166 Alliance (1/2)
”Great Mage Merlin, you… You are too modest…” Osul's tone unconsciously became more polite. It was a very small change, but it showed how much Lin Yun's status had changed in Osul's mind now.
After all, in the beginning, Osul was very impatient and felt that Lin Yun was trying to get his attention to become his apprentice.
But now, Osul knew that he had guessed incorrectly.
Because it was no longer necessary.
He still had yet to see this young Great Mage's skill in the field of alchemy, but the technique he'd suggested wasn't something an ordinary alchemist could grasp… No, not just ordinary alchemists, even an Artisan like himself was shocked by this technique.
An alchemist that mastered the Primal Chaos Theory to the point that he could innovate from it... Even if he didn't have many accomplishments in the field of alchemy now, that would only be because he was too young, so he hadn't spent enough time fumbling with research.
Given enough time, a few decades perhaps, it wouldn't be long before he became a Master Alchemist or an Artisan. It would only be a question of when.
How could such an alchemist try to use such opportunistic methods just to become an apprentice?
Thinking of this, Osul couldn't help feeling embarrassed...
His words had been too bad. The other side had most likely seen through his way of thinking and had thus chuckled at him.
”Osul, this Merlin…” After the mana fluctuation appeared in the potion, Jouyi's face was filled with shock. His expression didn't change and it took a long time for this Archmage to recover.
”Jouyi, I really have to thank you this time.” Osul interrupted Jouyi and said with excitement all over his face, ”You can take this bottle of Heaven Awakening Potion.”
”Eh?” Jouyi was all smiles when he heard that. ”Then I won't be polite, Osul. I rarely see you being this generous…”
”Do you even know how to be polite? But I truly have to thank you this time. Had you not brought Great Mage Merlin, I would have certainly thrown this bottle of Heaven Awakening Potion away, and moreover…”
Stopping here, Osul looked at Lin Yun.
”Great Mage Merlin, thank you.” After saying that, under Solomon and Jouyi's dumbstruck gazes, he deeply bowed to Lin Yun.
”Sir Osul, this was truly a small effort, you shouldn't take it so seriously.” Lin Yun hurriedly reached over to help him right himself.
But he hadn't expected that Osul would stubbornly shake his head. ”No, Great Mage Merlin, this might be a small effort to you, but it is very important to me. If you hadn't mentioned it, I might have spent a few decades or maybe even a hundred years before finding out that the Thoradin Catalyst could be compounded in such a way. We are both alchemists, you obviously know how important this knowledge is to an alchemist…”
”I only found out by chance.” Lin Yun smiled and accepted his gratitude.
In fact, Lin Yun knew that the alchemists of this era were like this. Their thirst for knowledge surpassed everything. Knowledge such as what he gave on the Thoradin Catalyst had priceless value to an alchemist.
”Haha, Great Mage Merlin, you are too modest…” Osul shook his head with a chuckle. Although he didn't say much, how could he not know how discoveries would happen in the alchemy world? Any small discovery would have to be made through trials and errors.
'Great Mage Merlin might be showing modesty by saying he made the discovery by accident, but wouldn't it be ignorant to actually believe so?'
Overnight, Osul seemed to have become a completely different person. His impatience and narrow-mindedness had disappeared, and now this Artisan was like a true host, politely receiving his guests, and especially Lin Yun. He was treating him with respect and honor, always asking 'Great Mage Merlin, how is it?' After being urged by Lin Yun quite a few times, he started calling him Merlin, but his tone was completely different from before.
There was no need for Jouyi to convince him anymore; hearing about the Magic Hand's gathering, he immediately volunteered to travel together.
The four men called for two carriages in the small town. Jouyi and Solomon rode in one while Lin Yun and Osul rode in the other, all the way to Oddrock City.
Riding with Lin Yun was Osul's suggestion. This Artisan wanted to discuss various potioneering techniques on the way, and the more he chatted with him, the more he admired his counterpart. It was at that time that Osul learnt that this youngster's knowledge regarding alchemy was even deeper than he had thought. At first, the two probed each other, but in the end, it turned into Osul asking for guidance from Lin Yun.
It was inevitable, as the skills and knowledge that Lin Yun had mastered were far superior to those of this era...
Even if Lin Yun tried his best to avoid spoiling Osul, he would occasionally let something slip out that left this Artisan stunned. Then, he wouldn't stop asking for clarification and guidance and Lin Yun had no other way to quiet him down but to say a few things. Osul benefited a lot from this trip.
Naturally, Lin Yun's gains weren't small either...
Osul was a genuine Artisan, after all. Even if he couldn't compare to Lin Yun in alchemy theory, he had a few hundred years of experience and was like an encyclopedia. All kinds of details, all kinds of practical experiences… These were precisely what Lin Yun, who had top tier theoretical knowledge but not much experience, needed the most. The journey from Lullaby Forest to Oddrock City took about a day, but it was like spending a month in a laboratory for Lin Yun.
By the evening, two carriages stopped outside an ash gray tower.
”Ash Tower?” Lin Yun felt a familiar mana fluctuation. It was the same as what he felt from that Great Mage who died in the Poison Fog Canyon. It seemed to radiate a shocking amount of heat, yet it was deathly silent. Lin Yun knew that this was the Ash Tower's unique Magic Conducting Rune.
”Yes, the gathering of the Magic Hand will be held inside the Ash Tower.” Solomon proudly smiled. As the biggest enemy of the Sage Tower, Solomon would usually fall under siege within a few minutes of entering the Ash Tower.