End of the Magic Era

“What… Not necessarily the Vaughn Treasury?” Solomon was stunned, and one of his eyes twitched as he repeated Suyass’ words.

“Lys might have been mistaken…” Suyass had pulled a plant with seven leaves out and was holding two of the leaves on his palm. After examining it with the aid of a Light spell for a while, he raised his head and said with an affirmative tone, “Yes, Lys did make a mistake.”

“No way…” Solomon seemed to have come to terms with it, but he looked lifeless. His mouth was wide open from the shock.

“This is a Psychedelic Flower. One of the most common materials used in mind-affecting potions. When blooming, it releases a kind of fragrance that ants have a fatal attraction to. Thus, Psychedelic Flowers usually bloom in places where many ants nest…”

Seeing that Solomon was suddenly searching the ground looking for ant nests, Suyass didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he said, “Don’t bother, this Psychedelic Flower bloomed several decades ago. You’ll at most find traces of dead ants. Moreover, if the Psychedelic Flower bloomed, the fragrance wouldn’t just attract ants, it would also turn you crazy. A dozen Spirit Defense spells wouldn’t be able to save you…”

“Oh…” Solomon stood up, slightly embarrassed, and asked, “But what does that have to do with this place not being the Vaughn Treasury?”

“What we always mention as the Vaughn Treasury is actually the tomb of this Artisan. But in the 3rd Era, it was blasphemy to allow ants into one’s tomb. Thus, two types of plants would be planted in the tombs of nobles and civilians of the 3rd Dynasty. One was the Star-Shaped Orchid, and the other was the Snake-Patterned Vine. The odor emitted by the Star-Shaped Orchid would chase away ants, while the Snake Patterned Vine was the natural enemy of the Psychedelic Flower. They only needed to grow the Snake-Patterned Vine throughout the area and the Psychedelic Flower wouldn’t be able to survive there. We haven’t seen any remains of Star-Shaped Orchids or Snake-Patterned Vines, and here is a Psychedelic Flower. How could Vaughn be buried in this place?”

“Then… where are we?”

“If I’m not wrong, this place should be one of Vaughn’s numerous laboratories. It was written that Vaughn toured Noscent for thirty years before becoming an Artisan. During these thirty years, he lived in seclusion in many places. The Angel Coast was one of them, and the Four Seasons Canyon is only one mountain away from the Angel Coast. It’s not impossible for him to have left a laboratory in the Four Seasons Canyon…”

Suyass paused before continuing, “Moreover, we just encountered that maze array that hadn’t quite reached True Spirit rank. It should have been the work of a peak Master Alchemist. This could have been one of the laboratories that he created before rising in rank.”

Suyass didn’t notice that Lin Yun frowned as he talked…

It wasn’t because Lin Yun doubted Suyass’ analysis.

In fact, Lin Yun admired Suyass’ analysis.

In the entire exploration team, only Lin Yun knew that the true Vaughn Treasury wasn’t here, but rather on the remote Crystal Island. Major forces would gather there a thousand years later and a large-scale war would overturn the land, before the Ivory Tower would finally snatch the Vaughn Treasury.

But Lin Yun knew the truth, because he came from 30,000 years in the future.

Suyass was someone of this era, yet he managed to guess most of the truth just by examining a Psychedelic Flower… This was an admirable quality.

What made Lin Yun frown were Suyass’ final words.

That maze was very abnormal.

Lin Yun even felt that the maze hadn’t been created by Vaughn…

Vaughn could be described as quite influential in the history of alchemy, and even later generations of Saint Alchemists would have a very high evaluation of him. The Hexagram Star of Vaughn surpassed its era. In the later era, it was something every alchemist had to learn. The analysis of Vaughn made by the later generations was so detailed that it could be taught over a whole summer. Vaughn’s knowledge, habits, and everything else had been analyzed thoroughly.

Vaughn wasn’t the typical genius alchemist. He wasn’t brimming with talent and wasn’t bold or very imaginative. Vaughn’s greatest achievement was that by being extremely precise with the finest details, he used the Hexagram Star as a core alchemy system and opened a completely independent system. Cumbersome and dull details had turned into art in Vaughn’s hands.

But the maze array in the stomach of the Void Python was completely different.

They were two extremes.

The maze array attached to the Void Python could only be described as sloppy, not simple or crude, just sloppy. It gave the feeling of the creator being lazy all along. Places that could use the innate ability of the Void Python wouldn’t have many magic circuits. If one thing had to praised, it was that this array was very natural and not polluted with excessive additions.

Moreover, the thought process behind that maze array was very disjointed. It was unconstrained, without any idea being clearly outlined. If it hadn’t been the case, Suyass wouldn’t have found it so hard to break it. It truly was strange and confusing.

And that was why he was doubtful.

Vaughn was very suspicious of others. Besides his close friend, Robinson, he wouldn’t trust anyone else. According to all the accounts left behind, Vaughn had always been working alone. He never had any living assistants, as the only helpers he used were alchemy puppets. It could be said that no other living beings ever entered his laboratories.

So, who was the one who arranged that maze array with a completely different technique?

Did someone enter before them and use the Void Python’s corpse to make a sloppy maze?

As Lin Yun was considering the issue, Solomon scolded, “Shit, not the Vaughn Treasury… What happened to Lys’ intelligence? We spent so much time and effort only to find a damned alchemy laboratory. Wait until I find Lys and make him compensate my losses!”

“No need to be anxious…” Suyass waved his hand as a smile appeared on his face. “Although this isn’t the Vaughn Treasury, the benefits one might get here wouldn’t necessarily be lower than what could be obtained at the treasury.”

“Oh?”

“Look around… Psychedelic Flowers, Magic Fruits, Snake Tongue Grass, Void Flowers, Thousand Knots Vines… All the plants growing here are rare magic materials. If I’m not wrong, this is the botanical garden Vaughn used to cultivate materials for his experiments. Think about it, the botanical garden created by an Artisan, and one that hasn’t been harvested for two millennia. How much wealth has been accumulated during this time?”

“Indeed…” Lin Yun nodded. This place was indeed a treasure trove, as most magic materials commonly used for potioneering could be found here, and in a high quantity at that. He estimated that if he harvested everything, it would be enough to sustain the Gilded Rose for ten years…

“Well, there are too many magic materials here and we can’t harvest everything. Let’s split into four to search. Keep what you find. Let’s meet back here in an hour.” Suyass thought for a bit before raising a fair proposal. Although this primitive forest range was only a few kilometers wide, the quantity of magic materials within was enormous. Even if the four of them turned into alchemy puppets specialized in harvesting them, it would take them a few days to completely clean the place out.

Thus, they would spend an hour to take the most precious materials that they could find and carry.

“Okay, see you in an hour.”

The four set off in different directions and began harvesting the best things they could find.

Lin Yun went south, and his harvesting speed was shocking. He was a peak Master Alchemist, and his eye for detail transcended his era. Whether it was in the bushes or between trees, Lin Yun always found the most precious materials to harvest, and with his spatial ring, Lin Yun didn’t have to worry about storage. As long as he saw something he wanted, he would directly toss it in the ring.

He was like a locust, only leaving a mess behind.

Vaughn was truly rich and overbearing. Of the magic materials he left behind, although none of them were unique treasures, they were all of high quality. The materials Lin Yun harvested formed a pile in the spatial ring akin to a small mountain.

“Merlin!” Just as Lin Yun felt like he had harvested a satisfying amount, Solomon’s silhouette came out from a bush.

“High Mage Solomon, time is very valuable…”

“Damn, I’ve been fooled!” Solomon seemed quite indignant. “The three of you are alchemists while I’m just a layman, I know nothing about harvesting magic materials…”

“…” Lin Yun thought about it and awkwardly felt that he had no choice but to set aside some valuable materials for him.

“Forget about it. I’ll just follow you and pick some of your scraps…”

“…” This esteemed 9th Rank High Mage had so little ambition. Lin Yun could only take him along to harvest various magic materials, while painstakingly leaving half for Solomon.