Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

At 6 p.m., the Midsummer Celebration gradually began, and guests entered the venue.

Gordon walked back to the vicinity of the stage.

By this time, hundreds of gas lamps had been lit around the area, and in the distance, an orchestra began to play soothing music, the melodious strains of the piano blending with the humming of the guests' conversations.

Countless nobles, members of parliament, military officers, bankers, professional hunters, and their spouses entered the hall. The ladies' gowns resembled vast, moving veins of gemstones, a dazzling array of silks, laces, and jewels. The gentlemen, on the other hand, were formally dressed and exuded an air of grandeur.

The entire hall was like a net that was constantly tightening, and Gordon had to stand in the very center of that net.

He glanced around and couldn't count how many people had arrived, but he felt that the fate of the Lundenim people was basically in the hands of these people.

They will observe together how Gordon handles the source matter.

The president of the Royal Society of Science, Hamilton, also entered the inner room, followed by Professor Winslow.

"Incredible, Winslow." Hamilton and Winslow sat down. "Your student is trying to do something amazing again. I'm even thinking about publishing some statements in the newspapers in advance."

"He's a special person, nothing he does is surprising," Winslow said calmly.

He said it that way, but Winslow was also trying to adapt to it all.

Gordon's actions are always astonishing, but today's were particularly outrageous.

"What if he really manages to create a potion of crystal-clear quality?"

"Making a Silver Flash isn't easy. We should still applaud the students' courage when the time comes."

Winslow rationally believed that Flash Silver deserved applause, but emotionally he knew that Gordon had come here not just to be satisfied with Flash Silver.

Soon, the hunters began to whisper among themselves.

Roland, the headmaster of the hunter school, walked through the corridor, wearing a scarlet cloak and with his silver-gray hair combed back.

"Winslow. Hamilton." Roland greeted them, then opened his arms to Winslow.

"..." Winslow walked over to Roland and reluctantly patted him on the back.

"Is this how you show friendship, Winslow? I know we haven't seen each other for a while. But that's not my fault."

"At our age, we should be more restrained in expressing our feelings."

Roland released Winslow and looked toward Gordon in the waiting area.

"You've quietly nurtured a very interesting student."

"I only taught him to do things meticulously, and he seemed to understand that as meticulously creating big news."

"No, what's even stranger is that you're only good at the natural history of source matter, but I never expected you could also teach students how to refine source matter."

"If students can only repeat what their teachers know, then there is no need for the academy to exist."

"Well said."

"...I only hope that after tonight we can still calmly regard him as a student, someone who needs to be nurtured."

"So you are indeed worried about him."

“Yes.” Winslow sat back down. “Tonight he might really make a name for himself in Lundnim, or he might be ridiculed by half the city and have his reputation tarnished as well… Either way, he will be different after tonight.”

"Trust your own judgment, Winslow," Roland said, sitting down next to Winslow. "And Hamilton too."

"Oh?" Principal Hamilton turned his head.

"Hasn't your school always insisted on surpassing those mystical schools and solving all the mysteries of the world with a scientific perspective? If your students can truly surpass established alchemy masters by the age of twenty, the university should be proud of that."

"Yes." Principal Hamilton took a deep breath. "Let's wait and see."

More guests continued to arrive.

As the ceremony was about to begin, the entrance fell completely silent.

The crowd spontaneously lowered their voices.

Lady Elizabeth entered the hall, wearing an ivory-white gown cinched at the waist with a pale gold ribbon, her chestnut hair styled in an updo, adorned with a pearl earring on each ear, and her face bearing that ever-present, perfectly gentle smile.

The exchange's directors, members of parliament, and several social elites rose to greet her. Elizabeth returned the greeting briefly, her gaze sweeping across the room before heading straight for Gordon.

Wherever she went, people's conversations quickly fell to a lower volume.

People's eyes followed her, and finally all landed on Gordon.

Gordon!

This was the first time people were observing this college student. He had a resume, but it wasn't extensive, and it couldn't compare to the other alchemy masters who would be appearing tonight.

Gordon took a deep breath, greeted Elizabeth, and moved his gaze from the generous Lady's generosity upwards to her graceful and mature face.

"Mr. Vic, you've changed your clothes. It seems you not only have the money to pay off your student loans, but also the money to buy new clothes." Elizabeth sized up Gordon.

"Yes, yes. It's good to dress up sometimes." Gordon looked at the formal attire Charlotte had chosen for him, and to be honest, he did look quite presentable now.

Are you nervous?

"The most nerve-wracking moment for me is when I have to pay off my student loan. Tonight I'm probably only half as nervous as that moment," Gordon honestly said.

"Are student loans really that scary?"

"It can change a person's way of thinking, just like the source of matter."

Elizabeth's smile deepened, her arm crossed in front of her abdomen, supporting the strangely broad generosity, while her other hand stroked her chin, her gaze as if inspecting a treasure she had finally nurtured.

"If you actually succeed in refining it... you should know that tonight, it's not just the guests here who are watching," she said.

"Whose binoculars are these?" Gao Deng looked around.

"Higher," Elizabeth said, pointing to the sky.

Gordon did not respond.

The blazing sun on Mount Monarch, the victor of the midday battle, the center where all order of the Logris Empire converges.

"Yes, this time it's not for me personally, it's to... to show the emperor's glory, yes, that's it, for His Majesty." Gordon seized the opportunity.

"You've finally found a more suitable, all-purpose excuse. But that's not all."

"Success is due to Your Majesty's glory. Failure is due to my own lack of experience."

"...Just do what's in front of you." Elizabeth patted Gordon on the shoulder, and then, as if checking his body, squeezed his right shoulder.

After she left, the way everyone looked at Gordon was different from before.

They initially questioned why a college student would be there, but when the generous minister personally approached him and spoke with him, they realized that some people at the highest levels of the empire did not regard Gordon as an ordinary college student.

Just as Gordon was savoring the moment, the orchestra slowly stopped, and the bells rang.

He turned his head.

In the center of the stage, three circular floor panels opened simultaneously. With the hum of the connecting rods, steam poured out from the gaps, and the lifting platform slowly rose.

Twelve guards stood on either side of the stage, watching as three large crystal capsules slowly rose.

[Advanced Source Material Storage Cabinet. Strong enough to withstand gunfire, fire, pollution, X-ray vision, telekinesis, and the urge of most people to touch it.]

The lights in the entire venue gradually dimmed, except for the center of the stage, which remained brightly lit.

Gordon opened his eyes wide.

Political pressure, guests, and doubts all vanished from Gordon's mind. Only the Source remained in his sights.

The first source material... is like a transparent diamond with countless symmetrical facets. Every angle and every curve is impeccable. When light enters it, it is instantly broken down into a circle of pure light.

He instantly felt a deep, unfathomable palace appear before him, exquisitely beautiful like a fairytale house. From the depths of the palace, a gaze that measures all things turned to him.

[The magnificent medium-sized source material—"pure and perfect existence." It allows one to refine their goals to a flawless state within their means, approaching perfection under a specific standard. However, it also gradually makes one intolerant of flaws and imperfections. Some existences themselves define the scale, allowing no flaws to transgress it.]

The second source material has no fixed form. It resembles a shrieking face, and sometimes transforms into wondrous images such as flying birds, swimming fish, and tree branches. Each shape only lasts for a brief moment, and before one can even remember it, it has already lost its meaning.

With too many contradictory forms crowding his field of vision at the same time, he lowered his head, took a deep breath, adjusted his state, relaxed his eye pressure, and then observed again.

[The illusory, medium-sized source substance - "Amorphous and Formless." It can freely change its form and appearance to adapt to different environments and needs. However, this also makes it increasingly impossible for a person to return to their original, unchanging state. Its existence is not limited by a specific form; a single body can present many appearances.]

Gordon slowly adjusted his state.

He then walked around the stage a quarter of the way to observe the third source material.

Its appearance is like a narrow, dark gold crystal, shaped like a miniature scepter suspended in mid-air, with fine gold lines extending outward from the inside, each slight flicker of light giving one the urge to straighten their back.

Upon seeing it, Gordon couldn't help but want to take two steps forward before he managed to restrain himself. The lingering effects of even the leaked imagery seem to have a powerful influence.

[A stable, medium-sized source quality - "Command Will". It can be used to translate will into neural commands, compelling others to follow them. It also gradually erodes a person's patience for dialogue, communication, and requests. Some words are powerful enough that resistance itself becomes meaningless.]

This is... a medium-sized Vaillant.

Gordon stepped back and turned towards the inside of the field.

The guests were still pointing and commenting on their appearance, discussing which was more beautiful and more expensive, and how the three ladies would choose tonight.

Only Gordon knew what kind of nature and power were contained within these source substances.

He had to tell Charlotte all of this, and she had to decide which power she wanted to let permeate her flesh and soul and sustain her for the rest of her life.