by Zhuang Bifan
He totally could not understand why would this young mage do that.
In terms of relationship, he had been friends with Andoine for tens of years. When Balbo was in Jarrosus, he helped him break through to the Magic Shooter realm. Such a friendship was not trivial. In terms of gains, the Catalytic Potion was something that every mage dreamed of. Both master and disciple had seen the success of the Catalytic Potion with their own eyes. When the gathering ended, Balbo would definitely gift them a few bottles as a welcoming gift. What reason did he have to destroy a benefit that he had already obtained?
On top of that…
He himself was a pharmacist, so how could he not understand what this Catalytic Potion meant to the Pharmacists Guild? This was tens of years of hard work. To destroy somebody else's tens of years of hard work, wasn't he afraid of the reprisal of the Pharmacists Guild?
"This, I think I can explain it…" After confirming that the goblet of red liquid had finally spilled all over the floor, Lin Li then let out a huge breath. He pushed aside two pharmacists that were looking at him angrily while speaking to Balbo with a smile.
"How are you going to explain?" Before Balbo could speak, Elin's eyes were red with fury. It was as if he was consumed by rage. His fair and refined face was twisted. Both of his eyes had a fatal gleam. That ferocious expression seemed like he wanted to swallow Lin Li with a single gulp.
Of course Elin would lose his composure…
A c.u.mbersome problem that had troubled the Pharmacists Guild had been finally solved by him today. It was not exaggerating to say that with just this bottle of Catalytic Potion, it was enough for him to enter the Pharmacists Guild's records. Even if it was hundreds or thousands of years later, pharmacists of the future generations would always remember a person called Elin who was the first to successfully concoct the Catalytic Potion.
This was a chance to be crowned with eternal glory. Who would not be moved by it?
Elin had never imagined that this unfamiliar mage would suddenly appear, shooting out an icicle and destroying his chance at obtaining eternal glory.
In an instant, Elin fell from heaven and straight into hell. How could he not lose his composure?
From Elin's perspective, even if this young mage were to die tens of thousands of times, it would not be enough to compensate for his loss. The composition of the Catalytic Potion was very complex. With the clash of several materials, the changes it would bring about were astronomical. Even if Elin had succeeded once, he could not guarantee that he would be able to succeed again. Furthermore, the successful sample had been destroyed. To him, to concoct another bottle would be equivalent to trying it anew. This might take a year or even his whole life—he might not even concoct another bottle of genuine Catalytic Potion ever again.
Lin Li laughed as if he had never seen such a ferocious glare from Elin. "Actually, I feel that you should thank me."
"…" With these words, Elin almost fainted from anger.
Those tens of pharmacist rolled their eyes.
This… this… Isn't this too shameless?
After destroying the tens of years of the Pharmacists Guild's hard work and Elin's chance to get eternal glory, he still dared to shamelessly ask Elin to thank him. If he could say such things, what else was there that he dared not do?
"I'll kill you!" He had already felt aggrieved, but he did not imagine this guy still dared to make mocking remarks. In an instant, Elin was swallowed by rage. A ball of fire appeared on his hands. That incomparable magical wave almost made everyone feel the blazing aura.
"F*ck…" Lin Li had a shock. This ball of fire's power had surpassed his imagination. The fire magical element contained within could be compared to the magic of an Archmage. Even if it was the present Lin Li, he did not dare to tarry. Mana surged out and formed an Elemental Shield around the surroundings.
Under the protection of the Elemental Shield, Lin Li did not stop. He shot out a Mana Retroaction.
"Eh!" With a release of Mana Retroaction, it was similar to a rock dropping into ocean. That feeling where he could not exert force made Lin Li feel that he had punched air.
This time, Lin Li was completely confused.
Ever since coming to Anril, Lin Li had never encountered something so weird during his countless battles. With Lin Li's mental strength, he could not have possibly failed. It was even more so for him to have seemingly backtracked a ball of air with this release of Mana Retroaction. It had no effect on the other party's spell. He could only look on as that ball of fire grew bigger…
"This is bad…" The Mana Retroaction had missed. Lin Li could only bet everything on the Elemental Shield. He desperately stimulated mana, hoping that this delicate Elemental Shield could help him defend against the blaze that was of the Archmage level.
"Stop him, Balbo. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude." Andoine's complexion changed, and the magic staff in his hand gave off rays of light.
The one under the threat of the fireball was his only disciple. No matter how good Andoine's relationship with the Pharmacists Guild was or how deep his personal friendship with Balbo was, he did not care anymore at this point.
"Elin, stop." Balbo's face was purple with rage. All of this today was simply a farce to him. A gathering that was going well had been turned into a mess by an icicle. He had to stop this farce from continuing.
"Master Balbo…" Balbo had already spoken. No matter furious Elin was, he could only obediently listen to his orders. Even though the flames on his hands had dissipated, the fire in his eyes grew even stronger. When he stared at Lin Li, he wished that he could incinerate Lin Li.
"Ok, we'll talk later if there is anything else." After Balbo stopped Elin, he turned around and looked at Lin Li. "Mage Felic, I hope that you can explain yourself properly."
"Ok, President Balbo." From Felic to Mage Felic. Even a blind person could tell this obvious change in address. Balbo was really angry. Lin Li did not dare to be negligent. His expression became unusually serious. "Firstly, I need to tell everyone that you really were in danger just now…"
"Nonsense!" A group of pharmacists almost sprung up. This kid was really too shameless. It had already come to this point and he still dared to say something so unscrupulous. Could it be that he really thinks that the Pharmacists Guild can be bullied?
"As*hole!" Elin was unable to restrain his anger. He could not believe that there would be anyone so shameless in this world. He had destroyed Elin's chance at eternal glory and even dared to ask Elin to thank him.
"Elin, shut up." Balbo glared at his disciple before forcing out a polite smile. "Mage Felic, please continue."
"I don't care if you admit it or not, but these are all facts." Lin Li smiled apathetically. The reaction from pharmacists was within his calculations. He just turned around and stared at Elin. "What have you added to the potion other than the Leaf of the Origin Tree? Do you dare to say it in front of everyone?"
"Nonsense!" Elin was agitated and his eyes were bloodshot. It was as if he had suffered from a huge grievance, but he could not help but feel uncertain. Nobody knew that he had added something into the Catalytic Potion. Could it be that this unfamiliar mage had discovered something?
"I'm not spouting nonsense, you know it yourself." Lin Li stared at Elin for a while and suddenly laughed. "But it's alright. It doesn't matter if you don't want to say it. I can help you. Helping others is happiness, anyway. I've always enjoyed helping others…"
After Lin Li spoke, he slowly bent down and picked up a shard from the goblet's remnants.
The shard was no bigger than a thumb, and there was red mark on it. Under the the gaze of everyone, it was especially brilliant.
Everyone knew that that mark should be the remnant of the Catalytic Potion.
Chapter 226 - Outburst
"Why don't I perform a magic trick for everyone?" Lin Li spoke while taking a clean goblet from the side. Anyhow, he had already fallen out with this bunch of pharmacists. Lin Li did not inte
nd on being polite with them. After taking the goblet, he turned back and asked rudely, "Oh, yes, who can help me get a glass of clean water?"
The group of pharmacists stared each other. All of them were at a loss for words. The thickness of the fella's face was almost as thick as the city walls of Alanna. Every single one of those pharmacists present was somebody of status and with big backing. To be able to stand there peacefully and watch him perform a magic trick was already giving enough respect. They did not think that this guy was going to ask for a yard after getting an inch. He even dared to ask someone to fetch him clean water. This was simply treating the Pharmacists Guild as the backyard of his house.
"Who would be willing to help you fetch it…" The group of pharmacists had tacit understanding with each other. They stared at the ceiling together. Nobody was willing to care about that thick skinned fella.
In an instant, the atmosphere became really awkward.
In the end, it was Balbo that spoke. He called that middle-aged pharmacist over. "Maxim, get him some water."
"Ok." The President had spoken, so, naturally, Maxim would not dare to neglect it. After nodding, he quickly fetched a glass of water for Lin Li.
"Thank you." Lin Li poured the water into the goblet. At the same time, he put the shard from the goblet's remnants into it. That spot of red remnant started to dissolve in the water. It looked like string that was swimming.
This bit of the Catalytic Potion's remnants was not a lot. After dissolving in the clear water, other than an indistinct shred of red, nobody could feel its presence.
"Ok, everyone please step back a bit." Lin Li carefully placed the goblet on the mithril rack and lit up an amethyst lamp at the bottom to allow the orange flame to gently grill the bottom of the goblet. After doing all those, Lin Li took more than ten steps back. While stepping back, he reminded everyone, "If you are a mage, please use the Spell of Frost. If you are a warrior, please release your combat energy. If you are none of the above, then I wish you good luck…"
The temperature within goblet rose as the small orange flame danced. The calm surface of the water started rippling, and a white smoke started to permeate the air. That indistinct red color started to move vigorously within the water.
The guild pharmaceutical lab was eerily quiet. Everyone's eyes, including Balbo's and Andoine's, were fixed on that glass of water. They wanted to see what sort of magic this young man was trying to perform.
Everyone clearly saw that after moving one round around the cup, the shred of red would dull for a bit. The red string only completely disappeared when the water in the goblet started boiling…
"Boom!"
A loud sound was heard almost at the same time. After that, a dazzling flare bloomed and boiling droplets of water spattered around, producing a "ta ta ta" sound as they struck the table. Countless fine shards of glass were like bullets, scattering around with a shrill.
"…" The few pharmacists that were standing at the front had been frightened. Luckily, they listened to Lin Li just now and drew up frost armor. Otherwise, these fine glass shards would disfigure at least half of them, if not take their lives when they scattered.
"Luckily…" Listening to the crisp sounds produced by the Frost Shield being hit, a few pharmacists simultaneously wiped off their cold sweat. This was too dangerous. The power of that explosion could rival at least a level-five spell. Think about it: struck by the aftermath of a level-five spell without any protection, what would have become of them?
Those in a daze were not limited to just those few. Even those pharmacists standing in the corner that were not struck by the shock wave were also standing there with shocked expressions. Nobody had imagined that this glass of water would harbor such a terrifying strength.
Furthermore, that was just a tiny bit of the Catalytic Potion.
If it'd been that goblet full of Catalytic Potion that exploded just now, wouldn't the whole Pharmacists Guild been blown straight to the heavens?
"Felic, can you explain the theory behind it?" Balbo frowned. His tone was much better than before.
He clearly saw that when the goblet of water exploded, this young mage did not pull any tricks. The thing that'd triggered this explosion could only be the power of the Catalytic Potion.
Seems like this bottle of Catalytic Potion has problems…
"It's very simple, President Balbo." Lin Li smiled and swept off the glass shards stuck to his robe. "You should know the principles of the Catalytic Potion better than me. It's simply concentrating elemental power to high levels and f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y injecting a mage's body through pharmaceutical methods. With these elemental power as the added ingredient, it would stimulate the user's mental strength and mana to the extreme, allowing a mage to exhibit a power that was far greater than his level."
"Yes." Balbo nodded, signaling the other party to continue.
"To achieve this result, the herbs are naturally of high importance. Firstly, let us take a look at the six herbs required for the Catalytic Potion. Dragon Tongue Orchid, Flame Flower, Mind Grass, Frost Vine, Leaf of the Blazing Tree. There's no need to talk about these five; they are all herbs that harbor immense elemental power. In addition, we would still need to add in large amounts of Rainbow Herb. Why does the Catalytic Potion require large amounts of Rainbow Herb? Isn't it for stimulating the mage's potential and to increase his mental strength to the maximum within a short period?
"Therefore, the problem arises." Upon reaching this point, Lin Li paused slightly. "The use of the Rainbow Herb is to stimulate the growth of mental strength. This is common knowledge even among children, but does everyone remember that the Rainbow Herb still has another unique point? It's elemental composition is not stable, especially when it reaches high temperatures. The composition of the Rainbow Herb would undergo a massive change, and this change is the biggest challenge in making the Catalytic Potion."
"Indeed…" The group of pharmacists could not help but nod.
"The difficulty of the Catalytic Potion lies here. When the composition of the Rainbow Herb changes, it would definitely affect the other five herbs as well. With the elemental power they harness, it would become a disaster to anyone when there is an accident." After Lin Li said that, he started to smile. "As for the result of the disaster, I believe everyone has seen it."
This time, even Balbo could not help but nod.
He had indeed seen the result of the changes.
The power of the blast from the glass of water just now was at least like a level-5 spell. If it was a goblet full of Catalytic Potion, it could only be described as a disaster.
"Mr Mage, may I ask a question?" At this time, an aged senior pharmacist stood up from the group. It was just that the way he addressed Lin Li had changed from "Kid" to "Mr. Mage"…
"Please do."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Herman, and I am seventy this year. I've been a pharmacist for almost forty years." This pharmacist called Herman looked very old. He was wearing a robe that was more untidy than Andoine's. "Firstly, I need to admit that Mr. Mage's understanding of pharmaceutics has far surpassed my imagination. I have never seen someone that understands the Catalytic Potion as much as you during these tens of years in the Pharmacists Guild."
"You speak too highly of me."
"However, there is one point which I do not agree with." After Herman said that, he paused. "Based on what you've said, the Catalytic Potion is an unstable entity. A bottle of concocted Catalytic Potion is simply like a plague that can spread at any given time. I think you're exaggerating here. Even though I can't concoct the Catalytic Potion, I've looked through much related information, including a book passed down from the Dark Ages. In this book, there was a record stating that during the Dark Ages, the high elves had kept tens or hundreds of bottles together. If it was as what you've said—that the Catalytic Potion is the same as a disaster—then wouldn't the whole dynasty of the High Elves be in danger at any given time?
"But based on what I know,
during the long last Dark Ages, the Catalytic Potion has not invoked any incidents."
"Yes, yes, yes, Mage Felic. How would you explain this question?"
Herman's words seemed to have represented the thoughts of all the pharmacists. After his words were said, they immediately received the response of the audience.
"This question…" Lin Li laughed, and turned around to look at Elin. "I think we would have to ask Mr. Elin."
"Elin?"
"Mr. Elin's creation is more unique. He added the Leaf of the Origin Tree into the Catalytic Potion. I have to admit, this method would allow the six herbs to fuse better, and it would also decrease the chances of an accident happening the most. But, I think Mr. Elin seemed to have forgotten something. While the Leaf of the Origin Tree would allow the six herbs to fuse better, it would also allow all sorts of elemental power to permeate each other. Then, it would cause the elemental power to overflow during the process of permeating… Mr. Elin, do you know the meaning of overflow?"
"…" Elin's was livid and turned around; he pretended not to hear what Lin Li said.
"Seems like Mr. Elin understands…" Lin Li was upset, but it did not affect his mood. After jeering at Elin, he starting speaking eloquently, "The overflow of elemental power is indeed a very troublesome issue. It's something that Mr. Elin knows as well. A solution must be thought of to prevent such a situation from arising. It's just that he came up with the wrong solution. He used the Spirit Addiction Leaf to block the overflowing elemental power.
"Speaking of the Spirit Addiction Leaf, I would have to add…" Upon reaching this point, Lin Li looked at Elin while smiling from ear to ear. "Mr. Elin, you really are an idiot. When the elemental power overflows, you should immediately realize that this would cause a serious incident instead of thinking of a way to block it. Look at what you've used to block it? Spirit Addiction Leaf!"
"What's wrong with the Spirit Addiction Leaf?" Elin asked in a vexed manner.
"What's wrong with the Spirit Addiction Leaf? Since you've asked me in this way, it seems like I really underestimated how thick-skinned you are, Mr. Elin. The Spirit Addiction Leaf is one of the most basic magic materials. It could use the fastest rate to absorb elemental power. If I'm not mistaken, you used the Spirit Addiction Leaf to absorb the overflowing elemental power, right?
