Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

Chapter 24: The Price of Recklessness

"Boss, what did you do to my father?" Corvin quickly asked from the side.

He hadn't anticipated this outcome at all. He had originally come to thank Sylvus, but now his father and Muir had both become powerless.

What shocked him even more was how easily they were rendered useless—just because Sylvus uttered the word "useless."

"If you're going to test something, then there's always a price to pay," Sylvus replied coldly, already understanding that Muir's earlier provocation was an attempt to probe the depth of their small shop's capabilities.

Since they wanted to probe, Sylvus naturally wouldn't hold back.

After speaking, Sylvus closed his eyes again and leaned back in his chair.

"You can leave now. But make sure you settle the bill before you go."

"Three of you, if you don't want these pills, that's fine. But the 100,000 magic crystals you owe our boss must still be paid," Meylan chimed in, smiling as he addressed Teddy and the others.

Teddy said nothing, still too stunned to speak.

What kind of joke was this?

He had cultivated for decades, and with just one word from Sylvus, he had been reduced to an ordinary person.

This was something he simply couldn't accept.

Muir felt it even more deeply. He had never stood a chance of reaching the level of a Saint Mage. It was only with the resources of the Steinway family that he managed to break through.

To achieve the rank of Saint Mage, he had poured his heart and soul into it.

And now, with just one word, he was back to where he started.

If not for his decent mental fortitude, he would've broken down by now.

"Sylvus, we were wrong earlier. We know that now. Could you please help us regain our strength?" Teddy pleaded, coming forward with desperation in his eyes.

Being reduced to a powerless state was something he simply couldn't bear.

Since Sylvus had the ability to take away their powers, maybe he could restore them too.

Sylvus, still lying on the chair, remained silent. *You won't even pay what you owe me, and you expect me to help you? Dream on!*

Meylan, witnessing this scene, could hardly suppress a smile. He knew his boss was just trying to sell more pills in his own clever way.

He knew the shop had pills that could restore the two men's strength.

But since Sylvus hadn't spoken yet, Meylan stayed quiet as well.

"Boss, my father and Muir did indeed offend you earlier. Please, forgive them. Here's the 100,000 magic crystals I owed you. I'll repay it now," Corvin said, stepping forward to plead, handing the magic crystals to Meylan.

At that moment, Sylvus opened his eyes and gave Teddy a faint glance.

"Your son knows how to behave better than you do."

Hearing this, Teddy felt a wave of embarrassment, but he dared not say anything more.

After all, losing his power was worse than losing his life. Right now, only Sylvus could help him.

"You were a Nine-Star Archmage before, correct? If you want to regain your strength, you can try the Nine-Star Treasure Pill I have here. One pill costs just 700,000 magic crystals," Sylvus said, then turned to Muir.

"As for you, you were a One-Star Saint Mage. I have an Eight-Tier, Six-Revolution Golden Pill that can restore your power. One pill will cost 1.5 million magic crystals."

Teddy froze. As a businessman, he instantly understood what Sylvus was doing.

He had taken away their power, only to offer them a way to buy it back.

It was a huge profit. Why hadn't he thought of such a clever way to make money before?

But upon closer thought, even if he tried it, it wouldn't work. It was easy enough to strip someone of their power, but he didn't have anything that could restore it.

Even though he knew Sylvus was trapping them, there wasn't anything they could do. Even though they knew it was a pitfall, they had no choice but to jump into it.

"Boss, will there be any side effects from taking these pills?" Teddy asked.

He could get his hands on power-restoring potions, but they always had side effects. The cost was often a permanent inability to break through to a higher level, which was a deal-breaker for him.

At his age, he still had a significant chance to break through to the rank of Saint Mage.

"The pills from my shop have no side effects," Sylvus replied plainly.

Teddy nodded but said nothing more.

At that moment, Muir quickly realized what was happening. *He wants me to be the guinea pig.*

"Master, let me go first. If it works, you can buy one for yourself," Muir stepped forward and offered.

"Muir, if that's the case, I'll let you go ahead. Don't worry, I'll pay for your pill," Teddy said with a satisfied smile.

With that, Teddy took out a magical space ring and placed it before Sylvus.

"Boss, here's 1.5 million magic crystals. Get Muir a Six-Revolution Golden Pill."

Sylvus counted the crystals, then nodded. He signaled Meylan, who quickly fetched a pill and handed it to Muir.

"Master, if something happens to me, please look after my family," Muir said as he accepted the pill, looking toward Teddy.

"Don't worry, Muir. I trust Sylvus won't deceive us," Teddy replied with a nod.

Sylvus couldn't help but glance at Teddy in disbelief. *You trust I won't deceive you, yet you're still using a guinea pig?*

Muir, meanwhile, took the pill, sat down cross-legged, and began meditating.