Chapter 39

Although the two had never really interacted, Saruman had been paying close attention to the young mage for several months. It all started when the young mage had someone bring a bottle of the All-Color Potion to the Sage Tower in exchange for a top-level access pass. After that, he spent almost two months holed up in the library.

During these two months, although Saruman did not visit the library himself, Solon brought him various news every day. What book did Merlin the Mage read today? What notes did Merlin the Mage take tomorrow? What opinion did Merlin the Mage express the day after?

Some things might not even be remembered by Lin Yun himself, but Saruman was always crystal clear about them.

Because Saruman knew that this young mage was far from ordinary, far beyond what an average person could imagine...

Even Solon did not know that after the young mage expressed his opinion on the Fanreisen Formula, Saruman returned to his study and wrote a long letter to Star Sage Joey...

The four data points attached to this long letter soon sparked a heated discussion among the kingdom's mages. Not only Star Sage Joey, but also many powerful mages interested in the Fanreisen Formula, began to participate in the discussion through letters. More and more mages began to acknowledge that these four data points might prove the error in the Fanreisen Formula. Many mages even sent congratulations to Saruman, as they believed that the four data points he provided would be a significant discovery worthy of being recorded in the annals of magic.

Faced with these congratulations, Saruman could only smile bitterly...

Because only Saruman knew that these four data points did not belong to him, but to a young mage in his twenties...

However, Saruman had always been puzzled as to whether the young mage had calculated these four data points himself or had heard them from someone else by chance.

That was why, just now, Saruman had repeatedly tried to retain the young mage and deliberately steered the conversation towards magic, in order to test whether the young mage's magical knowledge was indeed strong enough to discern the error in the Fanreisen Formula.

It was not yet certain, but one thing was clear: the young mage's magical knowledge far exceeded his current level.

It even surpassed the level of a High Mage, as Saruman clearly felt during their conversation that the young mage often held back and did not fully display his magical knowledge.

Even so, it was still quite shocking.

A mage whose magical knowledge was at least at the level of a High Mage...

And this mage was only in his twenties. Given time, not only would his disciple Solon be far behind, but even Ryan of the Monty family would likely be left far behind.

Now, this young mage was fiercely competing for alchemical potion materials.

What did this mean...

At this point, Saruman was beginning to suspect whether the mysterious Grand Alchemist he had speculated about might not exist at all, or whether it was actually Mafa Merlin himself?

If it were two months ago, Saruman would never have thought this. The reason was simple: everyone knew that a good mage might not necessarily be a good alchemist, but a good alchemist was always a good mage. This might sound a bit awkward, but it was a truth that had been verified countless times.

Alchemy was originally derived from magic, and the more advanced the alchemy, the more profound the magical knowledge required. Many theories and common understandings could not be grasped without sufficient magical knowledge, and some alchemical operations required a sufficiently powerful magic to complete.

For example, one of the three major figures of the Sage Tower, Soph, had been at the top level of alchemists for over a decade before he advanced to the level of a High Mage. Only then did his alchemy skills advance rapidly, and within a month, he entered the ranks of Grand Alchemists.

At that time, Mafa Merlin had just entered the ranks of mages. How could he possibly have the level of a Grand Alchemist?

But now, Saruman really had some doubts.

A mage whose magical knowledge was at least at the level of a High Mage theoretically had the ability to concoct the All-Color Potion.

Moreover, he was now competing for the materials of several alchemical potions at all costs...

Saruman sat in the corner of the booth, occasionally bursting into a violent cough. His hesitant gaze suddenly became resolute.

At this point, the auction of the Crimson Flame Fish Oil had concluded, and Lin Yun had secured the last material for the Mana Baptism for 1.2 million gold coins.

For Lin Yun, the auction was over once he obtained the Crimson Flame Fish Oil, but for many others, the auction was just beginning.

Because the next item to be auctioned was the highlight of the auction.

This was a tradition of the Black Horn Auction. The most precious and astonishing items were always auctioned last, both to build suspense and to show respect, much like in novels where the most important character always appears last.

"The next item to be auctioned is the highlight of this auction..." Cadgar said as he lifted the silk covering the auction table, revealing a red and a black bottle of alchemical potions: "What you see before you is a bottle of the Volcano Potion and a bottle of the Ghost Potion."

"My goodness..."

"Are those really the Volcano Potion and the Ghost Potion?"

"How could such things appear in Thousand Sails City!"

Before Cadgar's words had even finished, the hall was in chaos. If the Annihilation Hell Spell and the Crimson Flame Fish Oil had caused a stir, then these two alchemical potions were causing an explosive shock.

Those who could attend the Black Horn Auction were all well-informed individuals. How many had not heard of the Volcano Potion and the Ghost Potion?

In fact, it was more than just hearing about them...

These two alchemical potions, which were almost at the level of Grandmaster, had become legendary in the hearts of many. The Volcano Potion, which could make magic burst like a volcano and instantly push a High Mage to the level of a High Mage, and the Ghost Potion, which could turn the body into nothingness and make it invulnerable to any harm, were the pinnacle of Grand Alchemists. Any Grand Alchemist who mastered these two potions could potentially enter the ranks of Grandmasters overnight.

Moreover, even Grand Alchemists at this level would not easily concoct these two potions. One reason was the exorbitant cost of materials, which even a typical Grand Alchemist might not be able to afford. The other reason was that these potions were very draining, often requiring ten days or even a month to complete.

The appearance of even one of these alchemical potions would cause countless forces to vie for it, even to the point of bankrupting themselves.

And now, two bottles had appeared at once.

Could it be that Thousand Sails City had suddenly produced two Grand Alchemists who might enter the ranks of Grandmasters?

"I think everyone must be wondering why these two alchemical potions are being auctioned together?" Cadgar paused here, shamelessly stopping until everyone's curiosity was piqued. Then, the chief appraiser slowly continued: "The reason is simple: the author of these two alchemical potions is the same person."

The same person!

This answer caused a shock that was no less than the two alchemical potions themselves. It was already a terrifying feat to concoct one of these potions, and now someone had concocted two at once. What was this person trying to do, scare people on purpose?

"Moreover, I can tell you that this future Grandmaster is very, very young, younger than you can imagine..."

Cadgar stopped here, refusing to reveal any more no matter how much the audience pressed him. What was he thinking? A seasoned old fox like Cadgar knew very well what to say and what not to say.

Whether it was revealing that the author was the same person or that the author was very young, it was all to add some legendary color to the two alchemical potions. If he continued, he would expose himself. It was a rare opportunity to get closer to Merlin the Mage before the Sage Tower, and before establishing a sufficiently solid relationship, Cadgar would not push such a future Grandmaster to the forefront. That would be like asking for trouble...

"Alright, the next two alchemical potions will start at a low price of 300,000 gold coins, with each bid increase not less than 20,000 gold coins."

Cadgar's despicable and smoky introduction immediately piqued everyone's curiosity...

It was one thing that two alchemical potions almost at the level of Grandmaster were made by the same person, but now Cadgar had dropped another bomb!

After all, Cadgar himself was a talented Grand Alchemist who had reached that level at the age of forty. Now, even Cadgar described the author as "unimaginably young." How young could this Grand Alchemist be?

Thirty-five years old, or even thirty?

Just thinking about this possibility made everyone in the hall feel a bit numb...

The people sitting in the hall were all not simple characters, including the heads of various top-tier forces. They had cultivated many alchemists themselves and knew very well how difficult it was to cultivate an alchemist.

**************

I fell ill for a few days during the National Day holiday, truly an unlucky year... Also, my sister-in-law, who is a secondary character in the story, is participating in a COS competition and asked me to help with some advertising.

[Flip to the next page for the AD]

[End of the AD]