Chapter 78
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Chapter 78: Alchemy Master
Facing the opposition, Midi appeared completely unaffected by the tension. He smiled calmly and asked, “Have you heard the proverb about beating a dog when it’s down?”
The leaders of the five mercenary corps froze momentarily.
A cold gleam flickered in Midi’s impassive eyes. “For instance, though I killed over forty of Blood Blade’s core members earlier, sixty more escaped. If you encounter these stragglers, will you greet them politely… or fulfill a true adventurer’s duty by wiping them out completely?”
At this point, the shrewd leaders grasped his meaning entirely.
No one wanted direct conflict with the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps—a giant entangled with nobility. Yet all relished the idea of seeing this bandit-like monster humiliated after terrorizing the adventurer community.
But attacking a weakened foe was different. With someone else taking the lead, they could easily fire potshots, stab backs, and scavenge spoils. Moreover, their own reputations had suffered from ignoring Blood Blade’s recent atrocities in Tucker Town. By rallying under Midi’s proposal to “restore adventurer order” and taking concrete action, they could regain public favor.
“Agreed,” rumbled the bearded deputy of Iron Blood Mercenary Corps—the first to oppose earlier, now the first to agree. Self-interest had flipped his stance entirely.
“Mountain Wolf will join,” the dual-wielding swordsman added with a nod.
The three less influential leaders hesitated briefly before aligning with the two strongest corps.
“How tedious.”
Once the leaders left politely, a raspy voice sighed. Crow Robin flapped his wings onto Midi’s shoulder. During the battle, he’d circled Tucker Town under Midi’s orders, surveilling every corps while assisting Morning Star Mercenary Corps. Robin had eagerly hoped for someone foolish enough to defy Midi.
Yet the corps remained cautious, disappointing him utterly.
“No one wants to rebel? That bearded oaf with a muscle-filled skull should’ve swaggered in defiance! And that shady dual-blade guy—shouldn’t he be plotting in the shadows?” Robin complained, sighing dramatically. “Ah, I crave the satisfaction of slapping arrogance!”
Midi lacked the energy to respond.
He wondered: how did this crow, serving the icy Mist Sorceress Alice and surrounded by arcane tomes, end up obsessed with trashy knight adventure novels? Did Robin sneak out to read them? For a summoned creature, it was absurd.
“That crow… is a summoned creature?” A shrill, trembling voice interrupted.
The speaker was a disheveled old man with comically small round glasses, drooping mustaches, bird’s-nest hair, and a stained gown. Among the captive adventurers fascinated by Midi and Hawk Brigade, he alone fixated on Robin.
Robin preened under the old man’s intense gaze. Though unfazed by the crow’s exposed identity, Midi disliked being scrutinized.
“Who might you be?” Midi asked politely, his eyes instinctively seeking flaws.
But the man’s next words made him forget entirely.
"Ah, right! My name’s Norton, an alchemist!" The eccentric old man pushed up his glasses, hastily adding as if realizing his earlier rudeness.
The instant Midi heard that name, he nearly choked on his water.
Norton?
Norton.
Norton!
The legendary Alchemy Master Norton?
In his past life, Midi distinctly remembered the renowned Alchemy Master Norton from Arad Continent. Every Demon Swordman coveted the "Shadow" series weapons crafted by Norton himself—Slash Shadow, Afterimage, Swift Shadow, Light Shadow, Magic Shadow, Shatter Shadow…
And the most famed of all—Shadowless!
Beyond swords, this master excelled in other weapons too. Combined with his alchemy research, he’d developed potent magical items and methods for mass-producing high-level weaponry.
The Delos Empire had once privately claimed that securing Master Norton’s aid would equal gaining the strength of a ten-thousand-strong legion of high-level adventurers!
Yet this mythical Norton who vanished like morning mist… was actually this odd, comical old man before him?
Midi couldn’t believe it.
He urgently recalled every scrap of information people had pieced together about Norton in his previous life—birthplace, early works, preferences, even his wildest alchemy theories.
Casually, he began verifying details with the old man.
Eighty percent matched perfectly with Midi’s memories of Norton’s life story. The remaining discrepancies? Those details had always been speculative anyway. Shockingly, the old man effortlessly filled gaps in the historical records Midi remembered.
This was Norton.
Alchemy Master Norton.
Creator of the Shadow series. Sole pioneer of mass-produced elite equipment.
Though his face remained utterly calm, Midi’s heart churned with turbulent emotions. What was most precious in Arad Calendar 985?
Talent!
And Norton was talent incarnate.
Only those who’d wielded Shadow weapons or commanded legions clad in alchemized gear truly understood this man’s world-shaking potential.
As a power-seeking Demon Swordman, a legion-building commander, and a noble scrambling for foothold in chaotic times—what couldn’t the Hawk Brigade achieve with such a master?
The mere thought set Midi’s pulse racing.
Soon he noticed something else—most captives taken by Blood Blade were craftsmen specialists. Several names matched future masters from his memories!
Clearly Blood Blade had tried poaching talent too. They’d struck when adventurers gathered at Tucker Town, efficiently capturing nearly every registered artisan in Arad Calendar 985.
But these craftsmen were still unknowns then—their unrevealed talents making them low priority. Blood Blade’s real targets were the Emerald Leaf and Elven Palace’s heritage. Their half-hearted recruitment attempts—clumsy threats and bribes—had failed miserably.
Right idea, poor execution, worse luck.
Now Midi reaped the rewards.
Surveying these non-combatants with hidden potential, he decided.
"I’ve got a proposal."
The chatter died instantly. Though these captives hadn’t seen Midi destroy the base solo or fight a hundred foes, they sensed his authority through Odel’s deference, the Morning Star Mercenary Corps elites’ respect, and how five mercenary corps leaders rushed to heed his call.
Midi scanned the silent crowd. "The Hawk Brigade’s recruiting. Care to join?"
