The Herb King

After his discussion with Julie Irish, Aethelwolf summoned Ramiel to his study. He wanted to ask about the situation regarding the recruitment of their new soldiers.

"Greetings, Sir Aethelwolf." Ramiel bowed his head lightly.

"Sit down." Aethelwolf said as he poured coffee for himself and Ramiel. "How's the recruitment going?" He asked as he gave him the cup of coffee. Last time, he asked Ramiel to recruit fifty thousand soldiers.

Ramiel muttered in a helpless tone. "I apologize, Sir Aethelwolf. I'm incompetent. I only managed to recruit five thousand people in the last few days. I followed your suggestion, but searching for people who fit your criteria is very difficult."

Hearing this, Aethelwolf nodded his head. He knew that it was hard to recruit so many skilled warriors without being noticed. "Increase the area of recruitment and I'll give you the go signal to recruit those physically weaker individuals. We can train them anyway and with the Awakening Pellets, all of them would become Espers and their physique would undergo drastic changes."

"I understand."

"You can bring some of our people with you if you are in need of help. Just tell them to avoid the eyes of the nobility and the empire's army." Aethelwolf said.

"Yes, Sir Aethelwolf!" Ramiel saluted after hearing this. He really needed more people to help him with this recruitment plan. The more people he has, the faster they could gather more soldiers.

"Alright. You may leave." Aethelwolf dismissed him.

After Ramiel left, Aethelwolf taught his Alchemy students their next lesson. His students' understanding of Alchemy increased after taking his evening lessons. The one who gained a lot in the past few days was Johann. He also recently became a Level 4 Alchemist and he was even given a high position in the Alchemy Tower, but he refused the offer. According to him, he was already old and he wanted to focus his time on his path as an Alchemist.

Other than him, Jade Kristine also managed to stabilize her position as the new Supreme Director. Once she stepped into position, she reorganized the upper management of the Alchemy Tower and replaced them with her people. No one dared to oppose the changes she made because everyone knew that the person behind her was Aethelwolf. Even the former Supreme Director, Karman Leone, chose to remain silent.

Under her leadership, the Alchemy Tower developed steadily and they invited more obscure talents to be nurtured. This move made the citizens feel more positive toward the new management.

Samira and Anna had already summoned their Red Pill Fire and they could already refine the most basic 1st-Grade Pills.

"Tomorrow, the four of you will take the Level 1 Alchemy exam so make sure to practice after the end of our lesson." Aethelwolf muttered in a stern voice.

Janrose and Leric(Aethelwolf's clone) were excited to hear this. It has been a long time since they had summoned their Red Pill Fire and after the constant refinement training, they were confident that they could pass the exam. On the other hand, Samira and Anna were both nervous. They had only recently learned how to refine pills so they were still uncertain whether they could pass the Level 1 exam or not.

The next day, Aethelwolf brought his students to the Alchemy Tower to observe their examination. Olivia and Aenwyn also tagged along with them. When they arrived, the Alchemists in the tower were excited. It was rare to see Aethelwolf and every time he visits the tower, he would always bring them surprises.

"Sir Aethelwolf's young students are taking the Level 1 Alchemy exam?!"

"Yes. I heard that there is a four-year-old child among them. They said that the boy is Sir Aethelwolf's first Alchemy disciple."

"What?! A four-year-old child is taking the Level 1 Alchemy exam?!"

"You think that I'm joking? Follow me to the examination area and you can see for yourself."

The Alchemists chatted eagerly as they watched the four students who are taking the exam.

The Level 1 exam is separated into three parts, the written exam, the fire control exam, and the pill refining exam.

Aethelwolf's four students managed to easily pass the first part of the exam. It could even be said that it was a cakewalk for them. In the second part of the exam, Leric and Janrose were the first ones to summon their Red Pill Fire and they did it with such fine control that it stunned the crowd.

"Look! The little boy can actually summon a Red Pill Fire! His control is even better than mine when I was at his level!"

"How amazing! How did Sir Aethelwolf train such a talented young man?"

The Alchemists were shocked by the display of Leric. He was the youngest person who managed to successfully summon the Red Pill Fire!

Meanwhile, Anna and Samira were a bit behind, but they also managed to summon their Pill Fire after struggling for a moment.

"All of them passed the second part of the exam! Could it be that all of them had already reached the standard of a Level 1 Alchemist?"

"Those three young ladies are still understandable, but that little boy is absolutely monstrous! Even His Highness Christopher might not be his match!"

The third part of the exam started and all four young people were preparing their ingredients.

The crowd watched them with unblinking eyes and when they noticed that the first person to make his pill was the little boy, Leric, everyone erupted into cheers.

Soon, Janrose, Anna, and Samira also successfully made their pills.

The four of them passed the Level 1 Alchemy exam and they finally got their Alchemist's license.

"Good job! You didn't disappoint me! To celebrate your success, each one of you will get a small prize from me." Aethelwolf smiled joyfully as he looked at his students. He then took out four cauldrons from his storage space and handed them to his students.

"Those are Rare-Rated cauldrons and using them will increase the success of your refinement process. Congratulations on finally becoming an Alchemist!" Aethelwolf laughed heartily. When his voice fell, the Alchemists who were spectating the exam clapped their hands as they congratulated the four.

Some low level Alchemists felt envious when they saw this scene. The value of Rare-Rated cauldrons was higher than the other items of the same level and there was only a small stock of them in the market.

"Let's go back and celebrate." Aethelwolf said as he led his group out of the Alchemy Tower.

While Aethelwolf was celebrating with his students, Hyacinth visited the Urgel Household in a carriage. Her arrival immediately attracted Julie's attention who personally greeted Hyacinth.

"Good morning, Miss Hyacinth." Julie warmly greeted her. They had already collaborated in many businesses so they were already familiar with each other.

"Greetings, Miss Julie Irish." Hyacinth smiled back in response. She had a good impression of Julie and she treated her as one of her friends, but since they would be discussing about business later, both women decided to use honorifics to create a more formal atmosphere.

"Let's talk in my study." Julie Irish brought Hyacinth to her study.

"So what brings you here, Miss Hyacinth?" Julie Irish already had a guess in her heart, but she didn't dare think about it.

Hyacinth took out a piece of paper from her storage ring. It was a document signed by Brian Linaza stating that he would allow them to use the channels of the Merchant Association free of charge!

After reading the contents of the document, Julie Irish recalled Aethelwolf's smug look during their last conversation. 'Luckily I didn't fall for that guy's tricks! But how the hell did he manage to make Brian sign this ridiculous document?' She thought to herself.

"Sir Aethelwolf told me to deliver this copy of the document. I have another copy with me and Sir Aethelwolf said that we will make use of these when we will start opening the branches of our banks. I already know about the plan so you can rest assured, Miss Julie. You can tell me if you have any difficulties." Hyacinth smiled.

Julie Irish kept the document as she looked into Hyacinth's eyes. This woman has turned into a real business genius. She even thought of recruiting her, but she knew that it was impossible. "Miss Hyacinth, can you tell me how Sir Aethelwolf was able to make Brian sign the document?" She asked tentatively.

Hyacinth shook her head as she smiled helplessly. "I apologize, Miss Julie, but I can't tell you the details. However, I can say that the Linaza Household is now working for Sir Aethelwolf." She said with a mysterious look.

"You mean Brian is now Aethelwolf's subordinate?!" Julie's eyes widened upon hearing this. She found it hard to believe these words, but she knew that Hyacinth wasn't the kind of person who speaks useless lies.

Hyacinth smiled as she looked at her. "Let's discuss our cooperation, Miss Julie..."