85 Loss of Reputation (1/2)

Although Hawkins had been a Great Alchemist for many years, it was clear that he was still far from advancing to become a Master Alchemist.

And let alone Hawkins...

Even other Great Alchemists who were senior to Hawkins such as Bassoro, Granger, or even Cadgar were far from being at that level. In Thousand Sails City, only Thorpe and Lys were close to that realm.

With Hawkins' current level, challenging this difficult formula would only end in tragedy.

True enough, Hawkins was quite pitiful at this moment...

He had been in a hurry to deal with Faleau. After all, what kind of complicated question could an Alchemist come up with? He planned to solve it quickly and then leave, but he ultimately ended up in a bind. 'Damn, is this really the kind of knowledge an Alchemist can come into contact with? Are you kidding me?'

It wouldn't be that bad if Faleau were a Great Alchemist, as in that case he could have just said that he couldn't solve the issue. So what if he couldn't solve it? He could just throw the problem back, and since Faleau couldn't either, it could have easily been put aside if no one could solve it.

The problem was that Faleau was an ordinary Alchemist.

This was truly annoying.

An Alchemist asked for pointers from a Great Alchemist on a formula he had issues with. Wouldn't it be shameful to throw the problem back after being unable to solve it?

Hawkins felt his heart grow cold.

What could be done… If the stalemate persisted, would he really have to stay the night as Faleau said? That would be such a huge joke, yet the people of the Gilded Rose even prepared a blanket!

'But if I can't get out of this stalemate, wouldn't I have to admit defeat to an Alchemist? Me, an esteemed Great Alchemist? If this spread, how could I have any reputation left…'

Hawkins felt like he was like a slice of meat on a barbecue: regardless of which side was on the grill, he would still be roasted.

Beads of sweat accumulated on Hawkins' forehead as time passed. He finally stopped calculating and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Over a hundred completely filled pages had fallen near his feet as he was already sinking in despair due to that formula. That simply wasn't a problem he could challenge. Hawkins was now only thinking of finding a way to escape this predicament, and as for that formula…'To hell with it!'

In the end, an entire five hours passed.

But none of the remaining onlookers were willing to leave, as they all felt that a rare, amusing show was unfolding.

Since matters reached this point, even the most slow-witted onlookers could see that the Great Alchemist Hawkins might end up like a fool.