Translator: Shiraishi Editor: TheAlliance
“Turns out it’s the Fess Formula…” Lin Yun chuckled after taking out the piece of paper. He casually grabbed a quill from his pocket and moved to a nearby refining table to start writing.
“So pretentious…” Griffith coldly snorted as he looked at Lin Yun with a newfound disgust.
At first, Griffith had only disliked that young man’s boasting. He was only in his twenties, yet he was boasting in such a way, saying that he had two methods of solving the Darkness Evil Python Skin’s magic solidification.
But the “Fess Formula” that the young man mentioned suddenly made Griffith loathe him.
‘Ridiculous… That Mafa kid doesn’t even know the name of that formula…
‘What Fess Formula, I copied that formula from vestiges of the 3rd Dynasty thirty years ago, and the name “Lauren Formula” was clearly written on top. It was one of the three major formulas written by the famous Artisan of the 3rd Dynasty, the Life Alchemist, Lauren.
‘You think you are so great, pretending to understand something you don’t and dubbing it as the Fess Formula…’
Griffith remained silent, sneering as he looked at Lin Yun.
At this time, Lin Yun was so focused that he couldn’t sense the change in Griffith’s expression. He was completely immersed in breaking the alchemy formula. To Lin Yun, a formula of this level wasn’t anything too complicated, and he worked for only about four minutes before he put down his quill. He picked up the sheet of paper and handed it to Griffith.
“Mafa Merlin, isn’t it? Let me give you a piece of advice. It is good for youths to be ambitious, but losing respect for their elders in the process leads to disaster…” Griffith didn’t seem to be in a hurry to check the piece of paper and only sighed, as if his interest had waned.
“Eh? Master Alchemist Griffith, how about you check it first?”
“Haha, check? Check what? Check how you are pretending? Check your nonsense? You don’t even know the name of the formula, how could you have the qualifications to make me check your gibberish?”
“Eh?” Lin Yun froze. ‘Impossible, the formula he gave me is definitely the Fess Formula.’
Lin Yun was very sure of this.
Lin Yun might occasionally be mistaken about other things, but the Fess Formula was used in many different applications. It could be used in the Physical Enhancement Formula, which was a very important skill at the end of the magic era as it didn’t need to rely on mana. Lin Yun used physical means to complete the Physical Enhancement several times and used it to handle some sand beasts on several occasions, so how could he be mistaken about the Fess Formula?
“Let me tell you the truth. What you think is the Fess Formula is actually the Lauren Formula. This is the proud work of the Life Alchemist, Lauren, who was a fellow student to Emperor Zhantui and the Gaugass King. Fess Formula? What a joke. Being an alchemist that doesn’t know something isn’t scary, what’s truly scary is pretending to know when you don’t.”
After saying this, the old man no longer looked at Lin Yun and threw that piece of paper to the ground before turning to leave the laboratory.
‘Lauren Formula, Lauren Formula…’ Lin Yun contemplated these two words when he suddenly thought of something. ‘How could I forget this? This is a huge misunderstanding…
‘The Lauren Formula and the Fess Formula are one and the same…’
They were only named differently.
This was a well-known joke in history.
But the truth wasn’t something that the mages of this era knew.
He had to clear up the misunderstanding first.
Seeing the old man reach the door of the laboratory, Lin Yun had no choice but to loudly say, “Whether it’s the Lauren or the Fess Formula, the seven variables would stay the same. The key to cracking this formula relies on calculating these seven variables, and that’s not difficult…”
“Eh?”
Griffith suddenly stopped at the door.
“In fact, one only has to use the Five Color Theorem, there is nothing complicated in that.”
“What did you say?” The old man abruptly turned around and stared at Lin Yun for no less than ten seconds before coming back over. He stooped and picked up the paper that he had thrown to the ground and quickly looked at it in an impatient way.
But after reading, his expression suddenly changed.
He was amazed at first, but soon, the amazement turned to shock, before being followed by disbelief. He shook his head as he looked at the paper. “Impossible, impossible, how could it be so simple…”
It had taken Lin Yun less than five minutes to solve this formula.
But Griffith spent no less than twenty minutes reading that solution.
After twenty minutes, the pale old man let out a long sigh before gently putting that piece of paper on the refining table. He then showed a bitter smile. “But how could you not know that its name is the Lauren Formula?”
“Several thousand years ago, Lauren, who was known as the Alchemist of Life, had a disciple named Fess. The one who killed the Dark Phoenix with his own hands, Wind Sage Fess. Haven’t you noticed that this formula’s style is completely different from Lauren’s style?
“You mean…” Doubt appeared on Griffith’s face. ‘It does look strange… The style of that alchemy formula is very different from the other two major formulas. Could it be…’
“Haha, this is quite normal. If you study the history of the 3rd dynasty, you would discover that there were a lot of bad practices during that era. For example, any research results made within thirty years of apprenticeship in the field of alchemy would be put under the teacher’s name. You would understand if you checked Lauren’s testament. On his deathbed, three-quarters of that testament repeated how much he owed Fess and how he left all his heritage for Fess. This debt, haha…”
“This… Isn’t that just your conjecture?” For the meticulous Griffith, the alchemist ancestors were like idols. He wouldn’t allow doubts or blasphemy. Even if what Lin Yun said sounded fair, the old man couldn’t help calling him into question.
“I do have some evidence, but there isn’t much time today. If Master Alchemist Griffith is interested, it can wait until the problem of my Darkness Evil Python Skin’s magic solidification has been solved, I can discuss this with you then, alright?”
“Alright, alright…” Griffith repeatedly nodded, but after doing so, he looked doubtfully at Lin Yun. “But, Merlin, can you really solve the problem of the Darkness Evil Python Skin’s magic solidification?”
“Haha, I did say I had two methods…”
“…”
“Uncle Griffith…” Seeing the old man remaining suspicious, Suyass couldn’t help coming close to Griffith and whispering in his ear, “Merlin has higher achievement in the field of alchemy than I do.”
“What!” Griffith suddenly jumped.
Better than Suyass…
Although Griffith could be considered Suyass’ teacher in the field of alchemy, that irascible and inflexible old man knew that Suyass had already surpassed him in his own field and reached the peak of the Master Alchemist realm a few years ago.
But now, this peak Master Alchemist said that Mafa Merlin was better than him in the field of alchemy…
How close was he to the Artisan realm?
This…
Griffith was completely stunned. This was outrageous. The youth before his eyes didn’t seem older than twenty, he was even younger than his own disciple’s disciple…
Yet he was a peak Master Alchemist close to the Artisan realm at this age!
Was he going mad? Or was the world going mad?
“He… He isn’t your disciple?” Griffith asked with a strange expression.
“Eeeeh? Uncle Griffith, don’t joke like that…” Suyass was frightened when he heard this. ‘Words can’t be taken back! This person’s temper isn’t very good…
‘In fact, he isn’t much different from you in that respect. Even Herman of the Black Tower accidentally provoked him with his Devouring Hand and ended up running out of luck. He is still in the laboratory under us, being extorted by that strange Ghost Wolf. It doesn’t matter what you say, old man, just don’t create trouble for me…’
“Looks like he really isn’t your disciple…” Griffith was very old, and although he was inflexible and irritable, he was very good at interpreting body language. He saw the fear in Suyass’ face and knew that he had made a wrong guess. How could a teacher be this afraid of his student?
But he still felt strange. “How could there be such a young peak Master Alchemist…”
“Ahah, I also don’t know.”
While Lin Yun was handing the two pieces of paper to a Great Alchemist, Griffith kept whispering with Suyass, “There is such a genius in this world that can accomplish in twenty years what most people can’t accomplish in their lifetimes, isn’t that a bit too much?”
“Right, Teacher regards him as very important. If not for the Gold Forest Plane’s trouble, Teacher would have personally waited for him. I think Teacher wants to take him to the Starry Sky College…”
“Right! Those old monsters of the Starry Sky College would be very interested in him. Yes, yes, it should be like that…”
