The Refining Hall in the Eastern City District was Retnin's favorite place.
The apprentices and disciples carried the required materials back and forth. Steam rose from the utensils, and the smell of sulfur and acidic water lingered in the room. Occasionally, the sound of glass bottles shattering and the loud curses of alchemists could be heard. This place was always full of vitality.
Even though he had already been promoted to one of the three chief disciples two years ago and had his own independent alchemy room, the bustling and chaotic hall made it easier for him to burst forth with inspiration. Alchemy was just like this busy scene. When all kinds of substances were mixed together, most of them would become more turbid. Only a few could stand out and blossom with a bright brilliance. The crystal glass was like this, and so was the strong snow powder.
After being burned, melted, and mixed, no one knew that gray sand and black charcoal could be transformed into such a wonderful thing. This was the charm of alchemy. People were no exception. Every year, a large number of new apprentices joined the Alchemist Union. However, only a few of them could shed their rough and dull appearance and become the brightest stars of the Union. Retnin was one of them. It had taken him 34 years to be promoted from an apprentice to a Chief Alchemist Union. Now he was nearly 50 years old and about to reach the end of his life. However, he felt that his life was complete now that he could comprehend the beauty of the sage's study.
However, the recent events in King's City made Retnin feel a little uneasy.
The biggest change was the succession of the king... After Prince Roland hanged Timothy, he had become the unquestionable successor. This had nothing to do with the Alchemist Union. No matter who the king was, they only needed to provide alchemy products. However, when the strong snow powder was given to Timothy as a war material, could they still stay out of it?
King's City had gradually returned to peace, but Prince Roland did not visit the Alchemist Union. Instead, he went to the Astrological Tower, which seemed to be a bad sign.
"Are you still thinking about the Astrological Association?" Someone beside him suddenly said, "It's not like you to be in a daze by the window with a bitter face."
To be able to speak to him so rudely, he must also be a First Seat. He tilted his head and looked at Rayleigh, whose hair was also white. "What do you think … His Royal Highness the 4th Prince is planning?"
"He thinks those guys who stare at the stars all day are wasting money. What else could he mean?" Rayleigh said nonchalantly. "It's a pity that he didn't insist on his opinion. Those people don't deserve to be called sages at all. They should have been dismissed long ago."
As one of the two great schools, the Alchemist Union had planted its own spy in the Stargazer Association. He had heard a little about the purpose of Roland's visit to the Astrology Station. However, he did not know what the chief astrologer had discussed with Prince Roland. In the end, he gave up the idea of closing the Astrology Station.
"What's wrong? Are you worried that the Alchemist Union will also fall to such a state?" He patted Retnin on the shoulder and said, "Don't forget how much profit our products can bring to King's City! As long as the restrictions on the production of crystal glass and perfume are lifted, the Golden Dragon earned in a year or two will be enough to fill up the prince's bedroom. Will he be willing to close the association? "
"But the association will refine strong snow powder for Timothy..."
"So what? Can we disobey the king's order?" Rayleigh snorted. "If he has any common sense in his head, he won't use this as an excuse to blame us. Besides, he also has a large number of snow powder weapons. Didn't he get the formula from the defector Bohr? It's also the Alchemist Union's credit that he successfully conquered King's City. Maybe we'll be rewarded if we give him a better mixture formula. "
"I hope so." Retnin nodded and felt a little relieved. As Rayleigh had said, the Alchemist Union was a big gold producer. Prince Roland might have been caught up in some trifles that he did not come immediately.
Just as he was about to give some advice to the other alchemists, a disciple rushed into the hall out of breath and shouted, "Chief, Chief, His Majesty is here!"
"What? Where is he? "
Following Retnin's exclamation, the noise in the hall suddenly quieted down. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer.
"Above the courtyard." The disciple swallowed and said, "His Majesty came from the sky!"
Retnin and Rayleigh looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. "Tell Chief Archer to come here. The rest of you, follow me to meet His Majesty."
"Yes!"
…
Outside the Alchemist Union, a huge floating ball occupied almost half of the sky. Soldiers armed with snow powder weapons had surrounded the courtyard. After they searched both inside and outside the Union, the floating ball began to descend slowly.
"That should be the device that Prince Roland used to carry the witches to the Astrological Tower," Rayleigh whispered to Retnin. "I didn't expect it to fly."
"Anyway, he's finally here." Retnin was a little relieved. He grabbed Rayleigh's arm and said, "It's okay for us to call him Prince in private, but we have to be respectful when we meet. Even if he doesn't have an enthronement ceremony, he's still the king of Graycastle. Don't be too casual."
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Retnin said with a smile.
The basket landed steadily. A spirited gray-haired man came forward under the protection of the guards. He didn't wear any gorgeous clothes, nor did he wear a crown or scepter, but his every movement had an unquestionable majesty. He was completely different from the incompetent Fourth Prince who was previously rumored to be. Next to him was an old man in a robe. Retnin found the old man looked familiar to him.
"Your Majesty Wimbledon, welcome to the Alchemist Union." Led by the three chief alchemists, the alchemists bowed together.
His Majesty smiled and said, "When I was still in King's City, my father often mentioned you. Crystal glass and perfume are all very popular alchemy products. They are even sold to the Fjord Islands and bring great returns to the palace. So when my father sent me to Border Town, I built an alchemy workshop there. "
"Pfft." Rayleigh almost burst out laughing. Retnin tried his best to control his laughter, but he did not show it on his face. "That's not easy, Your Majesty. There's an old saying that every alchemy workshop is built with an equal amount of Golden Dragon. "
"Really? But I didn't invest much in the Golden Dragon... You should know how barren that place is. At first, I could only build a few wooden sheds as refining rooms. Now it produces many products, including glass and perfume, "His Majesty said in a relaxed manner." So I'm curious about where you spend the Golden Dragon every year. "
"What... what do you mean?" Retnin's heart sank.
"This is my chief alchemist, Mr. Kyle Sichi." Roland pointed to the old man beside him. "He'll be inspecting your alchemy achievements. If you haven't made any new products in the past few years, I think it's better for the Alchemist Union to close. After all, King's City has just gone through a war. Many streets and houses need to be repaired with Golden Dragon. "
His words caused an uproar among the alchemists!
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