While chatting with Alterisha, the office door opened, and a tired-looking Beaurock walked in.

"Oh, Baek Yu-Seol is here!"

He approached Baek Yu-Seol with a wide smile.

Baek Yu-Seol also lowered his head and spoke.

"You look tired."

"Hmm. Well, there have been various things happening lately. It's exhausting."

"Have you been bothered by the Paldanglam Republic?"

"... That's true. But how did you know I went to Paldanglam? I thought they were secret guests who came to visit me."

"There was a carriage parked at the entrance. I guessed it when I saw the emblem carved in a majestic style on the rolling wheel by a sculptor named Mos.”

"Oh... You have good observation skills. Yes, those guys can be quite bothersome. They must be eager to get their hands on the technology of the items."

Beaurock nodded while rubbing his temple with his finger.

"That's right. Even though you're not in the Alchemic City, you seem to know the internal affairs like a ghost."

"I, I had no idea..."

The Alchemic City was neutral and not affiliated with any country. However, in the world, there was no such thing as 'perfect neutrality.'

Even the alchemists belonging to the Alchemic City had their own homelands.

Because of that, very rarely, when new technologies were developed in the Alchemic City, the national authorities also intervened. They secretly removed their own country's people who participated in the development or resorted to blackmail to obtain the technology.

It was the same this time as well.

Alchemists couldn’t operate alone, so Alterisha had already gathered numerous alchemists under her command.

They were all bound by powerful contracts, but... once national intervention began, there was no guarantee that they would never betray.

Despite their trust as alchemists, when the lives of their families are at stake, they would betray a thousand times if necessary.

"They came to threaten the alchemists with families in the Paldanglam Republic. Fortunately, the information reached my ears first, so I chased them away, but I can't keep doing this forever."

Beaurock, the Golden Alchemist. He was the most exceptional alchemist in the world, capable of creating an island in the middle of the sea. With power that surpassed even most Class 9 Mage, he could easily ward off national interference.

Therefore, nations had been attempting to secretly extract researchers under Beaurock’s supervision, and although they had managed to prevent it so far, it remained uncertain if they could continue to do so in the future.

"Anyway, it's becoming quite a headache. We'll have to take measures soon."

Baek Yu-Seol knew exactly what those measures meant, and with the thought that the opportunity had come, he opened his mouth.

"Shall we capture one as an example and sell it?"

"Hmm..."

As Beaurock's eyes widened slightly in surprise, he quickly added, "I saw it in a newspaper from 10 years ago. It mentioned what happened to those who coveted Beaurock's 'Multi-Construction' technology."

"Ah, I see. That was back then."

Multi-Construction referred to the ability to combine multiple alchemical formations, similar to understanding it as 'multi-casting'.

Originally, alchemy could only move in one direction, but with this technology, it became possible to move in multiple directions simultaneously.

It was truly like a new world opening up in the field of alchemy.

Of course, even back then, there were numerous attempts to secretly obtain that technology.

Therefore, Beaurock set an example by dismantling a certain major corporation that seemed untouchable by anyone in the world.

"I will suspend all transactions with Lagan Corporation."

That single statement later became a storm which was like the wind buffeting beneath the fluttering butterfly's wings, and it completely devoured Lagan Corporation.

Not only could they no longer absorb all the goods in the Alchemic City, but while others were expanding their reach using the Multi-Construction technology, being left alone meant inevitable decline in the market.

That was how Lagan Corporation completely disappeared into history, leaving no trace behind.

People didn't know how much power the "Golden Alchemist" possessed. They only realized back then; with a mere word, he could topple a global corporation standing at the pinnacle.

And...

He planned to use this case.

Edmon Atalek probably didn't know about his connection to the Golden Alchemist. That was why he spoke so recklessly.

"Where are you thinking of using this example?"

"For now, it's Paldrangram. They're the most dangerous. There are many Paldrangram natives within the Alchemic City, making it difficult to control."

"Hmm..."

After pretending to contemplate for a moment, he cautiously brought up an idea.

"In my opinion, we can leave Paldrangram alone."

"Hmm... and why is that?"

"In a year, there will be a change in government. The current President of Paldrangram may be reckless, but it’s completely under the influence of Lamedech, so we can disregard him."

"Well, that may be true, but..."

"It's safe to say that the next presidential candidates have little influence over the alchemists in the Alchemic City... How about targeting somewhere else?"

In a conversation, what was most important was not just appearing knowledgeable but also competent.

The other person needed to recognize that he knew a lot and could see a broader perspective, so they would take his words seriously.

Baek Yu-Seol had been pretending to be knowledgeable so far through his thick-rimmed spec, and it seemed to had been quite successful as Beaurock now looked at him with a serious expression.

"... For example?"

"Adolveit, specifically Atalek."

"Hmm..."

"There's a justification for it. Edmon Atalek, the successor of Atalek, refused to engage in a deal with me."

"I see."

Baek Yu-Seol was really insignificant, but since he collectively owned the rights to this technology, his statement carried quite a fatal impact.

Of course, Atalek could forcibly intervene, disregarding a commoner like him.

Atalek was a prestigious lineage that served as a magical powerhouse and had produced numerous alchemists.

It was safe to say that there was no place within the Alchemic City untouched by Atalek's influence. That was why he needed Beaurock’s power.

"Hmm, Adolveit... Dealing with them would be a bit painful..."

Beaurock trailed off.

No matter how one looked at it, dealing with Adolveit was a bit burdensome.

Even if he was the Golden Alchemist, toppling a large nation was not an easy task. It was a different scale compared to bringing down a single corporation.

"Of course, we can't completely sever ties this time. If Adolveit starts to take action... it'll be tough, no matter what."

"That's true."

"But Adolveit won't come out aggressively from the beginning. They have gained a lot from the alchemists' expertise, so the king will try to find and resolve the cause of this incident and then attempt peaceful negotiations as much as possible."

This was where it was crucial.

"Before that 'peaceful' turns into 'forceful,' we can retract our statement. In the end, we will end up dealing with Adolveit, but... anyway, the whole world will come to know."

Alchemy could even influence Adolveit.

Beaurock, who fully understood Baek Yu-Seol’s words, had a serious expression and rubbed his chin.

Alterisha still seemed dizzy, but she didn't have much to do anyway. They both had planned to handle the situation internally as much as possible.

"Well... that's fine. It's perfect timing, with a legitimate reason and an opportunity to show our skills."

There were countless hyenas currently chasing after the technological prowess of the item. But... What if the prey they were targeting momentarily showed signs of wavering, like a lion, the king of beasts?

If the existence they thought was prey actually revealed itself to be stronger than a lion?

The hyenas would naturally become fearful and cower.

"I will regain the royal trading rights."

"Is that possible?"

"I have a friend among the Adolveit royalty."

Upon hearing that, Beaurock smirked as if his bluff had been called.

"Well, that's great! The more I see this friend, the more I realize they're a valuable asset. I really want to make them my own."

Alterisha, who had been sitting quietly without saying a word, seemed to sense that the conversation was coming to an end and slowly spoke up.

"Um, but... wasn't Yu-Seol a commoner like me? How did he become so knowledgeable about politics?"

"Well..."

Baek Yu-Seol hadn't anticipated such a question, so he hesitated for a moment, but he managed to dodge the topic.

"Just, well... it's just something. Watching the news is my hobby, you know? It's entertaining to see politicians bickering and fighting with each other."

"Oh, not me at all."

"It's really entertaining, though."

By the way, when Baek Yu-Seol said bickering and fighting, he meant it literally. It was so entertaining to watch politicians punching and wrestling each other on the floor of the National Assembly.

Anyway, whether his excuse worked or not, Alterisha faintly smiled.

"That's good. Once again, I'll be receiving your help."

To be honest, if he were to honestly say that it was all for his personal gain, wouldn't it be hurtful? It felt like a needle piercing his conscience, but he tried his best to ignore it.

Anyway, the conversation ended successfully.