That very night, the upper ranks of the Alchemy Academy canceled all their other affairs and gathered inside the academy's laboratory.
They were like a group of elementary school children who had just discovered something fascinating, each one crowding around a table.
Among them, an elderly scholar with snow-white hair pushed up his round spectacles, narrowing his tiny eyes as he stared solemnly at the scroll lying on the table.
The scroll was mostly intact, though clearly worn with age.
Its yellowed, nearly blackened color made it obvious that it had existed for a very long time.
They could even see the alchemical preservation array engraved on the back of the scroll—the protective formation meant to shield it from the erosion of time—flickering weakly, as though it was about to fail at any moment.
The old scholar trembled as he gently stroked the scroll's rough surface, then spoke with absolute certainty:
"That's right. This is a scroll from goblin civilization… and it may even be an original.
The texture of the paper, the structure of the array on the back, and the distinctive writing format of goblin script—there is no mistake."
"So… it's real?"
Beside the old man, a blond middle-aged man frowned as he asked.
He was the dean of the Alchemy Academy—and also the Second Prince's maternal great-grandfather.
Though he looked only middle-aged, his age was actually similar to the white-haired scholar's.
The difference was that his strength had already reached the sixth tier, while the old scholar was only fifth tier.
His lifespan was nearly twice as long, which was why he appeared so much younger.
"It's real," the old scholar declared firmly.
"When I was young, I had the fortune of traveling to Wyndham in the Land of Windmills.
There, I participated in an expedition to Goblin Ruin Site B8.
At the time, the vast number of books and documents we uncovered were preserved using this exact method.
Aside from this, goblins also used red copper bookplates and soul crystals as storage mediums…
But those two methods were reserved for extremely important information.
As for something like this—"
Halfway through, the old scholar noticed the blond man's expression darkening.
Only then did he realize what he had implied, and hurriedly corrected himself:
"Something that was… relatively basic knowledge to them…
They stored using scrolls like this.
But after hundreds of thousands of years, most such scrolls have already turned to dust—
Except for those protected by preservation arrays like this one."
After the old scholar's explanation, everyone became even more convinced of the scroll's authenticity.
The blond man then fixed the scholar with a stern gaze and said in an unquestionable tone:
"Austin.
I need you and your team to translate everything on this scroll as quickly as possible.
We must verify the legitimacy of this potion."
"Yes, Dean."
Under the unconscious pressure radiating from the blond man, the old scholar immediately felt his heart tighten.
But refusing was impossible.
After all, within the entire academy, he was the only person who understood the goblin language.
So the task could only fall to him personally.
Perhaps the dean feared the secret might leak.
Or perhaps he wished to ensure the old man's safety.
Either way, when he left the laboratory, he deliberately assigned two trusted aides to remain behind and assist Austin.
At the same time, he issued a strict gag order to all other faculty members.
No one was permitted to speak of this matter.
Any act of leaking information would be met with the harshest punishment.
But paper could never truly contain fire.
The dean may have anticipated that news of such a miraculous potion might eventually spread—
But he never could have imagined…
That it would spread so fast.
The very next day after their meeting, the streets and alleyways of Savant City were already filled with rumors:
The Alchemy Academy's upper ranks had obtained an ancient goblin resurrection potion formula.
One person told ten, ten told a hundred—
Until the news even reached the ears of the Church.
When Savant's high bishop reported the matter to John, however, John only sneered dismissively:
"Heh. Idiocy.
It's probably just some worthless fool's delusion.
Ignore them.
The trash of the Southern Continent hasn't even discovered the law of conservation of elements yet—
And they think they can break such a principle?
They're dreaming."
Hearing this, the high bishop also lost interest.
He had thought perhaps the natives of the Southern Continent had truly acquired goblin technology—
But it seemed it was only some madman using goblins as a banner for fraud.
Yet unlike the Church…
The Savant royal family was deeply concerned.
Especially the Second Prince.
The moment he learned that his great-grandfather had obtained something so extraordinary, he immediately stepped in as intermediary—
Connecting his great-grandfather with several of the royal clan elders.
A deal was quickly struck.
The elders would fully support the Second Prince's ascension to the throne.
But in exchange, the Alchemy Academy was required to produce a batch of goblin resurrection potions within half a month—
And provide them to the royal family first.
The elders also promised the dean:
In the future, the kingdom would give the Alchemy Academy its full backing.
They would surpass the Mechanical Institute…
And become the number one academy in all of Savant.
And thus, under the elders' overwhelming barrage of grand promises—
The blond man, who had devoted centuries to alchemy and understood politics only on a surface level…
Agreed happily.
In his eyes, it was a deal with no downside.
With the royal family's support, perhaps one day the Alchemy Academy could even surpass the Royal Pharmacology Academy of the Magic Empire…
And become the premier alchemy academy of the Southern Continent.
But just as the blond man was blissfully imagining how he would transform his academy into a holy land of potion-making…
And how future generations would praise his name…
A piece of terrible news arrived.
Overnight, every last drop of Gentle Breeze Slime Gel in Savant City had been bought out.
And as the news of the goblin resurrection potion spread…
The prices of all magical ingredients in Savant doubled.
The remaining traces of Gentle Breeze Slime Gel were inflated to astronomical levels.
What once cost three gold coins for an entire barrel…
Now cost ten gold coins for a tiny bottle.
And that bottle contained only one-tenth of the original amount.
In other words—
In a single day, the price of Gentle Breeze Slime Gel had increased thirty-threefold.
Such a terrifying surge immediately drew merchants who smelled profit into the market.
They used every possible channel to hunt down any gel that might still appear for sale.
Many even turned their eyes toward the Mechanical Institute.
But the Mechanical Institute was not foolish.
The moment their dean saw how violently the value of this material was rising…
She immediately issued an order:
All Gentle Breeze Slime Gel within the institute was to be collected and centralized.
At the same time, she dispatched people into the marketplace—
To purchase the gel at any cost.