Chapter 28. The Association Has Fallen
Compat was the newly appointed president of the Alchemists’ Association.
Originally, he should never have had the chance to take that position. The presidency had long been monopolized by several families.
One family would finish its term, then another would take over, and so on. It had always been an arrangent that benefited them all.
But the situation changed after the embezzlent of association funds was exposed.
The masterminds behind the sche turned out to be two of the families that had long controlled the presidency.
They had secretly worked together to seize the profits for themselves and had deliberately excluded the third family.
When that third family discovered the truth, they attempted to distance themselves from the association and withdraw entirely.
However, after the other two families pushed a scapegoat forward, they firmly opposed the third family’s departure.
Then many committee mbers who did not belong to those families also demanded to withdraw.
After a fierce struggle in which no side could overpower the others, they finally decided to resolve the matter through a vote to determine the new president.
Compat had been born in the City of Apprentices. His parents had both been alchemists in the Alchemists’ Association. Thanks to their long service, Compat inherited his father’s position as a committee mber.
In truth, he had no talent for ntal power. He was neither an apprentice nor capable of brewing potions.
When the ti ca to run for president, he had simply written down his own na without much thought.
For reasons he still did not understand, when the final tally was announced, he had received the most votes.
Even he had not reacted in ti. The entire committee stared at him in astonishnt, as though none of them had expected him to be elected.
Life after becoming president was not easy.
Anyone with clear eyes could see that the association was dood sooner or later.
Following the advice of a friend, Compat decided that he would simply skim so money and run while he still could.
Surprisingly, his appointnt triggered a chain reaction.
The mont he took office, no one had any confidence in him. Two academies’ alchemists imdiately declared independence from the association.
Under his friend’s guidance, the proposal he made to restructure the distribution of Energy Potions—carefully balancing the interests of all parties—was finally approved.
Coincidentally, this year’s apprentice examinations had increased the number of available slots, causing many Senior Apprentices to grow eager and restless.
Even after the price increase, Energy Potions remained in short supply.
For a mont, the association’s future even began to look bright again.
Energy Potions were simply too popular.
The association actually showed signs of reviving from the brink of collapse.
That night, Compat thought about it for a long ti.
In the end, he decided that perhaps the Alchemists’ Association could truly survive this crisis. If that happened, the value of his position as president would rise along with it.
But what happened next made him realize why the association had fallen to such a state.
First, he attempted to expand the production of Energy Potions. Agreents had already been reached with the alchemists, but sothing went wrong during negotiations with the suppliers.
The people sent to coordinate with the suppliers discovered that the money had vanished.
The funds allocated to purchase materials had disappeared entirely.
Enraged, the supplier announced that they would no longer cooperate with the association.
The future of the Alchemists’ Association imdiately beca uncertain again.
At that point, there was already little hope left. Without a supply of materials, even if they refined every remaining ingredient into potions, they would still face the problem of finding new suppliers afterward.
Compat himself had already given up and started grabbing as much money as he could.
However, he soon discovered that the people under him were even greedier.
So stole the materials during transportation.
Others stole the potions after they were brought back.
He was forced to restore so order. If things continued like this, the association would run out of money entirely—and then there would be nothing left for him to skim.
Then, just a few days ago, sothing unbelievable happened.
Nearly two hundred bottles of Energy Potion suddenly appeared in the Apprentice Market.
The number was outrageous. It almost matched the total output of the many alchemists maintained by the association.
These potions quickly flooded the market.
They were also cheaper than the association’s potions, causing the association’s stock to beco unsellable.
All alchemical materials transported into the City of Apprentices had to be registered by the association first, and that rule still applied this year.
After comparing the quantity of materials to the number of finished potions, Compat discovered that the conversion rate had exceeded the threshold of one potion per three attempts.
Could it be that the people at the market were all alchemical geniuses, each more skilled than the alchemists employed by the association?
In the end, he could only conclude that the market must have negotiated with a new supplier and obtained another batch of materials, which explained the sudden surge of potions.
Today was his final day as the president of the Alchemists’ Association.
It was also the last day the association would exist.
After today, the Alchemists’ Association would disappear.
Compat lay in the nearly empty president’s office, staring out the window.
His greatest regret was that because the Energy Potions had beco unsellable, the money he had skimd was far less than he had hoped.
Knock. Knock.
He heard a knocking sound and assud soone was knocking on the door. When he turned his head, he discovered that the person was knocking on the wall.
The door itself had already been sold for its decorative value.
“Hey, Compat. How does it feel to be the president?”
“Not great, my friend. Dealing with those people is unbearable. None of my orders ever get carried out. Even making money has beco exhausting.”
“Do not say that. This is a necessary experience for any businessman—if you want your wealth to grow further.”
“I do not want that anymore. I plan to rest for a while.”
“All right. But I still have sothing that requires your help as president.”
Compat accepted several docunts.
After glancing through them, he realized they were applications for developing a piece of land in the na of the Alchemists’ Association. The money for laying the foundation had already been paid.
Of course, there would probably be no more funding afterward. The association would no longer exist, so there would be no money left.
“That is simple. I just need to stamp it.”
“Good. Thank you, my friend.”
For him, it was a trivial matter. Using his authority as president to approve it was no big deal.
Even if soone later discovered that two bodies had been buried under that land, the responsibility could not be pinned on him.
Unless, of course, the bodies belonged to soone like a Senior Apprentice.
Ordinary apprentices probably would not matter, but apprentices who had already joined a school were considered valuable.
If sothing like that happened, his friend would not escape responsibility either. They would all be dragged in for interrogation.
***
Richter returned to his residence with a weary expression.
Despite the exhaustion on his face, he could not hide his joy.
He had survived the examination.
Because he was not particularly good at managing relationships with others, he had found himself isolated during the assessnt. Almost everyone seed eager to kick him while he was down.
But through hard work—and a bit of luck—he had managed to secure the 46th place in the examination.
And he had obtained sothing very interesting.
“Did you complete the task I assigned?”
The apprentice working in his workshop nodded.
“I checked it. That land has indeed been requisitioned by the Alchemists’ Association. Two mbers of the Construction School have already received orders. They will begin work on the site tomorrow.”
“Good. Did that apprentice receive the ssage?”
The apprentice nodded again before speaking hesitantly.
“Brother… you only sent a letter. Will she really go there like you predicted?”
Richter smiled.
“In the letter, I wrote: ‘I know the secret behind your sudden change. Co to XXX and et .’”
“I am sixty percent certain she will go.”
“After all, if you received such a letter, would you not at least feel curious enough to take a look?”
“Of course, if she is cautious enough… then we will simply go to her instead.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers