rd and 6th Rank.

This strength could be considered pretty good for a 20-year-old youth. But it was just pretty good. As a someone at the peak of Mages, he could easily crush such a young mage.

Thus, the 9th Rank Mage didn't bother being wordy with the other side and directly told him, "Mafa Merlin, hand over the deed and I'll guarantee that I'll let you and the people living in the house go."

"Let me think about it…" Lin Yun surprisingly didn't refuse outright, showing a complicated expression instead.

"You'd better consider it well… I rarely give such a chance to people. I'll give you ten seconds to choose whether you'll die with the deed, or hand it over to save your life."

"I mean, I was thinking about whether I should let all of you off or not…"

The entire area went silent after Lin Yun's words.

The 9th Rank Mage's face was filled with shock. He didn't dare to believe what he had just heard. After being left speechless yet again for a few seconds, he finally reacted. He hadn't misheard, that young Mage truly said that he was considering if he should let them off…

"You are courting death!" The 9th Rank Mage took a deep breath and barely restrained his anger. When he spoke, his voice was cold and sinister.

Cold and sinister voice, ashen expression… Even Fario, still shivering on the side, could see that this 9th Rank Mage was truly infuriated.

This was a clear provocation. Putting aside the fact that he was a peak existence among Mages, even if he had been less powerful, he definitely wouldn't have been able to put up with it.

"Kill him!" The infuriated 9th Rank Mage waved his hands, and the few dozen subordinates, who were looking at Lin Yun like he was their prey, simultaneously advanced toward him.

They were elites of the Viper Nest, with the weakest one having the strength of a 3rd Rank, and the most powerful one already at the 7th Rank. With a few dozen of them, that force was not inferior at all to most average mercenary groups. To be able to casually send such a force, besides the few peak powers, in the entire Thousand Sails City, only the underworld's Viper Nest could do so!

That group of elites from the Viper Nest was made up from three different kind of classes: Archers, Warriors and Thieves. When the 9th Rank Mage gave his order, the Warriors and Thieves unsheathed their weapons and rushed ahead, the Archers took position on favorable terrain in an instant while nocking their arrows, waiting for the fight to start before piercing the target's chest like vipers.

As they rushed out, some of them even cursed inwardly. For just a 20-year-old mage, did they really need to use elites of the Viper Nest?

But soon, they didn't dare to think that way anymore…

Because Lin Yun had already completed his first spell. Another Rotten Swamp formed once again. Not even 10 meters from Lin Yun, more than a dozen Warriors holding large swords had been rushing up at him, before the ground beneath their feet suddenly softened. They felt as if something was dragging them down, pulling them into the muck.

No one could have expected that Lin Yun would be able to cast a spell this quickly. Rotten Swamp was a 3rd Rank spell. An ordinary Mage would need at least 20 seconds to cast it. Even a 9th Rank Mage would still need about 10 seconds.

But that Rotten Swamp had fully formed in less than five seconds.

What kind of concept was that?

This was almost an instant spell!

This was an inconceivably quick Rotten Swamp. It instantly broke the rhythm of the group from the Viper Nest. Among the few dozens of fighters from the Viper Nest, the few Thieves had yet to come around to surround him, and the Archers had suddenly loosed their arrows in panic, causing them to be lacking in accuracy. More than a dozen arrows shot out, but some weren't even close, and the rest seemed to miss Lin Yun ever so slightly, not even touching his clothes.

The most frightening part was that Lin Yun had already readied another spell!

This second spell was even faster than the first one.

It was completely instantaneous, with no incantation and no gesture, only a sharp Icicle spell…

Only a whistling sound pierced through the air as the large icicle ruthlessly flew forward, instantly piercing an Archer's shoulder. This didn't slow the icicle's momentum as it kept going and nailed itself to a tree, along with the unlucky Archer. His "advantageous" terrain became the most loathsome location for him.

The icicle was the size of an arm, and it had pierced straight through his shoulder, pinning him to the tree. This kind of pain was hard to bear, even for an elite of the Viper Nest. A mournful scream echoed, and all those who heard it felt a chill.

"Metamagic?" The 9th Rank Mage froze as he recognized what had happened.

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Chapter 23: Questioning

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

He was a powerful 9th Rank Mage, so how could he not know the casting time of these spells?

That Rotten Swamp was already very abnormal. A mere 5 seconds to materialize this 3rd Rank spell, even as a 9th Rank Mage he couldn't do something like this. Not to mention that the following Icicle spell had been cast without any incantation at all. This was definitely Instant Cast or Quickened metamagic.

It was only metamagic, and for Mages that had reached the 5th Rank, who didn't have one or two metamagics? But it was just that they normally couldn't be used casually. Using metamagic with a spell greatly increased the amount of mana consumed, and an ordinary mage couldn't support the cost, so they simply wouldn't be used except at critical moments.

Someone like Mafa Merlin who had used two metamagics so quickly was definitely an inexperienced newbie in the eyes of the 9th Rank Mage. If one used his trump card first and expended all their mana, what could they use to turn the situation around?

Of course, he wasn't going to warn this youngster about his bad habit.

He would just let this youth learn that the consequences of angering a 9th Rank Mage were too much for just anyone to handle.

He began chanting his incantation.

He didn't use any metamagic, and he didn't even further tax his mana whirlpool to hasten the casting speed. He wanted to knock this fellow down a few pegs with a display of strength, making him understand why the magic world was so hierarchical. Just one rank of difference would be a huge factor. It wasn't something that could be bridged with just two metamagics.

The 9th Rank Mage was chanting the incantation for the Thunderstorm spell. It would take twenty seconds and a large amount of mana, making Thunderstorm one of the most powerful spells below the Great Mage realm.

As the 9th Rank Mage chanted, the originally clear sky became covered with black clouds. Lightning started surging amidst the clouds and gathering together, the fierce, fluctuating electricity letting out screeching and crackling sounds.

Thunderstorm's power was that frightening. Even if that spell had yet to be completed, just the scene of it materializing was enough to make people feel numb.

But it all seemed to have no effect on Lin Yun.

Lin Yun was still standing at the side of the Rotten Swamp with a relaxed expression, as if he hadn't noticed the sky being covered in black clouds. He raised his hands and another Icicle flew out, just like before, no incantation, no gesture, and another Archer was nailed to a tree.

'How could he still have mana?' The 9th Rank Mage couldn't help frowning as he continued with his spell.

'Seems like I must hurry…'

The 9th Rank Mage silently urged his mana whirlpool to speed up the completion of the spell.

But as he did so, that young Mage cast another Icicle.

Yet another Archer was pinned to a tree. This was already the third one.

At that time, the 9th Rank Mage was a little regretful. If he had known earlier that this young mage had enough mana to support four uses of his metamagic, he wouldn't have cast his Thunderstorm normally. That way, he could have at least saved the third Archer from his fate.

'No good, have to be faster!'

But Lin Yun was faster than him…

Another Icicle followed…

Followed by one more, and another one, and another one…

The 9th Rank Mage's Thunderstorm was still not ready when a rain of Icicle spells pinned a dozen archers to trees or just the ground. Once they were all immobilized, Lin Yun also cast a Frost spell, and just like when he handled Fario, he froze all the Warriors in the Rotten Swamp.

"…"

He had finished preparing the mighty Thunderstorm, but the 9th Rank Mage was staring at the scene foolishly, a blank expression on his face. Shock could be seen in his eyes, as he stood there in a daze, feeling alarm and dread as he looked at that young mage…

That young Mage let out about a dozen Instant Cast Icicles, incapacitating all those Archers.

What kind of concept was that…

The 9th Rank Mage had considered himself quite powerful, and could even cast a Thunderstorm in just 20 seconds… but Instant Casting a dozen Icicles during that time, he didn't even dare to think about it. This was already something beyond what a Mage could do, whether it was the use of metamagic or normal casting, it was impossible.

The 9th Rank Mage even felt that it was impossible for most Great Mages. Perhaps only those who had advanced to that realm for a long time, or those peak existences preparing to break through to the High Mage realm could Instant Cast a dozen Icicles in 20 seconds.

But now, there was a young, 20-year-old mage that had managed to do so in front of him.

He could feel that he had chosen to fight a battle that he never should have.

For a mage with such powerful abilities, it would be really simple for him to kill a 9th Rank Mage. And let alone himself, the entire Viper Nest might not even be worth his time.

'What should I do…'

The Thunderstorm was still ready and flickering with electricity. The black clouds covered the sky and thunder surged. He only needed to shout the last word and direct the spell to come down to raze everything within ten meters.

But the mage held back that last word.

This foe's display of magic had driven him to the edge of despair…

He didn't even have the intention to struggle now, he just stood there in a daze, fear and helplessness filling his thoughts. He wasn't that powerful Mage standing at the peak of his realm anymore, and instead looked like a lamb ready for slaughter.

"Follow me inside." After dealing with the dozen Archers, Lin Yun didn't continue to make things difficult and beckoned the 9th Rank Mage to follow him into the building.

Of course, there was no need to make things difficult. At this point, they were all scared out of their wits. The others weren't fools or lunatics, and they didn't dare to make any trouble. Even the loudly yelling Fario was now hiding on the side, not daring to even breathe.

Lin Yun went through the door with the 9th Rank Mage in tow, before running into the anxious old butler.

"Young Master, Fario brought many people over this time, did they make things difficult for you?"

Hearing the old butler's question, the 9th Rank Mage's heart nearly stopped. 'Grandpa, can't you see? Those Warriors in the frozen swamp outside, those Archers nailed to the trees, who is making things difficult for who?'

"It's alright, I sent them away. Oh right, Uncle Pave, can you get us something to eat? I haven't eaten since I woke up…"

"Of course, take a seat, I'll send someone to get you something to eat."

After sending the old butler away, Lin Yun led the 9th Rank Mage to his study.

"Introduce yourself first."

"Yes, yes…" The 9th Rank Mage stood in place trembling with fear, afraid that he would somehow carelessly anger that powerful mage that had such frightening abilities. With Lin Yun questioning him, how could he dare to hide anything from him? "I am Larry, one of the four Vice-Leaders of the Viper Nest, I'm 40 this year, I reached the 9th Rank two years ago…"

"Okay, stop there…" Lin Yun didn't have the time to listen to this guy being so long-winded. After learning about his identity, he directly cut in and asked, "So, Larry, you brought so many people to surround my house, what was your intention?"

"This…"

"Oh right, don't even mention something like capturing a thief."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare…" Larry was truly terrified. Those Archers outside were still pinned down and perhaps dying. How could Larry dare to still insist that he was there to capture a thief? After a slight hesitation, he explained everything. "Boss Sossu sent us, mainly to protect Fario…"

"Just protect?"

Seeing Lin Yun's unpleasant expression, Larry suddenly heard his own heart beating faster. "N-n-no, no, not just protection, Boss Sossu said that if needed, we could also use force to get the house!"

"What does this Boss Sossu want to do with this house?"

"I… I'm not too sure…"

"You are not too sure?"

"Yes, I really don't know!" Larry was very anxious. He was afraid that Lin Yun would lose his patience and just punish him, so he blurted, "Boss Sossu always worked like that, he rarely tells us the reason for anything. This time too, he only told us that whatever happened, we must seize this house."

"Must seize this house…" Lin Yun nodded, but did not say anything else.

After making an example of the dozen Archers, Larry shouldn't be lying to him. In other words, he really didn't know what the secret of the house was. That answer somewhat surprised Lin Yun, as this 9th Rank Mage's position shouldn't be considered low. As one of the four vice-leaders of the Viper Nest, he should be considered a core member. If even he didn't know, this suggested one thing…

This house's secret was very shocking, shocking to the point that even a 9th Rank Mage didn't have the qualifications to know. Perhaps only Great Mages or High Mages would be allowed to know about it.

It seemed that Mafa Merlin was far from knowing his father well enough.

In the young Merlin's memories, Locke Merlin was only a simple businessman, and although monopolizing the alchemy business had earned him a huge amount of wealth, he hadn't reached the point where he could directly talk to a Great Mage or a High Mage.

But it now seemed that this wasn't the case.

After Lin Yun thought for a bit, he waved his hand. "Okay, Mage Larry, you are free to go."

"Eh?" Since he hadn't given a very good answer, Larry, who had been on edge for a long time, had all kinds of thoughts haunting his mind, wondering how that young mage would deal with him, maybe torture, more interrogation, murder, and so on. Such thoughts had made him go a bit weak in the knees.

Suddenly hearing that he was free to go, Larry almost felt like he had misheard out of wishful thinking and fell into a daze for a long time, blinking in disbelief. "Did you just say… That I was free to go?"

"Yes, Mage Larry, you can leave. Remember to clean up the entrance on your way back."

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Chapter 24: Abyssal Magic Diamond

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

"Yes, yes, I swear I'll clean up everything…" At this time, let alone the entrance, even if Lin Yun asked him to clean the entire Thousand Sails City, Larry would raise no objections and get straight to work.

Larry hadn't dared to even think that this young mage would let him go so easily. No torture, no killing, he even didn't lose a single hair and was able to walk away free. This was such good luck!

Thus, he quickly answered in the affirmative and then left the house. Moreover, after he freed the others, he had everyone help him quickly clean the entrance.

After sending away the interlopers, Lin Yun sat in the study for a bit, waiting for his meal to be delivered. After casually finishing his meal, Lin Yun closed the doors and instructed that no one was to disturb him. He then started stirring his mana whirlpool to let out Mage Eyes one after the other.

The Mage Eyes were condensed from mana, but they were different from ordinary spells. That mana wouldn't separate from the mage in control. After coming out, it would still be linked to the mana whirlpool, and thus, each Mage Eye would be like a pair of eyes for the caster, and everything they saw would appear in the mage's mind.

But the average mage could at most use three to five Mage Eyes, not many could be like Lin Yun, releasing over a dozen Mage Eyes, and apparently without feeling the slightest bit of strain.

Each Mage Eye needed extremely accurate control. That kind of control was even more difficult than what was faced when forming the mana whirlpool. Someone who had just advanced to become a mage wouldn't dare to try to control one, let alone many of them…

Lin Yun spent ten minutes to release over a dozen Mage Eyes and then controlled them to squeeze their way into various corners of the house.

When Locke Merlin bought the house, he had spent more or less a hundred thousand gold. It could be considered a huge expenditure to the merchants of Thousand Sails City, and although it couldn't compare with the vast ten hectares of the Monchi manor, it still wasn't something that could be searched in a short amount of time.

A dozen Mage Eyes sounded like a lot, but inside such a big house, it truly wasn't very conspicuous.

Thus, Lin Yun closed the doors to his study and entered seclusion, because he knew that this could take a very long time.

After the Mage Eyes flew out of the study, they all headed for various parts of the house. Some went to the living room, some went to the courtyard, some to the kitchen, some to the bedroom… Under Lin Yun's control, the dozen-plus Mage Eyes started thoroughly searching the entire house.

Time slowly passed…

The great amount of mana consumed made Lin Yun slowly pale from exertion. After an hour, Lin Yun picked up the first mana crystal and quickly drew the mana from within before he continued controlling the Mage Eyes. But this time, Lin Yun only lasted 40 minutes before he had to use the second mana crystal.

Successively absorbing the mana from two mana crystals didn't improve Lin Yun's complexion, making it even worse.

Mana crystals could indeed supply mana, but this kind of mana had impurities. An ordinary mage wouldn't dare to absorb it directly. Only Lin Yun, who once absorbed mana from the Netherstorm, would dare to do this.

But even Lin Yun couldn't keep absorbing to continue his search. Lin Yun estimated that he would be able to absorb mana from one more mana crystal at most before he would have to stop the search and meditate for a while. Otherwise, the amount of impurities entering his body would cause some trouble for him.

After twenty minutes, when Lin Yun was just about to pick up the third mana crystal, one of the Mage Eyes flew into the study on the 2nd floor, before suddenly stopping as it saw something!

"It's here!"

Lin Yun softly chanted and the dozen Mage Eyes instantly returned and converted back into pure mana before blending into Lin Yun's mana whirlpool. At the same time, Lin Yun stood up and pushed open the door that had been closed for about two hours, before heading for a staircase that led to the 2nd floor.

The study on the 2nd floor was the place that Locke Merlin had used for work. Because it involved many business secrets, he normally hadn't allowed anyone inside. Even his only son, Mafa Merlin, had only been inside a sparse number of times.

He hadn't thought much of it before, but now, he felt like there was most likely something about this study…

After Lin Yun reached the study, he instantly glanced at the bookshelf in the rear. He noticed the 6th book on the 3rd row. It seemed no different from others at first glance, but to Lin Yun, who lived in a library for a long time, there was a huge problem with that book.

There were a lot of books on the bookshelf, but this one book had a lot more wear on its cover. Some people might assume that the damage had come from the book being read too many times. Was Locke Merlin not allowed to like books, and this one in particular? Indeed, this could have been an acceptable explanation. The issue was that this book's pages were actually still brand new. How could Locke Merlin read a book without opening the pages?

If Lin Yun couldn't notice such a big problem while using magical perception, then his life in the library could be considered to have failed him here.

…

Lin Yun walked to the bookshelf and reached out to see if he could manipulate that book. Sure enough, he heard a "kacha" echo out. Something had been opened…

'A secret door, as expected…'

Lin Yun tried pushing the bookshelf, and surprisingly, the bookshelf was pushed back with a light touch, exposing a tunnel behind it.

Lin Yun looked inside and saw that it was very long and very dark. He couldn't tell where this tunnel led. Furthermore, there were some magic fluctuations inside.

These kinds of fluctuations weren't exactly strong, but they seemed extremely heavy and had a powerful sealing nature. Lin Yun guessed that this should be an alchemy array for suppressing or sealing something.

As for the details, he would have to go and see first.

Lin Yun casually used a Light spell and made the bright and gentle ball of light float half a meter in front of him. He followed it and entered the dark tunnel.

Lin Yun walked for about five minutes in the gloomy tunnel before reaching the end.

At the end of the tunnel was a tightly shut stone door, and the fluctuations he felt before came from behind that door.

Lin Yun tried to push that stone door open, but it didn't move at all. He looked around, but there was nothing similar to the mechanism on the bookshelf. Lin Yun couldn't help scratching his head as he thought, 'Don't tell me a key is needed? That doesn't seem right, there is not even a small crack on that stone door, let alone a keyhole… Eh? This is…'

Just as Lin Yun was considering whether or not he should just force his way through, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some strange veined patterns on top of the stone door.

Those patterns were quite faint and inconspicuous, especially in the darkness of the tunnel. Lin Yun originally thought they were just decorative designs on the door, but after looking at them carefully, he found out that this wasn't the case.

'It's actually the Nesser Language!'

Before Noscent's 3rd era, there had been two huge dynasties. One was the Yashan Dynasty that had already disappeared in the river of time. It was said that this was a dynasty that had been established from Divine Magic. Unfortunately, it was far too ancient an era, and the history couldn't be verified.

And what followed was the Nesser Dynasty…

The Nesser Dynasty was formed through the joint rule of the Dragons and Elves. It was said that modern magic had been born in that era, and the two powerful races ruled Noscent for several millennia. It then slowly collapsed due to endless internal friction, to the point that for many years since then, very few people were able to find vestiges of the Nesser Dynasty.

But there had been one thing from then that was still passed down. The Nesser Language. This was a mix of Draconic and Elvish. It was concise and accurate, and many mages considered it the most perfect language for magic.

Even countless years later, at the peak of the magic civilization, the Nesser Language was one of the compulsory fields of knowledge that mages had to learn. Many advanced spells had to be written in Nesser Runes. Some profound fields of magic knowledge were even described only with Nesser Runes because the descriptions would become long, tedious, and very complicated. Even simple reading would be very convoluted.

But the Nesser Language had been very widespread… Well, that was after the plane colonies had been established. Those who mastered the Nesser Language were the mages at the top, Archmages at least.

'So, who left the Nesser Runes on the stone door?'

Lin Yun looked over the rest of the door for a while but didn't find anything else, so he started studying Nesser Runes on the door.

This was quite easy for Lin Yun, and he only needed ten minutes to decipher the Nesser Runes on the stone door.

Simply put, it was a puzzle, a puzzle using Nesser Runes.

Everything was very simple after that. Lin Yun just spoke the answer to the riddle in the Nesser Language. The shut door immediately confirmed the answer and opened!

'Damn…' Lin Yun's eyes were nearly blinded when the door opened.

Three red diamonds were embedded in the stone wall, emitting a dazzling light that pierced into the darkness that had been surrounding him, and they were filling the air with fierce magic fluctuations, making it difficult to breathe.

Those were Abyssal Magic Diamonds. It was rumored that the eyes of a Demon would transform into those after death. Each one had an impressive amount of mana. Every mage would yearn for such a valuable treasure. Even in this era that was so abundant in resources, the Abyssal Magic Diamond could be described as a priceless treasure. If one appeared on the market, it would make countless mages go crazy, and even those High Mages would pay any price for them.

With huge amounts of pure mana and shocking mana conductivity, the Abyssal Magic Diamond was one of the best mana sources, and one of the easiest to use. Whether it was for direct mana absorption, or for operating an alchemy array, it could remove the step transforming the mana impurities. Because its mana was the purest, there was simply no need to worry about impurities.

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Chapter 25: Planar Path

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

And all this was just with a raw Abyssal Magic Diamond that had been roughly treated…

If one fell into the hands of a Great Alchemist, the radiance of the Abyssal Magic Diamond would really blossom. Those peak alchemists could even use Abyssal Magic Diamonds to craft Spiritual Magic Tools!

Spiritual level, what kind of concept was that…

The best magic tools circulating on the market were mostly Superior level, yet the cheapest of those would be bought for over ten thousand gold. And above the Superior level, there were still the Excellent and Inheritance levels. It was the Spiritual level that many Great Alchemists spent their entire lives pursuing, the goal of creating a Spiritual Magic Tool.

The Spiritual level, as the name implied, would give the items spirituality. Those Magic Tools weren't just pieces of equipment anymore, they were connected with their owner's blood, and their power could even be compared to that of a High Mage.

In other words, having a Spiritual Magic Tool was equivalent to having a High Mage aid you in battle!

And now, there were as many as three Abyssal Magic Diamonds in front of Lin Yun…

This was simply unthinkable!

If these three Abyssal Magic Diamonds were brought out into the public eye, all the alchemists of Thousand Sails City might go completely crazy!

'Hold on, what's that…' Just as Lin Yun was getting dazzled by his find, Lin Yun suddenly noticed some runes carved in between the three Abyssal Magic Diamonds.

Lin Yun studied the stone wall for a bit and roughly understood what was going on. This was an alchemy array built upon six runes. The specific effect was to extract mana from the three Abyssal Magic Diamonds, but things were more complicated when he followed those runes down.

There was another alchemy array under the three Abyssal Magic Diamonds, but the structure of this array was a hundred times more complicated than the previous one, and it was a hundred times more expensive, too.

Each rune was written in Void Ink, while a few of the mana circuits even used Soul Burning Ink, not to mention the over 20 magic nodes. Even Lin Yun could barely distinguish them from one another. It seemed to him that the effect of this alchemy array was to use the Abyssal Magic Diamond's mana to keep the space stable.

'Space?' Lin Yun looked back at those three Abyssal Magic Diamonds, suddenly realizing something.

'No wonder…'

The questions in Lin Yun's mind got their answer upon recognizing this alchemy array.

Lin Yun didn't need to study the array any further to know that behind these three Abyssal Magic Diamonds on the stone wall was a path.

A Planar Path!

The so-called Planar Path was a passage between planes. In fact, as early as the 3rd dynasty, some people had suggested that Noscent wasn't the only world in the boundless universe. But those theories had no physical evidence to back them up at the time.

That was the case up until the end of the 3rd era when some mages brought it up again and tried to prove the existence of different planes. In the last hundred years of the 3rd dynasty, the Crimson Tower finally opened a Planar Path.

Afterwards…

There was nothing afterwards. The powerful group of mages from the Crimson Tower set foot on the Planar Path, but they never returned. The entire Crimson Tower fell apart overnight and finally died out due to endless power struggles created by the void left behind.

After that, speaking of Planar Paths was a taboo topic for a long time.

Up until the current times, many years later.

All kinds of magic research would progress day after day, mages would grow more powerful, and ambitions would keep rising, especially when some lucky guy brought back all kinds of rare resources from another plane. Plane colonization would become something the mages of this era would jointly work on. Each plane hidden behind those Planar Paths would become gold mines in the eyes of the mages.

But only a few Planar Paths were known, and they were mostly in the hands of Noscent's most powerful forces. Trying to gain control of one would be courting death.

Thus, each time a new Planar Path appeared, countless forces would fight over it because to them, a new Planar Path meant a new opportunity for endless wealth. They were willing to pay an unimaginable price for the sake of a new Planar Path.

At that time, why had Lin Yun agreed to take over the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce when he figured out which era of Noscent's history he was in? It was because Lin Yun wanted to establish his own Planar Path by taking advantage of the power of his Flashing Gold Chamber of commerce. To a mage, there was nothing more enticing than a private plane.

That wasn't just an opportunity to get endless wealth.

Completely controlling a private plane would allow a mage's starting point to be elevated, letting them rise above all livings. It was the power of an entire plane! This was also why, at the peak of Noscent's magic civilization, the mages close to being omnipotent would still endlessly campaign for the chance to get a plane of their own!

And Lin Yun had ended up finding an unknown Planar Path hidden inside his own house…

'Seems like these three Abyssal Magic Diamonds can't be moved…' Despite this painful fact, compared to a whole plane, three Abyssal Magic Diamonds couldn't compare.

Lin Yun was almost certain that these three Abyssal Magic Diamonds had been brought back from the other plane by Locke Merlin. In Noscent, the value of the Abyssal Magic Diamonds was inestimable, but they might be everywhere in some other plane.

Lin Yun stopped thinking about the Abyssal Magic Diamonds and started focusing on the alchemy array on the stone wall. The level of that array was very high. Lin Yun estimated that an average Great Alchemist would be unable to reach this level of achievement. It was most likely the work of a peak Great Alchemist, or even a Master Alchemist.

In the last twenty years, Lin Yun had mostly just tried to survive, while the remaining time was spent on trying to improve his knowledge of magic. He had only hastily read through the alchemy books, since materials were so scarce. Besides filling his brains with alchemy knowledge, the times he had actually crafted something from them could be counted on his fingers.

Something like this Master level alchemy array was very difficult for Lin Yun to decipher.

After about half an hour, Lin Yun's gaze moved away from the stone wall.

'Sure enough, it really is a Master Alchemist…' After analyzing the structure of the alchemy array, Lin Yun was certain of it. That array was definitely the work of a Master Alchemist.

But fortunately, that Master Alchemist didn't place any obstacles on that alchemy array to prevent others from analyzing it, maybe due to confidence, or just on a whim.

Thus, given enough time Lin Yun managed to completely crack the runes.

When Lin Yun whispered the opening Nesser Runes, the three Abyssal Magic Diamonds suddenly blossomed with a dazzling radiance. In that instant, the entire room shone red. And it could clearly be seen among those red lights that the space around him was starting to distort. The fierce magic fluctuations were raging in the hidden chamber. That kind of berserk energy felt literally tangible, and even the air seemed to shudder.

At the same time, the three Abyssal Magic Diamonds began to grow ever more dazzling. The array was operating frantically, trying its best to suppress these berserk magic fluctuations.

Opening a path to another plane was tantamount to ripping space apart. If just a hint of power leaked out, it wasn't something a small hidden chamber like this could bear. If not for the Master level array suppressing it, let alone the small room, even someone on the level of a 9th Rank Mage like Lin Yun might be instantly destroyed.

With these two destructive forces fighting each other and mutually suppressing each other, the surrounding space was distorted to the extreme and a black crack appeared, gradually expanding.

This was a Planar Path!

Lin Yun didn't hesitate and immediately rushed in!

Time was of the essence. Although the three Abyssal Magic Diamonds were invaluable, they were far from enough to maintain a Planar Path continuously. This was equivalent to forcibly connecting two different planes, so the power requirement could only be described as frightening.

Lin Yun estimated that this Planar Path would last at most 30 minutes. If he didn't return within the thirty minutes, he would be stuck in that unknown plane forever.

There was nothing he could do about it, as Lin Yun wasn't one of those mages at the peak of Noscent magic civilization. They could pass through planes freely by that point, but Lin Yun didn't have that skill.

When Lin Yun rushed into the Planar Path, he felt a blur before his eyes.

It was followed by the world changing right before his eyes.

His surroundings were no longer the narrow hidden chamber, instead being replaced by a vast and endless black land. The sky was dark, and besides a dark red crescent moon, there was not a single trace of light. A thick, putrid smell filled the air, giving the feeling like the entire world was rotten.

'What is this place?' Lin Yun was vigilantly checking his surroundings while his brain was quickly sifting through his memories. He had heard of such a plane before.

But before he could remember, a small sound came from his feet, like a snake was moving through the grass.

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Chapter 26: Bone Plane

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

'What the…' Lin Yun was startled when he heard that strange sound and instantly moved back, a small, bright flame appearing at his fingertips.

As the flame lit up the area, Lin Yun saw that at the place he had been standing, a skeleton was pushing its way out of the ground. The skeleton's body was covered in black mud and it was holding a rusted scimitar, and two phosphorescent flames flickered within its empty sockets.

'An undead lifeform?' Lin Yun was horrified by the revelation. This was clearly a lowly Skeleton Warrior, the lowest lifeform amongst the undead. 'How come my luck is so good? I casually found a Planar Path, but it ended up leading to the famous Undead Plane?'

'Such a cruel joke…'

Even at the peak of the magic civilization, mages wouldn't rashly set foot in the Undead Plane. That place was just too dangerous, and even powerful mages could fall there.

Endless swarms of the undead… They had unlimited stamina and did not fear death or destruction, making the Undead Plane one of the most difficult planes to conquer.

Lin Yun once read a note clearly saying that during the entire length of the Plane Colonization Era, only three people truly conquered the Undead Plane!

The Plane Colonization Era lasted for ten thousand years, so who knew how many outstanding mages appeared during that period? But only three of them managed to conquer the Undead Plane.

'What should I do?' Lin Yun felt a bit faint. This wasn't a joke, as the renowned Undead Plane simply wasn't a place that a 9th Rank Mage like him could set foot in. Let alone a 9th Rank Mage, even a High Mage, even an Archmage would be courting death by stepping into the Undead Plane.

'I have to quickly leave this place, if I wait until more of the undead are alarmed, I won't be able to leave even if I want to.'

With this in mind, Lin Yun chanted something, and the small flame at his fingertip immediately turned into a blaze, which turned into a Fire Arrow and flew at the Skeleton Warrior. At the same time, Lin Yun hurriedly retreated and kept chanting line after line, matching these words with various gestures. The mana fluctuations in the surroundings became fiercer.

The Fire Arrow struck the Skeleton Warrior's body, exploding with a "bang!" and sending sparks and white bone fragments scattering from the impact point. The entire left arm of the Skeleton Warrior had exploded. That kind of injury would be enough to seriously harm any ordinary combatant and seriously incapacitate them, but it was far from enough for an undead.

After receiving the Fire Arrow attack, the Skeleton Warrior was only staggered a bit. And then, as if it hadn't been affected at all, it got up and lifted its rusted scimitar once again before charging at the retreating Lin Yun.

This was the frightening advantage of the undead: they were very troublesome to kill. Losing a hand or a leg was a much less significant loss for them. Besides reducing mobility and effectiveness, they still would be able to fight.

But Lin Yun had already anticipated that. After shooting out the Fire Arrow, he didn't stop chanting, and just as the Skeleton Warrior was raising its weapon, Lin Yun's second spell was cast.

"Thunder Hammer!"

A large hammer with electricity surging all over it and made of flickering gold light appeared out of nowhere in front of the Skeleton Warrior before smashing down, emitting a clap of thunder.

A deep fracture appeared on the Skeleton Warrior's sternum, followed by a lot of low sounds that grew until a sharp "crack" rang out.

The Skeleton Warrior wasn't able to scream, but the fires in those empty eye sockets were raging as the scimitar in its hand still began to swing down.

But what awaited it was a second Thunder Hammer.

Another "bang" echoed, and this Thunder Hammer completely smashed the Skeleton Warrior's skull, extinguishing the fires in the eye sockets in that instant. The scimitar fell to the ground with a "clang" along with the bones of the Skeleton Warrior.

"Pheew…" Lin Yun let out a sigh of relief. He skillfully rummaged through the Skeleton Warrior's skull while carefully checking his surroundings, preparing to use the Planar Path to return to Noscent at any time.

Soon, Lin Yun found a black Undead Essence from the remains of the Skeleton Warrior. This was what remained after the soul fire stopped burning. It contained a large amount of death energy and was an extremely good material to add to a Magic Weapon. It would add death energy to each attack, causing the enemy to have all kinds of negative thoughts, and against a foe with less resistance, these negative thoughts could make the difference between victory and defeat.

This kind of Undead Essence could reach a price similar to that of an Excellent Magic Tool if put on the market.

'Not bad luck.' The Skeleton Warrior's soul fire was quite weak, so it was very improbable for it to become an Undead Essence after it was destroyed. It was truly lucky for Lin Yun to get one from this.

But even if his luck wasn't bad here, Lin Yun was still in a terrible mood.

After all, each Planar Path gave the opportunity to attain endless wealth. At the peak of the magic civilization, the powerful mages were mostly relying on Planar Paths to make their marks on the world before setting foot at the peak of Noscent.

Unfortunately, this Planar Path led to the famous Undead Plane.

But giving up completely was beyond Lin Yun.

Though, Lin Yun had no plans to consider profiting from this plane for a long time.

He was lucky this time. He only met one Skeleton Warrior and got an Undead Essence from it. But who would guarantee that he would be as lucky next time, when he might run into ten thousand of them? What if he met a Lich? That was a frightening existence on the level of an Archmage. Moreover, such an existence wasn't that rare in the Undead Plane. In a plane where even Black Dragons could be found in a large group, what were a few dozen or even a hundred Liches?

'Hold on…' After remembering all kinds of things about the Undead Plane, Lin Yun suddenly thought of an issue.

'So, why was there only one Skeleton Warrior? It's rumored that the Undead Plane is teeming with endless undead. There should be a sea of Skeleton Warriors here. How could I have met just one Skeleton Warrior after such a long time? This isn't logical…'

'Is it possible that this isn't actually the Undead Plane?' This possibility made Lin Yun's hand shake.

Yes or no, the difference was too huge. One side had the chance for endless wealth while the other side had nothing but hardships. Lin Yun made a risky decision for this. He interrupted his chant to activate the runes that would let him return, and instead chanted the Mage Eye spell.

Three Mages Eyes blended into the night one after the other as they stuck close to the ground while moving at a very fast speed.

From what the Mage Eyes showed him, Lin Yun could see that there really weren't any more undead creatures on the entire black wasteland.

This discovery made Lin Yun's breathing quicken.

But after thinking about it, he still had some reservations, so he cast Detect Undead.

This time, Lin Yun felt them. There truly weren't any more of them across the wasteland… but they were sleeping underground. If they weren't alarmed, they might not wake up for eight to ten years.

Lin Yun was still surprised to discover that among all the undead lifeforms under the ground, the most powerful was only a Bone Devil.

It had to be known that the strength of a Bone Devil was at most equivalent to a peak Great Mage.

This didn't make much sense. Across such a huge, black wasteland, how could the most powerful lifeform be a mere Bone Devil? After all, in the Undead Plane, Banshees and Liches filled the place. A mere Bone Devil, how could it occupy such a huge territory?

At this time, Lin Yun was almost certain that this place was most definitely not the Undead Plane. There weren't enough undead here for that to be the case, and they were also too weak. Something as weak as a Bone Devil was the strongest in this area.

In the Undead Plane, those mages of the peak era should not even be mentioned. But it wasn't the Undead Plane, so where was this?

The undead were here, there was a dark-red crescent moon, the air was filled with death energy, and it had the same smell as the Undead Plane. All these similarities…

'The Bone Plane!' With all these clues, Lin Yun patted his head before finally remembering. 'That's right, this must be the Bone Plane, a plane with characteristics very similar to those of the Undead Plane, but its power was countless times lower.

This was too different for Lin Yun.

In that spacious decayed library, there had been countless documents about the Plane Colonization Era, and Lin Yun had read some of those when feeling bored, even the more insignificant ones.

The Bone Plane had been discovered somewhere in the middle of the Plane Colonization Era. Three young Mages from the Ivory Tower had accidentally obtained the coordinates of the Bone Plane during an experiment, so they used the coordinates to create a brand new Planar Path and then completely conquered the Bone Plane within three months.

That's right, just three months…

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Chapter 27: Nether Iron

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

It was most likely the fastest and most cost-efficient plane to conquer in the entire Plane Colonization Era. The young mages were using a worn-out magic battleship, yet they only needed three months to conquer the entire plane.

That wasn't too surprising, since the level of the Bone Plane was really too low. The most powerful creature there was only a Bone Dragon. The worn-out magic battleship had erased the Bone Dragon from existence with just one salvo.

The three young mages had relied on their miraculous conquest of that plane to obtain the favor of the higher-ups of the Ivory Tower and truly become core mages of that powerful force. After several decades of efforts, they successfully entered the council of the Ivory Tower and became major figures there.

There were plenty of such stories in that era, but what happened after the story was the most important part. Lin Yun remembered that after the Ivory Tower obtained the Bone Plane, it truly rose as one of the seven major forces of Noscent. It not only controlled the Dark Highland for a millennium, but one Heaven Rank Mage came from it, Bane.

Moreover, Bane also had an extraordinary Magic Tool, the renowned Book of Death.

Despite the fact that the Ivory Tower never revealed the reason for their sudden rise, astute observers could guess that the sudden emergence of the Ivory Tower, which had been suppressed by the Caucasus Council for several millennia, was definitely related to the discovery of the Bone Plane by the three young mages. It was a public secret at the time.

Following the rise of the Ivory Tower, the bounty of the Bone Plane gradually spread throughout Noscent. Countless people were eyeing that fertile, black land. The Ivory Tower left a mage corps there and would execute large numbers of trespassers every day, but under the temptation of the possibility for attaining great profits, there would still be countless waves of such people intruding all the time. This situation continued up until Noscent's mana was exhausted, the powerful mages fell one after the other, and the rising Ivory Tower vanished. As for that fertile, black land, it finally welcomed a long-lost calm.

But all of this had yet to happen.

The three young mages stumbled upon the coordinates of this plane over ten thousand years later. But Lin Yun had already set foot on this fertile plane through Locke Merlin's Planar Path, which meant that perhaps the Ivory Tower would not rule the Dark Highland for over a millennium, and Heaven Mage Bane wouldn't have the extraordinary Magic Tool, the Book of Death.

But for Lin Yun, finding the Bone Plane so early in the timeline came with a serious problem.

The conquest would be extremely difficult…

When those three mages from the Ivory Tower had discovered the Bone Plane, they had only been able to conquer it within three months because they had a magic battleship.

Even if it was worn-out, it was still a magic battleship.

By relying on its power, the three young mages were able to easily conquer the Bone Plane, taking out the most powerful inhabitant in just one salvo. But Lin Yun couldn't do so, as the plane colonization era had just started, and although the magic battleships had already been created, they were far from having their future destructive power.

Besides, the current magic battleships were only in the hands of a few of the most powerful forces. Moreover, even if these battleships were as strong now as they eventually would be in the future, they wouldn't fall into Lin Yun's hands.

Lin Yun could only rely on himself…

But the good news was that Lin Yun had a lot of time.

If everything followed the original course of history, then it would only be over ten thousand years later that the young mages of the Ivory Tower would incidentally find the coordinates of the Bone Plane. Lin Yun should still have enough time to increase his strength. When Lin Yun reached the point of being able to contend against a Bone Dragon, the conquest of the Bone Plane would naturally follow.

And before becoming strong enough, Lin Yun could only maintain a low profile.

The Bone Plane wasn't something that was impossible for him to explore, but once there, he would have to always remain vigilant. This fertile land was quite fraught with danger for the current Lin Yun.

If more than ten Skeleton Warriors appeared at the same time, Lin Yun would struggle to keep up, not to mention the sleeping Bone Devil. That was an existence that approached the High Mage level. For someone like Lin Yun who had the power of a 9th Rank Mage, if he bumped into it, his only option would be to flee.

Thus, even if the black soil beneath his feet seemed boundless, the area that Lin Yun could explore was only that small plot beside the Planar Path. Only there would he still be mostly safe. If he found something that he couldn't deal with, he could quickly flee.

Lin Yun was exploring this very area at the moment. In a dozen minutes or so, Lin Yun dealt with over twenty Skeleton Warriors, which brought him four undead essences.

'Tsk tsk tsk, it truly is a fertile land…' Finding four undead essences was tantamount to having four Excellent Magic Tools, and it only took him a bit over ten minutes to get them.

Lin Yun's time was already running out. The three Abyssal Magic Diamonds making up the alchemy array could maintain the Planar Path for about half an hour. After dealing with those Skeleton Warriors, Lin Yun felt like he should head back, as he wanted to have a safety margin.

He could only wait for next time if he wanted to do this again.

Lin Yun didn't delay and put four Undead Essences into his pocket and started chanting the incantation to leave, but he suddenly saw a bright flash one hundred meters away from him.

"Eh?"

Lin Yun's curiosity was immediately piqued. This was the Bone Plane, a world made of black soil and ghastly bones, it was definitely unusual for a light to flare out like that…

Lin Yun immediately cancelled the incantation to open the exit and sent a Mage Eye over, keeping it close to the black soil.

Lin Yun became stupefied.

Through the Mage Eye, Lin Yun could clearly see numerous Skeleton Warriors surrounding that flicker, hundreds of them at the very least. Numerous flaming eyes, and a forest of bones… It gave them an even more ghastly feeling.

And the thing that they were all surrounding was a vein of Nether Iron that was several hundred meters long. At first glance, it looked like a giant, hibernating black python emitting a dense aura of death. There was a layer of hazy fog covering it, which covered the bloody moonlight as well as Lin Yun's line of sight, to the point that even when he was only a few hundred meters away, Lin Yun hadn't seen the vein of Nether Iron.

Up until now, when Lin Yun accidentally saw that bit of flickering light, leaving him completely shocked.

A Nether Iron vein that was several hundred meters long and completely exposed to the surface. No one would believe it if word of this got out. Normally, a Nether Iron vein could only be found several dozen meters below the ground, and even then, there would only be a few pieces here and there. Lin Yun had never heard of a vein that was hundreds of meters long.

This was too frightening…

After all, Magic Weapons forged with Nether Iron would naturally have the Death Frost power. If one was put on the market, it would sell for tens of thousands of gold. Moreover, Nether Iron would often be accompanied by all kinds of precious magic gems. These magic gems were worth even more than the Nether Iron itself. The Abyssal Magic Diamond was one of those.

'Such a long Nether Iron vein, it should be enough to gear up ten thousand people.'

After seeing everything through the Mage Eye, Lin Yun wasn't in a hurry to approach. He instead crept close to a rock and carefully concealed himself. There were a couple hundred Skeleton Warriors next to the Iron Vein. If he alarmed them, he wouldn't even know how he died. Not to mention the dormant Bone Devil, which definitely wouldn't be very hospitable.

Pushing through directly was out of the question. Hundreds of Skeleton Warriors and a Bone Devil that could wake up at any time… He would need the strength of a High Mage at the very least before fighting them, but he was just a 9th Rank Mage. Going in would simply be throwing his life away.

But, of course, it didn't mean that there was nothing he could do.

Lin Yun hid behind the rock and thought about it while letting out another Mage Eye. But this time, after this Mage Eye flew near the Nether Iron Vein, Lin Yun not only gave up control of it, but he also poured a large amount of mana into it, making that Mage Eye quite strange.

It had definitely been separated from Lin Yun's direct control, but thanks to the support of the residual mana, it could stay there for a long time.

Of course, this kind of existence didn't have much meaning, because Lin Yun could no longer look through the Mage Eye, as their connection had been severed. The Mage Eye floating above the Nether Iron Mine was actually a target.

Its only effect was to use its faint light for positioning.

But this was exactly what Lin Yun needed.

After planting the Mage Eye, Lin Yun got in front of the rock and started casting a long and tedious incantation. As his mana whirlpool rotated, a Fireball left Lin Yun's hand and flew out.

The Fireball left a long, flaming trail as it flew several hundred meters forward before arriving above that vein of Nether Iron in a blink. At almost the same time, Lin Yun chanted a final word.

A "bang" followed, echoing loudly, as the huge Fireball exploded above the Nether Iron Vein, creating a blazing inferno in the sky.

In an instant, the area below turned into a sea of fire.

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Chapter 28: Elemental Incarnation

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

The rain of fire fell onto the black soil. It felt as if a pan of oil had caught fire, and in a few moments, that sea of fire spread for a hundred meters, waking all of the slumbering Skeleton Warriors. Their soul fires were throbbing blankly as they ran around through the inferno in complete confusion.

This was the 9th Rank spell, Fire Rain. Among the Mage rank spells, it was only a bit inferior to Thunderstorm, but it was a lot more effective than Thunderstorm against the undead. The large group of Skeleton Warriors was just instinctively running around, so how could they manage to avoid this vast sea of fire?

In a short time, dozens of Skeletons fell, charred to cinders.

If it had been earlier, Lin Yun would be feeling very happy. Burning up more than a dozen Skeleton Warriors meant that he would get several Undead Essences.

But Lin Yun wasn't happy right now…

He hadn't dared to use a spell like Fire Rain before because he was worried that it would create too big of a commotion and lead to him being surrounded by the undead that were drawn to the ruckus. But Lin Yun couldn't hold off at this time. A vein of Nether Iron that was several hundred meters long… Even the most powerful forces at the peak of the magic civilization some ten thousand years later would covet.

Let alone now…

Putting aside whether Lin Yun could mine anything from it now, as long as he was able to take advantage of the chaos to grab some magic gems from the vein, it would be worth it.

As for whether he would alarm a lot of Skeleton Warriors, or even the Bone Devil that was sleeping underground, Lin Yun no more cared about it.

With such a shocking Nether Iron Vein spread in front of him, if he didn't grab himself a souvenir, Lin Yun wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Even if it was only a Magic Gem, its value would be no less than a hundred thousand gold. That would push the development of the Gilded Rose to a whole new level, at the very least equal to how it had been back when the old butler was really busy taking care of it, half a year ago. It would be even better if he got a good one, like an Abyssal Magic Diamond.

If he had another Abyssal Magic Diamond, Lin Yun would be able to transform that Master rank alchemy array, letting him keep the Planar Path open for at least an hour at a time!

Increasing the time he could stay in the Bone Plane by half an hour wouldn't just increase the amount of Undead Essence that he could gather. It meant that Lin Yun could expand his range of activities and head for the depths of the Bone Plane to hunt higher level Undeads and obtain all kinds of precious natural resources.

All this was built upon the amount of time that he could remain here.

'Have to be fast!'

Casting the Mage Eye and the Fire Rain took him about one minute, but Lin Yun's remaining time in the Bone Plane was already lacking. Moreover, as that sea of fire frantically spread, Lin Yun could feel the earth under his feet trembling, and a deep roar could be heard from the depths of the black wasteland.

Lin Yun guessed that the Bone Devil had most likely been roused by the commotion. He had to act before the Bone Devil appeared, or else he would have to face an opponent with power on the level of a High Mage ahead of time.

At the same time that the deep roar echoed, Lin Yun clung close to the rock. He didn't chant or cast any spells. He only urged his mana whirlpool and continuously moved it at extreme speed, constantly pushing it towards the limit. In a short ten seconds, Lin Yun's mana was in a boiling state.

Immediately after, the only thing that could be seen was a bright and fierce flame.

Lin Yun's body burst into flame and instantly flew several hundred meters before reaching the center of the sea of fire.

When a Mage shattered their mana whirlpool, they would reach Great Mage Realm and gain the ability to completely fuse with their mana. Moreover, their power would increase tenfold and they would be able to cast spells as they pleased. And most importantly, upon becoming a Great Mage, they could potentially grasp a frightening magical ability known as Elemental Incarnation. It would completely transform their body into a particular element, making them immune to almost all physical attacks and gaining the properties of the element that they embodied.

But that powerful ability could only be sustained for a short time. Even a peak Great Mage would only be able to sustain it for a minute.

And Lin Yun's time was much shorter…

Lin Yun was still not a Great Mage right now, so what he was displaying wasn't a genuine Elemental Incarnation. That bright mass of fire had been created by using Lin Yun's mana control that transcended the limits of the era to forcibly imitate the mana circulation used during Elemental Incarnation. This would be practically impossible for anyone else of this time.

This was a spell that surpassed the limits, and the duration of the spell would be even shorter than what an average Great Mage could sustain.

Lin Yun estimated that he could last ten seconds at most.

If he couldn't accomplish everything within ten seconds, then after the Elemental Incarnation disappeared, he would not only have to face a furious Bone Devil, but would also have to face the weakness that would ensue due to overdrafting his mana.

Thus, when Lin Yun was about to reach the center of the sea of fire, he consecutively cast five Flame Bursts.

The Elemental Incarnation came with instant fire system spells. Lin Yun cast these Flame Bursts one by one with no interruption in between. Only successive explosions could be heard echoing. A hole over a dozen meters long appeared in the Nether Iron Vein.

Pieces of ores carrying a faint, black light scattered around, and each of them was of high quality and could sell for several thousand gold coins. But Lin Yun didn't even look at them, instead pouncing on a few flickering lights.

His speed while having Elemental Incarnation active was unfathomably high, and since Lin Yun was forcibly rotating his mana, he was even faster. A dazzling flame could be seen speeding through the sea of fire. The lights that had yet to fall had already been collected by Lin Yun.

At the same time, the earth shook fiercely under his feet.

It was followed by a deafening roar as a frightening, bony monster came out of the ground. It was four to five meters tall and was surrounded by countless faint phosphorescent lights, and in the center of its skull was a raging soul fire the size of a fist.

Power strong enough to contend against that of a High Mage was emitted, and the countless Skeleton Warriors within the sea of fire lowered their heads. Even if they were burnt to ashes in the inferno, none of the Skeleton Warriors dared to move. The chaotic scene instantly stabilized when the Bone Devil appeared.

After settling the disturbance of the Skeleton Warriors, the Bone Devil let out another deep roar and after a fierce mana fluctuation, a few brilliant beams shot out.

The target was Lin Yun, who was grabbing those few flickering lights…

The Bone Devil's Dark Fire Bullet was something that even a High Mage would be wary of. How could Lin Yun dare to take it head on even if he had Elemental Incarnation active? Just as the Bone Devil shot those spells, Lin Yun had already let off a Flame Flash.

This time, the importance of the Fire Rain was shown. The sea of fire, which had already spread to several hundred meters, had already become Lin Yun's best escape tool. Lin Yun seemed like a fish in water as he used Flame Flash. Before the Dark Fire Bullets had even arrived, Lin Yun had already used Flame Flash three times and escaped to the edge of the sea of fire.

It was immediately followed by Lin Yun using the earlier incantation, making the Planar Path to Noscent appear once again.

Lin Yun took two steps onto the Planar Path and looked back at the black wasteland from within the distorted space. The next trip here would be a month later at the very least.

Proceeding along the path, Lin Yun stepped once more into Noscent. The three Abyssal Magic Diamond became dark after exhausting their mana. They looked like three stones no longer had any of the radiance associated with Abyssal Magic Diamonds. The basement had fallen into darkness once more.

'Three is too few…' Lin Yun shook his head. The amount of mana needed for a Master rank alchemy array was huge. Three Abyssal Magic Diamonds could only be considered the lowest number that would work. Each time the mana was exhausted, the array would need at least a month to recover.

In other words, Lin Yun would be able to enter the Bone Plane again after a month, but he would only be able to stay there for half an hour.

'Too annoying.'

Thirty minutes really wasn't long enough for Lin Yun. This wasn't just a matter of profit; this related to Lin Yun's plan. If this matter could be settled, then Lin Yun might very possibly obtain an Extraordinary Magic Tool!

That's right, Heaven Rank Mage Bane's Extraordinary Magic Tool, the Book of Death!

He only needed time…

Thirty minutes was far from enough, and Lin Yun estimated that if he wanted to settle this matter, he would need at least three days. And that was if nothing at all went wrong, so he had to set aside four days to be safe. Such a long time definitely wasn't something that a small handful of Abyssal Magic Diamonds could satisfy.

Without hundreds of Abyssal Magic Diamonds, it would be just a dream…

'The difference is too great…' Lin Yun felt what was in his pocket. In addition to the ten Undead Essences, there were six magic gems that he had snatched from the Nether Iron Vein.

The ten Undead Essences were set aside by Lin Yun. The only use for those was to add them to Magic Weapons. Their price wouldn't change too much, so it would be appropriate to let the old butler deal with them.

Then, Lin Yun took out the six magic gems one after the other.

"Eh!" Lin Yun was already pleasantly surprised when he pulled out the first magic gem.

This was a high-quality Dark Fire Gem. It had the properties of fire and poison. It was typically used in embedding, whether it was on a weapon or a piece of jewelry. Once embedded, the Dark Fire Gem would have shocking destructive power that didn't depend on the strength of the user. Even in the hands of a 3-year-old child, it could kill ten strong, robust men like Jimmy.

The price of the Dark Fire Gem was definitely going to be very high…

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Chapter 29: No Hurry

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

But the power within the Dark Fire Gem was limited, and even a brilliant Alchemist couldn't make it reach Spiritual level. It seemed inferior to the Abyssal Magic Diamond, but if these two were put on the market at the same time, the Dark Fire Gem would ultimately get a higher price.

This was a certainty…

There was no requirement for the user, making it way too overpowered at lower levels. Every major family would spare nothing to nurture their own heirs. Mason of the Monchi family was a good example of that. In order to let him become a true Mage, the Monchi family had spent several hundred thousand gold.

If they spent several hundred thousand gold just to make him into a Mage, how much would the Monchi family be willing to pay for an Excellent Magic Tool that completely lacked usage requirements?

After all, a Mage wielding an Excellent Magic Tool could face some weaker Great Mages…

'Good luck.' Lin Yun smiled happily. With just this one Dark Fire Gem, this trip could be considered a great success.

Although it couldn't be used to improve the Planar Path, putting it on the market wasn't bad either. He should earn at least five hundred thousand gold from its sale, and that was a conservative estimate. Even if he used the profits to buy an Abyssal Magic Diamond, it would leave him plenty of money.

Lin Yun put the Dark Fire Gem on the table and fished out three more magic gems from his pocket.

But there wasn't any pleasant surprise this time. Despite them being magic gems of fairly high quality, there was still a huge gap compared to the price of the Dark Fire Gem. The best of those was an Elemental Amber, which contained a very small amount of mana itself. But it still was one of the best mana vessels, and it could store a large amount of mana from external sources. It could even store a High Mage spell.

After thinking for a bit, Lin Yun put the other two magic gems with the Dark Fire Gem and kept the Elemental Amber.

Now, it was time for the last magic gem.

"Eh!" When Lin Yun put his hand back in his pocket, his expression suddenly changed. Lin Yun clearly felt that the last magic gem carried a bone-chilling feeling.

Because the Bone Devil's power had been too great and Lin Yun needed to escape, he hadn't paid attention to what magic gems he had found, but now that he had returned to Noscent and checked his loot, Lin Yun finally noticed that this last thing in his pocket didn't seem to be a magic gem at all.

But even if that wasn't a magic gem, it might be more precious than all the magic gems he had together.

'Sure enough…' Lin Yun had a cautious expression as he took the object out from his pocket. It was the size of a dove's egg, a sparkling pure-black, with a glimmer flashing from time to time. It carried a breathtaking power.

'Sure enough, it's the Frost Lich Heart…'

In the legends, it materialized after a Lich's soul fire was extinguished. A Lich was a frightening existence able to contend with a High Mage, and its strength wasn't inferior to that of the Bone Dragon ruling the Bone Plane. Even if its soul fire was extinguished, it would still possess world-shaking power.

Although Lin Yun had never seen a real Frost Lich Heart, the Frost Lich had been mentioned several times among the books of the decaying library. Even at the peak of the magic era, the Frost Lich Heart had its importance.

Thus, there was no need to mention its importance in the current era. This Frost Lich Heart was worth at least ten Abyssal Magic Diamonds, and if used to maintain the Planar Path, Lin Yun would be able to stay at least five hours in the Bone Plane next time!

He had won that gamble.

Even if the Elemental Incarnation had exhausted all of Lin Yun's mana, even if the Bone Devil's Dark Fire Bullet had almost hit Lin Yun, this didn't matter in front of the Frost Lich Heart.

With this Frost Lich Heart, Lin Yun would be able to gradually nibble away at that Nether Iron Vein.

But before that, he had to advance to Great Mage. A 9th Rank Mage would seem very weak in front of a large amount of Skeleton Warriors, let alone the existence behind them, a Bone Devil that could contend against High Mages.

But to advance to become a Great Mage, Lin Yun would have to carry out his plan.

After checking his loot, Lin Yun took another hour to transform that Master rank alchemy array with the recently obtained Frost Lich Heart. After completing this task, Lin Yun put the magic gems and Undead Essences into his pocket and left the secret passage.

Remy had already been walking around outside for a long time when Lin Yun walked out from the study.

Remy brought two pieces of news, a bad one and a good one.

The bad news was that Solon had rummaged through the Sage Tower and only found three of the materials needed for the Mana Baptism, meaning that Lin Yun still needed more than half of the seven items required.

The good news was that even if Solon didn't find the other four materials, he had given Lin Yun a place where he could find them, the Black Horn Auction House that had its events every three months.

This matter had actually come up coincidentally. Solon had received an invitation to the Black Horn Auction House two days ago, and it had come with a list of articles that would be sold there. On it were the four materials Lin Yun needed.

The good news was really good, but the problem was that Lin Yun had no money he could immediately use.

He truly had nothing at the moment. The Spectrum Potion had brought in thirty thousand gold, but it had already been invested in the Gilded Rose, Lin Yun had no more than 50 gold to his name. He hadn't been out for the past two months, so he hadn't thought about it, but now that he suddenly had four materials to buy, Lin Yun felt a bit put out to discover that he simply couldn't pay.

'What should I do…'

The old butler couldn't help. Although the business of the Gilded Rose was pretty good these past few months, since he wanted to thoroughly revive the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, all the money earned was invested back to help the store grow more.

The cheapest amongst the four was estimated at five thousand gold, while the most expensive could even reach thirty thousand gold, and that was just the starting price. If he was unlucky and met a foolish competitor that was overflowing with gold, Lin Yun might not even get it with a hundred thousand.

'What if I sold the Undead Essences?'

'But those few pieces of Undead Essences are worth ten thousand gold, what should I do if I don't have enough? Do I really have to sell the Dark Fire Gem? That should be used to raise the status of the Gilded Rose…'

'Seems like I can only sell the two potions I refined…' Lin Yun reached inside one of his pockets. Inside were two potions he had crafted a while ago. He had thought that he might use them in the Bone Plane if he met something dangerous, but he had ended up not needing them. He supposed that he could just sell them now.

Lin Yun changed into his clean black gown and greeted the old butler before leaving for the Black Horn Auction House.

The Black Horn Auction House was on the Victorious Return main street. It was a thousand meters away from the Gilded Rose, which was on the other side of the main street, and it occupied a large swathe of the street. An astronomical amount of gold flowed in and out of this place every day.

Since it had been set up in Thousand Sails City fifty years ago, the Black Horn Auction House had always been rather low-key. It never participated in the struggles of Thousand Sails City and always kept a favorable attitude toward every force.

At the same time, there was no force that would provoke the Black Horn Auction House. Everyone knew that although the Black Horn Auction House wasn't revealing its real strength, behind it stood the Black Horn chamber of commerce, which could be considered a first-rate force in all of Noscent.

As time passed, the Black Horn Auction House became truly unconventional, keeping a good relationship with all the forces while also keeping them at a suitable distance, as if it lived outside of the social network of Thousand Sails City.

But it was because of this unconventional attitude that the Black Horn Auction House's business would get better day by day. Fifty years ago, Thousand Sails City had many auction houses, but only the Black Horn Auction House still was going strong after fifty years. Because it kept all forces equally distant, people didn't have to worry about being schemed against, even if they couldn't get any consideration.

The various forces entangled in Thousand Sails City needed an absolutely neutral place like this.

And that was the current Black Horn Auction House.

Now, Lin Yun was standing outside the Black Horn Auction House. After explaining why he had come, someone quickly led him inside. The Black Horn Auction House took up a whole section of a street, and sure enough, its interior was simply like a labyrinth. Lin Yun followed that person for about ten minutes before arriving in a small reception room.

The one receiving Lin Yun was a young man that looked a bit over twenty. He was wearing a black gown, with a little stain on the cuff. Lin Yun took a glance and thought, 'That must be Rainbow Sand Solution, he should be a fairly decent Alchemist.' Rainbow Sand was very expensive, so if an Alchemist hadn't reached a certain level, he wouldn't dare to handle such an expensive material so rashly.

But it seemed that this Alchemist wasn't in a good mood. After seeing Lin Yun coming through the door, he slightly nodded, "Take a seat."

Lin Yun scratched his nose and sat in front of the young Alchemist.

Just as he was about to explain why he had come, the young Alchemist waved his hand and impatiently said, "Okay, you can leave me the potion you want to sell and leave, I'll appraise it and then sell it at its proper price. You can come and get your money in a few days."

Lin Yun felt a bit uncomfortable with this. 'I'm counting on these two potions to change my fate, how could I let you appraise them? Moreover, even if I was willing to let you appraise them, seeing how you handle Rainbow Sand Solution, do you even have the ability?'

"I'm in no hurry."

It could be seen from these words that Lin Yun was improving.

If it was Lin Yun from a few months ago, he would have already Tornado Whipped this guy in the face.

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Chapter 30: Black Horn Auction

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

But the young Alchemist clearly had no idea that he had narrowly avoided a calamity. After hearing Lin Yun's refusal, his face turned unsightly. "Are you afraid of me tricking you? Truly laughable, I have compounded more potions than you would ever see in your lifetime, how could your two potions be worthy of me scheming against you?"

"I truly am in no hurry…" Lin Yun took a deep breath and just repeated what he had said.

"Good then…" Seeing Lin Yun persist, the young Alchemist could only nod angrily. "But I don't have much time. I still have an important experiment waiting for me, so I can only give you three minutes."

Lin Yun smiled and put the two potions on the table.

The two potions were green, and they carried a dense, irritating smell. After just one whiff, the young Alchemist couldn't help frowning.

"Two inferior Healing Potions, valued at 300 gold." It took only thirty seconds for the young Alchemist to issue his appraisal. When he put the two potions back on the table, he muttered under his breath, "Trash…"

This time, Lin Yun didn't say anything and picked up the two potions as he turned to leave. 'Such a joke, you appraised my Ghost Potion and my Volcano Potion as Healing Potions, and with an estimated value of only 300 gold. Do you think I'm a fool?'

But just as Lin Yun was heading for the exit, the door to the reception room was pushed open from the other side.

The person coming in was an old man. He was easily over sixty, with wrinkles, white hair and a white beard. He was wearing a wrinkled, gray gown and was panting as he came in, as if he had run the whole way over.

"Did Mage Merlin come in?"

"You are…?" Lin Yun stopped as he looked at the old man, feeling puzzled. Whether it was in his own memories or Mafa Merlin's memories, there was no memory of that person at all. Why did this person seem to recognize him?

"You are Mage Merlin?" The old man looked at Lin Yun and immediately smiled cordially. "Welcome, Mage Merlin. Let me introduce myself, I am Cadgar, Black Horn Auction House's Chief Appraiser."

"Greetings…" Lin Yun politely greeted him while pondering what he knew about this person. He had actually heard the name of Black Horn Auction House's Chief Appraiser, Cadgar, quite a few times.

He could even be considered a person worthy of being on the same level as Sage Tower's Thorpe, as he was also a High Mage and a Great Alchemist. But like the rest of the Black Horn Auction House, he had always been low-key, to the point that many people knew of Thorpe, but not of Cadgar.

"Oh right, I heard someone outside saying that Mage Merlin came today to have two potions taken care of."

"That originally was the case, but I just changed my plans…"

"Eh?" Cadgar looked at Lin Yun in surprise, and then he glanced at the young Alchemist sitting on the other side of the table, considering their expressions and the circumstances. 'Could it be that Mage Merlin was offended by this fellow?'

Judging that this might be the case, Cadgar's expression grew unsightly as he looked at the young Alchemist…

This wasn't some minor matter… Last time, a bottle of Spectrum Potion was delivered to the Black Horn Auction House and even Master Wilhelm couldn't stop praising it, saying that this was the most imaginative potion he had ever seen and that some of the techniques used on it were simply unheard of.

Before Master Wilhelm left Thousand Sails City, he kept reminding Cadgar that he absolutely had to find the Alchemist who had compounded this potion.

Although the Black Horn Auction House hadn't been in contact with Lin Yun for the past few months, it had secretly been making countless investigations. After all, the Black Horn Auction House was supported by a first-rate force, the Black Horn chamber of commerce. Its formidable information-gathering abilities surpassed the other forces of Thousand Sails City by far. It could be said that as long as the Black Horn Auction House wanted, anything happening in Thousand Sails City couldn't be hidden from them.

This, of course, included information on the true Alchemist behind the Spectrum Potion.

Naturally, the process of the investigation wasn't that simple, and this was with the Black Horn Auction House putting large portions of their forces into the search, toward Locke Merlin, toward the Gilded Rose, toward the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce, and toward all of the related clues. Everything had undergone a detailed investigation.

Ultimately, they came to a shocking conclusion.

That Spectrum Potion that received high praise from Master Wilhelm was most likely compounded by a young Alchemist in his twenties.

That young Alchemist's name was Mafa Merlin.

Cadgar was relatively proud of this conclusion. Compared to the Sage Tower, which was known to be the number one power of Thousand Sails City, even though they both got the Spectrum Potion at the same time, Solomon and his people still believed that a mysterious Great Alchemist stood behind this young Mage, while the Black Horn Auction House chose to believe in the conclusions drawn by their investigators.

Thinking of this, Cadgar smiled.

After all, Mage Merlin even stayed in the Sage Tower's library for a very long time. During that time, the Sage Tower had many chances to get in touch with him. But unfortunately, these countless opportunities had been missed by the Sage Tower.

Cadgar thought that Solomon was probably still having a headache, trying to figure out how to get in touch with the mysterious Alchemist behind that young Mage.

But the current situation that he had just walked in on…

What had happened while he was on his way?

"Don't worry, Mage Merlin, our Black Horn Auction House sincerely wishes to cooperate with you. How about you listen to our offer first before making your decision?"

"That's fine, let's talk about it." For someone of Cadgar's status to speak like this, he definitely meant his words, so Lin Yun wouldn't refuse him. Moreover, if it hadn't been for the young Alchemist's trash talk, Lin Yun would indeed have sold the two potions in the Black Horn Auction House.

Thus, due Cadgar's request, Lin Yun took the opportunity offered.

As he listened to the discussion between the two of them, the lifeless young Alchemist gulped with some difficulty. Ever since Cadgar appeared in the reception room, the young Alchemist had suspected that he was dreaming. Otherwise, how could this situation be explained?

This was too frightening…

The Chief Appraiser of the Black Horn Auction House, Cadgar, was actually being so welcoming to a twenty-year-old Mage!

That's right, very welcoming!

The young Alchemist had worked for ten years in the Black Horn Auction House and had never seen Cadgar being so polite. Regardless of whether he was facing Solomon of the Sage Tower or Monchi of the Twin Moons chamber of commerce, Cadgar had never been as polite as he was today.

'Who is this young Mage…'

Thinking about it, the young Alchemist couldn't help swallowing nervously again. At this time, his throat felt terribly dry, as if there was something stuck inside.

After all, he hadn't really had a good attitude earlier, and he had muttered audibly that the two potions were trash. He couldn't have thought that something like this would ensue. On one hand, he truly was very busy and didn't have much time to spend here, and on the other hand, he disliked the attitude of this young mage, who had visibly shown that he felt uneasy with the interaction.

Thus, when evaluating those two potions, he skimped on the work.

Normally, nothing would come of it, but now, the problem was far too grave…

This was a person that even Chief Appraiser Cadgar was treating very politely, and he had recklessly offended him. He even felt like dying now, considering how much importance Cadgar was paying the two potions, even assuring that the Black Horn Auction House sincerely wanted to cooperate.

'What is this…'

From the young Alchemist's understanding of Cadgar, how could he not understand what these words meant? Cadgar had already decided that he would spare nothing to get the two potions into the Black Horn Auction House's possession.

With this realization, the young Alchemist couldn't help becoming pale.

But fortunately for him, neither Lin Yun nor Cadgar paid any attention to the deathly pale Alchemist on the side.

When Lin Yun changed his mind, Cadgar immediately felt happy. He hurried to explain his offer. "Mage Merlin, I wonder if you've heard that the Black Horn Auction House holds an auction every three months?"

"I have, of course," Lin Yun replied as he nodded. The Black Horn Auction was a grand occasion in the whole eastern part of the kingdom, and that was the reason that Lin Yun had come today.

"Then, Mage Merlin, if you are willing, I hope that you are willing to bring your two potions to the Black Horn Auction that will happen in a few hours, what do you think?"

Cadgar didn't brag much about the Black Horn Auction and also didn't explain what kind of benefits such an auction would bring because he believed that the young mage certainly wouldn't refuse such an offer.

Even a Great Mage couldn't easily climb on to the stage of the Black Horn Auction. After all, it was a grand event of the whole eastern part of the kingdom. To be able to climb on that stage was like receiving the recognition of the entire east. Even a Great Alchemist wouldn't be able to resist such a temptation.

Thus, Cadgar hadn't elaborated on his offer, only squinting his eyes to see the young mage's reaction.

"This…" He hadn't expected that the originally relaxed Lin Yun would suddenly have an awkward expression after hearing the offer.

Cadgar froze and didn't manage to react for a long time. He even wondered if his words hadn't been clear enough.

In fact, let alone Cadgar, even the young Alchemist, who had previously inwardly collapsed due to his previous interaction with Lin Yun, couldn't help cursing to himself. 'You are kidding, this is an event that is attended by the greatest powers of the whole eastern part of the kingdom, any Alchemist getting on that stage would have their social status increase a hundredfold. Even if you aren't moved by the offer, how could it feel awkward to you?'

"I'm very sorry. High Mage Cadgar, I think I won't be able to leave these two potions to the Black Horn Auction House."

"…"

After Lin Yun said this, the reception room went dead silent.

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Chapter 31: Volcano and Ghost

Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance

Cadgar still had his eyes narrowed, and no one knew what he was thinking. The young Alchemist on the side was wide-eyed, looking at Lin Yun in disbelief as he wondered, 'How could someone refuse such an opportunity, he is crazy…'

At this time, the young Alchemist truly wished to change places with this fellow. It would be so great if a potion that he had refined could appear in the Black Horn Auction.

"Because I need money immediately. There are four things that I fancy in the Black Horn Auction, so I would need money right now in order to compete for these things." Lin Yun decided to explain his reasoning since Cadgar had been so courteous with him while Lin Yun had rejected him twice already, which could be considered quite impolite.

When he heard Lin Yun's explanation, the squinting Cadgar suddenly smiled. "Mage Merlin, this is an easy matter to deal with. I can appraise your two potions right away. However much they are initially valued at is how much credit we'll front you to use in the auction. Moreover, I can guarantee that their eventual price will exceed my estimation."

"That should be good…" Lin Yun nodded and took out the two potions from his pocket.

Cadgar glanced at them for a moment before an expression of amazement appeared on his face. He promptly grabbed the two potions and frowned as he carefully analyzed them. After a long time, he nodded gently as he turned back and asked uncertainly, "Volcano Potion?"

"Indeed, a Volcano Potion."

Lin Yun's calm answer made Cadgar hold his breath, "My god…"

And the young Alchemist who had wished to be in Lin Yun's shoes suddenly felt everything turning black around him when he heard those words.

'Volcano Potion, it's actually a Volcano Potion…'

Even if no one paid attention to him, the young Alchemist still subconsciously bowed. He was hoping for a hole to appear so he could jump inside.

It was the rumored Volcano Potion that could make one's mana burst like a volcano and let a Great Mage break through the High Mage boundary… It had appeared in front of him, and he had valued it at just 300 gold coins and treated it as trash…

That potion was the mark of a Great Alchemist. Being able to compound a Volcano Potion meant that one was surely qualified to enter the ranks of the Great Alchemists.

'This young mage… he is a Great Alchemist…'

Someone that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Cadgar and Thorpe. The young Alchemist was in disbelief. He had offended a Great Alchemist, and one that was only 20 years old!

"This potion…" In contrast, Cadgar was a lot calmer. After the initial surprise, he had already recovered and was looking suspiciously at the other potion. "Sorry, it might be due to my age, but I cannot recognize the other potion."

"This is a Ghost Potion." Lin Yun smiled.

"…"

This time, Cadgar was stunned in silence.

If the compounding of a Volcano Potion was the sign of a Great Alchemist, then the Ghost Potion was the sign of a pinnacle Great Alchemist. It was the potion that required skills closest to the Master rank. For a Great Alchemist to be able to refine a Ghost Potion meant that he had already reached the summit of Potioneering. As long as he had enough experience and time, he would be able to enter the Master level at any time…

Cadgar had studied Potioneering for dozens of years and was now stuck in the Great Alchemist realm. He didn't know how long it would take for him to reach the Master level.

Even Master Wilhelm had been praising this young Mage endlessly, despite not knowing who exactly the Alchemist was at the time. When Cadgar had seen him present the Volcano Potion, he had thought that it was surely the pinnacle of this young Alchemist's achievements. He never could have guessed that the second potion was actually the one that was closest to Master level, the Ghost Potion!

Originally, Cadgar had made a lot of preparations: how to appraise these two potions, how to convince the other side to cooperate with the Black Horn Auction House, how to lure this Young Mage with a boundless future, and so on…

But when Cadgar realized that this was a Ghost Potion, he found out that all his preparations had been for nothing.

That's right, absolutely nothing…

Luring a Great Alchemist that could become a Master anytime… Even if Cadgar was shameless, he couldn't say anything. Let alone the Black Horn Auction House, even the Black Horn chamber of commerce behind him would have to send the higher-ups to negotiate with such a figure.

As for persuasion or favors, there was no need to bring those up. In front of a future Master Alchemist, those little tricks had no meaning.

"Mage Merlin, this…" Cadgar wanted to say something, but after starting his sentence, he found out that he didn't know what he should say at this point.

"You seem to have forgotten the appraisal, High Mage Cadgar."

"Right right right, appraisal, appraisal…" With Lin Yun's reminder, Cadgar recalled that he had promised to appraise the potions so that Lin Yun could use that money during the auction. But after studying the two potions for a long time, Cadgar awkwardly felt that the originally simple appraisal was incomparably difficult.

Cadgar thought about it for a moment and clenched his teeth as he appeased, "Mage Merlin, I feel embarrassed. I cannot help you appraise the exact value of these two potions. I can only let you know that if you are willing to cooperate with the Black Horn Auction House, we will use these two potions as the last lot of the auction. As for the bidding over the four materials you need in the auction, I'll guarantee on the behalf of the Black Horn Auction House that you'll obtain our full support!"

Even Lin Yun was shocked when he heard Cadgar's words.

The Black Horn Auction House's full support, what kind of concept was that? It meant that as long as he was determined to have these four materials, he could use nearly unlimited funds!

"Good then. Thank you for your trust. These two potions shall be left in your hands."

"You are too polite." Originally, Cadgar only wanted to use this opportunity to rope in that Young Mage with boundless prospects, but he hadn't expected that this young Mage would actually bring such nice surprises. At the same time, Cadgar didn't forget to remain polite and do his best to keep this young prodigy happy.

A Volcano Potion and a Ghost Potion completely threw the original plans for the auction into chaos. Cadgar had to hurry up and amend the original arrangements before the auction started. The sudden appearance of the two potions would have amazing results.

"Then, Mage Merlin, I'll go off first."

After Cadgar politely said a few more words, he hurriedly bade farewell. But before going out, he called out to that young Alchemist. "Faleau, help Mage Merlin, you must carefully take care of him. If you neglect to keep Mage Merlin satisfied, you can pack your things and return to Okland."

"Yes, yes…." In fact, there was no need for Cadgar's warning. After seeing everything with his own eyes, Faleau had been frightened out of his wits. How could he dare slight Lin Yun now?

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Cadgar departed, leaving only Lin Yun and Faleau in the reception room.

Lin Yun didn't make a fuss about his earlier actions, making Faleau feel a bit guilty…

Up till now, Faleau still hadn't figured out how the situation had escalated to this point.

It had originated from Faleau being busy and estimating that Lin Yun was only an Apprentice Alchemist due to his age, so he hadn't been very polite.

In fact, Faleau would receive many such Apprentice Alchemists every day. They all had merely stepped onto the path of alchemy, yet they thought that it was a good use of time to bring a few of their products to try their luck at the Black Horn Auction House.

Most of the time, Faleau would make them leave their things behind and have them come back to get their money once their things sold. As for those that didn't sell, they would be put in a corner. If someone wanted to get them back, they would have to look for them there.

This might seem a bit unfair, but he was just taking care of the most common case in the most efficient manner.

But the Black Horn Auction House was so big and there were so many deals happening every day that no one would pay attention to Faleau's actions. And those Apprentice Alchemists mostly came here to try their luck, so if it didn't sell, it didn't sell. It wasn't worth offending Faleau for it.

Thus, for so many years, Faleau had never met any troubles from this.

But his luck hadn't held out this time…

It was as if he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Who would have thought that a 20-year-old Mage would alarm Cadgar, who would believe that the two potions he casually took out were the Volcano Potion and the Ghost Potion? Who could believe that…

In any case, by this point, he couldn't not believe it…

When he thought of Cadgar's warning before leaving, Faleau felt his legs weaken. If he didn't take good care of Mage Merlin, he would have to pack up and return to Okland. But his earlier actions had gone far beyond just neglecting him. Once his earlier behavior was mentioned to Cadgar, he really would be finished; his job, his future, everything would be over…

Faleau thought about it and paled in dread.

But Faleau had indeed been able to become an Alchemist at such a young age, and he had the qualifications to work at a place like the Black Horn Auction House. This definitely hadn't been due to just luck. Knowing how bad the situation was, the young Alchemist immediately bit his lip and suddenly grovelled under Lin Yun's feet.

"Mage Merlin, I made a mistake, a huge mistake, I failed to recognize your greatness. I…"

Lin Yun looked stunned, and his jaw almost dropped down. 'Wh-what kind of scene is this?'

"Mage Merlin, I trust that you are a magnanimous person, please let me off. I truly cannot afford to lose this job…" Faleau went all-in. He could lose his face, but he definitely couldn't lose this job.

Moreover, no one but this Great Alchemist would see his pitiable state…

And Faleau thought that even if someone else did see, he could just say that he was pleading a future Master Alchemist for leniency, and that they likely would never have an opportunity to even interact with one.

"…" Lin Yun was shocked for a long time. It would definitely be a lie to say that Lin Yun wasn't having some thoughts about this fellow. He had remained silent after Cadgar left to see what this young Alchemist would say.

But…

Lin Yun had guessed what would happen, but not that it would be to such an extent.

That young Alchemist was indeed bowing, but the way he bowed was truly unconventional.

An Alchemist in his twenties was hugging his thigh while weeping… was he trying to re-enact a scene from a play?

Lin Yun took a deep breath and used the calmest voice he could bring out to say, "First, stand up."

Faleau shamelessly wailed, "No, Mage Merlin, if you don't agree to let me off, I won't get up…"

"Won't get up?"

"Won't get up?"

Faleau shuddered.

"Move, you don't need to act so pathetic, didn't Cadgar ask you to take care of me and lead me to check out the auction?"

"No, I can't…" Faleau started to speak, but after seeing Lin Yun's expression, which didn't seem too angry or displeased, he promptly explained, "It's like this, Mage Merlin, the Black Horn Auction is only semi-open to the public. Only the VIPs who received an invitation can participate directly…"

"Ah?" Lin Yun froze when he heard that. 'There was such a thing with the Black Horn Auction?'

Before Lin Yun could finish, Faleau already carried a fawning smile as he said, "But it doesn't matter, Mage Merlin. You are High Mage Cadgar's guest, it is tantamount to being a VIP of the Black Horn Auction House. I'll bring you to deal with the formalities, and you can take part in the auction after you are done with those."

"Not bad…"

After leaving the reception room, Faleau quickly helped Lin Yun with what he needed. During that time, Lin Yun got a whole new understanding of the young Alchemist.

He had to admit that this young Alchemist truly was capable. He was able to handle matters quickly and efficiently, and he had reached the pinnacle at using others' reputations to settle problems.

He relied on Cadgar's name to help Lin Yun cut through the red tape. When meeting some fool, Faleau would simply use the Cadgar move: "This is the Chief Appraiser's guest, what are you doing? You don't want to do it?"

Who would make things difficult for the Chief Appraiser's guest?

In this manner, they were able to breeze through the required procedures and in a short half an hour, Faleau brought Lin Yun an invitation letter to a luxurious private room. This was one of the auction house's best rooms, and there were only a total of seven of these rooms. In the past, they were set aside for each major force's leader. Only the peak powers of the eastern side of the kingdom could have their own seat. In Thousand Sails City, only the Sage Tower's Solomon, and the Twin Moons chamber of commerce's Monchi were able to have one of the seven private rooms. Someone like Sossu of the Viper Nest could only sit on the outer floor.

After they were done with the formalities, the two arrived at the site of the auction, the entire top floor of the Black Horn Auction House. It was a huge place that could hold a thousand people. When the two arrived, they could see many important guests sitting in the large area.

Cadgar had just said that the Black Horn Auction was a huge event in the entire eastern part of the kingdom, and these weren't empty words. When Lin Yun looked in from the entrance, he found out that nearly all of Thousand Sails City's top figures had come. The Sage Tower's Solomon, the Twin Moons chamber of commerce's Monchi, the Viper Nest's Sossu, Silvermoon Mercenary Group's Sasu, and others…

The VIP boxes were on the second floor, and they were the best seats in the entire auction floor. Faleau led the way while Lin Yun followed, looking around in curiosity. The two of them quickly reached the last private room on the first floor.

Just as they were about to go up, they were stopped by someone.

"Hey, Young Master Merlin, this isn't a place for you…" The one who stopped the two young men was the butler of the Monchi family, Jonathan. He was in his fifties and had a short stature with grizzled hair. He was always blunt and unkind to people of lower status.

But before Lin Yun even answered, Faleau stepped forward.

"Who are you? What are you trying to pull by blocking this path?" Faleau certainly wasn't polite.

The young Alchemist originally wasn't a polite person. After all, before Cadgar arrived, he had been trash talking Lin Yun. How could a mere butler be worth his attention… Moreover, Faleau was still backed up by Cadgar. This was tantamount to representing the entire Black Horn Auction House, so he wouldn't have any problem being unscrupulous now.

"I am the butler of the Monchi family, Jonathan. This is Master's box. How could you rush through this area as you please, disturbing my master's rest? Are you able to handle the consequences?" Jonathan wasn't easy to deal with either. In Thousand Sails City, the Monchi family definitely had great power. Besides holding the Sage Tower in high regards, it didn't attach much importance to the other forces, let alone two kids…

Jonathan didn't think that he would meet someone even more unreasonable this time. This young fellow surprisingly didn't back down when facing the butler of the Monchis. Even more surprisingly, Faleau stepped forward and slapped him. A loud sound echoed, and the surroundings went silent. Jonathan covered one of his cheeks while pointing at Faleau with a trembling finger, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He was the butler of the Monchi family, one of the most trusted subordinates of his master. Even the leaders of each major force in Thousand Sails City would be polite to him. 'Did this kid go crazy?'

"Yo-you… You dare slap me?" he forced out, as he looked at Faleau in consternation.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" After Faleau slapped him, he seemed as if he was up for more. "Creating trouble in the Black Horn Auction House, it seems to me that you don't want to live."

To be honest, Jonathan really had bad luck…

Normally, Jonathan should have been inside the box accompanying Monchi. As the trusted butler of the Monchi family, he definitely didn't need to stand outside the box as a guard.

But somehow, Jonathan had noticed Lin Yun coming over.

This was a happy coincidence…

Lin Yun had previously humiliated Mason and many people of the Monchi family, including Jonathan, knew about it. Seeing Lin Yun walking over, Jonathan suddenly felt like showing off in front of his two young masters.

It seemed like an extremely good opportunity for him.

His master had come in person today, and there were so many elite mercenaries guarding the family. Even if that Mafa Merlin was extremely bold, how could he dare stir up trouble here?

As long as Mafa Merlin didn't dare to retaliate, he would be able to humiliate him and help Young Master Mason get back at him, and later on, Young Master Mason would definitely treat him favorably. He might even compliment him in front of Monchi himself.

But ultimately, things didn't go quite as planned for Jonathan.

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