Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Gate of Truth, Forbidden Knowledge

"Teacher, is it really possible for someone in this world to become an Alchemist just by hearing the theory once, without a single bit of practical experience?"

For the past ten-odd minutes that Charloie had been standing here, she had been trying to find a rational explanation for the scene before her, but she had failed.

After she posed the question, a brief silence fell over the workshop.

"I suppose so?"

Baldwin wasn’t very confident at that moment either.

The old man’s brow was tightly furrowed as he frantically searched his mind, recalling everyone from the first pioneers of the mythological era to the shining stars of recent times.

He tried to find an example among them who could compare to Lance.

But there were none.

Not even the geniuses who had made a great name for themselves in history, some of whom even had schools of Alchemy named after them, had managed to qualify in just one hour, according to their biographies.

Although the Alchemist Profession heavily tested one’s Talent, it was also one that demanded a deep foundation of Knowledge and practical experience.

Baldwin was starting to question his own reality.

Orthodox alchemical Knowledge certainly had no such records, but the unorthodox did.

He suddenly remembered a Legend.

This Legend first emerged over 600 years ago from the Forbidden Alchemy School of that era.

Those madmen insisted that deep within the soul of every living thing was a connection to an invisible gate. All the Knowledge created by the wisdom of living beings in the real world, and even the constant flashes of inspiration, were all just insignificant scraps that had accidentally slipped through the cracks of this gate over the long ages.

And the one thing those Alchemists who reached the pinnacle of Alchemy, known as "Philosophers," had in common was that they had all come into contact with that gate!

If, according to orthodox mythology, the Creator’s love and reason, desire and chaos, became the original Twin Gods...

...then this gate from the Legend was equivalent to the Creator’s omniscient, omnipotent wisdom.

That was why those madmen called this gate the "Gate of Truth."

According to Legend, anyone who came into contact with that gate would have their entire soul undergo some kind of terrifying transformation, thereby gaining an incomprehensible Talent for all Alchemy in the Material Realm.

They could even bypass the restrictions of the Star Realm and forcibly use many forms of Alchemy that should have been impossible.

At this thought, Baldwin felt his throat go a little dry.

’Could it be that Lance is one of those who, according to Legend, has touched the Gate of Truth?’

’Is that heretical Legend, scorned by orthodox academia, actually real?!’

Baldwin felt his worldview shattering. This would explain the scene before him.

It would also make sense why Selas introduced him to me. A monster born with the potential of a Philosopher, who could command the Alchemy Laws without any need for accumulated Knowledge.

’...Just what I needed.’

Baldwin’s shock slowly subsided, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

He remembered the piece of forbidden Knowledge his mentor had taught him when he left the academy.

After all these years, he still hadn’t managed to learn it.

’If it’s this young man, then might there be hope...?’

The strange light in Baldwin’s eyes grew deeper.

’No, I’ll need to find an opportunity later to test him out slowly.’

...

Meanwhile, Lance, who had already walked out of the annex, had no idea how much of an impact his abilities, bolstered by [Hundred Crafts Convergence], had on those two.

At that moment, Lance’s mind was filled with a single thought: get to the Underground City as fast as possible and experience his Biological Research skill with its potential unlocked.

This ability was a complete game-changer for him.

Previously, to extract a Talent from a Demon, he would have needed a full 170 research points, which meant he would have had to continuously kill that many Demons.

But in reality, not all Demons were like Goblins or Slimes, foolishly gathering in large groups just waiting to be killed.

Moreover, in the food chain, the higher the energy level of a Demon, the rarer it was.

Trying to gather enough research points for a High Tier Demon through sheer slaughter was basically a fool’s errand.

But now, things were completely different. With the analytical ability granted by the Alchemist Profession, as long as he could create enough contact time in battle, he could continuously obtain research points from a single target.

"As expected, the Extraordinary Abilities of this world can interact with the system."

Lance was very excited. "No need to wait, let’s start grinding!"

He planned to break through to the Excellence Tier as quickly as possible.

He took the city’s light rail to the Adventurer’s Guild Headquarters on the Fifth Ring Line.

Unlike the relatively loose management style of White River Province, in the Ostrara region, there were dozens of Underground Cities in the vicinity of the city alone.

This vast network of Underground Cities was entirely under the control of the local Adventurer’s Guild, and all Adventurers entering them had to possess an Adventurer qualification.

The reason for this rule was related to its highly commercialized ecosystem.

Because the city hosted various Underground City challenge tournaments, it couldn’t allow its dungeons to be as untamed as those in White River Province; an orderly state had to be maintained.

Necros had mentioned to him before that the reason Ostrara could maintain a speed-running ecosystem distinct from other Provinces, and ensure the fairness of its competitions, was actually due to an Upper-tier Treasure belonging to a Legendary Minstrel: the [Song of the Golden Courtyard].

It was said that this Treasure could, to a certain extent, influence the dozens of surrounding Underground Cities and record events within them in real time.

Such was the terrifying power of a Treasure.

Lance mused.

’Speaking of Treasures, I actually have one myself.’

He submerged his consciousness into the Imaginary Number Dark Grid and glanced at the [Thieving Country Dragon Egg] sitting in the corner.

Although he already knew the origin and usage of this Treasure thanks to [Outer World True Vision], the thing was completely useless to him right now.

Because it was a Treasure that could only be used in a specific situation: a ritual called the "Star-Stealing Festival."

Right now, Lance knew nothing about this so-called "Star-Stealing Festival"—what the hell it was, how the ritual was performed, or where to even sign up for it.

’Should I melt it down? I might be able to extract some High Tier Martial Frame Source Material to strengthen my equipment.’

Perhaps sensing its master’s malicious intent, the [Thieving Country Dragon Egg] in the dark grid suddenly flickered with a faint light, and the entire egg shuddered imperceptibly.

*So scary~*

’Forget it. I’ll keep you for now. At least you’re the only decent Treasure I have. You can be a collector’s item, I guess.’

Lance pulled his thoughts back to the present, realizing he had already arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild Headquarters.

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