Chapter 158.1: The Tripartite Expedition (1)

158 Part 1

Return of the 8th Class Mage

Chapter 158 The Tripartite Expedition (1)

Ledio gulped at Baion’s words. How can a book make a third-class alchemist to a first-class? Any alchemist would want to lay his hands on it. Ledio’s heart began to beat faster, and his lips became dry. He even began to feel parched.

“How, how can that be possible?”

Ledio asked while trying to keep still his shaking hands and fast-beating heart.

“Alchemy is not a field where you can simply create whatever you want just by putting together ingredients. You need to do precise measurements, have to have the experience to confirm the status of the herbs that change by the second, and have to be born with a sharp eye…”

“Yes, you need all that. However…”

Baion spoke as he tapped his behind with the ‘alchemy book for experts.’

“Everything you just said is in there. Whoever reads this book will know the best ways to measure and will have eyes and experience up to my level.”

“What…”

“Why, you can’t believe me?”

“Even if the explanations are of the best quality, how can such a feat be possible? It would be impossible for even me, let alone a third-class alchemist.”

“You live in a world where your father, who you thought dead, comes back alive. How can you be so skeptical in such a crazy world?”

“……”

“You grew up to a boring adult! This is why a child needs parental supervision.”

Baion was speaking anything in his mind, and he clicked his tongue before staring at Douglas.

“Hey, grandson.”

“Do you also think like your father? Do you think what I just said was nonsense?”

“I…I…”

Douglas was now the one being questioned, and while he looked surprised for a moment at the sudden inquiry, he quickly came back to his senses and answered.

“I think it may be possible.”

“Your answer is the opposite of your father’s. Why? Explain. If you have spoken differently without thinking, you also do not have the right to get this amazing book.”

Was he not going to give the book to them? Ian almost spoke that he did not have time, barely managed to stifle his words, and instead quietly observed the situation.

“If you’re satisfied with my answer, you have to give some satisfactory explanations to my father regarding your identity and how you appeared from that alchemy book! You heard me, right?”

“You’re spunky. All right, let’s hear the quality of what you have to say. I’ll decide after that.”

Baion nodded like he was interested, which meant he would grant Douglas’s request.

“Then I’ll say the reason why anyone can become the king of alchemists with only this book…”

Douglas started answering, and everyone’s attention focused on him, including Ian, Ledio, and even the disinterested Evantus.

“It’s because… your level had been so high that you reached the sky…?”

“……?”

“I mean, you’re like Ian at magic…and you have used a way that we cannot even imagine creating such a magical book…”

Douglas’s voice became smaller with each second, and the difference was too much compared to the confidence he spoke the first sentence with.

“That may be why…”

What Baion said did not make sense. How can an alchemist with little talent change to one of the best with only a book? It would be nearly impossible even with great magic, and Douglas would have been unable to answer accurately.

“Is that your best answer?”

“……”

“Really?”

“Actually, I…”

“You’re correct.”

“Don’t know…what?”

“You gave the right answer, despite that you somehow just guessed it.”

Had Douglas really given the right answer? Everyone looked suspicious.

“Here.”

Baion seemed disinterested in how others looked at him and just threw the book to Douglas. Douglas’s body swayed only by receiving it standing up because of its thickness.

“Open it, and you can feel why that trivial answer had been the correct one.”

Douglas grabbed the ‘alchemy book for experts’ with both hands and opened it slowly, as Baion suggested. His breath came in and out deeply as he stood rigidly. Cold sweat dripped from Douglas’s forehead, and his face and expression that was in between a boy and a man could be seen more apparent than ever.

“Can I…open it right now?”

“As you like.”

The book opened, and only the beginning was the difficult part, as everything else moved along smoothly. Douglas turned over each page of the book and repeated the movements like he had been allured. It was at that moment when Douglas’s eyes grew wide.

“…..!”

Words made of bright pink mana came out like flower pollen from the book, which was not the only thing going on. The words began to be absorbed through Douglas’s eyes and ears.

‘That’s…?’

Ian’s eyes brightened at the sight, as he guessed that what the process was for- even if the method used was a bit different. He had used a similar way in order to learn ‘black magic’ as fast as he could recently.

‘However…Douglas would not be able to endure for long if he used that method…”

Put simply, he was ‘absorbing an immense amount of information in his head.’ Even Ian had avoided using that method until he could protect his brain using the power of language.