A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 89 The Alchemist Noble

The weather in Velissco is always like this, with a constant drizzle, and today is another rainy day.

Jiang Shuzhou entered the Alchemy Guild. Unlike the bustling Mage Guild, the Alchemy Guild was deserted and desolate.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Familiar voices, familiar faces.

Isn't this the receptionist at the Mage Guild?

Can this really be done part-time?

"I want to get certified and become an alchemist."

Without asking any further questions, I let people work wherever they want, and it's best not to meddle in other people's business.

"What? You're here for an assessment?"

Before he even arrived, his voice preceded his arrival. Before the receptionist could speak, an elderly monk who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with a wrinkled face and white hair and beard, excitedly rushed over.

So enthusiastic?

"Yes, is there anything I can help you with?"

Under the old master's fiery gaze, Jiang Shuzhou braced himself and answered.

"Tsk tsk tsk, young people are indeed very young. So young and yet so accomplished. My achievements... no... cough cough, the future of alchemy depends on you guys."

"This gentleman is the vice president of the Velisco Alchemy Guild, the alchemist Boyd, and also a mid-level mage."

The receptionist explained.

"So it's Master Boyd. I've heard of you before. Meeting you today, I can see you are indeed a highly respected alchemist."

It's always good to say a few compliments. Although Jiang Shuzhou had never heard of Velisco before, it didn't stop him from praising him. After all, good words are free, so he could say whatever he wanted.

"Indeed, the young man is truly young."

What are you doing here? Do you even remember how many times you said that?

Is this person suffering from dementia?

While inwardly grumbling to himself, Jiang Shuzhou didn't show anything on his face, but instead feigned an excited expression as if he had just been praised by a highly respected elder.

"Come on, young man, let's talk alone."

Boyd extended an invitation to Jiang Shuzhou.

"As you wish."

Soon, Jiang Shuzhou followed Boyd upstairs and into his office.

Boyd's office was more like a laboratory than an office, filled with a large number of alchemical instruments. The only exception was the table in the center of the office, which was cluttered with books, some of which were even open.

At a glance, all the books were about alchemy.

The kind of office you see reveals the kind of people you meet. This vice president, like most of the mage bureaucrats in the Mage Alliance, prioritizes the pursuit of truth and probably doesn't care about his work at all.

"Young man, would you like to join the Alchemy Guild?"

If I didn't want to join, what would I be doing here?

"Of course, I've always hoped to learn more and change the world."

"Hmm, not bad."

Master Boyd didn't say much; it was just a formality.

Boyd then explained the precautions for the assessment to Jiang Shuzhou and emphasized the benefits of joining the Alchemy Guild.

Simply put, joining the Alchemy Guild is equivalent to automatically joining the Alchemist Alliance.

The Alchemists' Alliance is part of the Mage Alliance, and also its most important part. As representatives of advanced productivity, alchemists have always enjoyed a high status among mages.

This status remained the same even after the establishment of the Mage Alliance, and was even higher than before.

The Alchemists' Alliance has a high degree of autonomy and can arbitrarily establish and repeal laws as long as they do not violate the constitution.

One of the laws granted alchemists a very high status, which also attracted many mages to pursue this profession.

Becoming an alchemist grants the ability to own a large tract of land and become an alchemist noble.

The rank of a nobleman was determined by his achievements in alchemy.

Low-ranking alchemists can become alchemist viscounts, and so on, while legendary alchemists can become kings.

After all, products developed through industry-academia-research collaboration need to be manufactured. So the question is, who should be responsible for manufacturing them?

The products developed by alchemists are not ordinary goods; some are considered weapons, while others are dangerous items.

In addition, some formulas need to be kept secret, and they are not comfortable handing them over to others. Therefore, the vast majority of alchemists set up their own alchemy workshops and hired and trained their subjects within their territories to produce the products.

This is precisely why many alchemists are willing to join the Alchemy Guild; otherwise, with no benefits, who would want to join?

"So, did you understand?"

Boyd seemed worried that Jiang Shuzhou hadn't understood, so he asked a question.

"Of course, thank you for your explanation."

Jiang Shuzhou had learned about the relevant matters beforehand, otherwise he wouldn't have been so eager to become an alchemist.

Becoming an alchemist grants one the status of an alchemist noble, a noble status among mages, granting them considerable power.

"Very good, the assessment begins."

Boyd smiled with satisfaction. He hadn't assessed other alchemists for a long time, not because he wasn't in charge of that area, but mainly because no one was there to assess them.

The vast Storm Sea has nearly ten thousand mages, but only a few hundred alchemists. Most mages cannot balance their spell learning and alchemy learning.

This is one of the reasons why he repeatedly marveled at Jiang Shuzhou's youth.

Another reason is that his performance was not very good. Although he didn't have much pressure to meet his targets, he was still embarrassed. Other branches recruited a dozen or so alchemists, but his branch only had one or two. Boyd was too ashamed to attend the gathering.

The assessment consists of two parts: theoretical knowledge and practical alchemy skills.

For Jiang Shuzhou, this was not a difficult task. He had already learned a lot of theoretical knowledge, which was more than enough to pass the assessment.

Alchemy in practice is not difficult; it simply involves choosing to refine two potions.

Watching Jiang Shuzhou refine potions, Boyd felt as if he were facing someone who was not a newly promoted alchemist. The skillful technique and speed of potion refining were beyond the reach of ordinary alchemists.

This young man is quite good; he's almost as good as I was back in my day.

Boyd seemed to have forgotten that he himself had failed the test five times in a row, and only succeeded in becoming an alchemist on the sixth try when he got lucky.

"Good quality."

Looking at the blood-burning potion and the healing potion in his hand, Boyd said with satisfaction.

Soon, with the vice president's approval, Jiang Shuzhou successfully passed the test and truly became an alchemist.

"The letter of appointment for the title will take a little longer. After all, it takes time to choose a suitable place for you. Do you have any plans for this period of time?"

After the assessment was completed, Boyd asked seemingly casually.

"President, I am an arbitrator from the Arbitration Bureau, currently in charge of the governance of the dock area."

Does this mean you need to contact me?

"How can this be? You're a dignified alchemist, what are you doing as an arbitrator? There's no extra income, and the work is exhausting."

It's not that outrageous.

After a brief pause, seeing that Jiang Shuzhou didn't respond, Boyd could only continue speaking to himself.

"Well then, isn't there going to be a war soon?"

"I have a great opportunity for you to gain experience in the logistics department. It's a lucrative place with a relaxed workload. You can just delegate the work to your subordinates."

"This...this isn't quite right, is it? I signed a contract with the Alliance to work for two months, and there's still a month left!"

In fact, Jiang Shuzhou was already somewhat tempted. After all, Boyd was right. Although logistics work was nothing to some alchemists who had accumulated a lot of experience, it was different for him.

He is a newly minted alchemist with little knowledge or wealth, so logistical work would allow him to access more knowledge, making it a relatively suitable position for him.

"No problem, I'll let you know, you can just go."

"President, I have another subordinate..."

It's necessary to negotiate some terms at this time. Anyway, it's not a big deal. Let's get Hayes' contract first.

"It's no big deal. As long as you're willing to go, I can take care of it for you right away."

Jiang Shuzhou was secretly delighted, but his face still showed some hesitation. "Well... alright then, since the president is so kind, I'll go to the logistics department to gain some experience."

Boyd patted Jiang Shuzhou on the shoulder and smiled, "That's right, I guarantee you'll gain a lot from it!"

Having said all that needed to be said, Jiang Shuzhou took his leave and then left the office.

"This young man is really nice; he's much easier to talk to than those old foxes."

Boyd sighed, then pulled a document from his desk, signed it, and left his mage mark.

The contents of the document are also very simple. According to the contract, the Alchemy Guild will provide an Alchemist to be in charge of logistics, and the Mage Alliance will need to pay this Alchemist a salary and provide benefits.

It's obvious that the alchemist in charge of logistics is none other than Jiang Shuzhou.