Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

Chapter 69: Pills vs. Potions

"Master Volo? Isn't he the head of the Alchemist Guild? I didn't expect him to come as well."

"Being a Nine-Star Alchemist does give him a lot of prestige, but so what? We're the ones who think that's impressive. Isn't there a Nine-Star Alchemist kneeling here, begging to become the boss's disciple?"

"True, the only reason Lace became a Nine-Star Alchemist is because of the pills the boss gave him. While Volo is also a Nine-Star Alchemist, he can't compare."

Upon hearing the discussions around him, Volo looked surprised at Lace, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"Are you a Nine-Star Alchemist?" Volo asked with suspicion.

Lace nodded respectfully, "Yes, Master Volo. I am Lace. I became a Nine-Star Alchemist just last night."

Even though he was now a Nine-Star Alchemist, Lace couldn't compare to Volo, whether in skill or status.

"I heard that a new Nine-Star Alchemist had emerged among humans. I didn't expect it to be you," Volo said, still looking at Lace with some astonishment.

"But you're kneeling here, despite being a Nine-Star Alchemist. Do you truly intend to take Sylvus as your master?"

Although Lace couldn't rival Volo, there were only a handful of Nine-Star Alchemists across the entire continent, meaning Lace was at the pinnacle.

Wherever he went, he would receive the highest honors.

Yet, despite all this, he was kneeling before the owner of the shop, which left Volo incredulous.

"Master Volo, indeed, I wish to take the boss as my master. Thanks to him, I became a Nine-Star Alchemist. And in my eyes, pills are far more powerful than the potions we make as alchemists," Lace said seriously.

"Are you saying that potions are useless?" Volo asked, anger seeping into his voice.

"Once, I had great respect for the profession of alchemy. That's why I became a Nine-Star Alchemist. But now, after discovering the true power of pills, which not only outperform potions but also come without the side effects, I've decided to pursue them instead," Lace explained.

His point was simple: in the past, he had no choice but to focus on alchemy. But now he did.

"So you're saying that alchemy is meaningless to you now?" Volo asked coldly.

Lace remained silent, knowing that continuing to argue with Volo would be pointless.

"Fine. If you claim that pills are better than potions, why don't we compete to see which one is truly superior?" Volo snapped.

Lace frowned slightly. He didn't know much about pills, so how could he compete? He turned his gaze towards Sylvus.

At that moment, Sylvus was nonchalantly eating sunflower seeds, clearly uninterested in getting involved.

However, noticing Lace's pleading look, Sylvus spat out the seed shells and calmly asked, "Can your potions fully heal Mondo?"

Volo hesitated for a moment, clearly stumped by the question.

If his potions could fully heal Mondo, he wouldn't be here in the first place, nor would he have been arguing with Lace.

"My potions can't, but I doubt your pills can either. If you've got the guts, why don't we settle this with a contest?" Volo said.

"A contest? I have no problem with that, but there should be a wager," Sylvus responded with a slight smile.

"A wager? What do you want to bet?" Volo asked, feeling a growing sense of unease.

"It's simple. If I use a pill to cure Mondo, then you and your Dwarven clan will help me forge something," Sylvus said with a smirk.

He wanted to create a special artifact, something beyond his expertise. The dwarves, being masters of forging, would be perfect for the task.

"And if I win?" Volo asked, now even more cautious.

"If you win—which is highly unlikely—I'll give you this," Sylvus said, and with a thought, a small silver hammer appeared in his hand.

The crowd looked on, confused. It seemed like an ordinary smithing hammer.

But suddenly, Ronald, a dwarf, gasped in shock, "This… This is the legendary Hammer of Forging! How did it end up in your hands?"

Everyone turned to Sylvus with astonishment and disbelief.

"How I got it isn't important. The question is: do you dare to take the bet?" Sylvus said, stowing the silver hammer back into his pocket.

Ronald and his six companions exchanged confused looks, and finally, their eyes fell on Volo. Naturally, Ronald didn't want to bet. After all, they had already seen the forging hammer, and they could simply take it by force. With their strength, they had more than enough capability to do so. Moreover, Boone had already said that he wouldn't interfere in this matter.

Even if they snatched the forging hammer from Sylvus, Boone wouldn't be able to say anything.

But Volo was different. He was the president of the Alchemist Guild. Now, Sylvus had issued a challenge to him. If they resorted to stealing the hammer, Volo's reputation would be ruined, which would be a tremendous loss for the dwarf race.

"We'll take the bet!" After a few seconds of weighing the pros and cons, Ronald nodded, and Volo also spoke up in agreement.

"Alright, but before that, why don't you head to the back of the line?" Sylvus smiled slightly, waved his hand, and the seven were instantly transported away. When they reappeared, they found themselves at the end of the alley.

"This... how is this possible? Could this man be a spatial mage?" Ronald's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise as he saw the hundreds of people in line ahead of them. The seven of them were top-tier warriors, yet they hadn't sensed anything before being teleported here. Just what kind of mage was Sylvus?

"This person is not weak. No wonder Boone didn't want to provoke him. Your Majesty, perhaps you should return. I can stay here and wait in line," Volo said in a serious tone.

"Hmph, no need. It's just a queue. Today, I must get the forging hammer!" Ronald snorted coldly.

Although he was also feeling a bit humiliated, there was nothing he could do. For now, they couldn't act against Sylvus, especially since he was a spatial mage. If they used force, Sylvus could escape, and they wouldn't even catch a glimpse of him.

Ronald didn't leave, and naturally, the others didn't either. Thus, the seven stood quietly in line, slowly inching closer to the small shop.

Meanwhile, Sylvus lay leisurely in his chair, eating sunflower seeds and humming a little tune, thoroughly enjoying himself. As for Laise, he was promptly turned away by Sylvus. Since he wasn't skilled in alchemy, becoming his apprentice would be pointless. Disappointed, Laise left soon after.

Time passed, and three hours flew by quickly. Ronald and his group were now only a dozen people away from the front of the line, and it seemed they would reach the shop soon.

"Business hours are over for today. We will continue tomorrow morning." At this moment, Meylan spoke up, starting to tidy up and preparing to close the shop for the day.

The people in the alley didn't seem too surprised. Many of them were disappointed, but they all knew this was the rule of Sylvus's shop. However, things were different for Ronald and his companions. They had waited nearly all day and were just about to reach the front of the line. Now, they were being told the shop was closing?

"Sylvus, what do you mean by this? Are you afraid and trying to run away?" Ronald said coldly, glaring at Sylvus.

Ronald's voice caught the attention of the others, and many people looked at him like he was a fool.

"Has he really not heard? Sylvus's shop only opens for three hours each day, and he dares to cause trouble without even knowing the rules?"

"This has always been the rule since the day Sylvus opened his shop. If you want to cause trouble, at least do your homework and come early."

Hearing these remarks, Ronald frowned slightly. Sylvus smiled faintly.

"When it's your turn in line, we'll discuss the bet. After all, Mondo won't die overnight."

"Damn it! You're just messing with us!"

Ronald finally couldn't take it anymore. His powerful aura exploded. The strength of a Nine-Star Saint Knight sent shockwaves through the crowd, startling everyone in line.

Sylvus squinted his eyes slightly. He knew Ronald wouldn't be able to hold back for long. With a cold snort, he spoke a single word: "Kneel."

"Boom!" The moment Sylvus's words fell, Ronald, who had just unleashed his power, felt his heart tremble.

In the next second, under the shocked gazes of everyone around, Ronald's legs gave out, and he knelt down, causing the ground beneath him to shake.

"What... what's happening? Did I really just kneel?" Ronald shouted in surprise as he knelt on the ground.

He hadn't done anything, yet his legs completely disobeyed him, forcing him to kneel.

Volo and the other six were stunned when they saw Ronald kneeling. They couldn't help but take a deep breath, their eyes filled with shock. As a Nine-Star Saint Knight and the king of the dwarves, how could Ronald be kneeling?

This kneel symbolized the entire dwarf race bowing down to Sylvus. If word of this got out, the dwarf race would surely become a laughingstock.

"Quick, help His Majesty up," Volo hurriedly said.

Two Saint Knights from the dwarven race rushed to Ronald's side, attempting to lift him.

But they were soon dumbfounded! With all their strength combined, they couldn't move Ronald an inch. His legs were like they were anchored to the ground.

"Your Majesty, can you stand up by yourself?" one of them asked with a frown.

Ronald gritted his teeth. If he could stand up by himself, would he still need their help?

"Sylvus, what did you do to our king?" Volo's gaze shifted toward Sylvus.

It was just after Sylvus had uttered the word "kneel" that Ronald fell to his knees.

"I didn't do anything. I just made him kneel," Sylvus said with a smile.

"You... do you realize this means you're declaring war on the dwarf race? If you undo this spell now, we might leave you with a whole corpse!" Volo said through gritted teeth.

"Then don't leave me a whole corpse," Sylvus said indifferently.

He didn't pay any further attention to Volo, turning and walking back into the shop. Meylan glanced at Ronald, still kneeling on the ground, and couldn't help but click his tongue.

The boss was indeed the boss. He had thought the boss only targeted princes, but it turned out that even the dwarf king was no exception.

No wonder Boone didn't dare provoke Sylvus.

"Your Majesty, this must be a powerful spell. I'll go find someone to break it," Volo said hurriedly.

With his status as a Ninth-Rank Alchemist, it would be easy to request the help of a Mage Emperor.

Ronald's face remained dark, and he didn't speak. As the leader of the dwarves, he had knelt outside a human's shop today. If word of this reached the dwarf kingdom, many would surely be unhappy with him.

Soon, Volo left to find help, while the other five guarded Ronald. News of what had happened quickly spread to the royal palace.

When Boone heard the news, he was left dumbfounded.

"What did you say? The dwarf king knelt to Sylvus?" Boone asked in astonishment, staring at the messenger.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I saw it with my own eyes. The dwarf king Ronald is still kneeling outside Sylvus's shop."

Boone took a deep breath, feeling a chill down his spine. He was thankful he hadn't gotten involved in this matter. Otherwise, it would've been him kneeling outside the shop.