When he returned to his group, he told them the proposal. Naturally, they all accepted it. After all, their strength is just too weak to survive on their own in the wilderness of the Duchy.
They decided to explore the other parts of the city more. After all, the women would be very acquainted with the arena tomorrow and the day after it.
-x-
The next morning, they all went to the arena with the exception of the children and Rina, who was tasked with keeping an eye on the children. Of course, in the case she is somehow able to break his control, the collar and cuffs, which he changed to look more like jewelry, can be used to stop her from harming them.
Naturally, he gave it to Ilina, who accepted it. After done with the preparation, he followed his lovers to the arena. After helping them get accepted, he went to his next target, the Craftsman Alliance headquarters in the city.
Similar to the city, it was much bigger than what the Mariz Barony had, which make sense as it was just a new nation and the population of the people with profession related to cultivation are low, hence the reason the headquarters in the barony is small.
For duchies and other nations with a long history, their foundation is stronger, hence they were able to produce many people with proficiency in alchemy, blacksmithing, formation creation, and other professions.
He visited the headquarters namely to try his hand at alchemy. He did hope he could learn it if he joined in as he was not sure if he would be kicked out or not for only having little knowledge of the subject.
-x-
"So, you want to learn alchemy? Well, if it's your first time, then you could pay a fee and learn from one of the alchemists here," the receptionist told him.
Hearing it, Ryker was at ease, something the receptionist could see. "What, you think you need to be able to perform alchemy before you could enter? While being able to perform alchemy would allow you to get a badge to prove your skill, you can learn everything you need to know here first.
After all, not all of our alchemists come from families that had dabbled in alchemy for generations. Besides, the Craftsman Alliance was created to allow more people the chance to learn about different professions and master them.
With that said, you still need to pay to get an alchemist to teach you and get your hands on materials so you can start learning alchemy. The same is true for the other branches. After all, the alchemist needs to be compensated for teaching people all,"
Hearing the explanation, Ryker found it to make sense. The Craftsman Alliance, in its way, is similar to the other Supreme Power, the Adventure Guild. While the Adventure Guild helped normal cultivators to ascend from their current situation, the Craftsman Alliance helped the cultivators interested in the auxiliary profession to take the first step and maybe become a master in the profession.
"Of course, there are several teachers available. However, the prices for a session with them differ, depending on their grade. All profession has the same grading systems. The Genesis Realm is divided into 9 grades, similar to how pills, weapons, and formations sit into 9 grades in the Genesis realm.
The alchemist grade goes from Genesis Grade 1 Alchemist, until the Genesis Grade 9 Alchemist. Supposedly, there is only one person with such rank in the entire Kilrun Duchy, but I'm changing the subject here.
You could ask any of the alchemists who offered their teaching service if you want. But if you don't have money for any of the higher grade alchemists, learning from a Genesis Grade 1 Alchemist wouldn't be too bad, as you just started.
Of course, if you could afford it, you could get a higher-grade alchemist to teach you. But the fees for their service are a lot higher compared to the previous grade. After all, they only do this to get their hands on money for materials and resources to improve their skills.
So, who would you like to pick?" the receptionist showed him the list of alchemists willing to teach, and she didn't lie about how the price differed with each rise in grade.
However, a better teacher would likely be able to point out his mistakes as they have more experience in alchemy so he decided to get the best from the get-go.
"I would like the Genesis Grade 6 Alchemist to teach me," he told the receptionist, pointing to the one he would like to learn from before giving the money to the receptionist.
Seeing this, the receptionist's eyes twitched as she saw the amount put to just learn from the alchemist.
"I see. Then I would help you book a room and get the ingredients you need. As for your teacher, he will wait at the room I get you," she said before using the combination token to exchange messages.
After a while, she looked at him, "Your room is labeled I-17, just follow the sign and you won't miss it. As for your teacher, he had already walked there," hearing this, Ryker gave his thanks before heading towards the designated room, wondering what the teacher would look like.
-x-
To his surprise, the alchemist in question had a bit of an unkempt look, though it seemed it came from being inside a room for too long and not from the man being unhygienic.
"Oh, you here. Good. Get inside the room then, I still have a lot of things to do," the man said. Ryker obeyed him, entering the room.
Because it was his first time entering a room dedicated to alchemy, he didn't know what to expect. So, he took the chance to look at everything inside. He could see the huge cauldron, the main tool of an alchemist to concoct both pills and potions.
He could also see several formations underneath the cauldron, generating flames to heat the cauldron. From what he could see, the formation was not powered yet, which meant it would require some Genesis Stones or Crystals before it could be used.
Besides the cauldron are also a table with a chopping board. It seems to be used to help prepare the ingredients for the recipe. There is also a rack with multiple tools, ranging from a pestle to even a simple bowl.
While he didn't know what it was used for, he did know it was likely there for a reason. His observations of the items inside the room were stopped when the alchemist called out to him.
"The ingredients had arrived. Now, let me teach you about alchemy,"