47 The Alchemis

"Kid, I just run this potion shop, I don't make them myself. You could try asking Sir Trismegistus for a custom order, but I doubt you could afford that," a middle-aged man replied to his question with slight annoyance. It was the third shop in a row that gave Teo almost the exact same answer.

As he left the last shop he knew of, Teo silently complained to his lithic companion.

'What best Alchemist in town? More like only Alchemist in town! How do all these shops have the same supplier?!'

'That's how business empires work, boy. Who would be dumb enough to give up his monopoly?' Goliath threw back his logical explanation, doing little to soothe the upset Teo.

'I just thought it would be easier to meet an Alchemist in a huge town like this, but apparently, I was very wrong about that...' Teo continued to complain and sighed once again.

'Magic always had a strange property to it that just seems to push people apart... Most Wizards are lonely, and I doubt it is much different for Magic Craftsmen — they rarely mingle,' Goliath shared his long-time observation seriously.

Teo smiled mischievously and retorted:

'Really? So, where does that leave you? Being an artificial lifeform of pure Magic and all.'

'Oh, shut up! I don't want to hear that from someone who pushes his own friends away for no reason as soon as things turn ugly. I'm a fully functional, self-determined Golem and am very happy on my own, thank you for your concern!' Goliath snapped back disgruntled.

Maybe it had been a bit mean to make fun of him, Teo thought, but the remark still stung — especially since he knew it was true. He was, however, still in a good mood today and decided to let it slide.

'Don't be like that, Goliath. I'm sorry. And you're not on your own; you still have me!' Teo said, trying to lighten the mood again while he strode over the shiny tiles of the business district close to the market.

'We should better focus on finding this Alchemist though... there does not seem to be much variety here after all. Any suggestions?' Teo asked, returning to the previous topic of their conversation.

'We could check out his address in the town hall register,' Goliath replied plainly. Apparently, he was not too upset anymore.

'I don't know, wouldn't that take like forever?' Teo said skeptically. 

'Yes, it certainly would,' the Golem confirmed nonchalantly.

'Then why did you even suggest it in the first place?!' Teo exclaimed, almost speechless. 

'You asked,' Goliath answered the inquiry in full seriousness. 

'Alright, I will try to think of something on my own then... It should not be a secret where he lives, so maybe we can just ask a few shopkeepers for directions...' he contemplated.

***

"That thing is huuuuge!" Teo marveled at the humongous Tower in front of him.

"Who does he think he is, a Magician?" he continued to complain about the imposing landmark.

They had wasted a few hours walking around the business district, chasing after shopkeepers and merchants, trying to find out where they got their alchemical supplies from. After oiling a few palms with a couple hard coins, they actually made some progress and slowly homed in on their target.

Apparently, the old Alchemist Trismegistus was famous for being a money-hungry, cranky hermit and lived in a tall stone tower near the edge of Sigella — the very same one that Teo saw rising into the clouds in front of him right now.

From the gloomy design, the tall walls surrounding the estate, and the heavy gate, it could be seen that this particular old man was probably not too fond of guests, but what choice did they have but to try their luck? Teo grasped all of his courage and held onto it, then he walked to the gate and knocked.

It was a heavy wooden door, reinforced with decorative iron ornaments, from the color of the aged wood it seemed to be made from... oak? Teo was no expert on doors or wood, but the solid gate made his knuckles hurt slightly as he knocked his small fist against it, and the sound produced was more of a sorry excuse for a knock than a real notification that signaled the arrival of a visitor.

The message seemed to have arrived though, as a small plank was slid to the side and a spyhole was revealed. A large, seemingly glowing eye appeared on the other side of the hole and a rough voice called out simultaneously.

"What?" the voice that could only be described as raucous and nasty said.

"Ehh... I came here to meet Sir Trismegistus!" Teo managed to squeeze out after his initial shock caused by the unwelcoming reception.

"No visitors." the rough voice said unnegotiably, and the small window was already about to be shut again.

"I'm not a visitor; I am a customer!" Teo threw back hastily. He had no better idea but to state his intention to spend money as fast as possible. From the background information he had managed to acquire today, it could be concluded that the Alchemist was seemingly incapable of turning down a profitable offer.

"Go home, kid. Master does not need your pocket money!" the voice answered after intently examining him from top to bottom. Yes, Teo's attire was not considered poor-looking, but also not luxurious. The fact that his height instantly gave him away as a child did not help either.

"I can pay! Really!" Teo fished out his coin purse and dangled it in front of the small window. It was quite voluptuous, round, and fat; it produced a euphonious clinking sound whenever he shook it.

Of course, that was not enough to impress the experienced servant guarding the door. Having one's purse full of coppers was not too unusual a thing. Usually, he would have had to check the contents first, like any other day. Without a few dozen silvers or several golds, he was not allowed to let anyone enter, no matter the reason. What good would poor people do for the Master?Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Yet today, something managed to catch his eye. On the brown, velvety leather poach was an artful stitching of a family insignia. It was not one of the really famous ones, and most people would have failed to recognize the green and blue emblem, but not this well-informed doorman. It was the coat of arms of the Grassdown family, a somewhat influential clan of Enchanters. They were not terribly powerful or politically active, but if there existed a list of people able to afford the Master's services in Sigella, they would undoubtedly be on it.

"Wait here. I need to talk to Master," the sandpaper-like voice instructed and closed the small sliding window.

'That wasn't too bad, I guess,' Goliath analyzed the situation. 

'I guess the rumors were true though, he reeeeally does not like visitors,' Teo remarked silently.

'At least he did not just shut the door in our face, that would have been troublesome,' said Goliath. 

They waited for over half an hour in front of the closed door like this, exposed to wind and weather, when the wide gate opened all of a sudden.