Chapter 112

The grand Alchemists and Physicians Exchange began with the alchemists and physicians entering first, followed by the imperial royal family and nobles, as well as distinguished guests from the Sheri Hall, who then took their seats.

The seating arrangement is clearly defined.

For example, renowned alchemists, physicians, and royalty would be led by attendants to sit in the front row.

The auction hall's seating is arranged in a semi-circle, with an aisle in the middle and designated areas on both sides. The display stands are located at the very front of each row of seats...

The auction venue was large enough and had been set up for almost seven days, with all the equipment inside being nearly brand new.

The fact that the Saint Airo Empire entrusted this grand event to the Ed Merchant Guild demonstrates the importance it places on the matter.

On the day the exchange meeting began, the carriages stopped and started at the entrance of the auction house.

--The first to arrive were mostly alchemists and healers.

Among them were many renowned alchemists who achieved fame early in their careers, as well as truly talented and gifted alchemists in their later years. There were also some who, despite their reputations, masquerade as masters to swindle money...

As for the doctors, their status at the conference was not high, and none of them were particularly famous.

In the auction house, the renowned alchemist master Chipman Norton had already taken his seat at the head of the alchemy section.

He was a middle-aged man with a serious expression and ordinary appearance.

But both his clothing and appearance exuded a meticulous air; his bow tie was neat, and his hair, streaked with a few strands of white, was completely combed back, perfectly sleek...

Even from the details alone, it's clear that Chipman Norton is a meticulous man, especially when it comes to alchemy, where he is extremely dedicated and obsessed with his research.

This is no secret within the Alchemy Association, and it's one of the distinctive features that makes Chipman Norton famous.

In addition, he received financial assistance from the Ed Merchant Guild to study any expensive alchemy— Chipman Norton was the most valued alchemist master of the Ed Merchant Guild.

His talent was primarily manifested in the making of potions and ointments.

This inevitably leads to comparisons with the Desinia lords, who also possess a talent for crafting potions and ointments.

Especially since the latter had developed herbal remedies for coughs and fevers, as well as ointments for treating wounds and ulcers, earlier than Chipman Norton.

After that, they introduced many amazing things in their territory and within the Thorn Merchant Guild.

Examples include new types of paper, movable type printing, bricks, asphalt concrete pavement, white sugar, and cement concrete pavement.

It can be said that the achievements of the Lord of Desinia alone surpass those of the vast majority of alchemists, not to mention that he is the master of the entire Desinia Territory.

From a minor count in Visas to now encompassing the territory that originally included the small kingdoms of Gadayat and Gaina...

Everyone was horrified at this thought.

This lord of Desinia is truly remarkable.

How old was he when he conquered the Kingdom of Gadayat? And how old is he now?! -- How can he possess such a vast territory at such a young age?!

The more they recalled the events surrounding this Lord of Desinia, the more shocked and astonished they became. They were amazed that Desinia not only possessed incredible luck, as if blessed by the Creator God, but also had outstanding alchemical talent...

Some people admire him, while others are jealous or even doubt whether Desinia's achievements were actually the result of his research alone.

After all, this lord possessed a specially built Alchemy Tower within his territory, and had gathered many talented alchemists several years ago.

If someone were to take someone else's research findings and claim them as their own... that would truly be despicable.

Such rumors spread quietly, full of malice, and led some uninformed people to believe them—they thought that the reputation of the Desinia alchemists as geniuses was just an exaggeration and a hollow reputation.

Two other alchemical prodigies, also young, are quite well-known within the Alchemy Association.

One was Yinke Ken, who specialized in creating the Philosopher's Stone, a holy medicine that could cure any disease; the other was Feilifu Kiel, whose research focused on converting any metal into gold.

The ultimate directions that alchemical research leads to are generally these two. Although there may be many disagreements or differences in details during the process, they will eventually return to the same "end point".

Cyrus publicly claimed that everything he studied was "alchemy," but in the eyes of alchemists who were steadfastly pursuing these two directions, his alchemy research had actually deviated quite a bit.

Therefore, opinions about Cyrus within the Alchemy Association are almost polarized.

Some people were skeptical of Cyrus's identity as an alchemist, including Feilifu Gil.

Because alchemy was never something that nobles could thoroughly study. They might provide financial support, but they couldn't persevere in their arduous research until they achieved pleasing results.

Nobles are all about luxury and pleasure.

They prioritized a more comfortable and leisurely life, rather than spending their days in alchemy labs torturing their precious hands and bodies with tools and potions...

Feilifu Kiel came from a poor background, but he was fortunate enough to be taken in as an apprentice by an alchemist. Even more fortunate was his talent for alchemy, which caught the eye of his alchemist teacher, allowing him to become famous in the Alchemy Association.

But everything he painstakingly sought and cherished, Desinia possessed: his status, wealth, fame... everything about him was the envy of all.

Feilifu Kiel admitted that he was somewhat jealous.

His more plausible guess was that some alchemical achievements were not necessarily the work of this Lord of Desinia...

Feilifu Kiel sat in the alchemist's section of the auction house, next to Yinke Ken, who shared a similar reputation for genius.

He glanced at the other man and said in a low voice, "Do you think the Lord of Desinia will sit here with us, or among the nobles?"

Yinke Ken frowned and replied, "You'll know when this lord arrives."

He didn't seem to want to talk.

But Feilifu Kiel insisted on chatting with him, saying, "Have you heard about the hunting competition at the Boer Mountain Hunting Grounds a few days ago?"

"When the Lord of Desinia's beast injured someone, it was actually the eldest prince who led the injured viscount to the Sheri Hall to apologize and give them a lot of gifts."

Upon hearing this, Yinke Ken looked at him and said, "Didn't someone say that the viscount deliberately brought people to kill the Lord of Desinia's beast under the guise of hunting? Otherwise, why would the eldest prince have gone to the Sheri Hall with him?"

The eldest prince is an upright person.

If it truly was a wild beast that injured someone, then the Lord of Desinia should be held accountable, and the viscount should certainly not be forced to apologize to the Lord of Desinia.

Moreover, the viscount rarely appeared after that; it was said he stayed home all day without venturing out.

Feilifu Kiel: "This lord's status is equivalent to that of a king. His Black-and-White Cavalry alone are not something other countries can easily provoke, and now he's caught up in this grand alchemical event..."

"The empire naturally prefers to avoid trouble. In my opinion..."

"Shut up."

Yinke Ken frowned. "You really dare to blurt out anything, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble? The Lord of Desinia has nothing to do with you, so stop gossiping here."

Feilifu Kiel scoffed, saying he was a coward, but there was no one else around, so what was the harm in saying it?

Unexpectedly, Yinke Ken pursed his lips and said, "I'm only telling you this because you're both alchemists. I plan to travel to the Desinia Territory after the exchange meeting."

He had some acquaintance with Feilifu Kiel within the Alchemy Association, but it wasn't very deep.

This time it was Feilifu Kiel's turn to frown.

He said with dissatisfaction, "Why don't you consider Master Norton?"

"He's a truly skilled alchemist, and the Ed Merchant Guild is now fully supporting him. He won't have to worry about connections or financial assistance. Who knows if that Desinia lord's abilities are genuine..."

Yinke Ken didn't tell Feilifu that the reason he was going to the Desinia Territory was because he had met an alchemist who was conducting research in the Desinia Territory's Alchemy Tower, and through their conversation, he learned what kind of place it was...

He believed the rumors of the Desinia lord's talent and thought he could thrive in the Alchemy Tower.

Yinke disagreed with Feilifu's statement.

Feilifu also disagreed with Yinke's idea of going to the Desinia Territory.

So the two stopped talking and turned their heads away indifferently. By this time, almost all the alchemists and healers who had come to participate had arrived.

Movement began to emanate from the area where the nobles resided.

A waiter's voice came from the doorway, Feilifu, keenly noticing the word "Desinia," immediately snapped back to reality and looked—

A young man dressed in exquisite and noble attire walked in through the auction house doors. Perhaps because the auction house was well-heated, he soon took off the cloak he was wearing and handed it to the butler standing beside him.

Without the cloak, he was still wearing a sharp black overcoat draped over his upper body, the overcoat hanging down to just above his knees. Underneath the overcoat was a white shirt and a burgundy vest, which accentuated his slender waist.

He casually slipped one hand into the side pocket of his trousers, his handsome face framed only by a pair of round-framed glasses over his left eye, a thin gold chain dangling from his ear...

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Feilifu stared blankly as he watched him slowly walk toward the alchemists' area. Suddenly, his ears and cheeks turned red, and he nudged the person sitting next to him.

"What are you doing?!"

Yinke thought he was going to cause trouble.

"That... that one is the Lord of Desinia?!" Feilifu said gruffly.

Yinke glanced at it and nodded. "That's right."

Seeing that Feilifu was only staring at the Lord of Desinia and not answering, he didn't understand what was going on. Just as he was about to turn his head, he heard Feilifu speak.

"You're right. I was too narrow-minded before. I need to think about whether or not to accept the Ed Merchant Guild's invitation. We can discuss it in detail after the exchange meeting..."

Yinke was baffled. Who wants to talk to you?!

At this moment, Cyrus sat down not far from Chipman Norton, the master alchemist.

He whispered to Judas and Ferdinand, who were standing behind him, "In a moment, count for me how many alchemists and physicians are attending this conference..."

"After the exchange meeting, the Ed Merchant Guild will pay special attention to the talent it seeks to recruit..."

"Yes, lord," the two replied in hushed tones.