"Lord Annan, the Mushroom House now has more than a hundred Official Alchemists. I think we can set their benefits according to rank."
In the Council Chamber, Mr. Dunbelly took advantage of the lull before today's inventors arrived to put the proposal to Annan.
"What sort of system?"
"Mr. Dunbelly, do you mean a ranking system?" Idelia knew a little about it.
Alchemists were not Professionals. One defining trait of a Professional was the ability to gain benefits from advancing within their profession. Alchemists, however, had a system of their own.
At the bottom, Alchemy Apprentices could only do odd jobs. What separated them from Junior Alchemists was whether they could reliably brew ten Potions in a row.
Becoming a Junior Alchemist was not difficult, either. Any Mage with a little spare time could dabble in it. But from Intermediate Alchemist onward, it took a great deal of time and effort.
An Intermediate Alchemist was qualified to open an Alchemy Workshop. A Junior Alchemist could open one too, technically, but at that level, succeeding with six out of ten Potions—all of them low-grade—would not even cover the rent, let alone turn a profit.
High-Rank Alchemists could brew high-grade Potions with their eyes closed. They were honored guests wherever they went, held in higher esteem than Archmages, and in some places could even stand as equals with Epic Professionals.
They truly could invent new Potions—not the dubious concoctions "invented" by Crooked Melons and Cracked Jujubes the Annan Dream Fund had attracted, but things people could actually use.
High-Rank Alchemists were so rare partly because the Alchemist Association controlled their numbers, and partly because a prerequisite was the ability to brew most high-sequence Potions alone.
Above them were Grand Alchemists, who stood as equals with legends. There was little point discussing them.