Fanatics of the Magic Academy

Chapter 111 Not a buddy? You're a human being!

"Oh dear, Mr. Rose, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Rose ignored Keaton's exaggerated expression and tone, looking at him directly and saying, "It's nothing, just tell me, what do you want from me alone?"

After several conversations and discussions with Keaton, Rose had gained a certain understanding of Keaton.

His outward flamboyance and enthusiasm were his hobbies, not even a pretense.

The person who can organize such a large gathering and has a high reputation at the gathering is clearly not a clown with a performative personality.

Keaton continued smiling, then made some inhumanly exaggerated gestures and said, "Well, Mr. Rose, you saw Mr. Finn just now, didn't you?"

Rose nodded.

Keaton said, "As you should also know, Mr. Finn is also a pharmacist."

The reason these gatherings are being able to take place is largely due to the cohesive power he brings as a pharmacist.

Rose nodded again.

He noticed at the last gathering that Finn would occasionally participate in the trading, and the most frequently traded item was the sanity stabilizer, which was indeed a core resource that attracted other mages.

Keaton's exaggerated smile faded slightly as he said, "When I first arrived in the slums, the magicians here only exchanged and traded on a small scale."

The largest circle is centered around Finn.

Later, leveraging his influence as a pharmacist, I gradually expanded the circle, eventually integrating it into the gathering that now encompasses almost all the magicians in the slums.

Rose understood.

The logic behind the formation of this circle is clear: Keaton is in charge of organizing, Finn naturally gathers popularity due to his status as an apothecary, and things like sanity stabilizers are hard currency for mages who need them.

"Um."

Rose gave a brief reply, her gaze calmly fixed on Keaton's face. She already had a rough idea of ​​Keaton's purpose.

Keaton paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words.

He continued, "I think you've also noticed that Mr. Finn is quite old."

He ended up here because of his advancing age; his reason inevitably declined along with his physical functions, and he could no longer perform many tasks.

Rose said he understood, because he had met people like that before, such as Kenneth.

The path to execution for mages killed due to old age is as follows:

Too old → declining physical fitness → declining brain development → declining rationality → declining social status → unstable temperament → continued decline in rationality → forced to use rationality stabilizers as a temporary fix → ultimately rationality drops to a point where no medicine can improve it →

To be kicked out of the magical society system is to be killed.

Keaton observed Rose's expression and knew that Rose most likely knew about Finn's current situation.

He didn't waste any more words to add more, and continued, "Don't be fooled by the fact that Mr. Finn's current level of rationality is still online, and that he can even perform mimicry that most of us can't, and can use his special ability to do some things that most second-circle mages can't, but in my observation, Finn doesn't have much time left. His current state of rationality is just a forced modification and disguise using certain apothecary techniques."

He barely managed to maintain his rationality by clinging to this sense of superiority, but his rationality was still declining. When his rationality dropped to the point where even this pretense and disguise could no longer be maintained, then in a very short time, his rationality would plummet to an unimaginable level, perhaps even falling below the second ring and into the first ring.

After digesting the information Keaton provided for a while, and combining it with his understanding of the magic side over the past few days and the facts he observed at the last gathering, Rose roughly understood what Keaton meant.

In other words, a breakdown in rationality is the same as growing old.

People often don't grow old as a process, but rather they realize they're getting old at a certain moment, and then their spirits plummet, making them appear even more frail.

Similarly, rationality also changes. When rationality drops to a certain level, for example, if a second-circle mage drops to the first level, then his status in the gathering will change instantly.

For example, if you could communicate with a partner on an equal footing yesterday, but today you have to rely on them, it can create a huge psychological gap.

This change will greatly affect his mindset, and his rationality will plummet in a very short time.

Therefore, the Magic Federation has a "kill line". This kill line is not designed by the system, but is formed by the characteristics of extraordinary power.

The decline in rationality is not non-linear; rather, it is a slow decline followed by a rapid drop, then a slow decline again, and then another rapid drop.

It creates a feeling similar to "being suddenly killed when you're low on health".

Rose said she understood.

Keaton then continued, "So, don't be fooled by Finn's seemingly good condition now. He can still make potions and mimic others. But when that day really comes, his sanity will most likely plummet from the middle of the second ring to the level of the first ring. He will then struggle with the remaining legacy he has, enter a period of stability, and then suddenly plummet again."

Ultimately, they meet their demise in a state of madness; the entire process is almost irreversible and beyond redemption.

"I will observe and draw conclusions based on the situations of others at my gatherings, and this should happen in about a year."

Rose was silent for a moment. So fast?

Finn's current sanity level is definitely 100 points, or even higher.

This level of rationality will suddenly drop below 40 points in a very short period of time one year from now, which really feels like a death knell.

Think about it too.

A seasoned pharmacist and a key figure at a gathering suddenly discovers one day that he can no longer concoct the potions he used to be able to make, and he can no longer maintain the mimicry he used to maintain appearances.

Anyone would be devastated in that situation. Their rationality would naturally crumble.

Of course, the more emotionally charged Rose becomes, the more rational she will be.

The more Rose learned about it, the more she realized that her seemingly ordinary trait was actually incredibly sinister.

And this Keaton is quite a character. Rose had a brief conversation with Finn today. Although they didn't talk much, Rose was sure that Finn himself didn't know that his sanity would collapse to below the second level a year later.

Keaton had foreseen this, and he knew Finn better than Finn himself.

Indeed, no one is simple when it comes to organizing such a gathering and remaining at the core.

At this point, Keaton finally revealed the true purpose of his trip: "So, Mr. Rose, I hope that a year from now, at that time, you can come and help to set up the party, take over Finn's position, and become the center of the gathering."

Rose understood, because Rose had brought out a special sanity-stabilizing potion for this gathering, and Rose, who possessed this potion, naturally had the ability to unite people.

Even if Finn does send the gift, with Rose taking his place, the party can continue.

Furthermore, this is also very advantageous for Rose, as gaining a voice at the gathering means that Rose can obtain more resources and intelligence.

Although this was a win-win situation, it did not prevent Ross from taking advantage of the situation to raise his own price and impose conditions.

He believed Keaton was also prepared to be offered terms.

Because Keaton's visit, which appeared to be a request, was actually an attempt to seek cooperation.

Because Keaton's role in the party is currently not very irreplaceable, the real core is still Finn. If Finn were to die, Keaton alone might be able to maintain the party to a certain size with his previous connections, but it certainly wouldn't be as large as it is now.

But for Rose, even if the gathering ends, Rose can rely on the influence, irreplaceability, and uniqueness of [Silent Thunder] to establish his own business. In fact, the way of trading can not be limited to the gathering. Magicians will spontaneously gravitate towards Rose and form a small group with Rose at its core.

This process didn't even require Rose to manage or prepare; it just happened naturally.

There's no doubt that [Silent Thunder] has this kind of appeal to the slum community that has been slaughtered.

Keaton realized this as well, and when Roseau had just sold three bottles, he made plans in advance to establish partnerships so that he could still occupy a core position a year later.

Rose then stated her conditions: "It's possible, but I have some conditions."

Keaton rarely showed a serious expression, and solemnly said, "Mr. Rose, tell me what your conditions are, and I will try my best to meet them."

After thinking for a moment, Rose thought this was a golden opportunity and said, "I need you to help me obtain three different legal identities: one for a 6-year-old boy, one for a 6-year-old girl, and one for an adult dwarf with burns all over his body."

Keaton was visibly taken aback. He immediately understood the purpose of Rossetti's three identities. Then, an extremely absurd feeling welled up inside him, like a pregnant woman giving birth in a hospital, only to have the baby suddenly jump out of the ward and ask the anxiously waiting doctor outside, "Save the mother, save the baby, or Pavel Korchagin?"

His expression suddenly shattered.

His eyebrows suddenly shot up, his pupils dilated and then contracted sharply, revealing the upper and lower edges of the whites of his eyes.

His lips, which had been pursed, suddenly parted, forming an exaggerated "O" shape: "Huh?"

Not a buddy? You're a human being!

Still thinking about your childish house games?!

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