"Jin... Ke... La?" Arthur had never heard this term before and could only repeat it haltingly after Lucian's pronunciation. But once he said it aloud, he felt an inexplicable sense that the word, like some arcane spell, was awkward and bizarre, concealing mysterious, unknown, and terrifying power.
Lucian rubbed both cheeks with his left hand to keep himself from laughing, then said with perfect seriousness: "Due to the specific properties of the soil, these alchemical substances sometimes need to be used in combination and sometimes must be used separately. When all of them are mixed together, it's called Jin Ke La. The rest are called Jin Ke La Number One, Number Two, and so on."
Seeing Lucian's "serious" expression, Arthur spread a broad merchant's smile across his face. "That's an excellent name, Mr. Evans. You truly have a gift for naming. Let's call it Jin... Ke... La."
*I'm actually terrible at naming things*, Lucian grumbled silently to himself—just like Mr. Victor and Mr. Rhein.
Having settled on the name for the alchemical substances, Arthur then sought Lucian's approval to name the new company "Holm Minerals & Harvest Company."
Under the witness of Eric, an executive of the Department of Magical Administration, Arthur and Lucian each signed the documents, while Eric also countersigned on behalf of the Magic Parliament, marking the conclusion of the agreement.
"Mr. Evans, cheers—to celebrating our partnership." Arthur raised his glass of "Sky-Blue" and clinked it against the one in Lucian's hand with a crisp clink.
Lucian smiled faintly without parting his lips, then drained his "Sky-Blue" in one gulp. "Mr. Doyle, I hope we have a pleasant partnership. When you promote these alchemical substances, you must clearly communicate the dosage ranges we've confirmed through experimentation. Otherwise, they won't just fail to increase grain yields—they'll actually have the opposite effect."
"Of course. We've always respected the arcanists' opinions." Arthur had his blonde secretary produce a thick stack of documents and hand them to Lucian. "Mr. Evans, this is the large-scale production plan we've finalized. Please take a look at whether there are any modifications needed to the magic circles. You're the authority in this field."
He offered a small compliment. Although he wasn't sure exactly how high Lucian's arcane proficiency was, as a Holm Crown Award recipient and fourth-level arcanist, he was certainly an authority in the fields of elemental magic and alchemy.
Lucian took the documents and flipped through them casually, confirming this was the paper from the latest issue of *Alchemy*—a method that used energy conversion to minimize both the cost of establishing large permanent magic circles and the ongoing energy maintenance. According to the paper, magic towers could be built on large rivers with abundant water flow, converting the energy they contained into electricity through magnetic fields, then transmitting that electricity to alchemy workshops to power those magic circles.
*In other words, it's basically a magic version of a hydroelectric dam...* Lucian silently assessed. But if they were to set up ordinary permanent magic circles, the cost would be several hundred times greater, because the energy they maintained would need to be drawn from special magic gems and similar materials. Moreover, those magic materials had to be capable of absorbing sunlight, moonlight, shadow, and other forces through the magic circles to replenish themselves—making them exceedingly expensive. And if they weren't permanent magic circles, the materials would need to be replaced regularly, which was yet another astronomical expense.
Lucian returned the paper to Arthur and smiled gently. "This is the best possible plan. And the surplus electricity might have other uses as well."
"I'll consult with the alchemists about that. If you have any other insights, Mr. Evans, feel free to share them with us. We'll continue cooperating under the current agreement." Arthur handed the paper to his beautiful secretary. "The first year, building these magic circles and apparatus may not yield any returns, but rest assured, Mr. Evans—starting from the second year, there should be annual dividends from the shares. It won't delay your advancement to mid-level mage."
After seeing Arthur Doyle off, Lucian turned to say goodbye to Eric—only to find Cindy and Donna both resting their chins in their hands, watching him with bright, eager eyes.
"Sigh, Mr. Evans. It's really something to have knowledge and talent." Cindy's expression was complex as she sighed with feeling—reverence, envy, aspiration, and admiration. Then she clenched her right hand into a small fist and pumped it. "I'm going to become a full-fledged mage no matter what. Even if I can't be as outstanding as you, Mr. Evans, I'll earn people's respect and the wealth I deserve through my own knowledge and strength!"
As a citizen born in Lontar, Cindy had heard the name of the tycoon Arthur Doyle in the *Holm Weekly* and from her elders since she was a little girl. When she saw how respectful—even obsequious—he was toward Lucian, she finally understood the real-world significance of a mage's identity and status, no longer limiting it to the internal hierarchy of the Magic Parliament as she had before. And the source of that identity and status lay in one's own power, in knowledge, in learning. As long as one worked hard and was diligent, one wouldn't be denied one's rewards simply for lacking noble birth.
Donna, meanwhile, grinned and said: "Tsk, Mr. Evans, you really are the best role model for us magic apprentices. Your story tells us that within the Magic Parliament, as long as you have talent and ability, you'll definitely shine and earn the status you deserve. By the way, are your arcane tutoring sessions still accepting students? Could I come study under you too?"
She joked in the "inspirational tone" that magic school teachers were known for, but when she called him "Mr. Evans" and used the formal "you," she suddenly felt a pang of bitterness. Although it was mainly because Eric was standing nearby that she and Cindy didn't address him as casually as they usually did, every time she saw the fourth-level arcanist and second-circle mage badges on his chest, she felt an inexplicable sense of awe and distance—she looked up to him but couldn't feel close. He was moving too fast, so that all his friends could only see his back.
"If you have time, you're welcome to come listen on Saturdays." Lucian wiped away a bead of cold sweat. Was this arcane tutoring class going to keep expanding into some kind of magical organization?
Eric looked at Lucian, seemed about to say something, but in the end only offered a word of comfort: "Lucian, you ran into Mr. Felipe earlier, didn't you? Don't take his attitude to heart. He's always been like that."
Eric, who had been in the office, had heard the first words of Felipe's greeting to Lucian.
Cindy and Donna fell abruptly silent, because this touched upon a certain matter: Felipe had once again received the Immortal Throne Award, this time for his experiments overturning the theory of human vital force. He shared the Holm Crown Award with an unnamed senior figure from Elemental Will, becoming the twenty-seventh recipient. His fame had reached a peak.
But the Pale Hand considered the artificial synthesis of urea insufficiently significant. And the "miracle experiment" of simulating a primordial natural environment to generate life essence had no concrete subject, so neither Lucian nor the senior figures of Elemental Will had been awarded the Immortal Throne Award.
Given this precedent, the two young women and Eric naturally assumed that Lucian would be reluctant to encounter Felipe.
The Immortal Throne Award Felipe had received this time took the form of a mage robe—since the previous one had been an amulet—at his request. It was named "Life." The previous amulet had been called "Restorer," while the Holm Crown ring was named "Sageric Acid," after the fatty acid he had synthesized.
As for Felipe receiving two more seventh-level perfect-grade magical items, Lucian was extremely envious. But constrained by his insufficient power, he could only endure it for now.
…………