Legacy of Hatred

After a quite heavy hit from the cane, the Alchemy Elder suppressed his disciple’s childish excitement and forced his mind to get back on business.

As for the space-ring, the Alchemy Elder obviously had one. After all, items that were rare in the Outer Circles had the habit of being common or even mandatory in the Inner Circles.

Moreover, Horace Rauret hadn’t exactly been a nobody, and those storage items were crucial for experts in his field.

Naturally, there was a specific reason why the Elder had only just decided to wear that relic from his past life, something he couldn’t help but think about while watching his disciple inspecting his new workstation.

The reason had nothing to do with convenience or the Elder himself. It had the same motive as that strenuous training regimen. Liam simply wasn’t and would never be safe, and that in a way that his still-expanding knowledge couldn’t fathom just yet.

Nevertheless, it was pointless to burden Liam with problems he had no way of solving. All his energy had to go into improving. It was up to his more savvy Master to handle those parts and make preparations he didn’t need to know until the right time came.

’How long do I even have with him?’ The Elder wondered wistfully. ’What else can I do for my disciple?’

A sturdy and complete foundation had to come first. Liam had to know the alchemical field like the back of his hand so that he could build advanced skills upon the basics.

Then, Liam needed to master the new frontier to keep solving his core’s unreasonable demands. Moreover, that method had to remain reliable until he became good enough to invent something more fitting on his own.

As for what else, the Elder didn’t know, and the unclear remaining time together didn’t help with that planning. He was only certain that he had to make his disciple as independent as possible as fast as he could.

’Is paranoia taking over me?’ The Elder pondered, memories from the Inner Circles flashing in his eyes. ’No. If those monsters truly are Liam’s enemies, it’s only a matter of time.’

Of course, the Elder didn’t mention that, either. As the Master, that was his burden to bear and handle until the Heavens forced him to pass it to his disciple.

As for whether it was ethically correct to groom a being that was theoretically antithetical to the very Dragon Kingdom, the Elder didn’t care.

The Master-disciple relationship came before whatever the world could suffer. The way the Elder saw it, his disciple had priority over everything else. Such was the solemnity that a vow made by Horace Rauret demanded.

Meanwhile, Liam studied his new workstation. He was sitting cross-legged before two rank 1 cauldrons, his now more expert mind exploring the arrangement’s logistics.

The two cauldrons were right beside each other but didn’t touch, having ten centimeters between them to account for the unavoidable rumblings. That gap was also necessary to fit the log between their curved bases, and things didn’t end there.

A bed of translucent crystals surrounded the cauldrons. Actually, those items stood on top of the spirit stones, the single log linking everything together.

As the Elder had said, that solution was deceptively simple. Even without the previous explanation, Liam could have easily guessed its functioning.

Liam only had two hands and a specific amount of Qi.

Concoctions demanded constant management of the alchemical flame, so one hand always had to stay on the log. Instead, the other had to remain free to pour ingredients.

Liam could probably control two alchemical flames simultaneously, but that would prevent him from doing any alchemy. He simply would have no hands left for the procedure.

Also, Liam didn’t have enough Qi to see both intended concoctions to their end. He could only handle one, maybe one and a half, but not two simultaneously.

Yet, with that arrangement, Liam would only need to set the log aflame and let the bed of spirit stones spread its specific heat evenly to both cauldrons, removing the issue of his limited Qi and limbs.

Of course, Liam would still have to deal with double the ingredients. Actually, not quite, since one cauldron would only feature one item, but the variables would still multiply and come from two different sources.

Nevertheless, the main issue was the heat itself. Ingredients and concoctions required specific flames, so Liam had to find one that could work for both cauldrons and whatever was boiling inside them.

Then, Liam would have to mix the two concoctions into one and finalize the product, all while continuing to manage the alchemical flame.

’This might really work,’ Liam concluded. His trust in his Master had never wavered, but he could accept the method’s feasibility for himself now that he looked at it.

Despite the structural and alchemical issues, Liam saw a workable window, at least when it came to the specific concoction the new frontier was meant to unlock.

’The Boar’s Touch only demands the black flame,’ Liam calculated. ’I need to refine the rank 2 ingredient with it, too, but ...’

The Boar’s Touch had required the best flame Liam could fuel back then, but the high-grade circulation technique had increased that limit, allowing him to fan an even taller fire.

That taller fire was necessary to refine the rank 2 ingredient, but it might ruin the Boar’s Touch. Liam would have to test what the former required and what the latter could handle, finding a compromise that satisfied both.

Naturally, that testing phase would waste more precious ingredients. The expense would be immensely superior with the addition of the rank 2 resource, but Liam had no other option.

When Liam lifted his gaze, his Master knew that the brainstorming had ended, moving the matter to the next order of business.

"Disciple," The Alchemy Elder called. "Which one among the Purple Berry, the Shadow Dust, and the Ghost Rose do you think suits the Boar’s Touch’s recipe?"

Obviously, the Elder already had the answer. He had taken it upon himself to improve that recipe, which wasn’t something an apprentice could do.

Even if Liam got it wrong now, the Elder wanted him to understand the reasoning behind his solution so that he would be able to replicate it on his own at the next bottleneck.

Nevertheless, Liam didn’t hesitate to show the results of his training.

"Master, I’d choose the Ghost Rose," Liam replied.

"Why?" The Elder questioned.

"The Boar’s Touch is a neurotoxin," Liam responded. "The Ghost Rose carries the same poisonous properties, albeit in minor amounts."

The Elder held back a proud nod, choosing instead to wave his sleeve, launching something at Liam.

Liam caught the item mid-air, bringing it under his gaze. The rectangular container featured three flowers, roses to be specific, with grey, nearly transparent petals.

Also, the roses reeked of a specific Qi. It wasn’t a lot, but they were clearly above the average rank 1 ingredient.

Still, before Liam could ask where his Master had gotten that ingredient or what he should pay for it, an order resounded through the cave.

"Start," The Elder said, and Liam put his superfluous thoughts aside, focusing solely on mastering that new frontier.