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

Professor Winslow sat upright with a serious expression, as if this was all expected.

However, his hands, which were resting on his knees, were trembling slightly.

"Your student has concocted a potion of true red quality." Principal Roland turned to look at him.

"I know." Winslow sat up straight.

"What I mean is, true red... it's true red."

"My eyes aren't old enough for you to confirm."

"I just think your reaction was too bland."

"I knew it! I knew it." Winslow finally stood up, this time without lowering his voice. "That kid won't be satisfied with Chengjin. I knew it, I knew he was doing something in there!"

The sound was so loud that several guests turned around.

Principal Hamilton was also taken aback.

Roland finally smiled. Having known Winslow for many years, he had rarely seen his old friend so completely abandon his pride.

Earl Guy Monford leaned back, as if he had been gone for a while.

He had also heard of the quality of the True Red.

Gordon was so confident when he came.

But even in the Earl's wildest imagination, he could never have imagined that Gordon would refine a source material to its legendary level in front of everyone.

"Gordon Vick..."

The pressure on the count's chest suddenly disappeared.

Instead, a burning sensation arose, and a flood of reputation and attention poured into the family, causing the source essence within their bodies to pump.

His face suddenly looked younger, and some of the courage and ambition that one loses in middle age resurfaced.

Charlotte, however, did not hear any of these discussions.

Her eyes were fixed on the door.

Gordon did not fail.

She knew he had promised her.

Finally, a sound came from the No. 1 Refinery.

哢.

The lock is open.

The hall fell silent instantly.

The reporters trembled as they wrote down everything they had seen; the nobles stopped exchanging glances; everyone held their breath, staring at the door.

Hot air rushed out from inside the door.

Then, Gordon came out.

What kind of person is he!

He looked as if he had been boiled at high temperatures; his face was pale, his hair was soaked, his eyes were bloodshot, and he even seemed to be blind. He held the Blackthorn Plum Staff in one hand and a potion in the other, and he looked like he was not far from fainting.

The potion emitted a dazzling light, and with each flicker, it left a lasting trail of light in the surrounding air, captivating all who beheld it.

Gordon struggled to discern directions and resolutely headed toward Charlotte.

Charlotte looked at his pale face, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Gordon!"

Gordon handed her the potion.

Taking a deep breath, Gordon slowly said:

"I'm ready for your life."

Charlotte reached out her hands and took the potion.

The next moment, thunderous applause erupted!

This time, the applause was louder and longer than the previous two.

People couldn't help but stand up and applaud loudly, the sound almost echoing through the night sky!

People in the second-floor private rooms surged to the railing, applause echoing under the dome, and even the crowd outside May Square joined in the cheers.

Let's applaud the near-impossible miracle that a young man has accomplished at such a grand event.

At the same time, I'm also thrilled to have witnessed the beginning of a legend...

Luanna, standing nearby, couldn't help but applaud.

She had once rejoiced over her own Pure Gold Elixir, but now, seeing Crimson, a distinct sense of jealousy arose in her heart.

He was both jealous that Charlotte had obtained a higher quality potion and jealous that she could make a man go to such lengths for her.

Luanna began to think about what leverage the Ravenhurst family could offer that no one else could, in order to win Gordon over to her side.

Vidore also began to applaud.

"Miss Monford has met a very nice person." She could sense the deep affection in Charlotte and Gordon's eyes when they looked at each other. Her tone contained admiration, but also a hint of envy that she didn't want to delve into.

The ceremony master recovered from his shock.

"Drink the potion and witness the extraordinary!" the master of ceremonies quickly announced.

Luanna raised her glass first.

The light and shadow around her body changed color, and her hairstyle and appearance flashed several times in an instant, but quickly returned to stability. She was always smiling, but her body trembled slightly, proving that the cultivation was not as easy as it looked.

Vidori raised the potion and drank it down in one gulp. Power entered her body, and a faint sense of oppression spread from her.

She closed her eyes, enduring the excruciating pain and torment of the fusion of essence and matter, but she did not lose her composure.

Charlotte drank the potion.

The sweetness of nectar reaches the tip of the tongue.

Immediately afterwards, she felt countless thoughts that had never appeared before flood her mind.

My heart is racing; I need to calm it down. My breathing is rapid; I need to regulate it. My shoulders need to be level; my feet need to be aligned… Hundreds of errors occur simultaneously.

She opened her eyes, still feeling waves of shivering, her fingertips numb.

She stood up straight and saw Gordon.

Gordon looked exhausted, and his hair was soaked.

So Charlotte suppressed her pain and went forward to fix Gordon's hair.

"That's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful," she whispered.

The master of ceremonies carried the ebony box with both hands and approached the Duke of Manville.

The box contains the highest honor of the ceremony: the Summer Crown.

The Duke of Manville took out a platinum crown and walked up to Gordon.

"Mr. Vic, the crown belongs to the best alchemist of the night, which is you." His tone was mixed with mixed feelings. He hadn't expected that he had actually tried to persuade Earl Monford to change the alchemist.

Now, he admits it himself: Gordon Vick is the best alchemist of the night.

There is no dispute.

Gordon accepted the crown and first looked in the direction of the Earl of Montfort for his opinion.

The Earl glanced at Gordon, then at Charlotte.

"I'm not the one who will win it back tonight, so there's no need to ask for my opinion," the count said. "Go."

Gordon held up the crown.

He turned and walked toward Charlotte.

He picked up the crown.

He personally placed it on Charlotte's head.

The small diamonds on the crown and Charlotte's sapphire hairpins complement each other.

Another round of applause erupted.

Reporters frantically documented everything they saw, and artists quickly sketched the scene; what happened tonight would appear in every newspaper tomorrow.

Only after Gordon firmly placed the crown on Charlotte's head did he feel utterly exhausted.

"Xia..." Gordon took a step forward, his body suddenly swaying.

"Gordon!" Charlotte quickly helped him up.

"It's okay... I can manage."

"You can't even stand up straight!" Charlotte gritted her teeth and put Gordon's arm on her shoulder.

"Everyone's watching..."

"in spite of!"

Wearing a crown, Charlotte, in front of all the guests, helped Gordon and turned to walk towards the VIP room on the side.

The crowd below the stage suddenly surged.

"Mr. Vic! Please wait!"

Midas Industries hopes to discuss a long-term partnership with you!

"We are representatives of the Royal Alchemy Bureau! Please submit a refining record!"

"Mr. Vic! Please allow me, on behalf of..."

"Gordon! Gordon! Don't go!"

People stood up almost simultaneously and surged toward the edge of the stage.

They were initially waiting to see them make a fool of themselves, but now they're worried that they're a second slower than others in handing out their business cards.

Gordon barely managed to open one eye.

His vision was blurred by people, and he couldn't tell who was who.

"Charlotte, it seems we're surrounded."

"I saw it. This is the price of fame." Charlotte led Gordon off the stage.

Just as a portly banker was about to stop Gordon and Charlotte, the Earl of Montfort stepped forward and raised his cane.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the ceremony is drawing to a close, it's time to move to the restaurant."

"Your Excellency, we simply wish to express goodwill."

"You can write a letter expressing your goodwill and send it to 151 Golden Lion Avenue, Montfort's home."

"This is a business emergency..."

“No business is so urgent that it requires chasing after someone who is unwell.” The Earl of Montfort’s gaze swept across the crowd. “He is a guest of the Montfort family, and you must understand that.”

The crowd finally stopped.

Charlotte gave her father a grateful look before finally getting past the stunned crowd and helping Gordon into the VIP room.

Earl Montfort watched them enter the small room.

To be honest, for so long he had hated Gordon and Charlotte being together.

But only now, at this very moment, does he genuinely wish that the two of them could stay together, and stay together a little longer.

……

VIP room.

Charlotte closed the heavy, soundproof door.

The applause and shouts outside were cut off, leaving only a blurry tremor.

Gordon could no longer hold on and swayed as he collapsed onto the sofa in the VIP room.

He sank into the soft cushions, his black suit soaked with sweat, his face deathly pale.

"Look at me. Are you blind?" Charlotte cupped Gordon's face in her hands.

"visible."

"How much can you see?"

"I can see your outline clearly."

"Your eyesight is impaired!"

"No, it's just temporary fatigue. I'm not blind, I'll recover," Gordon said slowly.

Charlotte's eyes reddened. She didn't shed tears, but she felt like crying, and her voice trembled.

"You scared me," she said softly. "I told you not to force yourself."

"It's okay. Anyway, I have a white cane..." Gordon raised his hand, and Charlotte immediately took it.

The two people looked at each other, very close together.

Gordon thought that this level of vision damage would take a long time to recover.

But somehow.

The gray-white space before his eyes had cracked.

Pale gold, dark blue, pink, white—different colors swayed in the blurred vision, gradually converging into a face.

Gordon blinked, and saw it more clearly.

He can now see Charlotte's platinum tiara clearly.

With its elegant curves and pure white luster, it features a perfectly cut diamond set in the center, surrounded by smaller diamonds and pearls.

"It's alright, I can see now. I can see you; you are the princess of love and beauty."

Charlotte lunged forward.

Gordon was knocked backward by her, and the back of his head sank into the sofa cushion.

"Don't lie to me, don't lie to me!"

"I saw it, very clearly."

"Crimson!" Charlotte released her grip, her eyes shining. "I only knew about Pure Gold before, but now there's... Crimson! Everyone's talking about the legendary Crimson, and you did it, you really did it."

"That's normal. I keep my word." Gordon touched the tiara on Charlotte's head. "Look how beautiful...it suits you perfectly."

"I knew you could succeed. Yes, you were sure you could succeed, and you succeeded just like that. In front of those alchemy masters, in front of all of Lundenim," Charlotte said excitedly.

Gordon's mind was a little hazy.

Hearing Charlotte's excited shouts, some seemingly absurd thoughts suddenly flashed through his mind.

Many details of the refining process came to mind.

"Wait." Gordon's expression suddenly changed.

"What?" Charlotte's eyelashes trembled.

"You..." Gordon sat up, "...How could this happen?"

He recalled the subtle glint of the source material during the refining process, the source material's own adaptation, its relentless pursuit of perfection, and its tendency to actively correct its state.

And there's Charlotte's line, "There's a reason I can't refuse."

"What are you doing, Gordon... don't scare me." Charlotte backed away.

"Have you considered what kind of source material might push the refining process to a more stable state... Good heavens, Charlotte, I told you it was perfect, so you think perfection means a higher success rate?"

Charlotte placed her right hand on her left elbow, and her smile gradually faded.

"You chose it, at least partly because you wanted to make it easier for me to succeed," Gordon said in surprise.

"Gordon..."

"You little idiot."

"..."

"I told you to choose for yourself, this is your life! Why are you like this? How many times have I told you to choose for your own life, it has nothing to do with me! If you wanted the other two, I could have made them, but you, but you..."

Charlotte took a deep breath.

"I know!" she raised her voice. "I know this is my life!"

"Then why..."

"Shut up!" Charlotte interrupted Gordon, raising her voice, "You're the idiot!"

"Where am I stupid?"

"Don't you understand yet? You've always been a part of my life!"

Gordon was stunned.

Charlotte grabbed Gordon by the collar and dragged him fiercely in front of her.

"You keep talking about my life, my life, but aren't you in it?"

"!"

"I..." Gordon couldn't speak.

"All three source materials are good for me; I know how to use them, and I'm willing to take responsibility for them all. So why don't I choose one that can also help you? Speak!"

Gordon opened his mouth.

Charlotte didn't let him speak.

"I know you think all relationships in the world are based on interests, and that everything has to be calculated. But can't you, you bastard, admit just once that there are genuine feelings between people?" Charlotte gritted her teeth.

"I admit it."

Gordon and Charlotte looked at each other.

He could see her wet eyelashes and feel her rapid, warm breath.

Almost simultaneously, Gordon and Charlotte kissed. Charlotte's kiss was clumsy, but earnest, warm and soft, initially cautious, but later becoming bolder.

They then collapsed onto the sofa.

Gordon placed his hand on her back to make sure she was really lying safely in his arms.

Charlotte gripped Gordon's shoulders tightly, her breath coming in gasps of anger, resentment, and lingering fear as she inhaled Gordon's scent.

For her, this moment was perfect.