Chapter 6

When Raymond's heart was filled with anxiety, Lin Yun also found a few cat's eye stones hidden behind the wooden box. After looking around to make sure there was nothing left, he called out to Raymond, "Raymond, come help me."

Without waiting for Raymond's response, Lin Yun took the few cat's eye stones, which were of good quality, and left.

Raymond was left there, dumbfounded. "You want me to help you just like that? Do I know you that well?"

Furthermore, with just a bit of cheap magical material, you actually have the nerve to ask a mage like me to help? What kind of joke is this? Do you think mages are cabbages on the street, two copper coins each?

It can be said that Raymond walked into the Gilded Rose with a belly full of complaints.

"Let's get one thing straight, don't come to me if it's too troublesome. I don't have that much magic to waste. Don't think that mages can just throw magic around. The magic we consume for a single spell is beyond what you apprentices can imagine. Hey... are you even listening to me?"

Raymond complained for a long time but heard no response from the other side, so he looked over curiously.

Then, Raymond jumped up.

"Damn it, what are you doing? Stop it right now!"

When Raymond looked up, he saw Lin Yun shaking a test tube, which contained a thick red liquid, undoubtedly a solution of crimson coral. This scene made the young mage's face pale. The solution of crimson coral was notoriously unstable, and high temperatures and vibrations could cause it to produce intense magical fluctuations. These fluctuations were extremely terrifying, completely disproportionate to the low price of the crimson coral. Once it erupted, it would be a disaster, not just for the alchemy lab, but the entire Gilded Rose would be leveled.

That was a destructive power far beyond the level of a mage, dangerous and powerful.

Over thousands of years, countless people had tried to harness this power. Countless sages had risked their lives, hoping to control this dangerous and powerful force. Unfortunately, after thousands of years, the solution of crimson coral remained an unsolved problem. Those sages either died or were disabled in the accidents.

In the last hundred years, the solution of crimson coral had become a taboo in alchemy. Any apprentice just starting to learn alchemy would be repeatedly warned by their teacher that there were many ways to handle crimson coral, but dissolving it was absolutely not one of them.

Without dissolving, crimson coral was just a common magical material, with average magical conductivity and the ability to release a weak magical force for two to three days. These characteristics determined that crimson coral could only be used as a low-end magical conductor.

Moreover, the production of crimson coral had always been high, often leading to a surplus. Therefore, over the years, the price of crimson coral had been kept low, making it one of the cheapest magical materials in the Noscent world.

But once it became a solution...

Thinking about this, Raymond couldn't help but turn pale. When he tried to stop Lin Yun, his voice even trembled, "Did you hear me? I told you to stop... Damn it, what are you doing!"

Raymond couldn't continue as he saw the bastard shaking the test tube for a while and then starting to truly court death. He... he... he actually lit an alcohol lamp and placed the test tube filled with the solution of crimson coral on it...

If he didn't stop him, it would be a real disaster!

Thinking about the terrifying destructive power of the solution of crimson coral when it erupted, cold sweat broke out on Raymond's forehead. He didn't have time to educate Lin Yun about alchemy; he directly cast a Frost Spell. The abbreviated incantation and mobile casting brought a huge consumption, almost instantly draining a third of Raymond's magic. For a mage, this was almost like losing half his life.

But it was better than losing his entire life. After the huge magic consumption, the speed and power of the Frost Spell far exceeded what it usually did. As soon as the incantation was cast, a bone-chilling cold spread through the spacious alchemy lab. Then, a blue light swirled, and the burning alcohol lamp instantly went out.

And it didn't stop there. After extinguishing the alcohol lamp, the blue light spread like a疯长的藤蔓, first enveloping the test tube filled with the solution of crimson coral, then climbing up Lin Yun's right hand. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yun's entire right hand was frozen.

"Thank goodness nothing happened..." Raymond wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still feeling the lingering fear. If he had come in a few seconds later, the entire alchemy lab would have been blown sky-high. This bastard really didn't know when to stop, playing with the solution of crimson coral. It's one thing to risk your own life, but don't drag me down with you...

After such a scare, Raymond was seething with anger. In fact, with Raymond's strength, he could have controlled the Frost Spell, just extinguishing the alcohol lamp and freezing the test tube. There was no need to freeze Lin Yun's entire right hand.

Yes, Raymond did it on purpose.

This bastard needed a lesson.

Otherwise, he might think that a mere magic apprentice could be treated as an equal by a mage. Think about it, if it weren't for your father, a debt-ridden magic apprentice like you wouldn't even be worth a second glance from me. Let alone giving orders in that tone. If anyone else tried, they would have been turned into an ice sculpture long ago!

I've been putting up with you for too long!

When Raymond cast the Frost Spell, he had already decided to let the bastard freeze for an hour or so. Then, he would show mercy and free him, using a stern attitude to teach him a lesson. This should make the bastard behave for a while. If his father asked later, he could blame it all on the danger of the solution of crimson coral. After all, it wasn't something he made up; the solution of crimson coral was indeed that dangerous. He did it all for the safety of young Merlin...

The more Raymond thought about it, the more satisfying it felt, and the more pleasant his mood became. He didn't even notice that the moment the bastard was frozen, his face didn't show any panic.

This was normal. For Lin Yun, who had witnessed the destruction of the world, a Frost Spell was hardly enough to make him panic. Moreover, this Frost Spell wasn't even an attack. Raymond wouldn't have thought that the person standing there was also a mage, and a mage who had formed a magic vortex in just a few minutes. Although Raymond had become a mage earlier, in terms of true strength, they were not on the same level.

Facing the Frost Spell that consumed a large amount of magic, Lin Yun didn't use any magic to counter it. He just mobilized the magic vortex in his body to form a thin magic shield.

This magic shield was definitely crude, as it hadn't undergone any elemental arrangement, just a simple accumulation of magic. If another mage had done this, the Frost Spell would have frozen both the person and the shield.

But Lin Yun was clearly not an ordinary mage...

The twenty years of survival in the post-apocalyptic world not only gave Lin Yun knowledge far beyond his time but also gave him casting abilities far beyond his time. These casting abilities were unrelated to his level, completely earned through blood and life in the harshest conditions. In the Noscent world of this era, no mage could match Lin Yun in terms of using magic in combat. Time and time again, escaping from the claws of sand beasts, hovering on the brink of death, and countless hunts and being hunted, had made Lin Yun develop a beast-like instinct. He didn't even need to calculate; he knew how to kill his opponent with the least magic.

Just like this magic shield, it looked quite rough, as if it couldn't withstand a spell, but when Lin Yun cast it, it perfectly blocked Raymond's Frost Spell.

Not a bit more, not a bit less, just enough to block it.

As the ice mist dissipated, the magic shield was also exhausted. The thick layer of ice seemed to have frozen Lin Yun's right hand, but it was actually just the magic shield. As the shield disappeared with the exhaustion of magic, Lin Yun just shook his hand, and large chunks of ice fell off...

"Are you kidding me..." Raymond's eyes went wide, unable to believe what he saw. How... how could this be? How could a magic apprentice resist a Frost Spell with just his body? Not to mention a magic apprentice, even a mage couldn't do it. A Frost Spell, though a control spell, was a second-level spell. No mage, no matter how reckless, would use their flesh and blood to resist a second-level spell. What gave this bastard the nerve to do it, and succeed?

No, there must be something wrong here!

That's right...

This bastard, though now down on his luck, is still Rog Merlin's son. When the Gilded Rose was at its peak, it could be described as rich enough to rival a nation. Rog Merlin, who loved his only son so much, even opened an alchemy shop for him to play with. How could he not have prepared some alchemical items for him? Not to mention alchemical items, he might even have magical artifacts!

The Frost Spell must have been blocked by a defensive magical artifact.

Yes, it must be that!

Otherwise, how could this bastard come out unscathed from the Frost Spell?