Chapter Forty-Six: Ryza’s Alchemy Workshop

“As a member of the Guild, these are your rights. But as you enjoy these rights, you are also bound by corresponding obligations.”

Hearing this, Chu Yun paused. “Obligations? What sort of obligations?”

He had no desire to be at someone’s beck and call. If these obligations were unreasonable, it would be better not to join the Guild at all.

Anna seemed to read his mind. “Don’t worry. Mages are scholars who yearn for freedom; the obligation is very simple.”

“As a member of the Mage Guild of the Kingdom of Elno, you may not assist an enemy nation should the kingdom find itself at war. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the Guild, and no other Mage Guild on the continent will accept you.”

Each year, the various kingdoms provided the Mage Guild with substantial funds for magical research and subsidies. If one could not comply with such a straightforward rule, it would indeed be too much to ask. The Mage Guilds were scattered throughout the continent, each operating independently, but as followers of the Goddess of Magic and users of the Arcane Web, there were many regulations jointly initiated and enforced by the Magic Kingdom of Edras.

This obligation posed no problem for most mages, and Chu Yun accepted it readily.

Anna produced a second-tier Mage’s badge. On the front, it bore the combined emblem of the Kingdom of Elno and the Mage Guild, with two small stars in the center indicating the second tier.

The reverse side held Chu Yun’s security code and his name, freshly engraved.

“Please take good care of your badge. If you lose it, replacing it will be troublesome—you’ll have to retake the assessment and pay for it yourself.”

“Once you’ve established a link between your spirit and the badge, only your mental energy can activate it, causing the two stars to connect. This is the Guild’s latest innovation, soon to be rolled out across all industries,” Anna said with a hint of pride.

“All right, thank you.” Chu Yun took the badge and fastened it at once.

A mage’s status in this world was exceedingly prestigious; it could spare him no end of trouble and deter those with malicious intent.

When he left the auction house, Chu Yun had already noticed several unfriendly gazes, and among them was someone whose background he couldn’t discern, trailing him persistently.

Even after he exited the Mage Guild, that stalker hadn’t given up and continued to follow him.

It was clear the person had become more cautious; the distance had widened, but not so much as to escape Chu Yun’s perception.

“Is this an attempted robbery?”

Chu Yun understood the old adage—one is guilty by virtue of possessing treasure. The reserve price he’d received at the auction was a full fifty platinum coins—a fortune ample enough to tempt many into criminal thoughts.

Chu Yun boarded his carriage but did not leave immediately. Instead, within the confines of the carriage, he used a mirror to enter the Mirror World.

He left the carriage and moved toward where his pursuer lurked. In the Mirror World, he could see the stalker clearly—a cunning figure, hiding at a street corner, pretending to read a newspaper but constantly glancing toward the carriage.

“Lightning Bolt!”

A flash of lightning struck the stalker’s mirrored form. The experience gained was minimal; the opponent was no more than a level-two grunt.

After dispatching the mirrored body, Chu Yun approached for a closer look.

A dagger hung from her waist, and a small crossbow hung from the other side. When Chu Yun’s carriage stopped, she had barely moved, confirming she was indeed tailing him.

“She doesn’t look like a villain—so why is she following me?” Chu Yun was puzzled.

Thanks to the Neutral Law he possessed, defeating a mirrored body would grant him details about the opponent’s alignment based on experience points. This young woman had given him thirteen points, with a bonus for good alignment.

Had it been evil, Chu Yun would have acted without hesitation—he would never go easy just because the pursuer was female.

“What a strange one. Well, I’ll just ask her directly; she’s not strong anyway.” Chu Yun returned to the carriage in the real world, then stepped out and headed toward the stalker.

Seeing this, the stalker was startled and hurried deeper into the alley.

Chu Yun quickened his pace and caught up.

“Isn’t he a mage? How is he faster than me?” The stalker was exasperated, trying to use her familiarity with the terrain to escape.

But soon Chu Yun’s voice rang out, causing her to stop in her tracks.

“If you keep running, I’ll cast a spell!”

Fiery light blazed in Chu Yun’s palm. The young woman, clearly terrified of magic, spoke up in terror, “Master Mage, what do you want?”

Chu Yun approached and retorted, “You’ve been following me since I left the auction house. Are you hoping to experience what it’s like to be blasted to pieces by a spell?”

“No, no!” the girl replied in panic, not expecting to have been discovered from the start.

On reflection, it was only natural. At first, she hadn’t known Chu Yun was a mage, so she’d followed closely; being discovered was inevitable.

Chu Yun glanced around, a cruel smile curling at his lips. “This is a good spot. Even if I killed you here, no one would ever know. Heh.”

Her hand, gripping the dagger, trembled. Clearly, she was deeply afraid, aware she was no match for a powerful second-tier mage.

“Please, sir, I beg you—hear my explanation,” she pleaded.

“You have thirty… thirty breaths to explain. If I’m not satisfied, you’ll be consumed by fire.” The flames in Chu Yun’s hand flared higher.

Mages held supreme status; should one kill a few troublesome commoners, even if discovered, a fine would settle the matter. Usually, no one would bother investigating further—Anna had just explained all this.

Although Chu Yun, guided by the Neutral Law, had no real intention of killing her, the threat seemed utterly convincing to her.

“I didn’t know you were a respected mage, sir. I thought you were just a merchant who’d struck it rich, so I wanted to seek your investment.” The girl gave a reason that took Chu Yun quite by surprise.

“Investment?”

“Yes! In fact, I’m a procurement officer for Lysa’s Alchemy Workshop. I was making purchases at the auction house and saw your transaction.”

The auction house was more than just an auction site—it contained a variety of shops, functioning as a vast marketplace.

“Miss Lysa’s alchemical products are truly unique, but no one in Blackstone City dares invest in her. You didn’t look like a local, so I wanted to approach you for investment.” The girl spoke rapidly, terrified Chu Yun would kill her.

Chu Yun was baffled. “You could have just spoken to me directly—why be so furtive?”

The girl sighed and explained, “Everyone in Blackstone City knows about Miss Lysa. She severed ties with her family to escape an arranged marriage, and now her family suppresses her workshop.”

“No one in the city dares invest in her, so I can only seek outsiders—preferably discreetly.”

“Not to be discovered, that’s why I followed you, hoping to find the right moment to propose it.”

The explanation was barely acceptable, but it sounded troublesome and would make an enemy of Lysa’s family. Chu Yun saw no reason to get involved.

“I’m not interested. You may go,” Chu Yun refused, preparing to leave.

The girl, relieved to have escaped death, hesitated, then caught up. “Master Mage, Miss Lysa’s alchemical wares are truly miraculous—there’s nothing like them on the continent!”