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Chapter 532

There were many magicians on the continent capable of handling the magic aspect, but alchemy was different.

Alchemy in BNW was an extremely difficult discipline both Adventurers and NPCs avoided dabbling in. The challenges of becoming an alchemist started even before one could become an alchemist, as one needed a good understanding of both magic and chemistry just to get started.

Unfortunately, the difficulty did not stop there. This was not one of those things that got easier as one became more experienced in it. The path to becoming a high-ranking alchemist was several times more difficult than getting started as an alchemist.

The amount of time, effort, and money one had to spend just to master alchemy was so high that one could be considered a madman for even attempting it. The cost involved in practicing alchemy was probably the biggest obstacle, as one would have to spend a fortune just to practice it.

The cost of procuring materials would only increase the more proficient one became at alchemy, and this was on top of the already tutelage fees they had to pay to learn from more experienced alchemists.

Based on the last census, it was said that there was one alchemist for every one hundred magicians on the continent. In other words, a good alchemist wasn\'t as rare as a Hidden Class user, but it was definitely as rare as a Legendary Class user.

In lieu of all those reasons, the fact that Siegfried had brought the one who stood at the pinnacle of alchemy to the Porsche Workshop was already more than enough reason for him to become a VVIP customer.

What was so great about it when she was just visiting? The Porsche Workshop would, without a doubt, see the level of their alchemy jump just by getting a few advices from Iris.

In other words, what Siegfried brought was not simply a guest but the key for the Porsche Workshop to produce better and more powerful artifacts in the future.

“Really? I will be your workshop’s VVIP customer?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“T-Then... discount...?”

“Your Majesty will be entitled to a twenty-five percent discount on any artifact you commission. The discount will be valid anywhere and at any time.”

“Oh!”

“Our workshop promises to serve Your Majesty to the best of our abilities from today here onward.”

“I am grateful for those words.”

“But...” Cayenne trailed before stealing a glance at Iris. Then, he asked, “What brings Your Majesty to our workshop? Rumors say that Your Majesty is extremely close with the Bavarian Workshop, and they seem to be intent on maintaining their relationship with you.”

Siegfried smirked and replied, “There is a saying that man cannot live on bread alone.”

Hamchi noticed something from Siegfried\'s words.

‘Owner punk... That’s what men say when they’re cheating on their spouse, no? Kyuuu...’ Hamchi thought that the relationship between Siegfried and the Bavarian Workshop was only business on the outside and was actually different from a romantic relationship.

“A man can go for dessert after an ala carte. And he could also go enjoy a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant, too.”

“I-I see...”

“Hmm... Forget about the Bavarian Workshop. I am more interested in the present between me and the Porsche Workshop. What do you think? Am I right?”

“P-Precisely, Your Majesty!”

“I only have eyes for the Porsche Workshop right now.”

“I understand what Your Majesty means.”

Siegfried went to the main point. “Anyway, the reason I am here today is to commission the Fated Censer.”

“Ahem! T-The Fated Censer?” Cayenne stuttered and flinched. He did not expect Siegfried to be aware of the existence of the Fated Censer and neither did he expect him to commission it.

The Fated Censer was a rare artifact required when there was something that had to be destroyed, and the Porsche Workshop crafted it probably once every century at best.

Cayenne composed himself and asked, “I suppose Your Majesty has something you would want to be destroyed.”

“Yes,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he took out the Ignite Soul and explained, “This is from another world, and it contains the soul fragment of a demonic being.”

“Oh! Then the Fated Censer is absolutely necessary.”

“Can you make it?”

“Certainly, but we will need an upgraded version of the Fated Censer, as that object is from another world.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It will be difficult with just the Fated Censer. We need the True Fated Censer, and to craft that...” Cayenne trailed off. Then, he looked at Iris and said, “We will need the help of a highly skilled alchemist, and I suppose that is the reason Your Majesty has brought Ms. Iris with you.”

Siegfried nodded and replied, “That is correct. She will be helping you craft the Fated Censer. You will, right?”

“Yes, I will provide the knowledge required to craft the True Fated Censer,” Iris replied.

“Excellent,” Cayenne said with a smile. Meanwhile, he could not help but exclaim inwardly, ‘What is this fortune?!’ The Porsche Workshop was going to greatly benefit from the knowledge Iris would share while crafting the True Fated Censer.

Why?

It was all because Iris\' presence would allow them to craft artifacts otherwise rendered impossible due to their lack of alchemy knowledge. There was a saying about how even a dog would learn how to speak if they attended classes for three years[1]. The fact that the Immortal Alchemist would be observing and guiding them during the crafting process of the True Fated Censer would make their alchemy knowledge grow leaps and bounds.

“We will immediately start crafting the True Fated Censer. Ah, Your Majesty will have to place ten percent of the total fee as a deposit to get things started.”

“How much is it?”

“That is...” Cayenne hesitated. He hesitated for a while before writing down a quote and showed it to Siegfried. “Around this much...”

“H-Hiiiiik?!” Siegfried shrieked in horror after seeing the quoted amount.

***

“W-Wait, is this t-the total f... f-fee?” Siegfried asked with his voice shaking.

“No, Your Majesty.”

“I-It’s not?”

“Yes, it is not.”

“Then, this is just ten percent of the full amount...?”

“Precisely, it is the deposit to commission the artifact.”

“It should be pre-discount, right...?”

“No, Your Majesty. We have already applied Your Majesty’s benefit of the twenty-five percent discount as our VVIP customer.”

“Crazy...”

Siegfried was rendered speechless by the astronomical figure written in the quote. Ten percent of the total fee was equivalent to half his annual income, which meant that the total fee would be five years\' worth of his income.

“Is something the matter?”

“It... is too expensive.”

“Our workshop only uses the best of the best materials. Therefore, we source our own materials, which causes our customers to think we are too expensive. However, I would like to emphasize that our workshop is not profiting in any way, as we have deducted twenty-five percent from this commission. In fact, we will be losing money the moment we accept Your Majesty’s commission.”

“R-Really?”

“We hope Your Majesty understands that our workshop is showing our sincerity toward you and your kingdom.”

“H-Hold on...” Siegfried said before he hurriedly opened his inventory and checked how much gold he had.

‘I-It’s not enough!’

Unfortunately, the gold he had with him was nowhere near enough to place the deposit required to commission the True Fated Censer.

The True Fated Censer was one of the most expensive artifacts of the Porsche Workshop, and its price tag was not something someone like Siegfried, who had become rich overnight, could even dream of purchasing.

“Is there a problem, Your Majesty?”

“N-No... T-That is...” Siegfried stuttered and broke out into a cold sweat.

Creak...!

The door opened, and a servant came in.

“Head Blacksmith, a guest from an organization called the Guardians have come. They claim to be looking for His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa, and Ms. Iris,” the servant said.

Cayenne raised a brow and said, “The Guardians? It’s my first time hearing of such an organization...”

“What should we do?”

“Hmm... Let them in for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

The servant left the room to fetch the guest, and the guest was none other than...

“Gosran-nim?”

Yes, Gosran.

“Siegfried-nim! How have you been?”

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to protect Iris-nim.”

“Oh? So they sent you?”

“Yes, and also...” Gosran said. Then, she took out something from her Inventory and added, “I brought the payment for the artifact.”

“Oh!” Siegfried cheered after seeing the check from the Guardians.

The check truly looked like a ray of salvation, as he was about to humiliate himself after not having enough to pay for the deposit.

“Oh? This is enough to fully cover the cost of crafting the artifact—no, it is actually in excess,” Cayenne said after seeing the figure written on the check.

“Really? Then please wire the change to this account belonging to Siegfried van Proa with the Proatine Royal Bank. The account number is 10360588."

“P-Pardon me? What does Your Majesty mean by—”

“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious? The twenty-five percent discount is my right, so the change is rightfully mine, no?”

“I-Is that how it works...?”

“Yes, that is how it works,” Siegfried replied without missing a beat.

Hamchi, Iris, and Gosran stared in disbelief at the shamelessness happening in front of them, but Siegfried did not care at all. He turned this crisis into an opportunity to fill his own pocket with the Guardians’ money.

***

Siegfried decided to ask one final question before leaving the Porsche Workshop.

“You are not going to ask me to go collect materials for you, right?” Siegfried asked with a hint of suspicion.

Cayenne shook his head and replied, “Our workshop prides itself in not asking our clients for any materials, unlike the other workshops.”

“Phew! Boy, am I glad to hear that. I would have gotten annoyed if you had asked me to go find something since I am quite busy,” Siegfried said, letting out a sigh of relief.

“We believe that time is precious. Thus, the Porsche Workshop will not waste Your Majesty’s precious time.”

“Excellent! Then, I look forward to the artifact’s completion.”

“It will take us about a month to finish it. We hope for your kind understanding and patience.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Please have a safe journey back.”

Siegfried left the Porsche Workshop and boarded the Huracan.

The captain greeted him with a salute and asked, “Shall I set our course back to the Proatine Kingdom, Your Majesty?”

Siegfried shook his head and replied, “No, let’s go to the Bavarian Workshop.”

He was heading to the Bavarian Workshop because of the letter that Quandt had sent to him after getting discharged. Quandt stated in the letter that he wished to celebrate the fact that he had finally gotten discharged by crafting a new artifact.

Siegfried figured this was a good opportunity to have something crafted from the Blade Falcon materials he had obtained from Mount Kunlun.

The Huracan landed on the city’s outskirts, and Siegfried snuck into the workshop like a thief, just like he always did. He waited for around ten minutes before Quandt finally showed up, looking healthy as usual.

“Hello! Long time no see!”

“Long time no see? I think it has only been a few days.”

“Really? It feels like a day feels like a decade whenever I don’t see you.”

“C-Can you not...?”

“Hmm?”

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re all better now.”

“It’s all thanks to you! You are my savior!”

“Not at all.”

“I suppose you received my letter, seeing how you came so quickly.”

“Yeah, you said you are going to craft me a new artifact.”

“I indeed did. You see, I recently got my hands on a very, very rare material, and I plan to use it to enhance your artifact. I’m certain this thing is going to make your artifacts more powerful.”

“Really? I’ll be grateful if you would do that. But what’s this very, very rare material?”

“That is... How should I explain this?” Quandt deliberated. Then, he decided to show the material instead.

Clink!

Quandt took out a flask and shook it gently.

Slosh! Slosh!

The flask was filled with a black liquid that sloshed around as Quandt shook it.

Siegfried could tell at a single glance that it was not an ordinary liquid at all.

1. This is an old saying in Korea. It can either be used to promote school attendance or to criticize someone for not learning anything after spending a long time with it. ☜