Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 197 The Ever-Increasing Bets

At this moment, the white-haired alchemist Marshall McKlain stared intently at Richard, who was rapidly making the potion, as if he had discovered a treasure!

"Alehan, Nasaruddin, where did you find such a fine alchemy prospect!"

"No! He's no longer a prospect; his skill level is already high enough to stand on his own. Even I couldn't match Li Wei's efficiency with this Thick Scale Potion!"

When Marshall spoke to Alhan and Nasaruddin, they came to two completely different conclusions.

Allehan felt as sweet as if he had eaten honey. With Master Marshall's words, he was certain that he would not be affected by the special recruitment. On the contrary, he might even receive praise from the Minister of Alchemy.

But Nasaruddin was carefully pondering the second half of Grandmaster Marshall's words: "Even I cannot achieve Livy's efficiency!"

"That statement is quite profound. Even a Grandmaster Alchemist couldn't do it, yet Li Wei did! Does that mean Li Wei is more powerful than Grandmaster Marshall? Obviously not!"

"The most likely scenario is that this alchemist named Levi has dedicated a considerable amount of time to studying the Thick Scale Potion; otherwise, his exceptional skill level is inexplicable. In that case, my earlier assessment was correct; the fish-man prophet of Lake Tokar was truly unlucky."

"They actually chose a formula that their competitor had been researching for a long time!"

Nasaruddin shook his head in regret.

"However, it's not entirely without a chance to turn things around; we'll have to lend a hand ourselves."

Nasaruddin turned his head slightly, his lips moving slightly, as if he were using a telepathic spell to secretly contact the alchemists in the area.

These alchemists were already official members of the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood's Alchemy Department. They came here to take a promotion test, and if they passed, they would naturally receive better treatment.

After receiving the telepathic message from Nasaruddin, the deputy minister of alchemy, they all nodded slightly to indicate that they understood.

The deputy minister of the Alchemy Department holds a high position and wields great power, so naturally they want to maintain a good relationship with him. Moreover, it's just a matter of exchanging a few words, which is not a difficult thing at all.

Before long, Richard finished making the Thick Scale Potion, while the Fishman Prophet's creation was only halfway complete.

A few minutes later, the murloc prophet, his face ashen, also finished making the Thick Scale Potion.

After both vials of potions were handed to Alchemy Master Marshall McKlain, the master's voice quickly rang out, saying:

"The potions of both sides are equally effective, but in terms of production speed, Lord Li Wei far surpasses him. In this contest, the young Lord Li Wei has emerged victorious!"

As soon as Grandmaster Marshall finished speaking, the surrounding alchemists began to chatter amongst themselves:

"Wow, that's amazing!! To have such strength at such a young age!"

"Sigh! I'm almost twenty years older than Li Wei, and I'm only a mid-level alchemist. The gap is just too big!"

"However, this Thick Scale Potion is only a mid-level potion. Even if it's completed very quickly, can we really confirm that Li Wei is an alchemy master?" An alchemist who had just received a telepathic message from Nazarudin jumped out and questioned.

"What you said seems to make sense!" The alchemist who had been sighing seemed much happier.

Before long, the tone of the discussion shifted slightly.

What began as admiration for Richard's alchemy skills gradually transformed into the conclusion that Thick Scale Potion was merely a mid-level potion, and that making it quickly didn't mean anything.

After the Marshall Master read out the verdict, Dessall and Allehan came together before Richard.

Allehan said with a broad smile, "Lord Liwei, your strength is beyond imagination!"

"That's right, you should know who introduced Lord Levi. If it weren't for me, the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood would have missed out on an alchemy master," Dissol said with pride.

Judging from Desol's proud expression, someone who didn't know better might think that Desol had just won the alchemy potion competition.

Nazarudin faced the Murloc Prophet from afar, his lips slightly parted, while the Murloc Prophet nodded repeatedly, his complexion much better.

At this moment, an alchemist suddenly challenged, saying, "Lord Alehan, Lord Levi undoubtedly won the contest just now, but as everyone knows, the Thick Scale Potion is only a mid-level potion. Even if it's made quickly, it doesn't mean Lord Levi is an alchemy master, does it?"

Another alchemist chimed in, "Yes, Grandmaster Marshall is here too. Grandmaster Marshall, could you please judge whether the ability to create Thick Scale Potion equates to the other person being an alchemy master?"

"This..." Master Marshall hesitated for a moment. Indeed, the Thick Scale Potion was only a mid-level potion. No matter how perfectly it was made or how fast it was made, it did not mean that the maker had master-level alchemy skills.

Although, from a personal perspective, Grandmaster Marshall fully believed that the young Lord Li Wei before him possessed the strength of an alchemist.

Just as Grandmaster Marshall hesitated, the Murloc Prophet interjected, "Lord Levi, these are ten high-grade magic stones. Your mastery of Thick Scale Potion is truly astonishing."

The strong merman apprentice beside him took out a small black bag and respectfully handed it to Richard.

Richard took it, opened it, and saw that it was indeed ten high-grade magic stones. He nodded and put them away.

"Although Lord Li Wei undoubtedly won the match just now, the Thick Scale Potion, as everyone has said, is only a mid-level potion."

"I think Lord Levi might as well demonstrate his strength once again. Although master-level potion recipes are extremely precious, the Tokar Lake Fishman Tribe is willing to offer Lord Levi one of their two treasured master-level alchemy recipes: the Golden Horned Frog Egg."

"Once you can successfully produce it, all these doubts will naturally disappear. Moreover, to ensure that everyone can supervise properly, I will make the recipe for the Golden Horned Frog Egg public." The Merman Prophet looked around and said slowly.

The mid-to-high-level alchemists around were all blushing with excitement when they heard that the Murloc Prophet was willing to reveal a master-level recipe to the public.

Keep in mind, this is a master-level alchemy recipe! Even just looking at it could provide considerable inspiration for intermediate and advanced alchemists.

Generally speaking, basic and intermediate alchemy recipes are readily available on the market, and most of them are well-known, unless they are recipes that have been modified by an alchemist.

However, when it comes to advanced alchemy recipes, their rarity increases dramatically, often requiring a high price to purchase. Moreover, some transactions involve signing contracts, generally preventing resale.

Master-level alchemy recipes are naturally even more valuable. Each recipe is extremely valuable, and once they appear on the market, they are often bought up by powerful forces. Ordinary mid-to-high-level alchemists rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with them.

Nasarudin couldn't help but admire the merman prophet's boldness, and immediately pressed his advantage, saying:

"Lord Li Wei, that is indeed the case. The Thick Scale Potion is, after all, only a mid-level potion, and it cannot fully demonstrate your outstanding abilities. If you want everyone to truly believe that you possess master-level alchemy skills, I'm afraid you still need to create a genuine one."

"No, no, Lord Levi has already won the match just now, and his strength has been proven." Dissol quickly interrupted Nasarudin.

He was worried that Richard, being young and impetuous, would easily agree and fall into Nasaruddin's trap.

Richard glanced at Dessol, the gray dwarf old man. Although he had all sorts of flaws—a womanizer and an alcoholic—he was still quite good to his friends.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Alehan, the vice minister of the Alchemy Department of the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood, became good friends with him.

"Lord Li Wei has already fully demonstrated his strength, and I think there is no need for further competition," Allehan said.

For Allah, Lord Levy had already won, and the pressure on him was completely gone. Instead, he went from being biased and using back channels to having a discerning eye, finding such a young and promising alchemist for the Grey Dwarf Brotherhood.

What the two of them didn't know was that Richard had already made up his mind as soon as he heard the fishman prophet mention the golden horned frog eggs.

What he needs to do now is to maximize his profits as much as possible!

But to catch a big fish, you need to have enough patience, so Richard continued to keep a calm expression and remain silent, as if to say, "I won't agree, what can you do to me?"

At this moment, Richard was pondering a question: why did the fishman prophet of Lake Tokar also possess the top-secret recipe from the blind fishman's notebook? Could it be that there was some hidden connection between the two fishman tribes, which were quite far apart?

It seems I can ask Fingart about this when I get back.

Looking at the still silent Li Wei, it seemed that even the old merman prophet knew that you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

At this point, if there was nothing that could sway Richard, the other party could simply refuse. At least, if it were him, he wouldn't easily agree either. After all, the doubts of those around him wouldn't cost him anything.

"If Lord Levi can win again, the fishmen of Lake Tokar are willing to become his vassals!" the fishman prophet gritted his teeth and made the decision.

The merman prophet's words immediately shocked everyone around him!

Wow! That's incredibly extravagant!

"This is putting the entire tribe on the line!"

"A huge investment!!"

But little did they know the wisdom of the old murloc. The murloc prophet understood perfectly: if someone of that age could truly produce a master-level recipe—Golden Horned Frog Eggs—he would be willing to stake his entire tribe on such a person, and he wouldn't be afraid the other party wouldn't accept it!

You don't always have the chance to latch onto the coattails of a powerful figure!

But if this Levi cannot be produced, then I'm sorry. Lord Nasaruddin's suggestion is still very tempting.

Upon hearing the other party's words, Richard couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking to himself that the strength of the Tokar Lake fishman tribe was clearly a notch stronger than the blind fishman tribe that Fingart originally belonged to.

This can be seen from the strength of the two merfolk prophets. The old merfolk is a formal wizard, although only at the initial stage of a first-level wizard, which is still quite good, while Fingart is only a third-level wizard apprentice.

If the Lake Tokar murloc tribe were to become his vassal, not only the mid-to-high-level magic stones in the tribe, but also this elderly murloc prophet would become his help.

It seems that I can reluctantly make a move once more!

Meanwhile, Nasarudin, who was standing to the side, looked at Richard, who was still silent, and while admiring the old fishman's courage, he also understood in his heart.

If they don't throw out some heavy bait now, it's clear they won't be able to sway Li Wei, who has already won once.

He immediately followed up, saying, "If Lord Li Wei can demonstrate his strength once again and win, I am willing to present this essence of fire to Lord Li Wei as a first meeting gift and an apology for my previous clouded eyes."

Nazarudin then removed the fist-sized fire gem that was embedded at the top of his staff.

After being removed, it seemed that some kind of protective magic array was gone, and the Flame Gem revealed its true form.

The flame gem was nearly round, shimmering with light, and contained a vast amount of fire elemental energy. Both in terms of its shape and the surge of energy, it was much larger than the thumb-sized flame crystal that Richard had previously exchanged with Dessol.

If it weren't for the fact that the surface of the Flame Gem seemed to be under some kind of sealing magic, its scorching heat would probably be comparable to molten iron, and even a wizard's physique would be completely unable to touch it directly!

Even just getting close, you can feel waves of heat emanating from you.

"Hiss!! It's so big. Is this the essence of fire that can only be generated inside a giant fire elemental?" an alchemist asked the person next to him.

"I don't know, this is the first time I've ever seen this essence of fire." The person next to him shook his head and said. Although he was also an alchemist and was far more familiar with alchemical materials than ordinary wizards, he would naturally never have the chance to see such a precious alchemical material.

"It is indeed the essence of fire. I saw it at an auction before. This essence of fire is even slightly larger than the one I saw last time," a senior alchemist said solemnly.

"Tsk tsk, I'm so envious! Now let's see if this young Lord Li Wei dares to accept the second challenge!"

"Flame Essence!! Isn't this what's needed to activate second-tier source blood? And what do they mean by 'generating within a giant fire elemental'? Does this mean that this Flame Essence comes from elemental creatures?"

The conversation among the alchemists around him made Richard's pupils shrink; it seemed he was slowly beginning to uncover some secrets.

"If the master recipe that the murloc prophet just proposed was not the Golden Horned Frog Egg but some other unfamiliar recipe, I might still hesitate about whether to accept the second match. But now it seems that not accepting it would be a waste of talent."

"To refuse such a generous gift delivered right to your door would be a sin against heaven!"

"And that old fox really is an old fox; he spoke with such skill that he didn't even evoke any hatred in anyone!"

"He lured me into participating with the essence of fire. If I lost, the essence of fire would naturally return to his staff, and he could also use it against me. Unfortunately, the old fox was destined to miscalculate."

Richard was secretly overjoyed, but he remained outwardly calm, even feigning an extremely troubled expression.

Originally, he thought that bringing the fish-men tribe of Lake Tokar under his command was already a huge gain, but he never expected to encounter such a good thing with Nasarudin!

Moreover, if both fire crystals and fire essence originate from elemental creatures, then the role of the merfolk tribe might be even greater.

Adopting an expression as if he had made a "difficult choice," Richard gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! If I lose, I will give up the Mithril treatment and start from the Gray Iron treatment."

"But if I successfully create the Golden Horned Frog Egg, the Lake Tokar Fishman tribe will become my vassals, and Lord Nazarudin's Flame Essence will belong to me, isn't that right?"

"That's right!"

"Yes, Your Excellency Li Wei!"

Nasaruddin and the merman prophet both agreed.

"Then please have Grandmaster Marshall witness this. Also, I would like to have the above terms written down in a contract before production begins to avoid unnecessary disputes. I wonder if either of you has any objections to this?"

Nazarudin and the murloc prophet exchanged glances. Although slightly surprised by "Levi's" confidence, they had no time to think about it further and both expressed their willingness to sign a contract.

The contract was signed quickly!

"Heh heh, it's just greed after all. The young man is probably too confident." Nasaruddin still had a kind expression, but a smug glint flashed in his narrowed eyes as he thought to himself.

However, he uttered flattering words: "Lord Li Wei, you truly are a rare alchemical genius, with extraordinary bearing!"

Richard's renewed agreement caused Dissol and Allehan to exchange a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes. This competition involved a very secret master-level alchemy recipe from the Fishman tribe—the Golden Horned Frog Egg.

The assessment hall usually has a stock of common materials, but the raw materials for this alchemy recipe are something that the entire Grey Dwarf Brotherhood does not have in stock.

The raw materials were just urgently gathered from outside, which shows how rare and precious they are.

Lord Li Wei's strength is beyond doubt, but wasn't he a bit too arrogant this time, or is Lord Li Wei still too young and unable to resist the temptation of the treasure?

Inside the assessment hall.

This time, the elderly murloc prophet has absolute confidence!

It's important to know that making Golden Horned Frog Eggs is extremely complicated, and one wrong move can ruin everything. Even after decades of immersing myself in murloc potion studies, I've never successfully made one even once.

This even made the Murloc Prophet suspect that the recipe for the Golden Horned Frog Egg was not only Master-level, but also among Master-level recipes, it was extremely difficult to make.

For example, the first step in the process, extracting the highly toxic egg fluid from the devil horned frog eggs, is a task that even a skilled pharmacist cannot handle.

The egg fluid of the Devil Horned Frog contains a potent toxin. If not cleaned properly, this rare potion that enhances mental strength will instantly transform into a deadly poison. Therefore, this places high demands on the alchemist.

According to the tradition of the Tokar Lake fish-people tribe, the first golden horned frog egg made must be taken by a pharmacist to ensure it is non-toxic. Unfortunately, no one in the tribe has been able to make it for nearly a hundred years.

Although Li Wei is skilled, even as a true master of potions, he might still make mistakes when encountering this Golden Horned Frog Egg recipe for the first time.

Back then, if he had taken the first golden horned frog egg, hehe!

Even if he doesn't die, he'll be crippled!

The old fishman seemed to have already imagined that scene, a strange smile on his face.

If the other party manages to get past the first pitfall, there's a second one waiting for them.

The second pitfall is over-processing. Over-processing in an effort to clean thoroughly can damage the embryos inside the devil horned frog, resulting in a significant reduction in the medicinal properties of the golden horned frog eggs produced.

In that case, I'm guaranteed to win!

The elderly merman clenched his fist, indicating that he was absolutely confident this time.

Most importantly, there are still a third and fourth pitfalls waiting for him. Do you think the other party can avoid them all? Absolutely not!

Although this incident resulted in the leakage of their top-secret formula, the high level of difficulty in its production would likely be too much for even the average alchemy master, and there are only a handful of alchemy masters in the entire city of Tug, so the impact should not be significant.

When the mid-to-high-level alchemists at the scene received the master-level recipe for the Golden Horned Frog Egg, exclamations of amazement and shock rose and fell!

"Hiss! This is so difficult!" an alchemist exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Yes! This is too difficult! As a high-level alchemist, I'm not even confident about taking the first step!"

"Is this the difficulty of a master-level recipe? Compared to a high-level recipe I've seen before, this one is several levels more difficult!"

"Tsk tsk. That's difficult."

"Lord Levi is being presumptuous." Dissol frowned. Although he was not an alchemy master, he could still tell the difficulty of an alchemy recipe.

"Yes, this level of difficulty would be too much even for ordinary alchemy masters!" Allehan shook his head and sighed, feeling that he should have been more resolute in his dissuasion earlier.

Grandmaster Marshall was also staring intently at the master-level alchemy recipe for the Golden Horned Frog Egg, seemingly judging its difficulty.

At this moment, Richard, under the watchful eyes of everyone, calmly walked onto the alchemy platform.

(End of this chapter)