"Eat up, young master. It's all for you," Lisa said, placing two plates on the table: stir-fried beef with soy sauce and shrimp in oyster sauce.

Merlin swallowed hard, staring in awe at the spread before him.

"Well then, I'll eat," he said.

He took a serving of rice, topped it with the side dishes, and began eating heartily.

Lisa just smiled and went to prepare a drink for him.

Half an hour later, Merlin leaned back in his chair, rubbing his now-bulging stomach.

"Ugh… I'm so full. Your cooking is amazing, Mrs. Lisa," he praised sincerely.

Spending five thousand five hundred gold coins was absolutely worth it.

Lisa smiled as she cleared the dirty dishes from the table.

"You're welcome, young master. And please, don't call me Mrs.—you can call me something else," she said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

Merlin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about I call you Auntie?"

Lisa was surprised and almost refused, but she held back her words.

"All right. It's up to you, young master," she replied with a gentle smile.

She picked up the plates and carried them to the kitchen.

Merlin looked around curiously. He had been so absorbed in eating that he'd forgotten he wasn't in Lisa's shop—but in her own home.

The place was still on school grounds, but it was tucked away in a quiet, hidden corner.

The academy had deliberately set it aside for those who ran canteens there.

The rent was cheap, allowing them to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the students more efficiently.

"Young Master, do you want me to take you back to your place? It's already night, and I'm worried about your safety," Lisa said.

Merlin stood and shook his head.

"No need, Auntie. I'll go home by myself. Don't worry—this is an academy, and the environment is perfectly safe," he replied casually.

Despite her lingering doubts, Lisa didn't press him further.

She escorted him to the outer door and watched as his figure slowly disappeared into the distance.

***

Once he arrived at the dormitory, Merlin rushed straight to the shower.

He hadn't had a proper wash in two days, and his body felt sticky and grimy.

After finishing, he stepped out feeling refreshed.

"System, if I give this formula to an alchemist, will they be able to mass-produce it?" Merlin asked as he flopped onto the sofa.

"[Of course, Master. The formula is flawless. All alchemists—novice or experienced—can produce it,]" the system replied casually.

Merlin nodded in satisfaction. He already had someone in mind to give the formula to—Tharvis.

"It's been four years since I last saw him. I wonder how much he's improved," he muttered excitedly.

When Tharvis had been brought to him by Linda, Merlin had been only eight years old.

Four years had passed, which meant Tharvis was now fifteen.

In the novel, the boy had already successfully concocted a gold-level potion, equivalent to an A-level potion.

With his extraordinary talent, Merlin was confident that Tharvis's abilities had advanced significantly—perhaps even matching his own in the latest volume.

"Alright, I've made my decision. Tomorrow I'll meet him. But first, I need to see Linda and tell her about this formula," he whispered.

Once his plans for tomorrow were set, he got up, walked to his bed, and lay down to sleep.

…

The next morning, Merlin made his way to Linda's office. Before the test had begun, his master had given him an access card that allowed him to enter and exit the office freely.

Even a strong magic circle on the door wouldn't affect him.

At this academy, only Merlin had that privilege. Fortunately, no one else knew.

Otherwise, both the new students and the professors would have complained and protested to Linda.

Merlin reached the top floor and stopped outside her office.

As he raised his hand to knock, Linda's lazy voice came from behind the door.

"Come in. The door isn't locked."

Merlin paused for a moment, then smiled slightly and turned the knob.

Inside, Linda was at her desk, wearing black-rimmed glasses, her gray hair tied back in a neat ponytail.

Her appearance reminded Merlin of the female CEOs from his previous world.

"Why are you just standing there?" Linda teased. "Are you mesmerized by my beauty?"

"Ahem! Yes… you're right. You look stunning with this new style, Master. I'm truly impressed," Merlin replied sincerely as he stepped inside.

His words weren't mere flattery—they came from the heart.

Linda was exceptionally beautiful, especially because her maturity in both age and thought set her apart from the other heroines.

"Pfft!" Linda giggled. "I didn't expect you to speak so sweetly."

Deep down, she felt genuinely happy. Praise from someone she liked was clearly different from praise from anyone else.

"All right, sit down. I suppose you've come to collect on my promise, haven't you?"

Linda waved her right hand, leaning back in her chair.

Merlin sat in the chair across from her. "I did come to collect on your promise, but I have another matter as well, Master," he said.

"Oh?" Linda raised her eyebrows slightly. "What is it?"

Merlin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it and took out its contents—a single sheet of paper—before handing it to her.

"Take a look. I'm sure this will make you very happy," he said with a smile.

Linda frowned slightly, still confused, but didn't ask any questions.

She took the paper and began to read. A few moments later, her eyes widened, and the paper in her hands trembled violently.

"This… is a recipe for the Blackpox plague?" she muttered in disbelief. "Where did you get this?"

Until now, no cure for the Blackpox plague had been found.

There were many reasons for this, including the difficulty of finding ingredients that were both cheap and effective enough to mass-produce the potion for the general public.

As a result, anyone exposed to the plague was forced to rely on gold-level potions with a purity of over forty percent.

For the rich, the potion was still affordable, but not for the middle class—let alone the poor.

"Hehehe…" Merlin rubbed his nose proudly. "I got it from a friend. What do you think, Master? Do you think this recipe is worth trying?"

Linda didn't immediately believe him.

It seemed impossible to get such a recipe from a "friend," especially since countless alchemists across the continent had tried for years—and failed.

Even so, she didn't press him further. Everyone had their secrets, herself included.

"This recipe is definitely worth trying. Don't worry—I'll list you as the discoverer. Later, you'll be counted among those who have contributed most to the advancement of alchemy," Linda said seriously.

Merlin simply smiled and gave a slight nod.

Then, as if remembering something, he added casually, "Don't forget your promise, Master. I've already decided what I want to ask for."

A meaningful smile appeared on his face.

Linda felt a chill run down her spine.

'This kid… isn't planning to ask for something strange, is he?'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.