126 Crystal of Eternity

"To say the truth, he is indeed a Blacksmith…" Macklin said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"This young man…" Andoine murmured while he scratched his head in a daze. How could a human be so extraordinary? Being such a remarkable genius in forging, Lin Li was really a rare individual—like a dinosaur. Furthermore, Andoine clearly remembered that his man had extremely deep Pharmaceutical knowledge. The old man absolutely could not comprehend how this freak was able to scale such great heights.

After trying all possible ways in his persuasion, Macklin finally convinced Andoine to forgive Aeron for the time being.

"I will let today's matter pass. But, Macklin, don't blame me for killing this fella if Felic gets hurt in Alanna. My decision will be final even if Aldwin comes over to beg me. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, yes!" Macklin nodded profusely. After they returned to Alanna Guild of Magic, he would get Aldwin to lock up that bastard son of his. 'F*ck you, Aeron… why am I taking the blame for you?'

Even if he were Aldwin, he would not have dared to have any direct confrontation with Antoine or mess with his students. Unless… he was tired of living.

"Take him away…"

Macklin was greatly relieved. With these words, it meant that Aeron's life had been spared.

After dismissing Macklin, Andoine walked towards Lin Li with an anxious expression. "Felic, please help me take a look this bottle of the Bull's Strength Potion…"

"He hasn't changed much…" Lin Li said, and laughed under his breath. He opened the cork stopper of the dark-red glass bottle Andoine passed him and took a sniff…

"The ingredients are alright," replied Lin Li. With just a sniff, he could tell that this Bull's Strength Potion was more powerful than before. He had no issues with the ingredients of the potion. All four ingredients inside were in perfect ratio, and… it was very rare that the old man did not add any other weird things inside.

And just because of this oddity, Lin Li could not help but ask, "Who taught you this?"

"Grimm Burnside." While replying him, the old Mage suddenly realized that he had been tricked. So, he tweaked his answer. "Grimm Burnside gave me some suggestions. I thought they were good, so I adopted them reluctantly…"

"Why don't you admit it, hahaha…" Lin Li laughed as he put the cap back on the bottle and returned it to Andoine. "This bottle of Bull's Strength Potion was generally well made, with the exception of the temperature it was created in. I remember telling you that when you are heating up the terocone juice, you need to maintain the temperature at the boiling point—not too hot or cold. Or else, there would be a violent reaction from the dracaena grass, leading to dire consequences—and that's no laughing matter. At the very least, the Bull's Strength Potion would turn into poison. Or else, it would emit a toxic effervescence that would kill anyone—regardless of whether you are a legendary Sword Sage or a legendary Mage!"

"Oh, maintain the temperature at the boiling point…" Andoine nodded as he repeated Lin Li's advice in a serious tone.

"Oh yes, how did you find this place?"

"It's a long story… Let's find somewhere quiet to take a sit, and I will tell you everything!" the old man said excitedly as he pulled Lin Li away, ignoring the people around him.

While the two of them found a secluded spot to speak, the others were left dumbfounded…

Especially Macklin—he totally could not believe his eyes!

Illusion! It had to be an illusion! Macklin rubbed his eyes vigorously, yet he had to admit: everything was real…

That old fella, Andoine, came with a bottle of potion to consult Lin Li?!

Goddammit, I'm going crazy…

Macklin was really going mad. He was definitely clear about Andoine's identity. Although that old dude did not get into the Pharmacists Guild, he was a true Pharmacist!

And now, this true Pharmacist came here to consult his student…

Macklin thought he saw a dinosaur.

W-what a monster…

Not to mention his freakish potential in Magic, he was also immensely talented in the art of forging and in pharmacy! Most importantly, that fella was still under the age of 20!

It was then that Macklin gradually realized how the seemingly down-and-out Jarrosus Guild of Magic had trained Lin Li into…

"O-Orrin, did I see wrongly?" Mason asked in admiration as though he was dreaming.

"N-No…"

Both of them were utterly stunned; their stupefied gazes were fixed on the old man and the young fellow. It was such an unbelievable experience for them. The manner in which the young Felic gave the legendary Andoine advice was so natural as though it was expected!

"The guy who advised Master Andoine… was really Felic?"

"Should be…" This time, even Orrin could not believe his eyes.

"I'm turning crazy…"

Whether Mason would turn mad was not a concern of Andoine.

He fiddled in his pocket.

"Look what I've found just now…"

What Andoine took out from his pocket was a sky-blue-colored crystal. It was the size of a fist, and when Lin Li held it in his hand, he felt a cooling sensation from the crystal. The refreshing feeling spread from his palm to his entire body. "The Crystal of Eternity?" Lin Li's eyes lit up as he exclaimed in excitement. How would he not know the origin of this treasure? Lin Li had acquired a piece of it when he was a Hunter at the Endless World. Unfortunately, while in search for a suitable crystal sculptor, he did not manage to bring the crystal with him when he transmigrated.

To pharmacists, this item was a real treasure. Although it looked like an ordinary slab of stone, once it was carved into a medication bottle, its value would multiply by a hundred times. Any medication the bottle was to contain would have no expiry date, and thus could be stored for eternity. On top of that, the medication inside the bottle would grow stronger with the passage of time.

It was said that the claim had been verified by someone in the Endless World.

He poured a mana potion into one such bottle and only drank it after a few months. The effect of that bottle of potion was already on par with the Awakening Potion!

That treasure was what all pharmacists dreamed to own. Especially Lin Li, who had already reached the level of a Pharmaceutics guru. He had always been bringing at least 17 bottles of potion around with him. If he were to have one such bottle with him, he would be elated.

After returning the Crystal of Eternity to Andoine, Lin Li asked, "Where did you find this?"

"I found it in the Northern side of the jungle, not too far from here. If you are interested, I could bring you there. But… I don't think there's a need to, since there would not be crystals there anymore. I only found one piece of the Crystal of Eternity at that place after venturing for about two or three days… Who knew I would meet you on my way back!" Andoine said as he put the crystal into his pocket, his face beaming with pride.

"Hehe… luck played a part in that too. I went to the Adventurers Guild a few days before, and met an adventurer who was selling a broken fragment of the Crystal of Eternity. Nobody wanted to buy it from him for the entire afternoon. How foolish they were not to know what's the Crystal of Eternity! I even tricked him into telling me where he found that fragment by buying it from him with 100 gold coins!"

"Where?"

"You really intend to go?" Andoine could not help but feel surprised. Did he not tell him that he spent at least two days to find this crystal? Even if there was a crystal, he would already have found it. Why was this fellow still in a rush to go?

Wait a minute… This fellow was no ordinary human being. He must have known some other things he did not have any knowledge about…

"Is there… any problem with that place?" Andoine asked as he wanted to test Lin Li.

"Of course there is…" Lin Li looked at him helplessly. He did not know how to describe this foolish old man… How could he concentrate on such a trivial matter and neglect the big picture?

"Then, let's go there at once. When I left, I saw people walking towards it!" Andoine cried out nervously. He immediately got more anxious than Lin Li when he heard that he'd missed something crucial.

"Hold on, now is not the time to do so. It is still too early, we've got to wait for the sun to set."

"Why?"

"The reason is complicated. I will tell you when I have the time…"

"…"