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chapter 61
Avorant wondered if he had ever been this happy in his life.
Though he had come to this backward rural territory after his business had completely failed, he felt good because it seemed he had met some genuinely good people.
So he began to share a business idea that no one had asked about.
“I’m very interested in alchemy. So I have a business idea related to it.”
“……Alchemy?”
“Yes. Alchemists are willing to spend money on anything that helps their alchemy, so I think they would make good business partners.”
“I see. What kind of idea is it?”
“The ultimate goal of alchemy is to transform cheap metals into valuable substances. I think that, to do this, an intermediate medium is necessary.”
“Intermediate medium?”
“A transmutation stone.”
“Transmutation stone……? What’s that?”
“It’s literally a stone that transforms substances.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I research it because I think it is possible. And that’s why alchemists would need it even more.”
“But I don’t quite understand. If a transmutation stone transforms substances, isn’t that alchemy in itself? If you have the stone, you could make gold, right?”
“No, it’s a little different. Think of the transmutation stone as a medium. The stone itself is artificially infused with mana. So it’s not that the stone transforms something—it is itself a transformed stone. Did you know that alchemy uses a lot of mana stones?”
“Artificial mana?”
Grace was surprised and repeated the question.
Being a complete outsider to alchemy, she couldn’t have known what they used—but if it was artificially created mana stone, its value would definitely be enormous.
“It’s still just in the planning stage, but creating a transmutation stone requires several experiments. I succeeded in that, but the problem was that no one wanted to invest in me. Of course, I’m not an alchemist myself—I only studied a bit—so it’s all theory; I haven’t actually made one yet……”
His voice grew less confident the more he spoke, revealing how many times he had been rejected.
If this business were not likely to succeed, Grace might have dismissed it as a pipe dream.
Though she hadn’t been particularly interested at first and didn’t even know what the transmutation stone was for, she later realized why it became more desirable to mages than to alchemists.
Real mana stones are hard to obtain and extremely expensive.
But with a transmutation stone, even if the artificial mana quality is lower, it would still be much easier to use than actual mana stones.
“So it’s only theoretical?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you try it yourself?”
“I was afraid of failing.”
“But merchants are supposed to be confident, aren’t they?”
“……What?”
“Now I see—you’re someone who talks big but doesn’t believe in yourself.”
Avorant’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.
“Y-you mean……”
“You might succeed. Just try it.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
“……You’re the first person who’s ever believed in me, Grace.”
More than anyone else, Grace had looked positively on a business plan that everyone else had laughed at.
Everyone knew alchemists were wealthy, but they were skeptical about this business because they judged it practically impossible.
“But I don’t have money.”
The problem was that experiments required funding, and Avorant was penniless.
Grace wondered how on earth he had managed to make a transmutation stone.
It had to be that genius he met in this territory.
“Hmm.”
“……It’s impossible, right?”
Grace decided to trust the past she knew.
“I’ll invest.”
“Eh?”
With a thud, she placed a bundle of money in front of Avorant, money she had prepared for this moment.
Avorant’s eyes widened in shock.
When he opened the pouch, gold coins sparkled inside.
“Grace!”
Not only did she believe in him, but she was also investing such a large sum without hesitation.
“I clearly came to Albatana because it was the will of the goddess.”
“…….”
“To have an angel appear right in front of me.”
“……Angel?”
“This is a miracle!”
Clutching the money in both hands, Avorant knelt flat at Grace’s feet, tears streaming down his face.
“I will follow you!”
“……Follow? Follow what?”
“Oh, goddess……”
Indeed, as Ahyn had said, Avorant spoke in a way unlike anyone else.
Seeing him exaggerate, Grace felt a twinge of regret for giving him money, but when he pocketed the coins, she realized he was still a merchant at heart.
In any case, since Avorant had come to Albatana, he would inevitably cross paths with the genius whose name no one knew. That thought had led to this investment.
As research on the transmutation stone began in earnest, Avorant became busier and showed up less often at the villa.
The person happiest about Avorant’s absence was Livanu.
But it seemed the experiments weren’t progressing as expected.
“What’s this?”
Grace had come by to see how the experiments were going, and each time, Avorant had failed.
“Something that almost became a transmutation stone.”
It was a pile of black ashes.
“……But you said the theory was perfect.”
“That’s what I thought. Hahaha.”
“Grace, is it really okay to keep investing in this madman?”
Livanu, watching nearby, commented, and Eshina and Ahyn also looked uneasy.
Grace was speechless, utterly bewildered.
“I’m sorry……”
Repeated failures had shaken Avorant, and his confidence was gone.
“Can I show you the theory? Just once?”
Curious, Grace asked, and Avorant quickly nodded.
“It’s top secret, but since you’re the first investor, I’ll show you.”
Even being called the first investor made Grace feel her trust slipping slightly.
Then, Letto quietly stepped forward.
“Can I come too?”
“Letto?”
For the past two years, Letto had devoted himself entirely to swordsmanship, ignoring studies.
Though Livanu had read books alongside him, Grace was surprised that Letto showed interest in this experiment first.
“I’m interested in alchemy too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t know much, but I wanted to study a little……”
“Since when?”
“……Since the time of Sophien, secretly.”
“Secretly?”
“I first discovered alchemy from books that Sophien had brought. It seemed practically impossible, but I was fascinated by that uncertainty. So when Sophien went out once a month, I would sneak out with the maids to gather materials. I did it once or twice, but was scared of being caught, so I only bought a few books and stopped.”
Huh?
Grace paused for a moment.
“Let’s go see, then.”
“Alright.”
So the two young masters and Grace arrived at Avorant’s house.
The “laboratory” was just a corner of the house cluttered with makeshift equipment.
“Haha, it’s a bit messy.”
Avorant laughed awkwardly and began showing his theory through experiments.
“The transmutation stone is essentially an artificial mana stone. Though it doesn’t contain as much mana as a real mana stone, if we break this cheap crystal containing some mana and put it into this pre-prepared metal here—”
The substance containing the mana seemed to mix, then with a faint hissing sound, it turned into black ashes.
“I think it should work if we get the proportions right.”
After explaining, Avorant glanced at Grace, worried she might withdraw her investment after repeated failures.
Grace simply watched seriously without saying a word, and Avorant sighed.
“I think I was too overconfident. No matter how much I studied, even alchemists fail experiments. Other merchants were right. Should I just abandon this theory……”
Then.
“I think it’s plausible.”
“Eh?”
“Instead of breaking the crystals into the molten liquid, why not extract them into liquid form?”
“Extract the crystals?”
“Yes. Metals melt into liquid at very high temperatures. Perhaps the crystals can also be melted into a liquid state.”
Watching Avorant’s experiment, Letto’s eyes gleamed with interest, and he shared his idea.
“It’s a fascinating concept—melting crystals.”
Avorant clapped, impressed.
Letto looked more excited than when learning swordsmanship, and Grace finally understood.
It was Letto.
The genius Avorant had met—the miraculous encounter in this territory.
“……It was the young master.”
