Although Kanzaki Rei found flaws in his reasoning, he hadnât come here to debate philosophy.
So he didnât refute him.
He simply said, in an even tone, "...A fine ideal."
He had heard that the Peace Doctrine sought to build a world without conflict. This manâs thinking truly aligned with that vision.
"Since you plan to publish your research, could you let me review it beforehand?"
"Of course, I wonât let you suffer a loss in the exchange."
Kanzaki Rei flicked his right hand lightly through the air.
A thin, green-bound booklet appeared in his palm.
"This formula records the method for synthesizing an Elixir of Immortality."
"I believe trading this for your work would hardly be unfair."
...An Elixir of Immortality?
Behind him, the Golden Dragonâs expression shifted slightly.
The formula for the Elixir of Immortality was said to have been left behind in the Valley of Eternal Lifeâlost to the world ever since.
So why... did this man possess it?
Eukinri stared at the formula Kanzaki Rei had offered.
He froze for a moment.
Trading... for the Elixir of Immortality?
While the potion he had developed was powerful, in terms of sheer value, it was nowhere near comparable to such a legendary formula.
After all, he intended to make his own formula public.
"This... is real?"Eukinriâs voice carried disbelief.
"If you doubt it, open it and see for yourself."
Kanzaki Rei casually tossed it over.
A priceless formulaâtreated like a scrap of worthless paper.
Eukinriâs eyes widened in shock!
He hurriedly caught it with both hands, cradling it carefully in his palms.
He glanced at Kanzaki Rei, uncertain.
Kanzaki Rei stood there, calm and unbothered, as though none of this mattered.
Looking back at the thin booklet, Eukinri noted its simplicity. There were no excessive seals or protections placed upon it...
He opened it.
As a Level 7 Alchemist, verifying the authenticity of a formula was trivial.
Page by page, the processes of potion synthesis imprinted themselves into his mind.
This... wasnât fake.
Every detail aligned perfectly with genuine alchemical knowledge.
To a professional, it was unmistakably authentic.
"Take your time. Read it all if you likeâit doesnât matter," Kanzaki Rei said calmly.
Eukinri looked up againâthis time, his gaze filled with a deeper sense of awe.
A formula of this caliber... given away so casually?
For most, obtaining such knowledge would require venturing into deadly ruins, risking life and limb.
Just who... was this person?
A successor of some sacred land?
Or perhaps... a direct disciple of a god?
Even the Golden Dragon behind him grew visibly more solemn.
Kanzaki Rei was becoming increasingly unfathomable.
"This trade... is more than acceptable."
"Noârather, is there anything else you require?" Eukinriâs tone became noticeably more respectful, even shifting to formal address.
"This time, I didnât bring many formulas with me."
"So I canât conduct too many trades with you."
"However, I do have other materialsâsuch as the remains of Tier 6 monsters at the 4th or 5th Metamorphosis stage."
Kanzaki Rei had already abandoned the provincial classification used in the Loren Kingdom.
Instead, he used the more advanced terminology from the Celestial domains.
"4th Metamorphosis? 5th Metamorphosis?"
"What... do you mean?"
Eukinri looked completely confused.
"...Ah, do you mean Tier 6 King-class and Emperor-class monsters?"
Hearing yet another naming system, Kanzaki Reiâs lips twitched faintly.
Would the worldâs measurement systems ever be unified?
The world was simply too vast.
A single continent dwarfed Earth in size. Countless continents lay scattered across vast oceans, and communication methods were primitive at best.
The result was massive cultural divergence.
Even organizations like the Church and the White Towerâglobal as they wereâcould only partially bridge the gap.
Regional terminology still varied wildly.
"...Just take a look yourself."
With another casual wave, several spatial storage bags appeared before Eukinri.
The remains of these deep-tier monsters were far too massive to display in the room directly.
Eukinri took the bags, sending his perception into them one by one.
The moment he saw what lay inside, he couldnât help but suck in a sharp breath.
Tier 6 monstersâhe had seen them before, as a Level 7 Alchemist.
But they were exceedingly rare.
Especially... Emperor-class Tier 6 monsters.
This was the first time he had seen so many corpses of such high-level beings.
"Y-You... what else do you want to trade for?" Eukinriâs voice trembled.
A Level 7 Alchemist wasnât short on money.
But materials?
Those were always in short supply.
Every crafting profession faced the same issue.
Half their time was spent crafting.
The other halfâsearching for materials.
In fact... the latter often consumed even more time.
"What I want is simple."
"I want your experience as an alchemistâand all the formulas you possess."
"As long as youâre willing to trade them, I intend to acquire them all."
"Of course, the price is negotiable."
"If you want gold, I have gold. If you want materials, I can provide them."
"And if thatâs still not enoughâstate your conditions. I can make promises."
After all... a promise didnât necessarily have to be fulfilled.
When the time came, he could simply leave.
Kanzaki Rei stood poised and composed, exuding an indescribable aura of mystery.
No one could discern his true depth.
And in truth, no one couldâwith the existence of the "Unsolvable Enigma," his mystique never faded.
"...Formulas."
"You said earlierâyouâre also an alchemist."
Kanzaki Rei nodded. "Yes."
"I only recently took the class. Iâm planning to advance further along this path."
"And just so happened to meet you."
"Iâd like to learn from you as well."
Eukinri studied him carefully.
At last, he nodded.
"...Very well."
"If thatâs all you want, I have no objections."
"Most of my formulas are already publicâmany are recorded within the White Tower. If you search for my name there, you should find themâat least within the Murkwater Region."
The Murkwater Region...
The White Tower was indeed a global organization, but no single branch could possibly house all knowledge from across the world.
The volume was simply too immense.
Only at the White Towerâs headquartersâthe Supreme Tower of Knowledgeâwas all recorded knowledge gathered.
"But if you want them, I can give them to you directly."
"These materials are more than sufficient."
"However, if possible, Iâd also like a few specific ingredients. Iâm not sure if you have them."
"Of course, if not, itâs fine."
Eukinri listed several rare materials.
Kanzaki Rei searched through his storage.
He did manage to find a few of themâbut not all.
After all, he hadnât been a dedicated alchemist before, so his collection wasnât exhaustive.
Once the trade was completedâ
Kanzaki Rei received every one of Eukinriâs formulas.
From Tier 1 to Tier 7.
All included.
At last... he had them.
And most importantlyâ
Kanzaki Rei looked at the long scroll in his hand.
Upon it was recorded the complete formula for the "Monster Sentience Activation Potion."
A Tier 5 potion.
Any Level 5 Alchemist could produce it.
A Level 7 Alchemistâs research did not necessarily result in a Tier 7 formula.
Just as a Level 5 Mage could create Tier 1 spells.
The crafting process itself wasnât complicated.
The difficulty had always been in the research.
At last... a potion that should have been lost to history was now in his possession.
And Eukinri had survived.
That should conclude this phaseâ
Just as that thought crossed Kanzaki Reiâs mindâ
A voice echoed faintly across heaven and earth.
Young... yet ancient.
Majestic... yet alluring.
At that same instantâ
The entire world seemed to freeze.
"You have become a hero of this world... and changed a regret of the past~"
It was the voice of Aegmisa.
"However, aside from you, the others are still working tirelessly to save their own regretful worlds."
"Only when everyone has either become a heroâor failed in their attemptâwill you all depart from this world."
"Of course... time is not unlimited."
"It wonât be long before a result is decided..."
Hummmâ
The voice gradually faded.
And in the next momentâ
Time resumed.
Aegmisa...
Within a world created by such a being, there was an undeniable sense of passivity.
Kanzaki Rei didnât like it.
But there was no point dwelling on it.
If he couldnât leave for nowâ
Then he might as well make use of the time.
He had barely interacted with alchemists beforeâonly fleeting encounters.
He lacked a deep understanding of their principles.
He hadnât even personally crafted many potions himself.
Now... was the perfect opportunity.
"...Alright. Iâve received the formulas."
"Eukinri, could you guide me through crafting some potions?"
Eukinri blinked, confused.
"Guide you?"
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"To be honest, I only recently advanced to Level 1 Alchemist. I donât have much experience."
"...What?"
Level 1?
You casually pull out the formula for the Elixir of Immortality, and I thought you were a fellow Level 7â
And now youâre telling me youâre only Level 1?!