Mysterious Pedestal

“First, the very first step of alchemy is…”

“Done already!”

“Good, then step two is…”

“Finished!”

“And for the final step…”

“All set!”

Larl’s face twitched, his temper slowly rising, though he still managed to speak evenly.

“Sui-ge… has anyone ever told you… you’re absolutely outrageous?”

“Huh? No?”

Sui Ming scratched his head, utterly nonchalant, seated in a sea of freshly-made bullets.

“Alchemy really isn’t that hard.

Feels just like molding clay.

Pretty fun too, honestly.

Surprisingly newbie-friendly.”

“Shut up already… with you around, this entire profession won’t survive another day!”

Larl *knew* the ability to create objects from thin air was absurd.

But he hadn’t expected absurdity at *this* level.

If someone claimed this was the power of a Creator God, he would believe it without hesitation.

Normally, alchemy was divided into three phases: Refinement, Spirit Infusion, and Convergence.

Refinement meant breaking down material into raw essence.

Spirit Infusion meant merging it into the [Emerald Sea].

And through the world’s power as intermediary, Convergence manifested it into another form.

In truth, alchemy was the art of turning substance into raw mana, and then reshaping it—letting one leap between categories of matter.

Sui Ming, however, skipped both Refinement *and* Infusion entirely.

But Convergence was supposed to be the hardest step of all—requiring an alchemist to connect with the world’s management hub and search within the [Emerald Sea] for the material needed.

The Emerald Sea was like an immense library, inscribing all knowledge of this world, serving as the medium of alchemy itself.

To establish that connection usually took *at least a year* of deliberate training.

Larl had thought his own one-month breakthrough already extraordinary.

But compared to this monster?

Sui Ming had failed only once—then established flawless connection immediately.

Did he own the Emerald Sea personally or something?!

At a library, normal people had to search painstakingly for their books.

Yet for him, the librarian went and served him tea while carrying the books straight to his table!

How were others supposed to keep up?!

Larl wanted to spit curses, but had nothing left.

Forget it.

Let this freak play on his own.

They ordinary folk couldn’t compete anyway.

Watching Sui Ming toy with a lump of endlessly shifting metal, Larl’s chest tightened bitterly.

All his years of hard work… suddenly felt worthless.

Just then, the crow fluttered in.

“So? Any results?”

“Feels like my entire worldview just collapsed…” Larl said weakly.

“Perfect, because I also brought someone special here. A familiar face.

You two should enjoy this.”

“That’s… Uncle Wang?”

A towering, muscular man ducked into the basement.

His lips curled into a grin that screamed: *Well, well, look who it is.*

“You… you’re… Mihail?

The legendary Sage-level alchemist?!”

“Oh? You’ve heard of me?” Mihail’s tone brightened.

“Of course! You’re the strongest alchemist Ivory Tower has produced in fifty years!

The Sorcerer of Flame Disasters! The Sage himself!”

He’d been grumbling about being dragged here during his precious nap time.

But discovering a fanboy waiting here instantly softened his mood.

“So then… you didn’t bring me here just to ask me to teach them, did you?

Fair warning—don’t expect that. It’s too exhausting.”

“No, no. I just want you to *see something*. That’s all.”

“Xiao Sui! Talent show time!”

“Seriously?!”

Once more, blinding light dazzled the room.

Different from Larl—who had long been numb to these miracles—this time there was a new witness.

“This… no way… huh? Not possible… this craftsmanship… actually exists?!

You’ve got to be joking!”

“As you see. Real as it gets.

Alright, hand it over.”

Sui Ming didn’t even need to guess—clearly, Crow had just sold him out again.

“Kid!”

A massive hand slammed onto Sui Ming’s shoulder, Mihail’s burly face glowing with excitement.

“D-Dude… why are you grabbing me?

We’re not that close, you know…”

“You’re a Rhine Academy freshman, aren’t you?”

“You *must* take my alchemy class. Must. Absolutely. Do you hear me?”

“Uh… what?”

“You don’t have to understand. Just agree, and follow through. That’s all.”

Sui Ming nodded hurriedly.

In his head, he half-expected the man to add, *‘Refuse, and I’ll XXX you right here.’*

“Good. That’s settled.

The rest can wait until you reach Rhine Academy.”

“And here—this is a meeting gift. One each.

Remember to register for my class.”

Without another word, Mihail tossed two oddly shaped disks.

His form then dissolved into blazing red flames, vanishing.

The ancient disks glowed faintly dim, yet seemed to hold countless stars whirling along their surface—starlight woven into concentric rings.

Larl’s keen eyes widened.

“This… these are… Ritual Altars?!”

He looked like he might swallow the thing whole on the spot.

Meanwhile, Sui Ming just blinked blankly.

“Ritual Altar? The hell’s that?”

“That’s the *core component* for constructing alchemical rituals!

Something money can’t buy anywhere!

It’s the ultimate dream of every alchemist!”

“So basically… they’re worthless to sell?

Then what use are they to me?”

The words hit Larl like a hammer to the heart.

Somewhere in the distance, something shattered with a crisp “thud.”

“Sui-ge… are you secretly some caveman transmigrant?

Because you sure don’t act human!”

In Tanggrelia, every alchemist’s ultimate pursuit was forging their own ritual.

That achievement was enough to crown one a Sage.

And a Sage of the Ivory Tower commanded status equal to dukes and marquises of Mingxi Empire, often greater.

Each Sage’s birth—or fall—was considered a monumental event across the realm.

Thus Mihail’s gifts not only affirmed his recognition of their potential…

They were investments in their future.

Through a Sage’s eyes, the success of these investments was almost guaranteed.

In short—he had wagered his belief on the certainty that these two would both one day ascend to Sagehood.

Such a gift was a debt beyond repayment.

“I still think… it’d make a decent dinner plate…” Sui Ming muttered.

“True… we are running low on crockery at home,” Crow agreed.

“You two—BE HUMAN, DAMN IT!!!”