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

A cheer erupted in the hall.

A clear golden light burst through the observation window of Refinery Room No. 3, shining into the hall through the refracting mirror, turning the entire exchange into a bright gold.

Golden light pierced through thousands of deep blue glass panes, forming a giant ring in the sky above the Place de Mayo.

On the streets, citizens walking at night looked up, and even the rickshaw drivers reined in their horses and pointed at the sky.

"Pure gold!"

The master of ceremonies announced, and applause swept through the hall.

Master Bradshaw emerged from the third alchemy room with impeccable manners, his assistant carrying a slender potion bottle behind him.

"Thank you for your work, Master. The Ravenhurst family will remember this achievement," Luanna smiled.

"It's my duty, Miss," Master Bradshaw said calmly. "I still have to thank Midas Industries for their equipment and long-term support."

Laughter and applause erupted from the seats at Midas Industries; this statement deserved a mention in the newspapers.

About ten minutes later, the second refining room also emitted golden light.

This time, the gold shimmer is even richer.

Molten gold poured down from the dome, overshadowing the previous light, while spiritual dust swirled high in the air, suspended in mid-air.

The entire audience stood up! The applause was even louder than before.

"Mercury Sage!"

"This is a masterpiece!"

"To witness such an alchemical miracle, even death would be worthwhile...!" An old alchemist excitedly patted the armrest.

Master Hermann walked out of the forge without any assistants to support him. He looked somewhat tired, but still composed.

Vidori took the medicine bottle from his hand; the color of the source potion inside was similar to that of ancient amber.

If Bradshaw's gold-plated porcelain was the best of the best, then Herman, the "Mercury Sage," showed them what true perfection really meant.

The golden light lingered in the air for several minutes without dissipating; the light was the residual spirituality, and its concentration had reached the purest level.

Then, people couldn't help but turn their attention to the still-closed Refinery Room No. 1.

"Mr. Vic hasn't come out yet," Master Hermann said.

“Young people need some time, maybe to be cautious,” Master Bradshaw said. “Maybe… he simply doesn’t know how to wrap things up.”

"Let alone finishing up, he probably doesn't even know how to start," said a young alchemy committee member in the front row.

This joke quickly elicited a knowing laugh.

The silence in the number one refinery was awkward enough in the face of two bottles of pure gold potion.

Time continued to pass.

twenty minutes

Thirty minutes.

Forty minutes.

The No. 1 Refinery remains closed.

The gas lamps in May Square were all lit, and the crowds gathering around them grew larger and larger. Reporters stood outside the iron railings, peering through the glass, their pens moving rapidly as they recorded everything that happened inside, sending the records to newspapers and telegraph stations.

With a delay of only ten minutes or so, all the news from here can be synchronized between the overseas territories of the Logris Empire and the mainland.

"...Gordon Vick is experiencing a major delay..."

"...The state of the medium-sized source matter is unknown..."

"...A courageous act encounters a crisis..."

Similar headlines began to spread.

"Whatever Mr. Vic is doing inside, he should come out now," the master of ceremonies said to Earl Montfort.

"..." Earl Montfort sat upright, like a stone statue.

In fact, he really is like a statue.

Countless thoughts, torment, anxieties, and unease tore at my heart.

If he doesn't remain completely still, he has no idea what he might do or say.

The pain felt like an increasing pressure pressing down on his chest.

"The Alchemy Committee has submitted a formal application stating that the current refining time exceeds the normal time. We have reason to suspect that the refiner may have fallen unconscious, or that the equipment may be malfunctioning." An inspector from the Source Exchange strode over.

Seeing that Earl Montfort remained motionless, he then approached Charlotte.

"Miss Monford, according to safety regulations, we need to inspect the condition of Refinery Room One."

Charlotte's face was somewhat pale, but her tone was firm.

No. I refuse.

"You may not understand the current situation."

"I know, I know perfectly well. I chose the source material, I'm the one bearing the risks of refining it, and the Monford family organized this grand event. So why can't I make my own decision?"

The venue fell silent for a moment.

The inspector lowered his voice.

"But your decision may be influenced by emotions."

"I'm very calm now," Charlotte said. "Your judgment may also be influenced by the progress of the ceremony and external pressures. Since we're all affected, let's stick to the facts. Gordon isn't finished yet, and that's it. Let's wait for him."

The inspector had no rebuttal and could only step back.

Charlotte knew that Gordon wouldn't delay without a reason.

He must still be dealing with some problem that others can't see.

Even after Charlotte made her choice, doubts continued to arise.

"This is terrible..."

"Completely overwhelmed..."

"She should be more rational."

"There's going to be a big joke tonight..."

"Why did you make so many of us wait for him for so long?"

"There's no reason to delay this long, unless..." Mercury Sage Herman pondered.

——!

A sliver of red light suddenly appeared above the dome.

It started as just a thin line, like someone piercing the glass starry sky above the dome with a red-hot needle.

Then, its outline became clearer.

Hermann looked up, his expression changing for the first time.

"What is this?"

……

Inside the refining room.

Gordon has just been revitalized.

He drove the fine threads, allowing the source material to fully bloom to its limit, and placed it back onto the support.

The machine is turning.

The source material enters the separation chamber, and the filtrate drips continuously, giving it its final purification.

It's still being picky.

The perfection it requires is like an indisputable order.

If it can be even purer, then it should be even purer.

Gordon tried a different approach.

Flow manipulation!

He first extracted a large amount of the separated liquid, then used the Tide of Fate to transform the separated liquid into a liquid water sphere that encapsulates the source material, and brought it close to the high-temperature source material, where it evaporated and replaced the last inert residue inside the source material.

This was repeated several times.

It became so clear that nothing could be improved.

It's truly...wonderful.

His eyesight was already failing.

The high temperature produced by furnace phase crystallization, the intense light of the "perfect" source material itself, and the effects of several hours of precise observation... Gordon's vision is now completely gray!

However, he still uses his peripheral vision to capture colors, his cane to sense the surrounding environment, and sophisticated neuroanalysis to determine whether each change is in line with expectations.

At last……

It became.

The source material deformed again.

After the separation process is complete, the source material reverts to a flawless crystalline state.

There are no impurities or sediments inside, nor any superfluous spiritual structures.

It is the source substance itself.

Gordon retrieved the top-grade solution.

The radiant golden rose nectar is the perfect source of this quality.

Before the source substance is added to the nectar, its light becomes more concentrated, as if it is searching for a suitable angle on its own.

Gordon's breathing slowed, and no further intervention was needed.

Then, as if it had found the perfect moment, the source substance, without any external intervention, actively jumped into the nectar—the best time and the best angle.

It melted and dissipated inside without splashing a single drop of liquid.

The red light blazed brightly.

Suddenly, the entire dome of the exchange lit up!

In an instant, thousands of blue glass panes were covered in crimson, and a magnificent halo spread across the dome, its sharp and solemn light illuminating everyone's faces until they blushed!

It bursts forth from the steel beams inside the exchange.

Like a brand new sunrise, it illuminated the Place de Mayo in a fiery red!

People quieted down at first...

Then, things started to get restless!

"What is that?!"

"The results are in!"

"The third ray of light tonight is red!"

Red light!

Inside the venue, the members of the Alchemy Committee stood up instantly. Some kicked over chairs, while others disregarded etiquette and were filled with shock.

They knew what this meant.

The presence of "Chengjin" signifies extremely high source material activity.

"Crimson" means that the alchemist reveals the true nature of the source, which requires extremely high insight and cognition, no less than uncovering the truth of the world!

The ultimate dream of many alchemists is to create the legendary perfect Crimson Elixir!

And today they saw it!

But it wasn't them; it was this guy named Gordon who did it!

"What is that?"

"The legendary quality?"

"Really?"

"What's going on?!"

"Master, this, this is..." They all crowded around the Mercury Sage Herman.

Herman took a deep breath.

Really.

A red light entered his eyes.

He had seen countless potions in his life: pale, silver, and gold. He had also seen someone push gold to its extreme, making it almost like sunlight itself.

But gold will never turn red.

Red represents another level.

“… ‘True Red’,” Hermann said slowly.

People fell silent.

He repeated it again.

"Yes, this is true red quality."

So red!

The word fell into the crowd and instantly stirred up endless echoes.

"So red!"

"Isn't that just a legend?"

"Does it really exist?"

"In the records of alchemy... the legendary highest quality!"

People started whispering among themselves.

The reporter grabbed the nearest person to ask what "true red" meant, and after receiving the answer, turned around and quickly wrote it down.

The nobles chatted amongst themselves, their hearts pounding with excitement.

Master Bradshaw looked at the room filled with red light and took a deep breath.

The golden potion he and Herman created was worthy of applause and congratulations, and would make tonight a story in itself.

But this blinding red light had already elevated the night to an unprecedented level.

"I take back what I said," Master Bradshaw admitted. "This young man knows how to begin, and he knows how to end."

He and Herman exchanged a glance and couldn't help but salute the number one refinery.

Lady Elizabeth stood under the red light.

She felt the astonishment, admiration, and encouragement from the crowd around her.

Her gaze toward the refining room was filled with even more surprise, and she couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

Even with her extensive experience, she had only witnessed the true crimson manifest in the world a handful of times.

After tonight, Gordon Vick will no longer be a nobody.

Various factions will vie for him and surround him. Elizabeth is curious: what will Gordon, always unconventional, choose after tonight?