The trade at the market was more developed than Lind had imagined. After coming to an agreement with the merchants selling materials and alchemical equipment and paying a deposit, those merchants would deliver the goods to Lind’s territory.
With the Champagne Nobility backing them, there was basically no need to worry about these merchants absconding with the money, unless they didn’t want to operate in the Northern Border anymore.
This was somewhat ironic, as the Champagne Nobility, who controlled the Northern Border market, might have more influence over the region than the current Lars Family.
As for procuring materials for producing gunpowder and cement, it was much smoother than Lind had anticipated. In his previous life, Lind had seen the witchcraft markets in Africa, where the materials were bizarre and contained some that could indeed be useful in chemistry.
The markets in this world were similar, even more so because magic truly existed, and the material trade was even more developed.
For instance, the materials required to create gunpowder—saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal—were all very common alchemical substances, and bulk purchases were not unusual.
Lind could even request that these charcoals be completely distilled before being delivered to his territory.
This piqued Lind’s curiosity about alchemy in this world. To be honest, he was more interested in bringing the alchemists back than in the alchemical materials themselves.
“Thank you for your patronage. The total comes to twenty-four silver leaf coins. I’ll round it off for you to twenty-four coins.”
The shop owner, a woman in her thirties, wore a loose magical robe with a fitted waist, holding a pipe inlaid with gold thread, still looking graceful.
The shop owner’s tone was somewhat lazy, but her words were quite polite.
Although Lind bought a large quantity of materials, they were not very expensive, roughly the same as Lena’s allowance for a week, so he readily paid the deposit.
These materials included not only those necessary for making gunpowder but also a large number of chemical materials Lind recognized, as well as some alchemical equipment, akin to preparing for a training program for the alchemists in his territory.
Of course, the inexpensive nature of the items was also because Lind did not buy the more abstract materials; if they had been those highly abstract magical materials, the prices would likely have skyrocketed.
For example, there were unknown powders made from animal bones, possibly even human bones, essence of organs drained of blood, withered snake specimens, and dragon dung that suspiciously resembled cow dung.
“Excuse me, are you interested in hiring an alchemist?”
After exhaling a puff of smoke, the shop owner turned her attention to Lind.
“Yes, I’ve heard that a qualified noble cannot be without a dedicated alchemist. Do you have such services? I would prefer someone who is proficient in both runes and magic circles.”
Lind had previously gathered a basic understanding of the magical system in this world from Lena, and although her explanations were filled with vague terms like “this” and “that,” he still understood.
The most profitable magic was alchemy, and the most promising way to enhance productivity lay in semi-automated rune magic circles.
Currently, there were indeed magic craftsmen in the territory capable of using runes, but Lind still needed systematic learning to grasp how runes functioned in this world.
Seeing Lind wave away the smoke in front of him, the shop owner’s interest was piqued, and she lightly tapped her pipe to extinguish it.
“Of course, we in the Golden Alliance sell everything, including people.”
With that, the shop owner retrieved a document from her bosom and handed it to Lind, the paper still warm.
Ignoring the shop owner’s repeated reference to her bosom, Lind took the document and began examining it closely.
The academic system in this world was quite chaotic, with dozens of alchemical schools of varying sizes, not to mention those hidden underground that could not be seen.
These alchemists belonged to the category of professionals; anyone capable of wielding and manipulating magic was deemed a professional, only their professions differed.
Alchemists were different from those of the Renaissance era in Lind’s previous life; merely mixing materials in a cauldron wouldn’t yield results; instead, they needed to use a type of transmutation magic to harmonize the materials.
It’s worth mentioning that knights who excelled in close combat were also considered professionals and could wield and manipulate magic.
A number of years ago, this magic was referred to as qi by knights, but scholars discovered that it was nothing more than another form of magic; this research satisfactorily settled the age-old question of whether knights or mages were stronger—apparently, knights were just another form of melee mages.
While there was magic in this world, in some aspects it was surprisingly materialistic, as a human body is made up of water, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins, thus the limits of physical strength are there, and one cannot rely on physical training to withstand thousands of degrees or break the sound barrier like in fantasy tales.
Mages expel condensed magic to construct various spell models to cast different spells, while knights essentially encase themselves in a permanent power armor made of magic, allowing them to perform feats beyond the capability of a human body.
As for those knights who only trained their bodies and neglected their minds, they had long been eliminated from history.
After rummaging through the documents, Lind finally found the alchemical school that most closely matched his requirements—the Rune Saint Alchemy Association, abbreviated to Rune Saints.
This was a group of alchemists specializing in studying runes, which later included mages who researched scrolls and practitioners studying runes.
This organization believes that different runes and patterns can bring various powers, pursuing perfect rune arrangements and intricate spell model constructions.
“Are you interested in the Rune Saint Alchemy Association?”
Though the shop owner was toying with her pipe, she also noticed Lind’s gaze fixed on the document.
Before Lind could respond, the shop owner continued, “Although the Rune Saints seem to perfectly match your requirements, I must remind you that most alchemists also study runes, and some alchemists have better rune skills than this association.”
Lind understood the shop owner’s implication and looked at the document in his hand, asking curiously, “Is something wrong with this Rune Saints?”
“They’ve had some recent internal issues; their previous president just passed away, and due to their overly radical research agenda, they’ve gone bankrupt. As a result, the association’s research is not financially sustainable, with most members leaving, leaving behind only a few alchemists with mediocre skills eyeing the remnants of the association.”
Generally speaking, alchemy, being the most profitable magic, usually means alchemists do not struggle for food, even though alchemy can be very costly. As long as they secure sponsorship from nobles, their income will soon surpass that of other professions at the same level.
What kind of project could lead an alchemical association to bankruptcy and cause most people to give up?
As if sensing Lind’s confusion, the shop owner explained: “They want ordinary people who cannot perceive magic to use magic as well, which no noble is willing to fund.”
Lind nearly spat out his tea. Isn’t this something a transmigrator should be doing? Are the natives of this different world so advanced in their thinking?
“Have they made any progress?”
“To my knowledge, none whatsoever.”
Seeing Lind’s interest, the shop owner began to introduce this alchemist association.
It was said that this association was founded by the late president to cure his daughter’s illness, but after he passed away, his family chose someone else to inherit the title, which led to the association losing its primary source of income, resulting in its current disarray.
After all, what noble would willingly allow commoners without any magical talent to use magic? Even nobles without magical talent wouldn’t sponsor the Rune Saints because doing so would mean admitting their own lack of magical abilities.
With that money, it would be better to have more children or adopt a couple of gifted kids from the extensive network of noble relations.
Thus, the Rune Saint Alchemy Association not only lacked any sponsorship but also faced obstacles everywhere and was even subject to scrutiny.
Even an organization like the Golden Alliance, which only prioritizes money, refrained from recommending the Rune Saints to customers, believing that the association had difficulty generating any subsequent revenue.
After listening to the introduction, Lind couldn’t help but reflect; being a step ahead of the times might indicate genius, but being two steps ahead could lead one to madness. Though the Rune Saints’ ambition might not be considered advanced, their research content was significantly ahead of this era, to the point that no one understood it. Those who did understand might even be hostile towards them.
However, it was precisely for this reason that Lind developed an interest in this alchemist association.
“My territory happens to need someone to teach basic alchemy and rune knowledge; I’ll go with this association.”
With that, Lind directly pulled out three times the deposit, placing the beautifully crafted silver coins on top of the Rune Saints’ document.
“The hiring price for the Rune Saints is quite cheap; you don’t need to pay this much.”
The shop owner pushed the coins back, but Lind reached out to stop her.
“No, I’m not hiring; I want to buy them.”
Upon hearing this, the shop owner’s expression changed as if she understood that someone was willing to help clear the association’s bad assets. She immediately put on a business smile, retrieved a contract from her bosom, and said, “What an astute decision! The Rune Saint Alchemy Association is indeed very suitable for teaching beginners. Your discerning eye is truly commendable; the talent you require will be sent to your territory shortly.”
After signing a mutually satisfactory contract, Lind contentedly left the chain store of the Golden Alliance.
Just as he stepped out the door, he saw Lena squatting at the entrance, looking nothing like a noble.
“Done talking, brother?”
Lind nodded, noticing that Lena looked somewhat disheartened. Out of concern for his benefactor, he asked, “What’s wrong? Lady Lars, you don’t seem very happy.”
“Nothing much, just that the market feels different from what I imagined.”
He recognized that expression; he had seen a female colleague’s face during a business trip to Paris. She repeatedly complained about how foul the city smelled, that the street’s waste surpassed that of dogs, which made everyone avoid her during mealtime.
There’s a term called “Paris Syndrome” that describes this kind of disillusionment phenomenon.
It seemed that the Champagne market didn’t live up to the expectations of the young lady from the knight novels, leading to her dreams being shattered.
“Let’s go; don’t you still have something to discuss with Jefferson? Afterward, let’s return quickly; I want to see Graythorn Territory.”
Lena adjusted her mood and immediately stood up, brushing off the dust from her skirt, replacing her expression with her usual smile.
