Chương 6: Disciple
Within the cauldron room, Ren stood before the cauldron with closed eyes, engaged in meditation.
Behind him, Julius Denver meticulously observed every nuance of Ren's actions. Armed with a notebook and pencil, he aimed to record any valuable insights gained from observing Ren.
Although Julius was still uncertain about Ren's capability to concoct a Rank 3 pill, he decided to give Ren a chance to prove himself, considering he had failed countless times already.
Other than wasting another batch of ingredients, he had nothing to lose.
"Alright, pay attention. There are a total of seven alchemist ranks in the Empire. An alchemist begins their journey from novice, progressing through apprentice, journeyman, adept, expert, and master, with grandmaster being the pinnacle. Each rank corresponds to different levels of difficulty and expertise."
Having thoroughly prepared his mind through meditation, Ren eventually spoke.
In order to ensure that Julius was thoroughly impressed by him for the sake of his plan, he began to teach him, starting from the explanation of alchemist ranks.
"To advance to Rank three, the journeyman level, not only must an alchemist have a high mastery of mana control, he must possess a thorough understanding of the nature of the ingredients they are working with as well. Without substantial knowledge supporting you, no matter how many times you tried, it will only result in failure in concocting pills of such level. Now, look closely."
After channeling his mana into the rectangular device below the cauldron, blue flames began to emerge from underneath, heating the cauldron up.
Once the cauldron was of the right temperature, Ren proceeded to retrieve a bundle of Salamander leaves and threw it into the cauldron with precise movement.
"According to the recipe, after putting in a bundle of Salamander leaves for two and a half minutes, the next step involves putting in five hundred grams of Sunrise roots. However, this is a stage where many alchemists make mistakes. Due to the nature of Sunrise roots, their alchemical properties reach their peak only during the hour of sunrise. If the roots are used at other times, the alchemist must increase the flame's temperature to thoroughly extract its properties with the temperature of the flame depending on the timing of the day. For an alchemist without a proper master, I bet that you must be oblivious to this fact." Ren smiled.
After pinpointing the significant error in Julius's approach, Ren continued with the concoction of the Greater Fire Resistance Pills with utmost precision. His mastery of alchemy was evident in his timing of every step and control of the flames.
"For an alchemist, being able to multitask is a must! Not only must one have multiple internal clocks counting to the precise second, an alchemist should also have immense focus. If you have trouble doing this, you can practice drawing a circle with your right hand and a square with your left simultaneously to train your focus!"
In Julius's eyes, not a single movement of Ren was wasted. Behind every action of his held a significant purpose and Ren was revealing all that to him.
There was no mistaking it!
The young teenager's skill even surpassed that of Zenova's Alchemist Tower Branch Master!
"How is this possible?"
Julius Denver's jaw dropped as he became captivated by Ren's movement.
He could not comprehend how the young teenager before him possessed such advanced alchemical skills. Not only did Ren display improved and innovative methods that far surpassed current methods, his level of understanding was also monstrously impressive.
After one hour, Ren finally ceased his supply of mana to the cauldron. Drenched in sweat, he weakly instructed Julius to open the cauldron.
"These… These are in perfect condition!" As Julius opened the lid of the cauldron, he uncontrollably screamed.
Seven Fire Resistance Pills, each adorned with three white stripes, rested peacefully in the cauldron.
Ren's eardrums were hurting badly due to Julius's sudden scream, but he did not blame Julius. Flawlessly crafted Rank 3 pills were exceptionally rare.
Regardless of how well-concocted a pill is, it tends to leave a tiny amount of residues in a mage's mana veins upon consumption. Although these residues are minimal, they accumulate over time, and might clog up one's mana veins.
However, a perfectly conditioned pill negates this accumulation.
Thus, among nobles who could afford it, such pills were highly coveted. Frequently, the cost of a perfectly conditioned pill would surge to ten times its original price, and even then it's a sellers' market!
Thuk!
Upon witnessing the perfectly concocted pills, Julius Denver's knees instantly dropped to the ground.
Trembling with excitement, he recognized that his luck had finally taken a favorable turn after forty years.
"M-Master! Please accept me as your disciple!" Julius pleaded with sincerity. Despite the age difference, Ren's talent in alchemy alone is more than enough for him to be a worthy master.
"Hmm… Are you sure? Don't you find it weird that I possess such a high level of alchemy despite being so young?"
Upon hearing Julius's plea, the arc of Ren's lips curved upwards. He had finally achieved his goal to find a front to act on his behalf, but he was not in a rush to agree.
He had Julius dancing right into his palm so he decided that it would be safer for him to test his character.
He was confident that a struggling middle-aged old man would not be able to resist the temptation of seeking him as a master, especially after witnessing his ability to concoct perfectly conditioned pills, even if it required some sacrifices.
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