Chapter 98: Pioneer of Professions!

Alchemist!

This new title was quite intriguing. Bohn hadn’t noticed that, when he brought up this new profession, Hussein had cast him a deep, meaningful glance, and the Count had looked on with a faint, knowing smile.

Completely oblivious to the silent exchange between these two influential figures, Bohn shamelessly surrendered under the temptation of wealth and began to extol at length the manifold virtues of being a full-time [Alchemist]!

Until now, alchemy had always been a secondary pursuit for spellcasters—anyone adept in the arcane would know a few tricks of the trade. It was much like how many can operate a computer, but precious few can become top-tier computer engineers.

Count Iolum stood among those rare few at the pinnacle of the pyramid. His fees were exorbitant—a far cry from the fourfold rate Hussein had claimed; in truth, the Count charged ten times the standard price!

That was why Hussein had sought out Bohn. In fact, when he named his price in front of the Count, it was a blatant attempt to take advantage—and he knew perfectly well the Count would not expose him on the spot!

Of course, the Count refrained from contradicting his old friend, partly out of consideration for their friendship, and partly because he recognized that Bohn was now worth that price. The Count was deeply confident in Bohn’s abilities.

Bohn never made the same mistake twice; the phrase “learning by analogy” was hardly sufficient to describe his gift. In two short months, he had memorized hundreds of thousands of materials and mastered more than ten thousand alchemical formulas.

But this was not the most crucial point. What truly set Bohn apart was that, once he’d familiarized himself with these formulas, he soon began to create his own combinations!

Even the Count had only reached such a level in his fifties—yet Bohn achieved it in a mere two months!

From the Count’s perspective, Bohn’s experience was already sufficient; in theory, he was even surpassing his mentor. All that remained was the slow accumulation of time and the creation of his own signature alchemical masterpiece—his work of renown.

The most famous example was Concinio’s “Iron Stone” and the Count’s own rune-engraved magical items.

Unbeknownst to the Count, Bohn had been purposely holding himself back, feigning ignorance and progressing slowly. It had taken him nearly two months to establish his reputation as an alchemical prodigy—after all, with a chip system, anyone could become a genius overnight!

As for the [Alchemist] profession, Bohn had mentioned it to the Count before. He knew its emergence was inevitable; all he did was create the fertile ground necessary for it to take root.

Previously, the lack of infrastructure had hindered the rise of this profession. But after Bohn replicated the Arcane Garden, [Alchemist] could finally separate from being a mere sideline for spellcasters and become a fully-fledged profession, complete with its own formal legacy.

A new profession, founded!

Bohn was well aware of the significance of this.

With memories from his previous life, he understood many things, though understanding did not necessarily mean he grasped them more deeply or accurately.

This was the so-called “barrier of preconceptions.”

The emergence of the Alchemist was inevitable. As arcane civilization developed, it would naturally give rise to new professional systems.

Thus, he saw nothing wrong with bringing it forth a little early, paying no heed to the strange expressions of those around him.

Hussein, in particular, felt utterly defeated—he had come to secure an advantage, only to be upstaged completely!

Watching his old friend’s smug face, so clearly prepared for this, if not for the fact that he couldn’t win a fight, he’d have punched him already.

Now, as Bohn grandly unveiled his professional system, Hussein could only force a smile and listen along.

It was infuriating…

A founder of a profession!

A founder so young—Bohn’s achievement had instantly eclipsed decades of Hussein’s own efforts.

A founder is the very originator of a profession—the ancestor, so to speak!

How could that not be awe-inspiring?

Every founder’s status was indisputable. Wasn’t it true that when President Concinio established the Arcanist profession, he was later honored as the [Master of the Arcane]?

That title itself was a mark of universal recognition.

For extraordinary civilizations to flourish, a diversity of extraordinary professions was essential. The elves had their high mages, druids, and archmages, and even rangers and wanderers originated with them. The dwarves had their weapon masters and rune smiths.

But what of Nethe?

It seemed they had only Arcanists; warriors and their variant, knights, were not counted among the mystics.

(Shamans belonged to the orcs, wizards to ancient humans; more professions would appear in time.)

Reputation, too, was a vital form of political capital. Power alone did not guarantee elevation to lordship—even the mighty Hussein only truly entered Nethe’s upper echelons after formally commanding the Shamstein Legion.

Now, with the title [Master Alchemist], Bohn’s succession of the Iolum family was assured. With a distinguished military record, a title was all but guaranteed!

“Alchemist?!”

Beside them, Lisper looked at Bohn in shock. Hussein and Bohn had not kept her from their conversation.

A founder of a profession!

This was not something one could simply decide to do. In Nethe, only the President had ever accomplished such a feat!

She found Bohn more and more unfathomable—every so often, he astonished her anew.

Watching him speak so confidently before these high-ranking figures, Lisper’s eyes shone with admiration.

Hussein noticed her expression and knew things had gone awry. Yet he could not deny Bohn’s excellence!

In Bohn, he even saw a reflection of President Concinio—perhaps even more outstanding at that age…

Bohn, however, was unaware that everyone present had misinterpreted his intentions. His goal was simple: to secure the qualification to train alchemists for the Shamstein Legion.

If spellcasters were raised by burning money, then alchemists were fed on gold!

Just among the four trainees Bohn had mentored over the past few days, over fifty thousand in materials had been consumed within a month—just to master basic rune carving.

Bohn’s plan was to use the resources of the Shamstein Legion to cultivate his own alchemists. Why did none of Nethe’s merchant guilds dare cross the military? It wasn’t just that the military was a major client—they were also a principal supplier!

Materials were not limited to magical plants, but included minerals and the organs of monsters.

Currently, most minerals were supplied by the Danzorn dwarves via black-market routes, while the military provided parts from monsters and aberrations.

For instance, lizardfolk hides could be used for low-tier spell scrolls; claws and teeth were excellent spell components. Magical beasts in particular were a treasure trove.

Adventurers could only bring in so much. The majority of these resources were cleared by the Nethe military. Don’t be deceived by the current defensive posture; fierce battles had raged before.

After slaying monsters, the bodies had to be cleared away. This wasn’t a game where loot simply appeared. The corpses were transported to cities and sold. With more spellcasters joining the army, the military had begun to process and store materials, releasing them in batches to raise prices or supplying their own spellcasters.

Over time, every legion’s warehouses were piled high with all sorts of oddities.

As for merchants colluding to swindle the military, after the earliest offenders met their end, no one dared try again.

At last, thanks to Bohn’s tireless persuasion, Hussein relented and agreed to launch the first [Alchemist] training program in the Shamstein Legion.

“Then, Grandfather, Lord Hussein, I shall take my leave,” said Bohn, bowing deeply. Turning to Hussein, he continued, “The Alchemy Workshop will soon be completed. I hope you will honor us with your presence at the opening ceremony.”

“Rest assured, I wouldn’t miss it,” Hussein replied, flashing a row of immaculate white teeth—though, to Bohn, there was something a little unsettling about that smile.

Leaving the Mage Tower, Bohn summoned a carriage to transport the “Magical Storage Device.” Just as he was about to depart, President Lisper emerged from the tower.

“Shall we go together?” Bohn asked with a smile.

“Let’s,” she replied, covering her mouth with a laugh. “Take me on a tour of your Alchemy Workshop.”

“It would be my honor,” Bohn said.

…