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

The night in Lundnium was not peaceful.

"The Stubborn College Student Insists on Accepting the Challenge"

Unlicensed alchemist faces major delays

An unknown situation has occurred in Refinery Room One.

A stunning crimson glow appeared in May Square.

Crimson Alchemist: Gordon Vick Creates the Greatest Miracle of the Summer Festival

From the beginning to the end of the ceremony, extra editions were printed one after another at different stages.

The news of the successful concoction of the Crimson Elixir spread like wildfire, becoming a topic of great interest throughout Lundenim and even the Logris Empire.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the city.

Alchemists and scholars discussed what "Crimson" meant—was it activity, purity, or the true essence of the source? Nobles analyzed the political dynamics of the Monford family after tonight, while ability users and hunters inquired about where to find Gordon Vick. Within the inner circle of the Empire, Gordon's name also appeared repeatedly at the top of reports.

"True Crimson Alchemist" Gordon.

This name began appearing overnight in the titles of numerous documents.

Overnight, he went from being an unknown nobody to someone whose existence would generate great interest from everyone.

At dawn, inside an observatory in Lundnium.

Eve attended the Primal Knowledge Conference, where Lundnium's finest and most ambitious extraordinary beings gathered.

They were faced with a complex black globe, its copper rings rotating, its orbit shifting, and its light focusing on Logris Island, hovering above the city of Lundnium.

Above them, stars were arranged in relative positions, and the figures of the participants were hidden in their respective celestial symbols.

Critical moment: "Stargazing begins."

Mars: "I've discovered something incredible. Have you heard of Gordon Vick?"

Lunar Eclipse: "We are all very clear about this."

Mars: "That's terrifying! That young man everyone's been talking about lately, I heard he defeated the Blackwater Hermitage assassin, Crocodile Krogg, and even dealt with a large dragon lizard demon."

The round table fell silent.

Eve crossed her arms.

Qingguan: "This news is from three weeks ago."

Mars: "Really?"

Scorpio: "Gordon Vick did defeat the Cultists in the countryside, but that's not the focus right now."

Mars: "How could it not be the point? The leader-level dragon lizard demon is a formidable opponent. You guys have been so picky in your meetings lately."

Shoemaker: "Because he concocted a true red-quality potion just a few hours ago."

Mars: "Impossible. You're making up something that doesn't exist again."

Lunar Eclipse: "I was there. I witnessed Gordon concoct a Crimson-quality potion. Mercury Sage Herman was also present to confirm it."

Black Hole: "Gorden was Winslow's student, and Winslow may have been hiding some kind of technology."

Lunar Eclipse: "Winslow is not known for brewing potions. The highest level he has publicly recorded is only Clear Gold."

Black Hole: "We just need to confirm whether Gordon can do it again."

Shoemaker: "How can we confirm? Everyone's competing right now. I know their offers. Midas Industries intends to have a long-term partnership with him, offering him a private laboratory. The Royal Alchemy Bureau plans to hire him as a special consultant. The nine ducal families are also planning to invite Gordon, though the price isn't fixed yet. There are also several renowned hunter agencies. These are just public expressions of interest."

Lunar Eclipse: "So we have to find him first."

Black Hole: "Controlling him is more effective."

Eve listened quietly.

These extraordinary individuals hold differing attitudes, and Gordon will soon fall into a web of ambition and temptation.

After careful consideration, she spoke.

Scorpio: "If we approach him with a threatening attitude, he will regard the entire Primal Knowledge Council as an enemy. If we push such a figure to the opposite side, our losses will be greater than you can imagine."

Lunar Eclipse: "You tried to recruit him, but failed."

Scorpio: "Yes. The reason for the failure was the inopportune timing and impatience. The Gordon Vick we are discussing now is completely different from the kind of young superhuman you imagine. Taking action rashly could bring about your own destruction."

A few whispers echoed inside the planetarium.

Each person gradually came up with various ideas about Gordon, some adventurous, some cautious, but no one completely gave up the idea.

They then discussed other recent extraordinary events in Lundnium.

Some are searching for the whereabouts of the mistress of Green Shade Mansion after its destruction; some are exchanging one type of elemental essence for another; some are researching the secrets beneath the Blackwater River; and some continue to acquire information and intelligence about Gordon...

Eve opened her eyes only after "Critical" announced the end of the meeting.

The planetarium was now completely empty, and the extraordinary individuals who had gathered there had vanished like smoke.

She left the planetarium and headed towards the city of Lundnium.

The Primal Knowledge Council wasn't the most dangerous organization in Lundnium, but even among them, half had developed a dangerous interest in, or even hostility towards, Gordon, let alone other underground forces.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but have a thought... At least she had to make it clear to her junior that a new round of competition was about to begin. He needed to know how many hands were reaching out to him.

......

On the other side, at the Monford Mansion on Golden Lion Avenue, in the afternoon.

Gordon spent the entire night writing the proposal, and upon waking up in the afternoon, he immediately tested Charlotte's abilities.

He prepared a steel ball, and next to it were vernier calipers, a magnifying glass, fine thread, ink, glass plates, and other precision measuring instruments.

Charlotte looked at the pile of things, her expression gradually becoming strange.

"Is this the test you're talking about?"

"Yes, yes, perfect power, pure perfection. I'm curious to see what it will become. Great science often begins with small things that nobody wants to study," Gordon added, adding value to the test.

He measured the diameter of the steel ball and recorded more than a dozen sets of data.

Charlotte picked up the steel ball; it was only the size of a pea and gleamed silver.

"What's wrong now?"

"It is not a perfect ball. Due to the craftsmanship, there are slight differences in diameter in different directions, with a maximum error of less than 1 millimeter."

"It's already quite round," Charlotte said.

"A circle and perfection are two different things. In theory, a 'perfect' sphere is one where every point on its surface is exactly the same distance from the center. Now we need to determine just how far your abilities can repair it," Gordon explained.

[Pure and Perfect Existence: Ultimate Manifestation]

The force was injected into the steel ball, but there were no dramatic special effects in the process.

"Is it done?" Charlotte asked, observing.

Gordon stared at it.

[The steel ball. It used to be imperfectly round, but now there's nothing to criticize about it.]

In his view, the outline of the steel ball was perfectly round and flawless, and no matter how he measured it, it always looked so...round.

"At least on the matter of a sphere, you've revised it into a mathematical-physical concept," Gordon pondered.

Through numerous tests, Gordon continued to explore the limits of Charlotte's abilities.

She can transform a small ball into a perfect sphere. She can increase the purity of 24K gold to 9999 gold. This demonstrates that she can physically alter reality.

After being used on a portrait of an artwork, Gordon and the Earl of Montfort will see the artwork differently in their own eyes, yet both will perceive it as perfect. This illustrates that it can alter perception, leading Gordon and the Earl to believe it is "perfect."

"...It modifies objects and adjusts the observer's perception of the outcome, making the target as compatible as possible with the observer's subjective needs..." Gordon recorded.

Then, Gordon made contradictory demands.

He took out the pistol and asked Charlotte to make a perfect pistol, demanding that it have a high rate of fire, great power, be light, and have a complex and advanced structure.

After Charlotte used her source energy on it, the pistol's structure did indeed deform to some extent. The entire structure was about 10 years more advanced than contemporary pistol technology, but it still didn't meet all of Gordon's requirements. This shows that it can optimize things to a higher level than before.

[Improve the revolver. Try to please everyone at the same time.]

When Gordon asked for "the perfect glass of water for humans," Charlotte used her powers to conjure up a glass of pure water that tasted incredibly refreshing, with the temperature just right and the mineral content seemingly adjusted as well.

A glass of good water. A way to truly quench your thirst.

"Next, we'll test on people... no, before that, we need to let the animals scout ahead." Gordon prepared to bring over their dog.

He was curious whether, for animals, the goal would be to improve them to their optimal state, or to meet human needs, such as health, intelligence, or perhaps even alter their personality to make them more docile, happy, or friendly...

"Wait! Okay!" Charlotte quickly stopped her, "I'm not your test subject."

"Oh—" Gordon suppressed his research urges and sat on Charlotte's bed. "So what shall we do?"

What do you think?

"Shouldn't we...do something more interesting?" Gordon tried to get closer to her, searching for that delicate boundary that the two of them might be able to cross.

Charlotte sat next to Gordon, clearly also mustering her courage, thinking about how to take things next with Gordon in a way that would satisfy her little desire for romance while ensuring she appeared reserved enough.