Chapter 50

In fact, less than three minutes after the alchemy conference ended, the bottle of Hope Elixir had a new owner.

The lucky one was a third-level magic apprentice named Kru. Kru was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with no distinguished background or outstanding talent, which made it difficult for him to become a mage. The only thing to be grateful for was that besides being a magic apprentice, he was also a decent alchemy apprentice.

Since becoming an alchemy apprentice, Kru had been mixing in various alchemy shops, working for all kinds of alchemists. Over ten years, he had accumulated a considerable sum, and this sum was exactly 200,000 gold coins...

Originally, Kru had come to the Gilded Rose today just to buy a few magic scrolls, but unexpectedly, he arrived just in time for the Gilded Rose's alchemy conference and happened to be in the first position in line.

Thus, the bottle of Hope Elixir fell into Kru's hands...

This lucky third-level magic apprentice, under the watchful eyes of over a hundred onlookers, held the Hope Elixir with trembling hands and drank it in small sips...

Then a miracle happened!

Kru's magic power grew at a疯狂的速度 in an instant, from a fourth-level magic apprentice, to a fifth-level, sixth-level, and so on, all the way to a ninth-level magic apprentice. In just half an hour, Kru, who had just entered the third level, reached the peak of the ninth level, just one step away from forming a magic vortex.

All of this happened under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Over a hundred onlookers witnessed this scene firsthand. The moment Kru became a ninth-level magic apprentice, the entire Gilded Rose was shaken. The magic apprentices who had been skeptical about the conference content were now vying to inquire about the Hope Elixir from the Gilded Rose.

Among them were those from distinguished backgrounds, who were willing to pay double or even triple the price to obtain a bottle of Hope Elixir immediately. For them, anything that could be solved with gold coins was not a problem.

Unfortunately, this time, gold coins couldn't solve the problem...

Because the old butler had made it very clear that there would be no more Hope Elixirs this month. If they wanted to buy one, they would have to come early next month.

Thus, a group of eager magic apprentices had to leave the Gilded Rose with regret and hope.

Of course, there were those who refused to leave...

These were mostly those whose parents had power and influence, including the children of leaders of powerful factions. They were already accustomed to using their parents' influence to solve problems. Since they couldn't buy the Hope Elixir with money, they naturally had to bring their parents into the picture.

A few of them, who were less patient, directly said they were the sons of so-and-so, demanding that the Gilded Rose prepare a bottle of Hope Elixir for them first, or else...

If Lin Yun were here, he would probably have to entertain them on the spot. There might not be any Hope Elixir, but there would certainly be plenty of glass bottles, and they would be enchanted...

Of course, the old butler wouldn't be so crude. Having served Rog Merlin for so many years, he certainly knew how to handle such situations.

"Since there are so many of you, who should I prioritize? Why don't you discuss it among yourselves?"

After saying this, the old butler left, leaving seven or eight distinguished magic apprentices looking at each other, none willing to yield. This standoff lasted the entire afternoon.

There was no way anyone would give up such an opportunity.

Getting the Hope Elixir a month later meant becoming a ninth-level magic apprentice a month later. Falling behind in one step meant falling behind in every step. All of these individuals came from powerful factions; who would be willing to fall behind others?

As for how these distinguished magic apprentices would resolve the situation, the old butler didn't care. The decision to sell one bottle of Hope Elixir per month was made after discussing with Lin Yun.

Both of them believed that compared to a huge sum of several million gold coins, the reputation of the Gilded Rose was more important. Selling all the Hope Elixirs at once would indeed bring in a large sum of several million gold coins, but the impact would not last long, no more than three months. People would gradually forget about the Hope Elixir and even the Gilded Rose.

After all, the Gilded Rose was still too new. Compared to alchemy shops that had been operating for decades, it lacked both reputation and credibility. The only advantage it had was the Hope Elixir. Therefore, it was necessary to maximize the value of the Hope Elixir.

Selling one bottle of Hope Elixir per month, which brought in only 200,000 gold coins, would create a continuous buzz. Each bottle of Hope Elixir would become a topic of conversation, and just as one wave of interest was about to fade, the next bottle would appear, creating new stories and topics. Combined with the almost miraculous effects of the Hope Elixir, it wouldn't take long for the Gilded Rose to establish a good reputation in Thousand Sails City.

This was far more valuable to the Gilded Rose than several hundred thousand gold coins.

And that's exactly what happened...

With the first bottle of Hope Elixir sold, and Kru successfully reaching the ninth level, the Gilded Rose immediately gained the attention of the entire Thousand Sails City.

Among those who took notice was the Monchi family...

The analysis of the Volcano Elixir and the Ghost Elixir was nearing completion. According to the two great alchemists from the Black Tower, the technical challenges had been largely overcome, and only minor issues remained, which could be resolved with a bit more time.

Initially, Monchi had spent four million gold coins to acquire the Volcano Elixir and the Ghost Elixir, in exchange for the Black Tower's alchemical support for the Monchi family. Now that the analysis of the two elixirs was almost complete, it was time for the Black Tower to help the Monchi family.

The two great alchemists had already shifted their focus from the analysis to helping the Monchi family cultivate its own alchemists and preparing for the opening of the Monchi family's alchemy shop.

However, at this moment, the Gilded Rose held an alchemy conference, announcing the Hope Elixir, which shocked the entire Thousand Sails City.

For the many magic apprentices, this was great news, but for the Monchi family, it was a true disaster.

After the content of the alchemy conference spread, Monchi became increasingly restless. After some thought, he had the two great alchemists from the Black Tower summoned again.

"This is impossible!"

The two great alchemists dismissed the possibility of the Hope Elixir even before hearing the full story.

Seeing that Monchi seemed confused, the two great alchemists patiently explained. According to them, an alchemy elixir that could easily make a magic apprentice reach the ninth level would require materials to enhance magic power. Only such materials could replace meditation and achieve the rapid accumulation of magic power.

Once such materials were added to an alchemy elixir, the cost would not be 100,000 or 200,000 gold coins. A conservative estimate for the Hope Elixir would be over a million gold coins. The Gilded Rose selling it for 200,000 gold coins was a joke.

"A scam, this is definitely a scam!"

In the end, the two great alchemists concluded with absolute certainty.

Just then, the Monchi family's butler, Jonathan, ran in, out of breath.

"Sir... Sir, a ninth-level magic apprentice, really a ninth-level magic apprentice!"

"Panicking like this, what does it look like!" After scolding Jonathan, Monchi put on a smile and saw the two great alchemists off.

Once the two great alchemists were gone, Monchi's face turned completely dark.

"A million gold coins in cost? Ha, did the Gilded Rose's Hope Elixir just appear out of thin air?"

"Sir..."

"Enough, I already know." Monchi cut Jonathan off before he could continue. "Go and find that magic apprentice for me."

"Ah?" Jonathan was taken aback, thinking that his master didn't believe him. He quickly defended, "Sir, that magic apprentice really is at the ninth level!"

"I said, I already know!" Monchi was already frustrated. Seeing Jonathan's urgent expression, he suddenly raised his voice. "So what if he's a ninth-level magic apprentice? Can't you turn him back into a third-level magic apprentice?"

"Yes, yes, I understand..."

After being questioned by Monchi, Jonathan nodded repeatedly and fled the study in a flustered manner.

After dismissing Jonathan, Monchi sat in the study for a while. After about half an hour, he had Ryan called in.

"Ryan, go to the Alchemists' Guild and visit Granjer. Tell him that our Chamber of Commerce Alliance has already investigated and found that the Hope Elixir sold by the Gilded Rose involves serious fraud and has caused very negative effects. Our Chamber of Commerce Alliance believes that the Alchemists' Guild should immediately hold a hearing to investigate the issue. Also, mention that our Bimonthly Chamber of Commerce will soon receive a batch of rare magic materials. If Granjer the Great Alchemist is interested, he can get a good discount."

"Yes, Father."

************** Please give me some recommendations! Don't you want to see me climb a bit higher? The position above is really quite good...