Chapter 60 The Earl's Castle

"You are younger than I imagined."

Alex, with a gentle face, naturally and comfortably broke the rather沉闷 atmosphere inside the carriage.

"A young alchemy master like you is enough to leave a heavy mark in the history of our Yulan Empire."

It must be said, flattering words always make one feel elated.

Gune was no exception.

"I am just an ordinary high-level alchemist, not an alchemy master." Gune corrected slightly.

Then, Gune spoke softly.

"In the alchemy laboratory, none of my配方 materials are allowed to be reduced by even a trace."

Since the Pioneer Group had given him extremely high authority in their cooperation,

Gune himself would not be polite.

"In the future, many dangerous tasks will require you 'apprentices' to do."

"If explosions occur due to substandard refining containers, tools, or corresponding steam machinery, and you get blown up, I am not responsible."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Alex's eyes twitched.

"Rest assured, there will definitely be no reduction in any equipment."

"That's good." Gune nodded slightly.

"Are there any other alchemy 'apprentices'?" Gune looked at Old Cohen.

"There is another batch, and... the number is not small." Old Cohen said with a意味深长 tone.

Hearing this, Gune couldn't help rubbing his temples.

"This Alex, his identity is not simple!"

"He's the only one at school with such bright golden hair; ten to one, he's related to the Yulan royal family."

"Judging by Dad's tone, I'm afraid the group behind him are mostly nobles too."

"Is this... trying to latch onto my thick and sturdy golden thigh?"

Gune couldn't help pondering secretly.

Gune was quite clear about his own positioning.

"Back then, during Veya's assessment of me, I demonstrated a very high level of alchemy skill."

"And Veya must have confirmed that I have the potential to become an alchemy master."

"More importantly, I am so young; those with discerning eyes naturally know what to do."

"They send their family's talented alchemists to my side, at least to get familiar with me."

"If I really become an alchemy master in the future, those sent to me will have made a huge profit."

"Anyway, this feeling of being strongly clung to is quite nice."

"Well, if these noble offspring alchemists come to me and work honestly, teaching them a few things is no problem."

As an expert-level alchemist,

Gune could, in herb processing, cultivation, and refining, meticulously perceive the supernatural properties of supernatural plants.

The importance of teaching by precept and example after seeing through the essence surpasses everything.

Moreover, Gune himself was very passionate about alchemy knowledge, combined with his deep understanding of supernatural properties.

He had a lot to explain to them.

Teaching this group of beginner and intermediate alchemists was no problem.

"If any of these noble offspring are lazy or dishonest, hmm... the容易爆炸 preparations will all be handed over to him."

"At that time, you can only pray that your hands don't shake too much."

...

The carriage moved forward quickly.

By observing the buildings and streets outside,

Gune realized he had passed through the Heitu District and entered the Antukang District, which was the wealthy area.

At the end of Mujing Street, the carriage stopped.

Gune followed Old Cohen out of the carriage.

Gune looked at the house number.

477 Mujing Street.

The building before him was an ancient castle, with tall walls, dark and heavy tones, visible from afar with its dome and high spires, and the entire castle occupied a vast area, including a very broad lawn.

To own such a castle in the Antukang District

showed its prominent status.

As soon as Gune got off the carriage,

he saw a young man holding a black-shelled notebook, wearing a black hat and a formal suit, with glasses on his nose, escorted by two guards in black iron alloy armor, walking out of the castle.

The bespectacled young man seemed to notice Gune's gaze; he slightly turned his head and briefly met Gune's eyes.

Then he smiled lightly and nodded in greeting.

Gune was slightly startled.

Then the two passed each other.

After a moment, Gune turned back to look at the bespectacled young man.

But the young man had already boarded the carriage and was gradually moving away.

...

Inside the carriage, George, sitting with glasses, narrowed his eyes slightly, not turning back, as if he had been discovered.

Only after the carriage had traveled a considerable distance did George feel relieved.

"This is... a dangerous fellow."

"At the same time..."

George quickly opened his black-shelled notebook.

At that moment, lines of writing rapidly appeared on the notebook.

"October 2, 9972 Continental Calendar, afternoon, Shive Castle."

"You encountered... an ord... inary... person, Gune Lawrence."

When Gune's name appeared, the writing was slow and scribbled.

"An ordinary person? This guy named Gune Lawrence is no ordinary person." George said with a hint of a smile.

"Old Cohen is a pioneer of the Pioneer Group, but he has retired to the second line. He has extraordinary talent in洞察能力 and is said to have discovered many talented supernaturals."

"What's more, even a freak like 'Luo' was discovered by him, but unfortunately..."

"Following Old Cohen, it seems this guy named Gune Lawrence is worth investigating."

"By the way, I remember Old Cohen has recently been involved with some high-level alchemist or something."

...

Watching the departing carriage, Gune withdrew his gaze and pondered slightly.

"That guy is a bit strange."

Ever since Gune cut off many fate shackles,

he found that when observing certain people or things, or thinking about some matters,

he would have some rather peculiar feelings.

That feeling was as if he stood from a new perspective to look at some people or things.

As if piercing through the fog, glimpsing their essential mysteries.

That new perspective brought him a completely different experience.

However, this magical ability to see through essence was not under Gune's control, and it came and went.

Even when piercing through the fog and seeing something,

often Gune himself was still confused.

This ability, likely related to fate, Gune estimated it might be very powerful.

Now, Gune had begun to gradually adapt to and learn this ability.

And during the brief eye contact just now, Gune had perceived the bespectacled young man.

His life form was very strange, not like a human, more like a beast lurking in the shadows, waiting to hunt.

"Some kind of bizarre powerful supernatural profession? Or something else?"

Gune pondered secretly.

"Lord Gune."

At this moment, Alex's voice sounded softly.

"Ah?" Gune snapped back to reality.

"It's time for us to go in." Alex's voice came.

"Mm." Gune nodded slightly.

Then, Gune followed Old Cohen through the castle gate.

As they walked, Old Cohen began to explain.

"The establishment of Sugg Ruins City could not have happened without the support of some great nobles."

"To the north of Sugg Ruins City, in the Otto Mountains and the vast supernatural wilderness, there are both powerful supernatural creatures and ruins of some supernatural tribes, even remnants of ancient civilizations."

"During the establishment, those great nobles naturally collected many powerful and strange spells."

"And this is precisely why I brought you here."

"Earl Shive is a non-human earl with a lifespan of nearly a thousand years. He also has some connection to your supernatural profession, though it may not be significant."

"A vampire earl?" Gune asked.

"Yes." Old Cohen nodded.

Multi-racial coexistence

is a concept shared by all members of the Supernatural Association in northern Oya Continent.

It is also supported by some neutral forces.

This concept has been proposed for many years.

In the empire's prosperous regions and stable territories, it is common to see non-humans walking the streets, without much fuss; at most, passersby who have never seen them might take a second look.

But here, at the borderlands where they fight supernatural creatures from the wilderness and guard against invasions by wilderness non-humans,

those supernatural non-humans generally do not reveal their identities casually.

Gune had not expected that in Sugg Ruins City, there would be such a wealthy vampire earl.

"Earl Shive is a collector. With his long lifespan, he is very familiar with various supernatural equipment, treasures, and magical items."

"He also possesses many very powerful supernatural texts."

"When you meet Earl Shive later, be polite."

"I understand, Dad." Gune nodded.

As the castle gate opened,

what met the eye was a very standard noble castle hall.

A huge chandelier, luxurious yet understated murals.

In the middle was a stone threshold corridor with wooden flooring.

On the right were sofas for the host and guests to sit and chat, a fireplace, and a wine cabinet.

On the left was a long dining table, with costly crafted ceramic tableware displayed like artworks in a cupboard.

Tall windows had curtains drawn, yet the room was not dim.

Because numerous special candles were shining brightly, making the entire hall resplendent.

Looking at the luxurious layout of this hall, the extremely expensive furniture and decorations,

and the double-digit maids and triple-digit guards,

all these highlighted the wealth and luxury of the vampire Earl Shive.

It would be false to say Gune was not envious.

"I wonder if Earl Shive has any daughters."

Gune thought to himself secretly.