Gustavo Fring froze in utter disbelief at the goblin bank president's words.
Wish—the spell accessible to mortals that came closest to the divine.
Compared to a piece of garbage like Karsus's Avatar, Wish was the only thing that could truly fulfill one's desires.
Back then, the City of Alchemy had expended countless lives and fortunes purely so mortals could master such power, yet they had ultimately failed for a myriad of reasons.
If an entire council of paramount alchemists had failed after toiling for so long, what right did a pack of goblins have to come close to success in so short a time?
"All you lack is a legendary alchemist to preside over the ritual?" Gustavo Fring asked, incredulous.
Donald Grandet chuckled with consummate confidence. "Money is a tremendous force. It buys not only material goods, but knowledge as well. Master Flynn, I'm afraid you have no idea how many alchemists are collaborating with our bank—many of whom never joined your Alchemy Association."
"Numbers alone cannot solve this."
Though Fring said as much aloud, curiosity churned within him.
Had the goblins truly replicated the entire design of the City of Alchemy?
He could no longer spare a thought for the petty squabbles of the Alchemy Association; he had to see with his own eyes whether the goblin was telling the truth.
Donald Grandet was delighted. It seemed his contingency plans had slightly misjudged the situation; had he known the alchemist's curiosity ran so deep, he might have saved a massive sum of gold.
"Master Flynn, since you've agreed, follow me. However, consider this fair warning: you can still choose to walk away right now. But once you see what lies below, you must join us. There will be no turning back. Otherwise..."
Gustavo Fring understood the unspoken rule. With certain secrets, once you learned them, you either had your mouth sealed forever or threw your lot in. The City of Alchemy had operated the same way. But back then, the City of Alchemy could offer up an entire capital as a sacrifice; surely these goblins couldn't sacrifice the Dwarven Royal Capital, could they?
Did the dwarf king know about this?
Regardless, the dwarf king was hardly a saint either.
Gustavo Fring harbored no sentiment for the Dwarf Kingdom. From top to bottom, it was purely a relationship of mutual interest, and the king had taken plenty of advantage of him over the years.
Carrying an oil lamp himself, the lavishly dressed goblin bank president led Gustavo Fring into a secret passage.
A hidden tunnel inside the president's office was hardly surprising, but what struck Fring as strange was that it sloped continuously downward, plunging to a dangerously deep level.
It was not a question of ventilation—a simple breeze spell could resolve such minor concerns.
Rather, digging too deep anywhere on the continent violated common sense.
Beneath the continent lay the boundless Underdark.
It was a realm even vaster than the surface world, and to this day, no one knew how wide or deep it truly stretched. Even Her Majesty the Undead Queen had claimed only several massive caverns; compared to the Underdark as a whole, her domain was a mere sliver. It was simply close to the surface, which was why most surface dwellers ended up dealing with her.
With this tunnel plunging ever deeper, were these goblins really not afraid of breaching the Underdark?
All manner of horrors lurked down there, and monsters could burst through at any moment.
Every nation had similar folklore: an underground tunnel accidentally dug too deep, followed by villagers dying mysteriously—the tragic result of breaching the Underdark.
At their current depth, they had clearly crossed the safety threshold. The surrounding rock had changed color, and Fring could even sense thin wisps of dark magical energy in the air.
This was unequivocally the domain of the Underdark. Had they constructed a colossal magic circle down here?
His suspicion was swiftly confirmed. After traversing a long corridor, a vast subterranean cavern finally opened before them.
A sickening stench of blood and rot rushed to meet him. Without even looking, Gustavo Fring knew it was the byproduct of a blood sacrifice—vast quantities of flesh and blood being consumed as the activation core for the magic circle.
The City of Alchemy had employed a similar method, though they had utilized the city's sewer system, using alchemical concoctions to spawn hordes of dangerous beasts and luring adventurers down to explore, gradually gathering sacrifices that way.
What were they using for sacrifices down here in the Underdark?
Gustavo Fring walked forward and soon caught sight of a massive multitude of bound slaves.
"Svirfneblin and dwarves? How dare you..."
Fring was appalled. Svirfneblin and deep dwarves were close kin to surface dwarves; how dared they use these races as sacrificial fodder?
Donald Grandet replied, "There is no need to look so shocked, Master Flynn. To you alchemists, all life in this world is equal—fit to serve as experimental subjects, are they not?"
"In the Dwarf Kingdom, this is illegal!"
Although the Dwarf Kingdom presented itself as an integrated multiracial realm, the dwarves, as the dominant race, naturally enjoyed immense privileges. The simplest rule of all: the kingdom had slaves, but dwarves could never be enslaved. Daring to harm a dwarf or anyone of near-dwarven blood carried a minimum sentence of death.
"Do not be so agitated, Master Flynn. Strictly speaking, this place no longer falls within the territory of the Dwarf Kingdom. The Underdark has never belonged to any realm."
Donald Grandet held his lantern high, and countless lights flared to life ahead in response.
The full scope of the magic circle was finally revealed to Gustavo Fring. Thousands of goblins cracked leather whips, driving slaves into the sacrificial zone as life after life dissolved into the circle.
Fring swept his gaze across the formation and immediately realized it had been extensively altered.
There were indeed capable minds among the goblins. While these modifications could hardly be called improvements, they were by no means haphazard; they simply converted a magic circle originally meant for infinite use into a single-use construct.
Faced with something in his professional domain, Gustavo Fring cast the plight of the slaves aside.
"You only need to cast Wish once?" Fring asked.
Such a change was easy to identify. After all, he had participated in this very project for decades; the magical conduits were more familiar to him than his own bed.
The goal of the City of Alchemy had been to grant the former guildmaster the ability to cast Wish indefinitely, bypassing Ao entirely to attain power rivaling the gods. These goblins, however, were clearly not so ambitious; they wanted only a single Wish.
This dramatically simplified the structure, reducing more than half the burden. No wonder they had completed the majority of it so quickly—the workload was far less than that of the original City of Alchemy.
Donald Grandet smiled. "We are not that greedy."
Gustavo Fring sneered. "Goblins, not greedy? What a fine joke."
Just as elves were synonymous with elegance, most goblins spent their lives bounded by their racial nature. Greed and brutality were instincts they could never shed. Rules might force them to practice slight restraint, but nothing could truly alter their innate nature.
"Human prejudice is the heaviest among all races, which perhaps stems from your chaotic nature. Your kind can produce the noblest of saints like Arthur Ryan, yet also breed inhuman alchemical madmen like those in the City of Alchemy. Master Flynn, you ought to know that the paragons of any race are resolute individuals who have overcome their own flaws.
"Goblins may be greedy, but I understand restraint. I know precisely what I want, which is why our Goblin Bank has operated to this day, and has always remained profitable."
As the old goblin spoke, his demeanor shifted entirely, his hunched frame suddenly seeming taller than anyone around.
Gustavo Fring did not dispute him. The old goblin was indeed an extraordinary figure.
Even so, his curiosity burned, and he could not help asking, "What wish are you actually going to make?"
Donald Grandet shook his head. "Now is not the time to discuss that, Master Flynn. Let me take you to meet someone first."
"Someone? There's someone else directing you behind the scenes?"
"Of course. Master Flynn, why do you think a banker like me would take such tremendous risks? Because I have a very important client, naturally. Come, it is time to lay everything out for you. After all, our time is running short."
Gustavo Fring followed behind the old goblin, crossing the magic circle and navigating a passage riddled with magical traps before finally arriving at a massive chamber.
Donald Grandet knocked respectfully on the door, opened it, and turned to Gustavo Fring. "Master Flynn, Lord Yuri is waiting for you inside."
The old goblin gave the impression that he was not qualified to enter, so Gustavo Fring had no choice but to push the door open himself and step inside.
The room was vast but sparsely furnished, packed mostly with stacks of various books. With a quick glance, Gustavo Fring spotted numerous volumes on alchemy.
Could this Lord Yuri be the architect behind the magic circle?
Just what legendary alchemist was this? Why had he never heard the name before?
Yet after scanning the room, he saw no one else. Just as he frowned in confusion, a short silhouette stepped out from behind a stack of books.
The diminutive figure carried a thick alchemist's notebook. Closing the book, he bowed politely to Gustavo Fring. "Greetings, respected Master Flynn. I am Seth Yuri."
Gustavo Fring scrutinized him closely, arriving at a bewildering conclusion.
Seth Yuri had neither green, wrinkled skin nor pointed ears. Instead, he possessed thick, sturdy muscles... He was not a goblin at all, but a dwarf. And judging by his beard, an exceptionally young one at that.
Seth Yuri smiled. "Master Flynn, you look surprised. Rest assured, we have plenty of time to unravel your doubts. Please, have a seat."
The young dwarf gave a wave of his hand, and numerous roots erupted from the ground, weaving and entwining themselves into a simple table and chairs.
"Such formidable nature magic. You're a druid?"
Druids were practitioners of the natural path. The calling was not restricted to any single race; anyone who adhered to the teachings of the Oak Father could become one. However, becoming a druid often meant turning one's back on one's own people and homeland, not unlike certain religious sects.
Seth Yuri seated himself and said to Gustavo Fring, "I have merely studied nature magic a bit. I admire the druids who walk the path of nature, but I could never live as an ascetic. By the way, I have no tea to offer, but I can treat you to a cup of nectar."
Seth Yuri tapped the table, and two vibrant blossoms sprouted, tipping downward to pour sweet nectar into wooden cups on the tabletop.
Gustavo Fring had no interest in drinking nectar. He knew only that the dwarf before him was far from ordinary. To cast nature magic of this caliber without even being a druid spoke volumes of his terrifying magical talent.
And he was a dwarf!
Dwarves were notoriously inept at magic.
Just as the old goblin had said, the paragons of any race were grand figures who had broken through their inherent limitations. Yet how had he never heard of such a formidable dwarf?
Had this youth displayed even a fraction of this talent in the kingdom, the king would have placed him in high regard immediately.
"I think we should get straight to the point. Mr. Yuri, what is your arrangement with President Grandet, and why do you need me to preside over this ritual? I examined the circle just now; the modifications are practically finished. It can be completed in two months at most. You shouldn't be facing any real bottleneck."
Seth Yuri praised him. "Indeed. Master Flynn is truly an expert, discerning the progress of the work at a single glance. That is precisely why I need your help—we cannot wait two months. We must complete this magic circle within three days. Even had you not come looking for me today, I would have paid you a personal visit to invite you."
"Three days? Why... why the rush?"
Gustavo Fring could not comprehend it. They had secretly labored over this project for so long; why the sudden rush to accelerate? Had the Dwarf Kingdom discovered the circle?
As if reading Fring's thoughts, Seth Yuri shook his head. "No, we have operated with utmost caution; there is no risk of discovery. However, in three days, the World Council begins. I must make my wish before it convenes."
Puzzled, Gustavo Fring asked, "What are you trying to do? What is your wish?"
Seth Yuri said, "I hope you can keep your composure when you hear it."
Gustavo Fring let out a dry laugh. "Back then, we abandoned the entire City of Alchemy. What could possibly be madder than that?"
Seth Yuri nodded. "Good. That is precisely the man I need. In that case, I might as well tell you the truth. Once the ritual is complete, I will make a wish—to strike down the current dwarf king."
Gustavo Fring's eyes went wide. That was truly beyond his expectations.
Chapter 607