Chapter 283: Professor Morlock Lot?

Chapter 283: Chapter 283: Professor Morlock Lot?

"You could even say that Chefs were the world’s first Alchemists."

"Alchemy was originally born from the efforts of Intelligent Species to develop their food."

Lance keenly noticed he said "Intelligent Species," not "humans."

Afraid of delaying the food preparation, the old Chef continued to work as he spoke at a leisurely pace.

"In a very ancient era, the Intelligent Species of the time wanted to make better use of the materials they had on hand. They tried boiling herbs with special properties together with the flesh and blood of Demons."

"Although it was just to fill their stomachs or treat their wounds, this was the first spark of Alchemy."

"Later, the Ancient Goblin Empire rose to power on the continent."

"Those Ancient Goblins were no longer satisfied with just brewing soups and making medicine."

The old man recalled the writings on the origins of Alchemy he had once read. "They turned their attention to ores, metals, and even Ether Energy, pushing Alchemy into its golden age."

"The complete system of Alchemy was also established during that time."

"Later still, the Ancient Goblin Empire overextended itself and started a war of annihilation with the Giant Dragons."

"After the Empire was destroyed, humanity, as the inheritors of the new era, received all of this Knowledge."

The old Chef sighed.

"But the fields Alchemy covers are so vast and complex that an ordinary person could spend a lifetime studying it and never see the whole picture."

"So, over the long course of its evolution, this Profession completely split into three factions."

Lance listened to this story with great interest.

"And no matter how the schools evolved, the core essence of Alchemy has always been the same: to explore the laws of the Material Realm, using Ether Energy as a catalyst to break down the original forms of matter and restructure them."

As the old Chef spoke, his expression grew solemn. The concept he was about to explain was the core of Alchemy, something every Alchemist had to commit to memory.

"In this process, all Alchemy Techniques must strictly adhere to one fundamental law: ’Equivalent Exchange’."

"Matter can never be created from nothing. To obtain something, you must offer something of equal value in return."

"But!"

The old man’s tone suddenly shifted, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"But this is not an insurmountable barrier. This is what makes Alchemists so wondrous."

"After taking up a Profession related to an Alchemist, one gains a professional Specialty called ’Ether Compensation’."

"It is this very Specialty that makes Alchemy truly magical."

"It allows an Alchemist to consume their own Ether Energy to serve as a ’processing fee’."

"In this way, they can supplement the mass missing from an equivalent exchange, forcefully altering the Attributes of the target substance."

Lance was amazed.

’What a terrifying ability,’ he thought. ’If an Alchemist’s Level reaches Legendary, would the scope of Ether Compensation become incredibly broad?’

’Could they even bypass equivalent exchange entirely and create things purely from Ether?’

’Wouldn’t that be the domain of a True God?’

"Depending on the final processing goal, the three major mainstream factions were formed."

"Among them, those who focus on extracting the essence of Magic Materials, analyzing the pharmacology of plants, and ultimately creating various Potions, Spiritual Cuisine, and even performing some biological modifications, belong to the ’Life Alchemy’ faction."

"Those who deal with metals and ores all day, focusing on creating Enchanted Equipment and steam-powered machinery, belong to the ’Material Alchemy’ faction."

"This faction has spawned the most combat and support Professions, such as the Magical Blacksmiths, Puppet Masters, and various Mechanicians you often see. They all fall into this category."

At this point, the old Chef paused.

The third faction was one completely ostracized by the mainstream.

But it had been quite famous back in the day.

"Of course, besides these two mainstream factions, there is a third major faction among Alchemists."

"However, this branch has always been considered heretical by the mainstream Alchemy Realm and is known as the ’Forbidden Faction’."

"The core of their research is Soul Alchemy, or to be more precise, Conceptual Alchemy."

Lance could feel the old man’s gravity as he spoke these words.

"That bunch of madmen attempted to touch the very essence of a living being’s soul."

"They tried to use Alchemy to create true life, yearned to perform the miracle of resurrection, and even deluded themselves into thinking they could manufacture fate through Alchemy."

"Once one steps into that domain, a researcher can easily be corrupted by twisted Knowledge, eventually descending into an inhuman madness."

After saying all this, the old Chef even made a point to warn the young sous chef beside him, telling him not to join any strange societies to study this kind of knowledge when his time came.

Perhaps it was due to his age, but once the old man got talking, he couldn’t stop.

「Afterward.」

The old Chef not only educated Lance on the systematic Knowledge, but also enthusiastically recounted many amusing anecdotes from his youth as a student at Veridia Comprehensive Academy.

He spoke of the time the Material Alchemy School and the Life Alchemy School came to blows in the academy’s grand hall, arguing over whether the legendary "Azote Elixir" was a product of Soul Alchemy.

He told of genius students staying up all night, frantically debating whether Alchemy could truly create life beyond the authority of the gods.

They argued whether rare personal Talents were, in essence, a kind of special substance that could be artificially extracted and replicated.

"Speaking of which..." The old Chef gave a self-deprecating laugh, his gaze softening.

"Many of my classmates who studied with me at the academy back then went on to become famous and powerful figures."

"Looking back on it now, it really makes one sigh with nostalgia."

"But the luckiest thing that ever happened to me wasn’t achieving some great breakthrough as a Spiritual Chef."

"It was unexpectedly meeting this boy’s mother at that academy."

"Having a happy family... I’m more than content with my life."

The young sous chef, who was working with his head down nearby, also revealed a warm smile upon hearing his father mention his late mother.

Standing before the counter, Lance watched the father and son, who remained optimistic despite the Underground City’s lockdown, and smiled along with them.

’To maintain such a content and cheerful attitude is truly a great wisdom in life.’

After the old Chef’s detailed explanation, Lance finally had a clear conceptual framework for the vast and complex idea of Alchemy in his mind.

Afterward, Lance steered the conversation back on track.

He very humbly asked the old Chef for advice, explaining that he was very interested in the Material Alchemy faction and wanted to try taking up Alchemist as a secondary Profession. He asked if there were any official channels to obtain study materials or a certificate of Profession.

After all, he knew very well that since he was already an official Pale Guard, it was unrealistic for him to go to an Alchemy Sanctuary like Veridia and be a student in peace.

What he needed was a shortcut to get his profession panel to recognize it, as long as the panel could activate something related to Alchemy.

He could then use the panel’s power to quickly fill in the gaps in his basic knowledge.

Hearing Lance’s request, the old Chef reached up, stroked his chin, and fell into a brief thought.

A moment later, he seemed to remember something.

He pulled a short charcoal pencil from his apron pocket, tore off a clean sheet of wax paper, and swiftly scribbled an address on it.

"I do know an old friend who’s quite accomplished in Material Alchemy."

The old Chef folded the wax paper with the address on it and handed it to Lance.

"Once this Underground City crisis is over and you’ve left, you can take this address and go ask him."

"His name is Baldwin. We were on good terms back at the academy. The two of us even studied materials science together under Professor Molok..."

Lance had just reached out to take the wax paper and was about to casually tuck it into the inner lining of his clothes.

But the moment he heard the familiar name, his movement froze, and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Wait! What professor did you just say?!"

The old Chef, startled by Lance’s reaction, repeated himself, a little confused.

"Professor Morlock Lot. He was a very famous, very capable high-level instructor at Veridia back then."

"However..."

The old Chef seemed to recall something.

"Many years after I left the academy, I did hear a rumor about him from some old classmates."

"I heard that Professor Molok was later investigated by the academy’s upper echelons and the church for allegedly researching forbidden Knowledge like Conceptual Alchemy in secret. In the end, he was stripped of all his positions and vanished without a trace."

...

After leaving the tavern, Lance walked alone down the street, carrying two large bags of High-Energy Compressed Spiritual Cuisine.

But he seemed to be in a daze.

Morlock Lot.

That name had once again appeared in his life in a completely unexpected way.

And the news he received this time was even more shocking than when he had opened the wooden coffin.

Now, the Alchemy Puppet in the coffin made sense. The man had been an Alchemist!

According to what the old Chef just said, back when his generation were still students at Veridia Comprehensive Academy, Professor Molok was already a senior instructor who had been teaching at the academy for over thirty years.

"He was called Ageless Molok."

That was how the old Chef had described him.

Although rumors claimed the professor had mastered the exclusive formula for some kind of High Tier Youth Potion, allowing him to maintain the mature appearance of a middle-aged man for so long.

But, piecing together the fragmented clues Lance currently possessed, the actual age of this body’s nominal father was likely well over one hundred years old!

Some of his previous worries now seemed to be confirmed, step by step.

This Molok was very likely a long-lived species hiding within human society!