The God of Alchemy harbored feelings of guilt toward Anbaixiu, His chief disciple.
Although the God of Alchemy had continuously assisted Anbaixiu after their reunion, Anbaixiu had gained little in the way of alchemical benefits, yielding the greatest advantages to Him instead.
To this day, Anbaixiu remained merely a respectable alchemist, nowhere near the legendary realm.
This was partly due to Anbaixiu's pragmatism. He couldn't care less about the purity of alchemy, stuffing all manner of hodgepodge techniques into it, and mostly knocking off other people's original work. There were minor refinements, but genuinely nothing disruptively innovative.
As the conceptual deity of alchemy, the God of Alchemy could not show favoritism in this regard. He could only do His best to offer Anbaixiu inspiration, but could not directly elevate him into the legendary realm, as doing so would violate His divine portfolio.
"Flynn, do you still remember what you were best at making?" the God of Alchemy asked.
Gustavo Fring fell silent for a moment before answering, "Alchemical tools."
"Indeed. That integrated automatic chicken fryer you built when you were still an apprentice—I remember it clearly to this day. It was truly a stroke of genius."
Most people had only heard that Gustavo Fring's enchanted equipment was second to none, that he was a top-tier master of alchemy, but few knew that his ascension to legend had actually come from refining an alchemical toolkit of his own.
Compared to powerful enchanted gear, Gustavo Fring actually preferred designing novel, user-friendly alchemical apparatuses, more precise measuring tools, simpler and more effective miscibility mixers, safer and more efficient centrifuges, and the like.
Yet after so many years, Gustavo Fring had almost forgotten all that himself. He might sketch a few blueprints in his spare moments, but he hadn't spent time doing what he truly loved in decades.
Hearing the God of Alchemy bring it up now, Gustavo Fring realized that this deity truly had been watching him all along.
"But was I wrong?" Gustavo Fring couldn't help demanding. "If I hadn't done this, the Alchemy Association would have ceased to exist long ago!"
The God of Alchemy smiled. "What does it matter whether the Alchemy Association exists or not?"
Gustavo Fring gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I am no deity. I lack such open-minded detachment. This is the achievement of my life's work; I cannot simply cast it aside."
The God of Alchemy shook His head. "You still don't understand. In this matter, there is no right or wrong, nor any factions, and it certainly isn't about whose side I am taking. What I am speaking to you is simple reality, like the final outcome of an alchemical experiment. Whether you revere Me, or revere the Lord of the Dawn, or even revere the devils of Hell, none of it alters the fundamental laws of alchemy.
"Just as water flows downhill and the sun shines, this has nothing to do with factions or morality, nor with so-called hard work. I have come to remind you of a plain truth: alchemical knowledge cannot be kept locked away forever. Alchemists who pursue truth and knowledge cannot be caged for eternity. Flynn, you must first accept this reality before you can understand what you must do."
Gustavo Fring frowned. "What exactly do you want me to do? Directly disband the Alchemy Association?"
Though his manner was hardly humble, the God of Alchemy knew Gustavo Fring had already conceded defeat.
He had no cards left to play. From the moment the God of Alchemy appeared, Gustavo Fring knew he was doomed to lose. How could a mortal contend against a god?
He could only blame himself for being too foolish, never able to see through that lich's hidden cards.
"The Alchemy Association does not matter; what matters is your knowledge. Flynn, if you are willing to let go of what is before your eyes, you will naturally find your path. I came only to remind you: like a completed experiment, the facts can no longer be changed. The choice you have now is to accept the results and run the experiment anew, or abandon this failed experiment altogether. I trust you can figure this out for yourself."
This was the final chance the God of Alchemy was offering Gustavo Fring. If he could let go of power and status to become a pure alchemist once more, the God of Alchemy might even reserve a place for him in His divine realm.
But if Gustavo Fring remained stubbornly obstinate, the God of Alchemy could only watch him plunge into ruin.
When the God of Alchemy vanished from the magic mirror, Gustavo Fring clenched his fists tightly. He knew he had been backed into a corner.
He knew which choice was right. As long as he pulled back now, he could walk away intact, losing only his wealth and power. But when it actually came down to making the decision, Gustavo Fring found it impossibly difficult. He had clawed his way up from a poor boy to reach where he was today, a figure of tremendous influence in the kingdom. To give it up like this meant more than half of his life's toil would have been in vain.
That was over a century of his life. To throw it away just like that—who could bear it?
Distraught and restless, Gustavo Fring stepped out of the Alchemy Association's building and walked into the vast night.
Though it was late at night, the Dwarf Kingdom remained brightly lit, showing not the slightest resemblance to a kingdom battered into losing most of its territory; it looked more like a vigorous, burgeoning new dynasty.
Particularly with the Ryan Empire having recently sent an instrument of surrender, admitting its wrongdoing, ceding territory, and paying reparations, the entire Dwarf Kingdom had plunged into celebration, making the atmosphere all the more bustling and vibrant.
And Gustavo Fring shared credit for this prosperity. Alchemy had developed with astonishing speed in the Dwarf Kingdom, and the reopening of numerous alchemical factories was the primary driver of the kingdom's economic growth.
The more he looked around, the more unwilling Gustavo Fring felt to resign himself.
Having already tasted what it felt like to change the world, how could he return to the days of hiding alone in a laboratory?
Before he knew it, Gustavo Fring arrived before a magnificent building.
The enormous sign of the Goblin Bank hung above, forged of pure gold and encrusted with countless gems.
It possessed not a shred of aesthetic taste—nothing more than crude, vulgar nouveau-riche gaudiness—yet the sign alone was worth millions of gold coins. The Goblin Bank flaunted its wealth in this blunt fashion so that the inhabitants of the Dwarf Kingdom would deposit their money here with complete confidence.
And the bank had performed remarkably well; even when the dwarves migrated, these goblins had decisively followed along, without losing a single depositor's assets.
This had earned the Goblin Bank widespread praise for its credibility. During the reestablishment of the dwarven nation, it had generously provided massive quantities of gold as interest-free loans. Through such straightforward methods, the Goblin Bank had crushed all competitors to become the kingdom's sole designated bank.
Back then, Gustavo Fring had taken out substantial loans here, which was what allowed him to secure his position as guildmaster of the Alchemy Association.
Now, on the verge of losing everything, why had his feet carried him back here unawares? Gustavo Fring stared up at the massive sign and saw the slogan familiar to all: "Money can solve the vast majority of troubles."
It was the Goblin Bank's lending advertisement—a very sensible motto.
Yet was the Alchemy Association's current dilemma something money could solve?
Drawn by some uncanny impulse, Gustavo Fring walked inside. Today, he truly needed to talk with these goblins.
Before long, Gustavo Fring arrived in the deepest recesses of the bank, inside its most lavishly decorated chamber.
Donald Grandet, president of the Goblin Bank, was leisurely sipping date tea, seemingly unsurprised by Gustavo Fring's arrival.
"You should have come sooner, Master Flynn. Our business isn't finished yet," President Grandet said, pouring a cup of tea for Gustavo Fring.
Gustavo Fring had no mood for tea. Sitting across from the goblin president, he said in a low voice, "I remember our deal being concluded."
Gustavo Fring had exchanged certain secret knowledge for a substantial loan from the Goblin Bank, and now that the debt was settled in full, there were indeed no other transactions remaining.
The goblin president paid no heed to this chilly aloofness. Rubbing his hands adorned with gem-encrusted rings, he said politely, "Our bank's purpose has always been to relieve our clients' worries—money solves their troubles. You have troubles, and that is the premise for cooperation. I've caught wind of the Alchemy Association's recent predicaments. Why didn't you come sooner?"
"What way could the Goblin Bank have to resolve the association's problems?" Gustavo Fring asked.
Though he knew it was improbable, he still wanted to hear the president's suggestion. What if there was a way out?
"Haha, let us start with the difficulty you're facing. Too many alchemists have recently advanced in rank within the Alchemy Association, and your benefits can't keep pace, correct? But benefits are ultimately just a matter of money. If you can substitute them with gold coins, I imagine those alchemists won't have much to complain about, right?"
Gustavo Fring shook his head. "If you want me to borrow money to solve this, drop the thought. This is no temporary emergency. Every alchemist's benefits are lifelong. If we pay out equivalent amounts of gold coins, the Alchemy Association will rapidly go bankrupt, and there is no way I could ever repay such a loan."
Only business ventures needed emergency relief and loans, because business carried the possibility of turning a profit; once profits came in, repaying the loan cleared everything up.
But these alchemists' benefits had to be distributed every month. The current issue was that the Alchemy Association lacked the colossal profits necessary to sustain them. What point was there in borrowing? Even if they borrowed enough for one month, the next month would be the exact same situation.
The Goblin Bank could not grant interest-free loans indefinitely, much less lend money to someone utterly incapable of repayment.
"Master Flynn, you understand alchemy well, but you don't understand how capital operates. The Alchemy Association's current issue is an inability to expand production capacity, meaning profits cannot increase, leaving you unable to support the vast crowd of newly emerged alchemists. Earlier, your overseas expansion plans ran into severe roadblocks, causing additional losses.
"You can't increase revenue, and you can't cut expenses; it looks like you're simply waiting for death. But have you ever considered one question: this is a problem for your whole Alchemy Association, so why should you shoulder it alone? Your association has so many members, and the senior alchemists are all wealthy men of immense fortune. Why are you the only one racking your brains over this?"
Gustavo Fring froze for a moment. That actually sounded somewhat reasonable.
The association did have many members; he merely held two votes himself. Why should the other members get to sit back unconcerned?
The goblin president seemed fully prepared. Without waiting for Gustavo Fring to think it through, he supplied the answer: "Because they've found a new backer and are simply waiting for you to fall! Master Flynn, they sold you out! They plan to pin all the blame on you, force you to take total responsibility, step down, and then reform the alchemist ranking system themselves. When that happens, they won't just have resolved the association's crisis—they'll have kicked you out too. An absolute win for them!"
A man of laboratory experiments truly couldn't compare to a man of commerce. Gustavo Fring's eyes widened; he truly hadn't considered this possibility.
"Wait, why are you telling me this?! Those great families should be working closely with your bank, shouldn't they? You ought to be on their side, helping them swallow me whole."
Donald Grandet shook his head. "No, no, no, Master Flynn, you underestimate your own value. The nobles in your association did approach our bank to discuss restructuring the association's assets after your bankruptcy. But what does that Alchemy Association amount to? What we value isn't that association at all—it's you, Master Flynn!
"A legendary alchemist is infinitely more valuable than an empty shell. If you are willing to cooperate with us, our bank will help you solve your problem. First, we'll provide an interest-free loan to get you through these next two months, and then we'll help you deal with those nobles. If they can shift the blame onto you, you can do the same to them!
"Ousting half of the association's leadership—that punishment should be more than enough to shut those alchemists up, wouldn't you say? When that time comes, it won't be too late for you to take your time considering reforms."
This proposal made Gustavo Fring's eyes light up.
There was indeed truth in that. There was no reason for him to be the scapegoat; why shouldn't someone else take the fall?
Kicking out those useless freeloaders who drew salaries without doing any work would actually revitalize the Alchemy Association, making future reforms much easier to implement.
That said, Gustavo Fring suddenly knitted his brows, looking at the goblin before him.
"Excellency Grandet, why are you helping me?"
This question had to be clarified. Gustavo Fring didn't buy any nonsense about 'deepening cooperation.' This loan would be astronomical, whether he could ever repay it was up in the air, and goblins never did business at a loss.
The wrinkled old goblin smiled. "Naturally it won't be given for free. In business, if we bring out chips you cannot refuse, we naturally expect to receive something in return that only you can provide. Master Flynn, the materials you provided us earlier—we've already restored most of them.
"However, we are still missing a true expert capable of presiding over the entire ritual.
"We offer you help, and you help us complete that ritual to successfully cast a Wish spell. What do you think of this deal?"
Chapter 606