Chapter 258
Rudra led them next door to an equally impressive, tall tower. The smell of crushed herbs and sharp ozone wafted from the open windows.
[Tower of Miracles]
[Intermediate Alchemy Tower (Lv. 5)]
[Tower Master: Elysia]
[Vice-Tower Master: Elara]
[- All alchemists working inside this tower receive a 100% increase in Alchemy Experience gain.
- This buff remains active until the user's alchemy mastery reaches the current level of the tower.
*List of Products that can be Produced*
- Health Potions, Mana Potions, Enhancement Stones, Communication Device, Magic Orbs, Strengthening Potions, Agility Potion, Stamina Potion, Intelligence Potions, etc;
- Minerals and Production materials can be transformed or enhanced.
- Due to the presence of a High Witch, the success rate of alchemy is increased by 30% for all products
- Due to the presence of the Craftsman-level Alchemists Elysia and Elara, the success rate of alchemy is increased by 10% for all products and the effectiveness of all alchemy products is increased by 10%.]
A man in dark green robes pushed his way to the front of the group. Vial, the 2nd-ranked Alchemist, stared at the status window of the Alchemy Tower.
An alchemy tower in itself is a rare building, not commonly found in most kingdoms due to the money-burning nature of the alchemy process with very little results in early stages. This causes there to be less than 3 intermediate Magic towers across the continent and only one 1 advanced Alchemy tower, all present in the Empire and the Alchemy tower present in the various kingdoms were only basic alchemy towers.
While the fact that the presence of an Intermediate Alchemy Tower itself was quite a shock to him, the thing that shocked him the most was the last line in the status window introducing the presence of 2 specific alchemist who had actually reached Craftsman Ranking
He was currently stuck at Intermediate Level 2, and he was the second-best alchemist player globally. Seeing two Craftsman-level names casually listed on a building status made his stomach twist with envy. Working in this tower wasn't just a perk; it was an unmatched goldmine that he wouldn’t mind selling his soul to the devil, just so he can join the tower. Plus, studying under Witches—the undisputed masters of alchemy—was a massive advantage.
A woman with long silver hair stepped out of the tower. Elysia carried a clipboard and a handful of glowing green vials. Right behind her walked High Witch Elara.
"My Liege," Elysia greeted, offering a crisp salute. She handed the glowing vials to a passing guard. "The stamina potion quota for the western patrol is met."
"Great work, Elysia," Rudra said. "This is Vial. He's going to be using the tower with you guys."
Vial stared at her silver hair and remembered the name ‘Elysia’. His brain frantically cross-referenced the lore from his alchemist class quests that he had done so far.
"Elysia?" Vial blurted out, completely forgetting his manners. "Every alchemist knows your story. You re-defined the Empire's potion matrix. You were rumored to have been executed for treason!"
Elysia stopped writing on her clipboard. Her silver eyes shifted to the player in the green robes. Her expression turned entirely unamused.
"The Empire writes many convenient lies to cover their own failures," Elysia stated flatly. "They left me to die in a freezing forest. My Liege gave me a new life and a new home."
She tapped her pen sharply against the clipboard.
"If you are working in my tower, you will follow my extraction protocols," Elysia warned. "I do not tolerate sloppy measurements. Understood?"
Vial swallowed hard, instantly intimidated by the strict, legendary NPC. "Y-Yes, ma'am. Absolutely."
Rudra walked a few steps over to the adjacent military courtyard. It was the Alchemy Knight Division.
He looked at the status window of the Alchemy Knight Headquarters
[Alchemy Knight Division]
[Basic Knight Division (Lv. 3)]
[Captain: Elysia]
[Vice-Captain: Elara]
[ - The Division can currently train a total of 30 Knights.
- Alchemy knights receive a 15% increase in potion effectiveness and a 20% increase in poison resistance.
- The effect is permanent as long as the person belongs to the knights division.]
[Knights Division's Passive Skills: Increased Health Regeneration (Medium), Status Ailment Resistance (High).]
[Current Roster: 7 Witches, 3 Sirens and 8 Humans.]
It was the lowest-progressed military branch in the entire city. Dante and Piaro had spent months pushing the regular soldiers and the Sword Knights into the Intermediate tiers, but Elysia's division was lagging behind. She had spent almost all her time sealed inside the Alchemy Tower working on alchemy that she seems to have left Dante to cover her recruits' martial drills and only teach alchemy to them herself.
Elysia walked over and stood near the walls looking at the state of her knights and then thought about the other knight divisions trained by Winfred and Piaro.
She stopped. Her silver eyes narrowed. She clicked her tongue, a sharp sound of intense annoyance. She looked across the city toward the Sword Knight barracks, where Piaro's trainees were currently jogging in perfect synchronization.
Her hand dropped to the hilt of her silver longsword. Her knuckles turned white.
She didn't complain. She just reached into her pocket, pulled out a parchment detailing the week's potion brewing schedule, and ripped it neatly in half. She pulled a charcoal pencil from her belt and started aggressively writing a new, highly punishing martial arts drill schedule for the Alchemy Knights under her command.
Rudra caught the gesture out of the corner of his eye. He didn't say anything, but he smiled. Her quiet competitive pride was a great motivator.
"Last stop for this sector," Rudra called out.
He led the group away from the towers and down a narrow, soot-stained alleyway. The rhythmic, heavy clanging of a hammer against an anvil echoed off the brick walls. The heat grew intense.
Rudra stepped into the open-air forge.
Alex stood behind the main anvil. The beautifully featured half-witch wiped a streak of soot off his cheek and set his hammer down. He offered a warm, welcoming smile to the crowd.
The guild members stopped dead in their tracks.
The men and women in the group simply stared. Alex had long, flowing black hair, flawless pale skin, and striking silver eyes. The half-witch possessed a transcendent, unearthly beauty that easily bypassed normal player models.
Galahad stepped forward, completely forgetting his knightly roleplay. "Uh, hello," Galahad said, his voice suddenly very soft.
Current also took a step forward, trying to run a hand through his hair to look presentable.
Red just stared for a second, his lazy grin turning a little goofy. Gold, the timid berserker, immediately stomps her heavy metal boot down on Red's foot.
"Ow!" Red yelped, hopping on one leg. "Babe, I was just looking!"
"Sir Rudra," Alex said, bowing his head. His voice was soft and polite. "The Bear-clan furnaces are fully installed. We are processing the raw iron ore twice as fast now."
"Love to hear it," Rudra said. He turned to the group. "Tara, come here."
The 5th-ranked female Blacksmith, Tara, stepped out of the crowd. She scanned the smithy, trying her hardest not to look directly at the beautiful person standing in front of it and lose her composure due to Alex’s charm.
"This is our Head Blacksmith, Alex. He is the future Blacksmith Saint," Rudra introduced smoothly.
Tara raised an eyebrow at the term 'Blacksmith Saint', but that thought derailed entirely due to the previous word Rudra said.
He?
Tara could practically hear the sound of hearts breaking from the men standing behind her. Galahad and Current completely froze. Their disappointment was tangible. Red coughed awkwardly and stared very hard at the ceiling.
"My Lord, the Blacksmith Saint is still too high a hurdle for me," Alex said softly, waving his hands frantically. He blushed slightly in response to Rudra’s confidence in him.
Tara frowned. She crossed her arms. "Blacksmith Saint? Don't you mean a Legend? Pagma was a Legendary Blacksmith. I've never heard of a Blacksmith Saint."
“That’s because there has never been a Blacksmith Saint,” Rudra started, ignoring the quizzical looks from the guild members “Basically a Legendary Blacksmith uses legendary minerals to forge legendary items whereas a Blacksmith Saint takes cheap iron and pushes it to rival legendary gear. Of course, a Blacksmith Saint would not be able to handle legendary minerals like a legendary blacksmith that easily. Basically, depending on how they grow, a Saint can be weaker than a Legend, or they can completely surpass one. “
She walked over to the cooling rack. She picked up a plain iron longsword that Alex had recently finished. She pulled a monocle from her inventory and murmured, "Blacksmith’s Appraisal."
[Extreme Longsword]
[Rating: Epic]
[Durability: 999/999 | Attack Power: 660 ~ 715]
[- Attack Speed +15%.
- Ignore 10% of the target's physical defense.
A plain longsword, forged from iron by a blacksmith who had managed to bring out the extreme of the mineral.
Condition of Use: Level 50 or more]
Tara froze.
Her breath hitched.
Tara’s hands started to shake. She carefully set the iron sword back onto the rack, treating it like it was made of fragile glass.
She turned around and looked at Alex. The half-witch was just politely wiping down his tongs.
Tara didn't hesitate. She dropped straight to her knees on the soot-covered floorboards and pressed her forehead against the wood.
"Please teach me!" Tara yelled, her voice echoing over the crackle of the forge fire. "Let me work here! I'll clean the floors! I'll haul the coal! Just let me watch you hammer!"
Alex blinked, completely startled by the sudden display. He waved his hands frantically. "Please, stand up! You don't need to do that! You are more than welcome to use the second anvil!"
Rudra laughed, resting his staff against his shoulder.
The new recruits exchanged numb glances. They were beginning to understand that Genesis wasn't just a top-tier guild. It seemed to be a gathering of monsters.
"Alright," Rudra said, turning toward the door. "Let's go check on the barracks."