Chapter 190
Master Nobel
Lily, guided by the Queen, prepared to head to Princess Isabel’s chambers with Eivass.
However, before they could arrive, they encountered Yulia, accompanied by an old man.
“Brother!”
Before Eivass could speak, Yulia noticed him first.
The girl’s eyes lit up, and she ran over. She leaped lightly onto Eivass, her white hair fluttering like a veil. Yulia wrapped her arms around Eivass’s neck, her legs kneeling on his thighs. To Eivass’s surprise, he didn’t feel Yulia’s weight much—she was still as light as ever, as if her body were hollow.
He affectionately hugged Yulia, their foreheads touching. “Yes… I’m back,” he said softly.
Beside them, “Knight” David Barton looked anxious but dared not touch Yulia. He could only call out softly, “Hey… Mr. Eivass’s legs…” He was clearly subconsciously worried that Yulia might injure Eivass. After all, people don’t usually use wheelchairs if their legs are fine. If someone is in a wheelchair, their legs are likely injured, and being pressed like that would surely be bad.
“It’s alright.”
Eivass shook his head slightly at him. David then recalled… Eivass was indeed in his recovery period. He had even seen Eivass pacing around his house.
Throughout the entire exchange, Yulia didn’t look at David or respond to him. She only murmured softly, “I thought brother would blame me for not coming home…” She still remembered her persona: a naive girl who, unaware of Eivass’s accident, had been kept in the dark by Isabel.
Hearing Yulia’s words, Eivass immediately understood her meaning. He ambiguously played along, saying, “It’s okay. I was actually more at ease knowing you were with Isabel.”
Then, Eivass paused slightly before continuing the topic, lowering his voice. “How is Isabel?”
“…Her Highness is not in a good state, Mr. Moriarty.”
The speaker was the old man who had just walked over slowly. He had flaxen hair streaked with white, and wore peculiar spectacles that looked like a microscope or telescope attached to his face. As the old man looked at Eivass, they rotated and extended to focus. The old man wasn’t tall, perhaps even shorter than Lily. Eivass didn’t turn to look at Lily, as that would be impolite. He was carrying a brown leather-covered briefcase and wearing a knee-length white coat, appearing like a doctor with medicine. He and Yulia were among the few people not wearing black.
“Are you…”
Eivass looked at the man and immediately recognized him from his iconic “Paul’s Eye” equipment. “Master Nobel?”
“I wouldn’t call myself a master.”
The old man nodded slightly, pleased, yet humbly responded. He was clearly satisfied with Eivass’s respect. However, he likely didn’t know why Eivass called him a master. Generally, being called a master has two possibilities. The most accurate definition refers to Extraordinary beings of the Fifth Tier who have their own works, writings, or inventions. They usually come from the Paths of Beauty, Wisdom, or Balance, though Extraordinary beings from other Paths might also enjoy writing books to share their experiences. The other possibility is when people praise someone’s talent or achievements as being “comparable to the masters mentioned above,” thus respectfully calling them a master. Nobel was the latter.
As an Extraordinary, he wasn’t particularly strong, but he was a remarkably great Alchemist. He had developed over a hundred types of explosives and dozens of medicines in his lifetime, and now owned several companies under his name, also investing technically in a few others. Because of this, he hadn’t died in the game’s history but was held under house arrest by Star Antimony as an essential talent. Star Antimony, which valued Alchemy, even brought him back. Nobel was originally from Star Antimony. He had clashed with the Royal Alchemical Association in his youth, but the Vice President he had disputes with had long since passed away. Thus, under Star Antimony’s enthusiastic invitation and respect, he gradually integrated after a period of mild resistance. When the World Tier’s level cap was raised to level 70, he also reached the Fifth Tier, becoming a genuine master.
Eivass remembered him because of a good piece of equipment. Before leaving Avalon, he had gifted the “Paul’s Eye” he was now wearing to his favorite student in Avalon. This student later traveled to Star Antimony to find his teacher, but happened to arrive during the infighting between Necromancers and Demon Scholars and died en route. The undead wearing the peculiar glasses was the quest trigger. Defeating it and obtaining the glasses would grant “Paul’s Eye.” This was part of an “Heirloom Set,” one of the few pieces of equipment that could increase Alchemy success rates.
How many pieces of equipment like this were there? In the version before Eivass’s reincarnation, there weren’t enough to fill half his inventory slots, and there were no higher-tier replacements. If players had met Nobel in any side quest before, they could investigate the glasses to obtain information: these were Nobel’s glasses. Following this lead would eventually grant the “Nobel’s Heirloom” set. This three-piece set could increase the success rate of high-difficulty Alchemy by 10%, regular Alchemy by 30%, and prevent explosions after failed high-difficulty Alchemy. With this set, players could activate the “Aggressive Experimentation Strategy” when making medicines, which reduced success rates but increased output and the possibility of mutations. Without this set, playing as an Alchemist was practically impossible.
Therefore, all Alchemy players had to complete this questline. When synthesizing Alchemy items, they had to switch equipment, otherwise, they would have to spend several times more money to overcome the probability. Conversely, this could be considered a free set. By completing a long questline, players could ultimately obtain a set of three essential items with no higher-tier replacements. Eivass, who was unemployed at home at the time, would take on some power-leveling jobs. People have to eat, after all. This questline, along with the Noble Red questline, accounted for the most orders – both quests involved several consecutive stealth missions of moderate difficulty. While not too difficult for Eivass, as it essentially involved hiding in blind spots, moving slowly, or parkouring, it was simple if one analyzed and planned the route patiently. However, for players who lacked this gaming experience or preferred not to think too much, these missions could easily cause their blood pressure to rise. But for Eivass, it was a good thing. He had earned at least tens of thousands by helping people with this quest, which greatly helped him through his period of financial hardship.
Because of this, Eivass looked at Nobel subconsciously filled with respect and gratitude. This was his benefactor! The side effect was that seeing Nobel automatically brought to mind Nobel’s portrait and funeral music…
“I’ve been learning Alchemy from Master Nobel recently!”
Yulia, noticing Eivass’s attitude towards Nobel, said this partly in a boastful manner and partly seeking praise. Nobel nodded, generously praising Yulia in front of her “guardians.”
“Yulia’s talent is quite exceptional… If she decides to pursue the Path of Balance, and Princess Isabel allows it, I would be willing to mentor her. She truly has the talent to reach the path of a ‘master’.”
This implied that he believed Yulia had the potential to reach the Fifth Tier. This was also one of Nobel’s obsessions. He himself desperately wanted to reach the Fifth Tier, but he was truly not adept at Advancement Rituals. After failing twice, he dared not try again—another failure might kill him. If the World Tier had not increased and the advancement difficulty for lower tiers had not decreased, he wouldn’t have dared to try a third time. In other words, Nobel at this time had practically given up on becoming a true master. This was precisely why he was so happy when Eivass called him “Master.” It was like a promising athlete who was about to retire without ever winning a medal or championship. Nobel appeared indifferent, but he actually cared deeply about this. The higher the status of the person calling him master, the happier he would be. Conversely, calling him “Mister” instead of “Master” might even incur his displeasure. This was also a kind of informational advantage. Knowing how to cater to someone requires understanding their preferences. After all, Nobel possessed genuine skills. The fact that he could craft the Heirloom Set was proof—it wasn’t ancient equipment he exhumed through archaeology, but something he created himself. Being able to manually craft purple-grade equipment was truly remarkable.
He wondered if he could buy some equipment from Nobel…
“Are you sure you want to pursue the Path of Balance?”
Eivass confirmed with Yulia. If Yulia was certain, he would have to help her find some items. He happened to know that the Noble Red faction possessed a good Grimoire… The Heirloom Set wasn’t urgent. If Nobel truly valued Yulia, perhaps she wouldn’t have to inherit it as “heirloom.” However, if he treated Yulia poorly, she might obtain the Heirloom Set two versions ahead of schedule.
Yulia nodded slightly. She said earnestly, “Under my teacher’s guidance, I have now touched the wall of the Second Tier, and all other preparations are complete—next week, during the Advancement Ritual, I will hold my first Advancement Ritual to ascend to the Second Tier.”
Next week was mid-month, so there shouldn’t be many problems. Eivass nodded slightly, somewhat relieved.
Seeing Eivass’s slightly worried expression, Nobel simply smiled, “Don’t worry too much about Yulia, Mr. Moriarty. Her talent might exceed your imagination… I’ve already told Yulia about the specific Path Traits she should choose.”
—That was incredible.
Hearing this, Eivass was somewhat surprised. In this World, there were no “forums” or “Bilibili” where one could look up guides and share information. Indigenous people wouldn’t know the specific effects of Path Traits just by seeing their names. To obtain information about Path Traits, one needed a complete inheritance and to try them one by one. Thus, each complete list of Path Traits could be said to have been painstakingly enumerated over hundreds of years. This was highly secret knowledge, essentially akin to direct discipleship. They had only met for a few days?
However, this solidified Eivass’s plan. Before Yulia’s advancement, he would use the Shepherd’s Method to share the power of the Butterfly with Yulia. This way, her advancement would be foolproof.
If luck was on their side… perhaps she could even catch up to Eivass and Isabel.
The second chapter would be a bit later.
