Chapter 253: Chapter 234: Return to Alchemy City Chapter 253: Chapter 234: Return to Alchemy City Hake Stone was ultimately persuaded by Amberser, although Amberser hadn’t even built an Alchemy Factory, not to mention the ridiculous talk of reviving Alchemy City. However, Hake Stone was willing to take a gamble.

The main reason was that he had made a fortune from excavating the underground city before, and now he could afford to consider it an investment, even if it resulted in a loss.

Additionally, Amberser gave Hake Stone the impression that he could pull off even the most preposterous stuff.

Paladins bowing to Liches could become a reality, so reviving Alchemy City, who knows, might actually be achievable.

Having lived many years, Hake Stone had witnessed the rise and fall of various nations across the continent, and he also knew that the decline of Alchemy was temporary. Sooner or later, a new era of Alchemy would dawn.

Investing in Amberser ahead of time could turn out to be a highly lucrative deal.

Yet, after settling the agreement, Amberser said to Hake Stone, “Remember, the price includes shipping and installation! Don’t charge extra for that!”

Angrily, Hake Stone retorted, “Get lost! Then I’ll be making a loss!”

Amberser chuckled and said, “Of course, as compensation, I could let you chat with the Heroic Spirit of Arthur Laine for ten minutes.”

Previously in the group chat, Amberser had mentioned that he had found the Heroic Spirit of Arthur Laine, which, to someone like Hake Stone, who loved studying history, was an invaluable treasure, the Heroic Spirit of the Founding Emperor of Laine.

But just ten minutes?

“No way, at least two hours!” Hake Stone bargained.

Without hesitation, Amberser replied, “Forget it then. I’m sure Gloomyland has alchemical equipment too. I’ll ask Lady Rose about it.”

With that, Amberser turned to leave.

Hastily, Hake Stone grabbed Amberser’s hand, “Wait, let’s negotiate, ten minutes is too brief!”

“Twenty minutes then, given that we’re friends,” Amberser proposed.

“One hour!” Hake Stone bargained.

“Half an hour at most, and you not only have to handle shipping and installation, but you also must provide a hundred-year warranty.”

“Buzz off, who gives a hundred-year warranty? Do you think those items are Undead?! Have you ever seen alchemical equipment that lasts more than twenty years?”

…

The two continued to tug back and forth, eventually setting a new contract.

Amberser granted Hake Stone half an hour to pose questions to the Heroic Spirit of Arthur Laine. In return, Hake Stone had to sell Amberser a full set of Alchemy equipment at half the market price, including shipping and installation, along with a ten-year no-questions-asked return service.

Amberser was satisfied with the deal, but Hake Stone looked disgruntled.

If it weren’t for the half-hour inquiry, all the profits of the business would have been poured into it, he might even lose a little.

But there was no choice, Amberser had a monopoly on the business, and although others could provide what Hake Stone offered, the price might not be as favorable.

If only Hake Stone knew that Amberser was planning to use the Heroic Spirit to swindle a large sum of money from Laine, he would be so sour that he might grind his teeth to dust.

With Hake Stone’s help, most of the basic equipment on the list could be acquired.

The rest could be taken care of with little effort; the real challenge was the Mana Refining Furnace.

This could be considered the heart of any Alchemy Factory. Without it, you could only set up a small workshop at home instead of building an Alchemy Factory.

Alchemical products generally fell into two main categories, consumables and utilitarian items.

Consumables were Alchemical Potions, and utilitarian items were large-scale Alchemy products like Magipuppet Automatons and Magic Conduction Cannons.

The Mana Refining Furnace mainly served the purpose of concocting potions.

If Amberser wanted to concoct potions on a small scale, he could manage that in the laboratory, but for mass production, he needed a Mana Refining Furnace.

With Amberser’s abilities, he could concoct two hundred bottles of the most common Vitality Potion per day, given ample materials, but he would not be able to do anything else and spend all day buried in the laboratory.

However, with a single operation of the Mana Refining Furnace, tens of thousands of bottles could be produced. If it were a high-quality Mana Refining Furnace, then it could operate more than ten times a day, producing a hundred thousand bottles daily. Not to mention, this furnace could concoct multiple potions simultaneously, with efficiency equivalent to a thousand Alchemy Apprentices.

This was the invention of the Chairman of the Alchemist Council, who brought Alchemy into the industrial age and laid the foundation for the entire continent’s Alchemy industry.

But precisely because this device is so important, its design is also extremely complex, manufacturing it is not the usual kind of trouble.

Amberser couldn’t make it himself and had to buy it.

Moreover, he couldn’t buy a ready-made one because the Mana Refining Furnace couldn’t be moved once fixed, it had to be dismantled to be transported. And generally, once dismantled, it could not be reassembled.

So, for Amberser to secure a Mana Refining Furnace for himself was truly no easy feat.

There was definitely no chance of finding one in the Dwarf Kingdom; he could only go back to Alchemy City and try his luck.

He remembered seeing a noble’s territory equipped with a complete set of alchemical devices, so perhaps he could find parts for the Mana Refining Furnace there—after all, they needed spare parts for repairs.

Since the Mana Refining Furnace was the type that couldn’t be stopped once it started operating, any malfunctions had to be dealt with on the spot. Thus, such large equipment was typically installed alongside a complete set of brand-new spares for immediate replacement, lest a missing part at a crucial moment cause an explosion that could destroy several streets.

“It seems like… Viscount Leiteman?”

The name surfaced in Amberser’s mind, a noble who worshipped the Lord of the Storm with a very comprehensive alchemical flow line within his territory.

Now that Alchemy City was finished and alchemical products were unsellable, Viscount Leiteman must also be worried about financial issues; it was the perfect time to negotiate with him for a low-priced purchase.

Having settled on a plan, Amberser used the Teleportation Circle and returned to Alchemy City, back to his own castle.

The last time he returned, after the Laine People had raided his home, the castle was strewn with traces of excavation, looking dilapidated and desolate.

This time, the castle had undergone a complete transformation.

It was obviously meticulously restored, and even adorned with many more decorations.

Compared to when Amberser lived here, the castle now had a livelier essence, no longer holding that eerie and desolate atmosphere.

Stepping out of the Teleportation Circle, Amberser was preparing to look for Isabel to inquire about the recent situation in Alchemy City.

But just as he reached the corridor, an elderly woman wearing glasses appeared before him, peering at him with a puzzled look, “Sir, I’ve said it before, all visitors are not allowed to wander around the castle; they must wait in the reception room. Miss Isabel will meet with you when she’s free.”

Miss Isabel?

Amberser found it amusing; in the time he was gone, had Isabel become a person of status?

Amberser smiled at the elderly woman and said, “Very well, could you please tell me where the reception room is? I can’t seem to find it. Oh, and may I inquire, madam, how should I address you?”

The old woman said, “I’ve heard that excuse many times before; think of a better one next time. I am Miss Isabel’s maid; you can call me Cardina.”

Perhaps because Amberser was very polite, Cardina’s tone softened a lot as she said to Amberser, “Follow me. You’re lucky, it’s me you ran into. If it had been the castle guards, they wouldn’t have been so polite with you.”

Although the old woman spoke sternly, she still led Amberser to the reception room.

Amberser usually didn’t have guests, so there was naturally no reception room. The place was originally a vacant warehouse, now transformed into a quaint little room.

When Amberser arrived, he found that there were already a dozen young people waiting in the reception room.

As Amberser made his entrance, these people stared at him with hostile eyes, as if they considered Amberser to be their competitor.

Amberser was curious what Isabel had done during this time to attract these youths; surely they weren’t here to court her?

That was the only possibility he could think of that would fill them with such hostility.

Amberser took his seat under everyone’s watchful eyes and then casually asked the person beside him, “Friend, I come from the Golden Kingdom, named Davian, how may I address you?”

Amberser’s natural way of greeting caught the person off guard, who could only coldly reply, “Endel Mark, local.”

“Oh, Mr. Mark, I remember that surname; your family deals in silk, right? I’ve bought your silk before. It’s the most popular luxury in the desert,” Amberser said, feigning surprise.

However, Endel Mark replied with a dark face, “The Mark Family is in the transport business.”

“Ah, then I must have mistaken you for another Mark family, my apologies,” Amberser casually responded, as in reality, he had just made it all up on the spot; he had no idea about the name.

“By the way, have you come here to find Miss Isabel for business?” Amberser inquired.

Endel Mark coldly replied, “Enough with the act. Aren’t we all here for the same reason, which is to secure the agency rights for the Youth Magic Potion?”