Durin stared at the scattered fragments of the Magma Cauldron,

  as well as the fiery magma element still raging in the air, and felt a lingering sense of fear.

  As for reclaiming these wild magical elements?

  What a joke—he had no such ability!

  In fact, even standing this far away, he could still feel the scorching heat radiating from them.

  Clearing his throat, Durin forced himself to appear calm and said,

  "Marthion, I’ll leave the rest to you."

  "I have more important matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first."

  Without another word, Durin turned and walked out of the potion laboratory without looking back.

  Like hell he was staying to get exposed!

  Inside the potion laboratory, Marthion watched His Majesty’s departing figure,

  then turned to the magma element still wreaking havoc in the air, his face full of confusion.

  "H-He just left?!"

  "His Majesty… what does this mean?"

  "Could this be… another hint?"

  Scratching his head, Marthion struggled to make sense of Durin’s actions.

  "Forget it. I should handle the matter at hand first."

  Taking a deep breath, Marthion turned to one of his students and instructed,

  "Alan, stay here and watch over the magma element."

  "Make sure it doesn’t harm anyone."

  "Yes, Master."

  Marthion then strode out of the potion laboratory.

  He needed to consult Duke Kafka to see if he could gain some insight.

  After all, Duke Kafka was one of the people His Majesty trusted the most—

  perhaps he could decipher His Majesty’s true intentions.

  Marthion recounted everything that had happened in the potion laboratory to Duke Kafka,

  including his own speculations.

  "Duke Kafka, I suspect that His Majesty’s awakening was not perfect, and his strength may have been affected."

  Marthion had already worded this as delicately as possible,

  hoping Kafka would understand his point.

  However, instead of agreeing, Kafka looked at him with sheer disappointment and shook his head heavily.

  "Marthion… you’re truly pathetic!"

  …Me?

  Pathetic??

  Marthion's face was full of disbelief.

  He couldn’t understand why Kafka was saying this about him.

  "Don’t you think it’s pathetic?"

  Kafka gave Marthion a deep look before continuing,

  "You noticed so many anomalies in His Majesty’s behavior, yet this is all you could come up with? Isn’t that pathetic?"

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  His disappointed, 'you absolute fool' tone made Marthion feel uneasy.

  Kafka continued,

  "A demigod rank powerhouse, if armed with prior knowledge of their opponent, would gain an overwhelming advantage in battle. That’s why His Majesty refuses to act rashly—clearly, he’s holding onto a crucial trump card that he doesn’t want to reveal."

  Marthion frowned.

  "Even if that’s the case… why would His Majesty destroy the Magma Cauldron?"

  "What’s the meaning behind that?"

  All that nonsense about the Magma Cauldron being too weak to contain His Majesty’s power—

  That was just to fool the ordinary elixirists.

  Marthion wasn’t buying it.

  As the strongest grand elixirist of the human race, he knew better.

  "The Magma Cauldron is one of the rare few demigod rank arcane cauldrons, a treasure of immense value to humanity. I just can’t understand His Majesty’s reasoning!"

  Kafka, however, smirked in disdain.

  "Marthion, your vision is too shallow."

  "You’re only seeing the explosion of the cauldron—but have you considered that this might have been His Majesty’s intention all along?"

  "That’s impossible!"

  "His Majesty had no reason to do this—it would only weaken humanity’s strength!"

  A demigod rank magical artifact was a strategic treasure for their people—

  Marthion refused to believe that His Majesty would destroy it so casually!

  Kafka let out a long sigh and shook his head,

  his eyes gleaming with sharp intellect.

  "It’s a good thing you came to me—because otherwise, with your limited mind, you would have never understood His Majesty’s brilliance."

  "Only someone as insightful as I am can truly grasp His Majesty’s intentions!"

  …???

  Marthion was still utterly confused.

  Seeing this, Kafka chuckled and decided to explain things in a simpler way.

  "Marthion, tell me—what’s more valuable? A magical potion or the glass bottle that holds it?"

  Marthion blinked, then replied with certainty,

  "Of course, the potion is more valuable! A glass bottle is just a container—what’s so special about that?"

  Kafka grinned and shook his head.

  "To you, a glass bottle may seem insignificant. But to commoners, a single bottle might be worth half a year’s wages."

  Marthion’s expression changed as he began to grasp the point.

  "So… you’re saying that, in His Majesty’s eyes, I’m like the commoner?"

  Kafka’s smirk widened.

  "To His Majesty, the Magma Cauldron was just a mere 'glass bottle.' So now, think—why would His Majesty break the bottle?"

  Marthion’s eyes suddenly lit up.

  "Because… what he truly wanted was the potion inside!"

  Marthion finally understood.

  He wasn’t an idiot—if he were, he wouldn’t have become a grand elixirist in the first place.

  With Kafka’s 'guidance,' he had finally pieced everything together!

  "Kafka… so what you’re saying is—"

  Kafka nodded, speaking in a grave tone.

  "You were too focused on the Magma Cauldron and completely overlooked the true prize."

  "It’s like staring at an empty bottle and failing to see the potion inside."

  Marthion was completely stunned.

  If there was something inside the Magma Cauldron that was valuable enough to warrant destroying it,

  then there was only one possible answer—

  The magma element!

  This rare magical element was so incredibly scarce that even in the entire world, it was nearly unheard of.

  Kafka let out a knowing smile, looking every bit like an omniscient sage.

  "You said it yourself—His Majesty didn’t take the magma element with him. Instead, he left it for you to handle."

  "Isn’t it obvious what this means?"

  "His Majesty was giving you an incredible opportunity!"

  "And yet, not only did you fail to grasp his intentions—you even ran to me for an explanation!"

  "I can only imagine how disappointed His Majesty must be with you."

  Marthion stood there, completely dumbfounded.

  It was as if he had been wandering in a fog, only to suddenly be illuminated by a beam of truth.

  And when he linked all the events together—

  Kafka’s reasoning actually made perfect sense!

  "Right now, we are facing the growing threat of Shadewhite."

  "Any method to strengthen ourselves is a priceless opportunity."

  "That’s why His Majesty didn’t hesitate to destroy a demigod rank artifact—just to enhance your power."

  At last, Marthion was fully enlightened.

  Without hesitation, he leapt to his feet and rushed toward the potion laboratory.

  "No! I have to return immediately. Duke Kafka, thank you!"

  Kafka watched Marthion’s hurried departure with amusement,

  stroking his chin in satisfaction.

  "His Majesty must have even deeper plans… There’s no way he’d destroy the Magma Cauldron in front of so many people without reason."

  "I’d better follow along to make sure these fools don’t ruin His Majesty’s grand design!"

  When they arrived back at the potion laboratory, however,

  Marthion froze in horror.

  Because the magma element had already fused—

  With four of his students.

  "NOOO!!!"

  That magma element was supposed to be his!

  His precious!

  Marthion nearly cried on the spot.

  He had lost an unparalleled opportunity—

  All because he failed to understand His Majesty’s will!

  No!

  He had to reclaim the magma element!