Chapter 29: Duel
Lao Meilin only had one strong crystal, which could be used once and then there would be no more opportunities. However, the Magic Association had a master who could casually send out awakening potions, and what's more, he sent two bottles at once.
If the previous bottle of wake-up potion brought him disappointment, then this one undoubtedly plunged him into despair.
Gwaine's full recovery of his magic was already a problem, now with this awakening potion in hand, how can old Merlin still fight?
Looking at the young magician with a smile on his face, Old Mei Lin suddenly felt full of regret.
All along he had been guessing who was the mysterious pharmacist in the Gallos Magic Association.
He had thought it was Grian himself, and he had also thought of Kevin who was nearly thirty years old. He even thought of the many elderly magicians in the Emerald Tower who were always mediocre, but he never thought that person would be this young magician who looked like he wasn't even twenty years old!
It's no wonder that Old Mei Lin is like this. Everyone knows that pharmacology requires time accumulation, and there are no shortcuts in this field. There is no such thing as a genius. No matter how intelligent or talented someone is, they need to accumulate experience through repeated failures and explore the path to success over a long period of time. This young pharmacist, Old Mei Lin didn't even think about it in his dreams.
If I had known that pharmacist was him, I should have killed him just now. Who cares about Grian's help? As long as the pharmacist is dead, the Merlin family will have no more rivals in Galos City. Even if I and Grian are both injured, what can be done? Can't the Merlin family today defeat a Magic Association that has lost Grian?
It's too late for anything now.
Gillian has fully recovered and under his protection, she didn't even have a chance to move that pharmacist.
Lao Meilin's face showed a dejected expression for the first time.
He knew he had already lost and was extremely frustrated with his defeat.
From sending out Cromwell at the beginning to challenging Gruene with the Strong Ability Crystal in the end.
Every step was carefully planned, but every step went wrong.
Cromwell was knocked out of the Emerald Tower by a shock wave, and Grian stood up again with a bottle of awakening potion. All this was because of that magician named Ferre, who had unknowingly become the most feared enemy of the Merlin family, even more terrifying than Grian, the strongest magician in Gallos.
To let the Merlin family pass through future crises, this terrible young magician must be eliminated first.
Lao Meilin looked at Cromwell beside her and then at Lin Li's smiling face, finally gritting her teeth and making a painful decision.
"I lost." Old Mei Lin's voice was a little hoarse, but still let everyone hear clearly.
"Hahaha...…!" Gruen laughed without any elegance, the loud voice echoing throughout the entire street: "Do you need to say that? You won't even look in the mirror, damn it, I almost got beaten up by my old man..."
Although Lao Meilin had mentally prepared herself before speaking, she still couldn't help but feel like vomiting blood when she heard Ge Rui'an's words. Does this old fatty even know what it means to save face?
Lao Meilin kept telling herself, endure! Must endure!
"Did I lose to you?" Glaring fiercely at Grian, Old Meilin shifted his gaze to Lin Li: "I lost to this young pharmacist!"
"What's the difference?" Grian laughed loudly: "Anyway, you've recovered your magic now. If you're not convinced, you can fight me again and see who is the strongest magician in Gallos City!"
Lao Meilin's face turned iron-green, and in her heart, she had already cursed Ge Rui'an's ancestors for eighteen generations. She thought to herself: "You're really asking for a beating, you're holding the awakening potion now, only a madman would think of fighting with me again..."
"Alright, Grian, I admit you are the most powerful magician in Gallos City." To swallow this anger, Old Merlin almost bit his teeth out of blood, and he said word by word: "But what's the point? Even if you are the strongest magician in Gallos, can you cover up and condone everything? Everyone can see clearly, Mr. Pharmacist, that you insulted the heir of the Merlin family. If the Magic Guild cannot give an explanation, I guarantee that there will be a real war between the two most powerful forces in Gallos!"
"This won't do you any good!" Grian's tone was tough, but his face had changed color.
After obtaining the Master Pharmacist, the Mages Guild had a chance to rise. By relying on the sale of thirty bottles of Olfactory potions, the Mages Guild would develop to a considerable extent in a short period of time. At that time, the Eleven Magic Families and the Six Great Underground Forces would all have to follow the Mages Guild's lead.
At this deadly time, Gwaine would never think of going to war with the Merlin family.
Although Grian is not afraid of the Merlin family, and with Lin Li's medicinal help, he has a great deal of confidence in eliminating them all at once. However, this does not conform to the interests of the Magic Association. The struggle between the two most powerful forces, even if they win, will only be a miserable victory, which will only leave opportunities for other forces to take advantage of.
It's precisely for this reason that Grian hasn't made a move yet, although he has the upper hand. If he wanted to, he could use the advantage of the awakening potion to kill Old Merlin and his son outside the Emerald Tower. But what would be the point? The Merlin family isn't part of the Magic Guild; their power comes from wealth and influence. Losing Old Merlin, a great magic user, wouldn't be fatal for them. And afterwards, they would take revenge, plunging Gallos City into chaos.
"For the dignity of the Merlin family, I occasionally have to do some ungrateful tasks." For the first time in the conversation, Old Merlin took the upper hand.
"Dignity?"
"That's right!" Old Mei Lin's expression was solemn, and his staff pointed at Lin Li in the crowd: "Since this pharmacist has the guts to insult the heir of the Mei Lin family, then I think he should also have the guts to accept the challenge from the person being insulted!"
Upon hearing this, Grian gazed at Cromwell with a strange look in his eyes and suddenly burst out laughing: "Is this what you call dignity? You must not have woken up yet. Do you think that little rabbit of yours has any chance of defeating the Ferre magic master?"
"All I want is a fair fight with just the two of them, no one else is allowed to interfere!"
"After all this, it's just about this?" Griffin felt a surge of anger now that he understood the old man had been threatening him for half a day just to get his useless son to duel with Lin Li.
Considering the huge gap in strength between the two sides, he was about to hastily agree, but suddenly remembered that Lin Li wasn't an ordinary member of the Magic Guild. He restrained himself from responding immediately and instead asked Lin Li in a low voice: "What do you think?"
"Bring it on......" Lin Li was somewhat nonchalant, although he wasn't as optimistic as Ge Rui'an, but he was all too clear about Cromwell's strength. As long as Old Merlin didn't directly intervene, everything would be easy to handle. No matter what kind of conspiracy or trickery he came up with, it would be hard for Cromwell to pose a threat to himself.
Through this battle today, he has a deeper understanding of magic. Absolute power is far more important than technique, and even without superhuman talent, one can sweep everything with strong power, just like what Old Merlin did to himself at the beginning.
"Two months later, I will invite the leaders of all forces in Gallos to witness this duel. Grian, do you think this is fair enough?"
"It doesn't matter, your son is just a dish anyway..."
"Hmph!" Old Meilin finally couldn't hold it in, and with a flourish of her sleeve, she stormed off amidst Gruvian's boisterous laughter.
