Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The legendary mage wanted to talk to Lin Li alone; who’d be insensible enough to intrude? Although the guests were curious, they had to disperse... albeit slowly. At the instruction of the Castellan, a servant came shortly to pick up Bathrilor, who was still in a coma, and soon the banquet hall was restored to its previous state.
The crystal chandeliers still emitted the soft light, and the music still sounded soothing and gentle.
The fatty continued to introduce his daughter to Kevin; the aunty with the full bosom continued to speak coquettishly; the mercenary guests were still working hard to secure their personal gains, and deals were picked up where they were left off previously.
It was as if the prior chaos had never happened before, and everything was back as it used to be at the beginning.
A few folding screens separated the quiet corner which was slightly dim under the hazy crystal lights, providing a suitable place for guests to talk about confidential matters. The old and young each found a chair to sit, and when they were about to speak, they were embarrassed to discover that there were others in the secluded corner. For a moment, both of them were stunned.
The tears had dried on Rowling’s pretty face. Before the startled eyes of both men, she called out timidly, “Grandpa Grimm.”
“Heh heh, so it’s little Rowling.” Old Grimm’s smile was amiable, and the eyes that looked at Rowling were affectionate and kind. “Come, tell Gramps, why are you sitting here alone?”
Rowling glanced at Lin Li with a complex expression on her flushed face and said softly, “It’s too noisy outside, I wanted to be alone...”
“Heh heh, then come and sit with Grandpa Grimm.” Old Grimm had taught Rowling some knowledge of pharmacy because of his friendship with her grandfather, but he was caught up with something else and did not have the time to teach her anymore. Nevertheless, he had always liked this little girl who was proficient in medicinal skills. He had even had the idea of bringing her into the Pharmacists Guild.
In Old Grimm’s mind, he was about to advise Lin Li anyway. It might be better to have the little girl sit in and listen as well, perhaps she could learn something. Despite his intentions, Old Grimm still asked Lin Li politely for his opinion. “Kid, is it okay with you?”
“Okay...” Since the old man had already spoken, Lin Li would not refute him in his face. Furthermore, it was not a secret matter; there was no harm letting Rowling listen to it.
Lin Li shifted his chair to make room for Rowling. The three of them sat down again around the table. Old Grimm then nodded at Lin Li and signalled that he could ask his questions.
“Please have a look at this bottle of Sobriety Potion.” Lin Li pulled out a blue glass bottle from his pocket and passed it across to Grimm Burnside.
“Mm...” Old Grimm took the glass bottle. He removed the cap and brought the bottle close to his nose, taking in a slight whiff.
Then, Rowling, who had been sitting there quietly, noticed the look on Old Grimm’s face changed at once. It was a look of disbelief, as if what he had seen was not a blue glass bottle, but an elephant bitten to death by an ant.
“This is impossible. Is this really the Sobriety Potion?” Old Grimm’s eyes were wide open; he looked at Lin Li with a face full of doubt. “What’s added in it?”
“Some netherbloom, and a little dracaena grass.” Lin Li scratched his head, his expression troubled. “Recently, I have been trying to increase the concentration of the Sobriety Potion. In order to make the Sobriety Potion possess a higher degree of purity, I’ve tried over 30 kinds of herbs. In the end, I realized that if I mix netherbloom together with the dracaena grass, I’ll get a similar effect. But...”
“But what?” Old Grimm was anxious at this point. He was a mage, so he knew very well what a concentrated Sobriety Potion would mean to mages—a longer time to cast a spell and a faster recovery of the mana.
The Sobriety Potion had been criticized for its short-lived effects; a bottle of Sobriety Potion could only last for ten seconds. Hence, even within the Pharmacists Guild, very few people would make the Sobriety Potion. Even if they occasionally did concoct one or two bottles, they were usually given as alms to the Guild of Magic.
When Lin Li said that he was “trying to increase the concentration of the Sobriety Potion”, Old Grimm wanted to talk him out of it. The same attempts had been made by the Pharmacists Guild, but no one had achieved anything so far.
The potion itself was an extremely sensitive thing. All kinds of conflicting medicinal properties maintained a delicate and fragile balance in a small bottle of potion.
In particular, prescriptions like the Sobriety Potion, which had been passed down from the Dark Ages, had long been proven ones that could not be improved.
So, Old Grimm was completely stunned when he opened the bottle cap. Just this bottle of Sobriety Potion was enough to subvert the knowledge of most pharmacists.
He had always thought that the genius pharmacist in the words of Andoine’s mouth was merely a young man with a gift in pharmaceutics; perhaps a little more gifted than Rowling, but definitely not by much, since Rowling was a rare talent after all.
However, when Lin Li had finished his sentence, Old Grimm realized that he had been wrong, and he was ridiculously wrong at that.
This young mage, Felic, was not a genius at all, but a potion master who had already achieved great success. He even had a good chance to surpass the mastery level in a very short time.
It was then that Old Grimm understood why this young mage Felic had been so brazen earlier to want to discuss with him...
... He was really qualified to do so. Lin Li had no intention to be an apprentice, nor had he thought of asking for advice. He simply considered Old Grimm as a peer for discussion.
After he had straightened out the matters, Old Grimm could not help feeling his face burn despite having lived for over a hundred years... It felt as if he had rushed forward with excitement but was suddenly slapped in the face. The embarrassment mingled with a sense of loss, so the look on Old Grimm’s face was extremely complicated.
But Old Grimm was not like those young people in general. He had already lived for a hundred years and learnt to take things easy. That endless embarrassment was soon forgotten by him, and he turned his attention to discussing the Sobriety Potion with Lin Li.
However, this time, Old Grimm did not dare to treat him as a junior who needed advice, but a potion master who was qualified for a discussion together.