Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

"Elder Volo, how is Mondo's condition?" Ronald asked.

"Your Majesty, regarding the prince's injuries, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," Volo sighed as he spoke.

"What? Even you can't do anything? You are the most renowned alchemist on the continent! If even you can't help, does that mean Mondo will remain like this for the rest of his life?" Ronald's face changed, and he spoke with agitation.

"Your Majesty, although I can ensure the prince's survival, restoring his strength is much more difficult. His mount was killed, which caused damage to his heart's veins, and on top of that, when his power was stripped, the meridians in his body were broken. There is nothing I can do," Volo said helplessly.

Even though he was a Ninth-tier alchemist, he wasn't omnipotent. In the face of this situation, he was truly powerless.

Ronald remained silent, his eyes filled with endless sorrow. If even Volo couldn't help, it meant that Mondo was truly destined to be a cripple for the rest of his life.

"Your Majesty, should we go and capture Sylvus right now?" a voice asked coldly from beside him.

The prince of the dwarves had fallen to such a state, and they could not let the perpetrator off so easily.

"Your Majesty, capturing Sylvus is easy, but the prince's health is more important right now. While I don't have a solution, we could consult Emperor Boone. Humans are quite clever, and they might have a way to heal the prince," Volo suggested.

"Even if the humans don't have a solution, we can demand a hefty compensation. The prince of the dwarves was injured in the holy city of the humans, so Boone must take responsibility," Ronald squinted his eyes as he spoke. He glanced back into the room before nodding.

"Elder Volo, come with me. The rest of you stay here. I will make sure Boone gives us, the dwarves, a satisfactory answer!" Ronald finished, and he and Volo headed toward Boone's palace.

He took Volo with him because Volo was the president of the Alchemist Guild. With that status, even if Boone was an emperor, he would feel immense pressure.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at Boone's palace. Boone had been expecting them, knowing that the dwarves would not let this matter rest.

"Please, sit. What brings you here?" Boone asked with a smile as he looked at the two.

"Hmph, Boone, Mondo is the prince of the dwarves, yet he was injured in your human holy city. How do you plan to deal with this?" Ronald huffed coldly.

"King of the dwarves, didn't I already tell you? If you want revenge, go ahead. I won't stand in your way," Boone responded.

"Revenge we will certainly take, but as the human emperor, you stood by while the prince of the dwarves was harmed. This is your failure. You must give us an answer," Ronald demanded.

Boone frowned slightly. As expected, this old dwarf wasn't going to let him off easily.

"What do you want me to do?" Boone asked.

"Emperor Boone, our demands are simple: either pay us one trillion magic crystals as compensation, or heal the prince and restore his strength. If you refuse either, the relationship between the dwarves and humans will have to be reconsidered," Volo said with a smile.

Boone knew Volo well, being the president of the Alchemist Guild. Even human alchemists held him in high regard.

It seemed like Volo was speaking of the relations between the dwarves and humans, but he was also hinting at the relationship between alchemists.

"One trillion magic crystals? You dwarves have quite the appetite. Even if the humans could gather that sum, giving it all to you would bankrupt the Bork Empire," Boone shook his head.

"Then are you saying you wish to sever ties with us dwarves?" Ronald said in a heavy tone.

In truth, Ronald did not want to go down the path of breaking ties with the humans. After all, the seal on the Abyss was weakening, and soon the undead would rise again. Though he looked down on humans, he knew that without their help, the dwarves and elves alone would not be able to fend off the undead.

"Ronald, why would you think that? Didn't I offer you two choices?" Boone said with a smile.

Ronald and Volo were both stunned, looking surprised.

"Are you saying there's a way to heal Mondo and restore his strength?" Volo asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Of course, but I can only tell you what to do. Whether you choose to follow through is up to you," Boone shrugged.

"As long as Mondo can recover, we'll do anything," Ronald replied.

"It's simple. In our holy city, there's a small shop called the Eastern Elixir Shop. They sell miraculous pills that can completely heal Prince Mondo with no problem," Boone said.

"The Eastern Elixir Shop? Isn't that Sylvus's store? You want us to beg our enemy for help?" Ronald asked, his face darkening.

"Dwarf King, I've already told you the solution. Didn't you just say you would do anything to restore Prince Mondo?" Boone smiled.

He wanted to see Ronald swallow his pride. After all, when his own son, Stan, had been crippled, Boone had experienced the same.

"Pills? I've never heard of such things. Can you guarantee these pills will heal the prince?" Volo asked with a frown.

"Elder Volo, if they don't work, I'll personally compensate your dwarves with ten trillion magic crystals!" Boone said.

It wasn't that Boone was confident the Bork Empire could produce such an enormous sum, but rather, he had complete faith in Sylvus.

After hearing this, Volo and Ronald fell silent. They knew Boone wouldn't make such a bold claim unless he was certain.

"Your Majesty, if Emperor Boone says these pills can heal the prince, maybe we should go and see for ourselves," Volo suggested.

"But the enemy…" Ronald trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of asking his enemy for help.

"Saving a life is one thing, revenge is another. Let's save the prince first," Volo said with a smile.

Ronald paused for a moment, then realized Volo's intentions. He was planning to settle scores later.

"Fine, let's see if they really have the ability!" Ronald said, and with that, he and Volo left.

As Boone watched them leave, he couldn't help but smile.

"I hope you don't act too arrogantly when you get there, or else it won't just be Mondo lying in bed," Boone muttered.