The headquarters of the Alchemy Association sat right at the center of the busiest commercial avenue in the Dwarven Royal Capital. Gustavo Fring had spent a hefty sum to secure this prime location. Although every copper had eventually been reimbursed, he had been forced to personally visit the Goblin Bank to secure that initial loan.
Even a legendary alchemist like him had never imagined a day when he would be reduced to such straits.
Fortunately, everything had turned around.
Thanks to that lich, who had used astonishing methods to package and promote the half-dead field of alchemy, the market had been completely revitalized.
The immense populations across the nations had an insatiable demand for alchemical products, while the Dwarf Kingdom urgently needed a new economic pillar. The two sides hit it off immediately. The kingdom granted the Alchemy Association massive concessions, and the Association repaid the kingdom with handsome tax revenues once the profits rolled in.
Everything had been going splendidly—until recently, when the Association's profit margins began to shrink.
It was a nagging headache, rooted primarily in market saturation.
Nearly every exploitable market had already been tapped, causing sales to stabilize. For certain goods, sales were even sliding backward—particularly the high-end magical creations. When wealthy patrons purchased such items, they kept them as family heirlooms; naturally, they weren't buying them on a recurring basis like daily groceries.
Due to all these factors, the Association's recent financial reports were looking a bit bleak.
Overall, they were still profitable—very profitable, in fact.
Yet greed was human nature. If someone made ten million one month and only nine million the next, many found it unbearable. Discordant voices rose both inside and outside the Alchemy Association, all complaining that earnings were slipping.
Still, this was an inevitable market law. Gustavo Fring couldn't conjure an entirely new market out of thin air.
"What a pity. If only I could open up the overseas markets, we wouldn't have to worry about saturation for at least a decade."
Gustavo Fring still cast covetous eyes toward Dragon Island and the various overseas races. Regrettably, expanding across the ocean was no simple task; it had to be approached step-by-step.
Sipping his tea, Gustavo picked up a stack of documents beside him. It was the recent promotion list for the Alchemy Association. Alchemists advancing to senior rank required personal review and confirmation from him, the guildmaster.
Though these were all familiar names, Gustavo examined the sheets with painstaking thoroughness. Even as the esteemed guildmaster, he maintained the rigor expected of a true alchemist.
Yet as he reached the end of the senior alchemists' list, his brow furrowed. He turned to his assistant and asked, "Where is Isabel's name?"
The young assistant replied gingerly, "She... has already submitted her withdrawal from the Alchemy Association. Her application is in the appendix. According to protocol, withdrawals require no approval, so her name was struck from the new roster."
Gustavo's face instantly hardened. That icy expression sent a shiver through the assistant's chest. When the guildmaster fell silent, he was truly terrifying; a single glare from those eyes felt potent enough to induce heart failure.
"In the end, she still refused to become my apprentice?"
Gustavo was genuinely heartbroken this time. Isabel was not the most naturally gifted student he had ever seen, but she was by far the most dedicated. Other alchemists treated alchemy as demanding labor; Isabel alone treated it as her everyday life.
She never had to force herself to study, because learning alchemy was her greatest joy. Every waking second, she steadily honed her craft, as naturally as eating or drinking.
The girl never engaged in dazzling, flashy displays, and her chosen field of research was the very thing young prodigies disdained: "optimization" rather than reckless "innovation."
Only Gustavo truly understood the wisdom behind her choice.
Every recipe she optimized meant she had mastered all the principles underlying it. The longer Isabel pursued her research, the more recipes she fully commanded. Her fundamentals would be unshakable, her breadth of knowledge vastly outstripping those alchemists who fixated on a single novelty.
Given enough time to accumulate experience, Isabel would eventually hit an explosive breakthrough in her career. Much like Gustavo in his youth, she would churn out a flood of patents in a brief span, possessing the potential to reshape the trajectory of alchemy itself.
It was precisely because of her singular focus that Gustavo had yearned so deeply to take her under his wing.
Alas, he had arrived a step too late.
Gustavo simply could not fathom why so many people remained utterly devoted to that damned lich, greedy to the bone though he was. It wasn't just Isabel, but his other apprentices as well, and the Undead Queen, and even the Holy King of Ryan had willingly entrusted his life to him. Now, even the common folk of Ryan were singing his praises in gratitude.
"At least he's dead."
Gustavo offered himself a word of comfort, temporarily swallowing his irritation to continue reviewing the paperwork.
The roster of senior alchemists showed little shift; losing Isabel alone caused no glaring deficit. But as Gustavo flipped to the subsequent pages, he immediately sensed something amiss.
"Why are there so many? The number of junior and intermediate alchemists surged by this much?!"
The assistant could only explain, "I verified the numbers repeatedly; the data is completely accurate. The pass rate for this examination cycle was significantly higher than before. Furthermore, the number of apprentices sitting for the exam increased substantially."
Gustavo pondered for a moment before saying, "Bring me the exam papers."
The assistant hurriedly presented the current cycle's examination papers with both hands. The testing material for alchemy was immense, spanning dozens of pages when combining the junior and intermediate exams.
Gustavo skimmed through them rapidly. The answers were second nature to him, requiring not a moment's thought, but for the vast majority of alchemists, these questions were brutally challenging.
"There's nothing wrong with the questions, but this pass rate is unnatural!"
Gustavo knew the state of the Association like the back of his hand. How could he not know what those apprentices were capable of? It was impossible for so many qualified alchemists to sprout out of nowhere overnight—unless there was widespread cheating.
"Investigate the candidates who passed. Don't cause a scene; use truth serum to verify whether they bought the answers."
This was the only plausible explanation Gustavo could conceive.
If it turned out someone within the Association had been trafficking exam answers, they would be ruthlessly punished. Otherwise, this rot would only spread.
Yet Gustavo noticed a hesitant flicker cross his assistant's face at his command.
"What is it? Do you know who leaked the exam questions?"
The assistant shook his head. "Guildmaster, I haven't heard of any cheating, but I have heard an even more preposterous rumor. I didn't know whether I should mention it to you."
"A preposterous rumor? Let's hear it."
This young assistant was an alchemist Gustavo regarded quite favorably—decently talented, meticulous in his work, and slated for grooming into a core aide. Such a person wouldn't dare waste his time with frivolous gossip. If he called it preposterous, it was worth hearing.
"Sir, the rumor originates from a story published in the supplement of *Legendary Spells*, titled *Aladdin and the Magic Mirror*..." The assistant briefly summarized the plot for Gustavo.
The premise was simple, yet masterfully written. Beyond its gripping twists, the entire narrative revolved around only four characters: the protagonist Aladdin, Aladdin's master, the devil inside the magic mirror, and the master's daughter. Stripped to its bones, it was a classic tale of a young man receiving guidance, overcoming an adversary, and winning the beauty's hand. Yet the pacing was seamless, and the characterizations were remarkably vivid.
Even through a brief summary, Gustavo found his interest piqued, feeling an urge to read the original text himself.
However, as the assistant finished, Gustavo's expression turned grim. He asked, "Are you suggesting that this omniscient devil inside the magic mirror actually exists?"
"That is the rumor, though I haven't tested it myself. Previously, I took it for mere fiction, but given the examination results, it might indeed be related. After all, the exam questions are drafted separately by different individuals and secured by specialized personnel at every stage. Procuring the full set of questions is extraordinarily difficult. With so many precautions in place, what could mere apprentices possibly offer in exchange?"
The cost of cheating was prohibitive. Alchemical apprentices were notoriously penniless; they couldn't possibly afford the price of an exam leak.
Gustavo glanced out the window. Most of the sun had already dipped below the horizon. He instructed his assistant, "I understand. Bring me the supplement of *Legendary Spells*, then return to your duties. Do not let anyone disturb me tonight."
The assistant hurriedly gathered the paperwork and left, leaving Gustavo alone in the cavernous office.
The guildmaster picked up the magic mirror from his desk and muttered, "An omniscient devil from Hell... Damned lich, is this your handiwork down in the underworld?!"
A chill crawled up Gustavo's spine, spreading through his limbs in an instant.
That lich was unmistakably dead. Rumor had it that his very soul had been shattered; resurrection was utterly impossible, and he couldn't even have descended into Hell.
Yet Gustavo was seized by a terrible foreboding. This spine-chilling, insidious scheming bore all the hallmarks of that lich's style. Even when his specific plans remained unknown, every single scheme he orchestrated battered his opponents half to death—not even deities could escape unscathed.
If his suspicion proved true, and that lich had not been completely annihilated but had fallen into Hell to become a devil, Gustavo's previous petty moves had likely provoked his wrath.
Gustavo ground his teeth until they creaked. That lingering, haunting bastard!
True or false, he had to verify it with his own eyes. If that lich was indeed alive, every prior plan would have to be scrapped and redrawn from scratch. He could only pray it wasn't too late.
Waiting with agonizing patience until the sun fully disappeared, Gustavo produced the magic mirror and recited the incantation from the story: "Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me."
A burst of flame blossomed at the center of the mirror, revealing a lovely, flushed face.
A voluptuous erinyes materialized on the glass surface, addressing Gustavo in an alluring, melodious voice: "Mortal, you have summoned the omniscient Paluriel."
Paluriel eyed Gustavo up and down, as though she might devour him the very next second.
"Now then, what is your question?" Paluriel asked.
"Paluriel?" Gustavo frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar. But no matter—as long as it wasn't that lich. Given that creature's personality, he wouldn't stoop to disguising himself as a woman.
Still, it was entirely possible he had hired this erinyes. Gustavo needed to be certain.
"Tell me: Do you work for the lich Ultraman Tiga, and did you leak the exam questions to those alchemy apprentices?"
Paluriel smiled sweetly. "Knowledge must be exchanged for knowledge. I have answers to both questions, but what can you offer in return?"
Gustavo's brow furrowed. "That counts as knowledge?"
"Our conversation today is a part of history," Paluriel explained, "and history is indeed knowledge, is it not?"
Though it was sheer sophistry, Gustavo understood that devils never granted favors to mortals for free. If he wanted answers from this erinyes, he would have to pay a price.
"What do you want?" Gustavo demanded.
Paluriel mused for a moment, then replied, "You asked two questions regarding my personal secrets. Therefore, you must offer two secrets of your own in return. Choose wisely—if I decide your secrets lack weight, I will simply walk away after listening."
Gustavo scowled. "That isn't fair!"
"How naive. You expect fairness?" Paluriel said with a smirk. "In any negotiation, the first one to expose their bottom line loses. I can sense that you are desperate for answers at any cost, while I have little interest in your petty secrets. Thus, you are the one begging me, are you not?"
That eerily familiar negotiation rhetoric... Gustavo was now eighty percent certain this erinyes was working for Anbaixiu. Had that lich truly resurrected in Hell? Was leaking the exam questions his opening salvo of retaliation?
Yet what secret could he possibly offer that would suffice, and who could guarantee a devil's intelligence was the whole truth?
Gustavo sneered, cutting her off. "Damned devil, I don't need your answers anymore. Tell that lich that I will be waiting right here. Whatever grudges exist between us, I have earned the right to speak with him face to face."
Paluriel merely cast him a detached glance, as if she hadn't heard a word.
"So, you forfeit the trade. Farewell, then, mortal."
Her words caught Gustavo off guard. Before he could react, the image in the magic mirror began to fade.
"Wait!"
Gustavo managed only those two words before Paluriel vanished entirely from the mirror.
He had no choice but to chant the incantation again, hoping to summon her back.
Yet this erinyes seemed strictly bound by principles. No matter how many times Gustavo recited the words, she refused to appear.
*Did I guess wrong?*
Gustavo tried to convince himself that the devil was merely playing hard to get, that she would certainly deliver his message. Yet the mere sliver of doubt left him agonizingly unsettled.
Paluriel had been right: no matter the cost, Gustavo had to confirm whether that lich was dead or alive with absolute certainty. That was the one bottom line he could not compromise on; otherwise, he wouldn't sleep a wink from this night on.
Without him even realizing it, that lich's influence had grown so towering that a mere phantom rumor could reduce the guildmaster of the Alchemy Association to an ant on a hot pan, utterly stripped of his composure.
After dozens of failed attempts to summon Paluriel, Gustavo had no choice but to call his assistant back into the office, ordering the young man to chant the incantation.
"Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me."
As the nervous assistant uttered the phrase, Paluriel's figure materialized in the glass once more.
She looked upon the assistant and cooed, "Oh, poor child. Blink if you're being coerced, and big sister can help you out. It will only cost a negligible soul fragment."
Terror seized the assistant. He instantly propped his eyelids open with his fingers, deathly afraid that an accidental blink might seal a pact with the devil.
Gustavo cared nothing for his assistant's safety, barking immediately, "Never mind that! Ask her the questions I posed earlier!"
Left with no choice, the assistant stared with bloodshot, unblinking eyes and asked, "Are you working for Master Ultraman, and what schemes does he have against the Alchemy Association?"
Paluriel burst into laughter. She shifted her angle in the mirror, addressing Gustavo directly: "Trading with a devil using the person beside you as collateral—what classic technique. But I have no interest in this boy's secrets, and as for yours... my apologies, I've lost interest in those too."
"What in the world do you want?!" Gustavo demanded.
"Souls, of course! Your restless soul, desperate enough to pay any price for the truth; and this boy's panicked soul, cowering for his future yet afraid to resist. Resentment, terror, and greed—what a delectable, complex flavor. I adore it. Now, you may choose: sacrifice your own soul, or this child's. In return, I will give you the answers you seek.
"Well? That shouldn't be a difficult choice, should it?"
Paluriel's words made the assistant tremble like a leaf. He turned to Gustavo in horror, praying his master would flatly refuse the proposition. Yet Gustavo hesitated.
He was genuinely tempted. After all, it wasn't his own life on the line; a simple nod would clear up the question gnawing at his mind. Still, reflecting on the assistant's solid performance, sacrificing him felt like a waste. A soul was just a soul—why waste capable personnel at his side when he could substitute a few slaves instead?
Just as Gustavo reached his decision and parted his lips to decline, his assistant screamed at the top of his lungs, "No! I refuse! I will not sell my soul! Why does he get to decide? I want to sell this old bastard's soul instead!"
Gustavo stared at the young assistant in utter shock. He had never imagined that this habitually docile, obsequious boy would utter such treacherous words. He had already decided to substitute him with slaves, yet the boy couldn't even wait that brief moment?
Paluriel roared with laughter. "Look at that! What an interesting child. You must have been terrified just now, wondering whether the old man's first words would be a rejection or an agreement, so you had to jump in and refuse before he could speak, didn't you?
"My, my. For the sake of your career, you groveled; but to save your skin, you threw your career away without a second thought. Splendid, truly decisive! Too bad you guessed wrong. The old fellow was actually going to turn down the offer. Oh, you really should look in the mirror—the look on your face right now is utterly magnificent!"
Gustavo watched Paluriel with a frown. This devil could read his thoughts; just as before, she could discern emotions with flawless accuracy.
The young assistant was thrown into complete disarray by Paluriel's revelation. He opened his mouth as if to explain himself to Gustavo, yet seemed to realize that whatever he said now would be futile.
In the end, the young assistant gritted his teeth and snarled, "Since the choice is made, then I'll make the deal with you—sell his soul!"
He had already crossed Gustavo Fring; retribution was guaranteed. He was dead either way, so why not gamble everything! Once Gustavo was dead, history would be written by the survivor.
Gustavo let out a cold laugh of fury, not bothering to spare the young man another glance. He had thought he had found a promising talent to groom into a confidant, only to discover his judgment had been sorely mistaken.
Indeed, apprentices as brilliant and loyal as Isabel were rarer than living legends.
The assistant paid no heed to his master's scorn; he needed to seal the transaction immediately, or he was doomed. Yet Paluriel's reply plunged him into the depths of despair.
"Oh dear, what a pity, poor child. We devils only broker deals involving things mortals actually possess."
The assistant stammered in shock, "What do you mean by that?! Why does he get to sell my soul, while I can't sell his?!"
Paluriel explained, "Because you have no right to trade his soul—he doesn't belong to you. Why did I only offer the bargain to this old man? Because your prospects, your life, even your very existence were held in the palm of his hand. Parents selling their young children, grown children selling their elderly parents—all of that is valid. But the reverse does not hold.
"How could you possibly sell something that doesn't belong to you?"
The assistant collapsed limply to the floor in total despair, scrambling on all fours in a desperate bid to flee the room.
By this point, Gustavo had already made up his mind. He gave Paluriel a firm nod. "Deal."
Paluriel's tail lashed out from the magic mirror, wrapping tightly around the young assistant in an instant. No matter how violently he thrashed, he could not break free.
Hellfire ignited along the length of Paluriel's tail, incinerating the young man to ashes in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a lustrous, gleaming soul coin.
"Splendid quality. This despairing soul is mine!" Paluriel purred, toying with the soul coin before turning back to Gustavo. "As for your questions: I know no one named Ultraman Tiga. The devil I collaborate with is named Arthas—a name you surely haven't heard.
"And what was that about a plot against the Alchemy Association? Isn't it obvious? I am merely doing what devils do best. Tempting mortals into corruption, enticing them to surrender their souls of their own free will... That is simply a devil's routine."
Chapter 580