Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 196 Thick-Scaled Potion

"What are we comparing? Or rather, how are we comparing them?" Richard's response seemed somewhat belated.

Clearly, if he didn't agree, it would put Alhan in a difficult position and also put Desol in an awkward situation.

More importantly, his plan to join the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood might be thwarted.

Even if I manage to join the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood after some time has passed and things have calmed down, my reputation will probably be ruined by then.

This is something Richard absolutely cannot tolerate!

Moreover, if the other party wants to climb to the top by stepping on you, then they should be prepared to fail and suffer heavy losses!

Having experienced a series of conspiracies and battles, both big and small, Richard is no longer the lowly employee he was when he first transmigrated. The scene before him is nothing more than a minor spectacle for him.

"Huh, he actually agreed." The merman wizard apprentice was a little surprised that the overly young "Lord Levi" dared to agree.

The next second, his face lit up with joy, and he immediately continued:

"Naturally, the competition will be about potion making. Following a fixed alchemy potion formula, you will create the finished potion. With so many intermediate and advanced alchemists here, everyone has sharp eyes and can tell who has the superior skills."

"I understand. You mean the quality of the finished product should be the standard for judgment." Richard nodded.

Just as he was about to agree, a hoarse, somewhat aged voice rang out from behind the crowd.

"Huh! Why is the alchemy assessment hall so lively today?"

Everyone turned around and saw an elderly lizardman walking in, holding a red staff as tall as a person, with a fist-sized fire gem embedded at the top of the staff.

"This is bad! It's Nasaruddin, he'll definitely use this as an excuse!" Alhan muttered, his expression changing.

Clearly, he knew the visitor very well, and the visitor's intentions were not good.

"Hey, is this the Nasarudin you mentioned before, the deputy minister of your Alchemy Department who's always been eyeing the minister's position?" Dissol seemed to remember something.

His good friend, Allah, was also the vice minister of the Alchemy Department of the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood. The minister was a vice president whose strength reached the level of a second-level archmage, which was a routine operation for the powerful departments within the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood.

He had heard his old friend complain more than once that Nasaruddin and he held different views on many things.

Although the statement was made subtly, people of this age and status are shrewd, and it was clear that the other party's goal was to gain control of the discourse.

As the vice president, who also serves as the minister, is usually busy with other affairs, he doesn't pay much attention to the work of the Alchemy Department. He mostly relies on Alhan and Nasaruddin to maintain the management of the daily affairs of the Alchemy Department.

This time, the other party suddenly jumped out, clearly thinking that this was an opportunity to weaken Alhan's prestige.

It is conceivable that if this matter is not handled properly, it will inevitably implicate his old friend, Allehan.

This made Dissol's expression turn serious; things seemed to be getting bigger and bigger!

"Oh, someone tell me, what exactly happened?"

Richard only glanced at it, but he saw a fleeting glint of cunning in the old lizardman's eyes.

I instantly understood. The other party must know what happened here, but is pretending not to know, probably for some other purpose.

Since he had no relatives or friends in Tug City or the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood, this guy was probably not after him. To be precise, he was more likely after Dissol or Allah.

At this moment, Disol transmitted his voice and quietly described the story of Nasaruddin and Alhan to Richard in a simple way.

Richard nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

Sure enough, where there are people, there is conflict! The gray dwarves are people too, so they are no exception.

This delay allowed Nasaruddin to learn the details of the incident from the alchemists watching. He looked Richard up and down with a sudden realization, and said:

"Hello, young human wizard. I never expected you to be an alchemy master. That's truly rare."

"However, it's understandable that people have some doubts about you becoming an alchemy master at such a young age, isn't it?"

Looking at the other person's kind and gentle appearance, Richard would have thought that if he hadn't already learned about the sordid affair between the other person and Alhan from Desor...

It's quite possible that you'll be deceived by the other person's appearance, mistakenly believing that they are a respectable elder who is questioning you for the sake of fairness and impartiality. In the end, you might even admire their impartiality and selflessness.

What a cunning old fox!

"Yes, so I intend to accept the challenge from the prophet of the Lake Tokar fishman tribe," Richard said calmly.

Richard's resolute words brought a flash of joy to Nasaruddin's eyes. He said, "Haha, you are indeed a young man, full of confidence. Then let me be the referee for the two of you."

Richard instantly realized the other party's intention, thinking to himself, "So this is what they were waiting for. If I were to become the referee, even if I win, they could still find fault, right?"

"If we lose, then needless to say, the other side can use this incident to damage Alehan's reputation. Although it may not necessarily lead to Alehan's transfer, it will certainly give the other side greater influence in the Alchemy Department."

Clearly, Richard was not going to let the other side succeed.

"Oh~ May I ask if you are an alchemy master?" Richard said with a half-smile.

"Excellent!" Nasaruddin said proudly.

"May I ask how old you were when you became a Master Alchemist?" Richard continued to ask.

"Ninety-eight years old!" Although Nasaruddin did not understand Richard's intention, he still quickly answered Richard's question.

"Wow! This age is considered young among alchemy masters, isn't it?" an alchemist asked his companion.

"Of course, don't you look at Lord Nazarudin's race? Among the lizardmen, Lord Nazarudin seems to be the first to become an alchemist at the age of ninety-eight."

The surrounding mid-to-high-level alchemists whispered among themselves.

Nazarudin was quite proud of his achievement of becoming an Alchemist Master at the age of ninety-eight. In particular, as a lizardman, becoming an Alchemist Master at ninety-eight was a top genius that only appeared once every thousand years in the history of the green-skinned lizardman tribe.

"Then may I ask you, sir? I became an Alchemist Master at the age of twenty-five, while you only became one at ninety-eight, and are currently only an Alchemist Master. Are you qualified to serve as my judge?"

Richard questioned him without any politeness.

Moreover, Richard deliberately lied about his age, adding ten years to it, since fifteen years old would be too frightening.

Twenty-five is scary too!

Richard's revelation of his age caused an uproar among those around him!

"Twenty-five years old. Alchemy Master!"

"Is this a monster?"

"I guarantee the other person isn't an alchemy master!"

"It's hard to say. The other party seemed very confident, it didn't seem fake."

"You!!" Nasarudin was no longer the kind old man he had been moments before. Now, he glared angrily at Richard and said, "Sharp-tongued human! You should learn how to respect an elder!!"

Richard smiled slightly and said, "We humans have a saying, 'The most skilled person is the teacher,' which means that whoever has the most superb skills is the teacher."

This left Nasaruddin speechless!

Richard's words, though Nasarudin had never heard his human friends mention them, were perfectly reasonable.

In the world of alchemy, whoever has the most superb skills is the most powerful!

If the most skilled person is willing to instruct others, who wouldn't be grateful and respect them as if they were a teacher?

Richard and Nasaruddin's verbal exchange amused Alhan and Disor, whose previously serious faces now showed smiles.

In particular, Alehan admired Lord Liwei even more, for he had managed to make the old fox Nasaruddin lose face with just a few words.

It made him feel really relieved!

At this moment, Richard's refusal of Nasarudin's offer to act as judge created an awkward atmosphere, and the merman wizard apprentice, seemingly urged by the merman prophet, stepped forward and said:

"Lord Li Wei, let's put the matter of the referee aside for now and talk about the content of the competition."

"Just now, Lord Alhan and Lord Dissol both recognized Lord Levi as a master alchemist, a highly skilled alchemist worthy of the mithril treatment offered by the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood. As for us Lake Tokar murlocs, we are located in a remote area, and even the Prophet is only a high-level alchemist, specializing in murloc potions."

"Therefore, if a competition were to be held, you would naturally need to increase the difficulty a little on your side."

Richard thought to himself, "Good heavens, they're waiting for me to fall into their trap."

However, it's good to listen to what the other party is planning first. If it's very disadvantageous to you, then you can offer other suggestions later.

"Oh, how do you increase the difficulty?" Richard asked with a half-smile.

"So, how about this competition, which will focus on creating a Thick-Scale Potion using the Murloc Alchemy recipe?"

"Our Prophet is merely a high-level alchemist. If Lord Li Wei ultimately creates a potion of even higher quality than our Prophet's, then he is undoubtedly a master alchemist!"

Richard was not fooled by the cunning in the other person's eyes.

However, the challenge proposed by the other party almost made Richard burst out laughing.

Thick-scale Potion? Richard couldn't believe it when he first heard the name of the formula.

It's worth noting that this Thick Scale Potion is also found in the "Blind Clan Potion Making Manual," which records a total of eleven potion recipes, seven of which are only effective against Murlocs.

In order to increase the enthusiasm of the fishmen to help search for monsters, he had already raised his level to the limit, so he was naturally confident of winning!

That makes sense. They would never guess that I'm even better at merman alchemy than they are!

"This is unfair! Your merfolk potions are something Lord Levi, as a human alchemist, has probably never even encountered before. If you're going to choose, choose the Grey Dwarf potion recipes!" Dissol immediately jumped out and shouted.

"But Lord Li Wei is an alchemy master. Alchemy masters can quickly make some beginner and intermediate potion formulas after only a few tries, so this is never an obstacle for them." The merman wizard apprentice said, while turning around to solicit opinions from the people around him.

"Indeed, a genuine alchemy master would possess this ability," one alchemist said.

"That's right."

The merman wizard apprentice's words were quickly echoed by the group of alchemists around him who were waiting for their assessments.

While a small number of alchemists might be genuinely discussing the matter at hand, many others were simply indignant, a sentiment Richard understood stemming from resentment towards the wealthy.

After all, whether they want to join the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood or improve their treatment, they need to undergo repeated assessments.

He himself was recruited through a special channel, which can be described as a meteoric rise. Moreover, he was directly granted mithril-level treatment, which most alchemists could never achieve in their entire lives.

It's perfectly normal for them to be envious!

but

In order to maximize his profits, Richard naturally couldn't agree to it easily.

"Alright, but I have a question. If we lose, I'll naturally participate in the assessment with everyone else. But what if we win? The Alchemy Master's authority cannot be offended. Are you Lake Tokar fishmen prepared to pay the price for my offense?"

"This..." The merman wizard apprentice was speechless, having never considered the possibility that his merman prophet would lose.

Indeed, in this world, especially in the Underdark, no one can easily offend a powerful figure without paying a price.

"Of course, the strong should not be offended. If Lord Li Wei wins, our Tokar Lake Fishman Tribe is willing to give you ten high-grade magic stones as compensation." At this moment, the trembling fishman prophet stood up and said with a firm voice.

The strong murloc apprentice looked at his murloc prophet with surprise, wondering if he was going to gamble so much.

The alchemists around couldn't help but whisper among themselves again, wondering why such a big bet was being placed!

It's important to know that this isn't a mid-grade magic stone, but a high-grade magic stone, and its purchasing power is considerable.

Richard was secretly delighted, thinking to himself, "That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear."

"Okay!" Richard nodded, agreeing to the conditions of the fish-man prophet of Lake Tokar.

"However, I have another question. It's about the adjudicator of the contest. Just like a duel between formal wizards, it's impossible for a wizarding apprentice to make the decision," Richard said calmly, while glancing at Nasaruddin with disdain.

The merman prophet found this point and was indeed powerless to refute it.

"Your Excellency Levi, you can rest assured about that. Allehan and I will go and invite our chief alchemist, Grandmaster Marshall McLean, right now. Allehan, is that alright?" Nasaruddin said.

In his eyes, this was merely Richard's lame excuse for not wanting to compete.

After a moment of contemplation, Alehan nodded in response to Nasaruddin's words. He trusted his longtime friend, Disor, to not betray him.

Richard's calm demeanor also gave him a lot of confidence.

"Hiss!" The people around gasped. This was an alchemy master!

They are among the very few in the entire Grey Dwarf Empire!

It seems that in Tug City, besides Lord Marshall McLean, there are only two alchemists with extraordinary status, so it's no problem for him to serve as the judge.

Everyone was completely convinced!

A short while later, an elderly gray dwarf with white hair and beard was invited into the hall, accompanied by Nasaruddin and Alhan.

"Lord Levi, it seems I'll have to trouble you to demonstrate your superb alchemy skills," Allehan said with a smile.

Richard instantly understood that Allehan was probably still worried about whether he could win.

"Your Excellency Allehan, please rest assured," Richard said.

Thick Scale Agent, a mid-level agent, but the process is quite delicate and complex. After taking it, the fish will quickly secrete a thick mucus between the scales on its body surface. It is very elastic, like keratin, and has excellent defense.

However, it is an intermediate-level potion that is only effective against merfolk, so many alchemists of other races would not even consider learning it, let alone becoming proficient in it.

The old merman prophet couldn't believe that this young "Master Levi" could skillfully make such a potion, which was only effective against mermen.

Secondly, the elderly merman prophet was quite confident in one point: he was a high-level apothecary with decades of experience in making Thick Scale Potion, so even if the opponent was really a master apothecary, he might not necessarily lose.

In that case, his reputation would naturally soar, and he might even be able to take the opportunity to ask for the same Mithril-level treatment from the Brotherhood!

At this moment, the group that had obtained the Thick Scale Potion formula began to discuss it.

"Wow! That's extremely difficult!"

"Wasn't it supposed to be an intermediate-level potion? Why is it so difficult!"

The group of mid-to-high-level alchemists who received the recipe couldn't help but gasp as they looked at the steps and precautions.

Dessol and Allehan stared in astonishment at the Thick Scale Potion recipe in their hands, sighing. There was nothing they could do to stop it now.

Because Richard and the fish-man prophet have already stood on the alchemy experimental platform.

The competition has now begun!

The murloc prophet then began grinding the raw material, iron spine flower, with exceptional skill.

Richard followed the same steps!

But to everyone's surprise, Richard was actually faster and more skilled than the Fishman Prophet!

"What! How could it be so fast?" The fishman apprentice's already bulging eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he watched Richard's hand gestures, which were so fast that they were almost invisible. He couldn't help but blurt out the question.

"How is this possible? This Richard couldn't possibly have just come into contact with this potion. He must have been exposed to it beforehand or even practiced with it!!" The merman prophet watched Richard make the Thick Scale Potion with an incredulous expression.

Because the sedimentation and mixing reaction time of the raw materials for the medicine has a fixed time limit, this time cannot be reduced by increasing the proficiency of the action.

But Richard not only chose the best order of events, but also streamlined some parts!

It's important to know that the optimal sequence of several steps was discovered by the Murloc Prophet after decades of trial and error.

Richard, however, used it with ease!

Nasaruddin, standing to the side, also looked at Richard with a serious expression, wondering to himself, "Is this a coincidence? Or does this young man truly possess the strength of an alchemy master?"

"If this was just a coincidence, the Lake Tokar murloc prophet's luck was truly terrible this time, choosing a recipe that the opponent had already mastered! It seems I need to find a way to help him out, otherwise..."

(End of this chapter)