Chapter 257: Chapter 238 Flint’s Struggle Chapter 257: Chapter 238 Flint’s Struggle The ruins of Alchemy City had been mostly cleared.

The dwarves worked at a pace far surpassing that of other races, so much so that the massive crater had now been filled and the embryonic form of the city was faintly visible, with over half of the city walls already erected.

If viewed from above, one could still discern many a shadow of a magic array in the layout of the city, and a great deal of gold had been smelted and cast into various parts of the city. The dwarves were indeed rich, daring to construct their city with gold.

One could imagine, upon the city’s completion, it would become splendid and impregnable.

The new home of Gustavo Flint was situated within this city.

When Alchemy City was destroyed, Gustavo Flint had fled to the Silvermoon Tribunal, intending to settle down there.

Although the elves were exclusionary, he was a Legendary Alchemist, a person of great renown on the continent, and settling down there should have posed no issue.

However, reality slapped Gustavo Flint in the face.

The elves had driven him out… That might sound a bit harsh, it would be more accurate to say they had politely asked him to leave and then the Silvermoon Tribunal had closed its borders completely, only maintaining the necessary channels for trading magical materials.

Gustavo Flint was flabbergasted; none of this had been in his plans, especially since he had just spent his last savings on a house in the Silvermoon Tribunal. With his departure, Gustavo Flint found himself utterly penniless.

“It’s all that damn Lich’s fault!”

Gustavo Flint’s hatred for Amberser had become so intense it was beyond dissolving.

The disappearance of Alchemy City was connected to Amberser, and following a conversation with him, the Elf Queen of the Silvermoon Tribunal chose to shut the nation off from outsiders. Amberser had now twice sabotaged his life plans.

But no matter how deep the hatred ran, life had to go on.

After the war ended, Gustavo Flint returned to Alchemy City… Oh, the city had already been renamed by the Dwarf King as the New Golden Capital.

Gustavo Flint needed to rebuild his laboratory and then resume his former life.

Money was not an issue; though he could not produce more than a hundred Gold Coins, his name still held great value. With just a few contracts signed, Gustavo Flint received millions in funding.

In the past, he wouldn’t have given a second glance at such a small sum, but the disappearance of Alchemy City had taken most of the wealthy, and it was no small feat for the remaining minor families to come up with such a sum.

This money wasn’t enough to rebuild his laboratory, but it was sufficient to stave off any worries about food for the time being.

Gustavo Flint hadn’t been idle, either. During this period, he had been making connections using his fame, and finally, he was able to meet with the Dwarf King.

Gustavo Flint spent an entire day talking with the Dwarf King, and only then did he receive his agreement to allow the reorganization of the Alchemist Council.

Of course, the council could forget about having any political power; it was just a semi-official organization, similar to an industry association.

But this was still good for Gustavo Flint—he only wished to use this organization to rebuild the alchemical system.

Smart people knew that the continent couldn’t do without alchemy. By preparing well now, he could cash in once public opinion turned around, then return to the forefront of the industry.

In any industry, it’s the top echelon that reaps the most.

Reputation, status, and wealth—all these things would yet return to the hands of Gustavo Flint.

To quickly restore the influence of the Alchemist Council, Gustavo Flint even broke from past rules, not solely inviting alchemists but also a whole host of high-ranking officials from the Dwarf Kingdom as well as many local nobles.

The Alchemist Council of the past wouldn’t even give the time of day to these dignitaries; if someone hadn’t published an article in “Legendary Spells”, they wouldn’t even be eligible to listen at the door.

But now, alchemists had to lower their stance and interact with these power holders.

“Sigh, when did the alchemists fall to this level?”

Gustavo Flint felt an endless sense of lament; the chairman might have been a bit mad, but back in his day, alchemists held such prestige.

However, he soon fortified his resolve. Gustavo Flint believed that one day he could reach the chairman’s heights and restore the City of Gold back to Alchemy City.

The first step was to successfully hold the founding ceremony.

The members of the Alchemist Council had already drawn up a list, and counting Gustavo Flint himself, there were only two Legendary Alchemists. The other Legendary was the Court Alchemist of the Dwarf Kingdom.

This one had also been an ex-member of the council, expelled from Alchemy City.

The president had wanted to initiate that mad plan to create a god, and there had been no small amount of opposition within the council. This individual had left the council over differences in philosophy, and who would have thought that he would end up serving as the Court Alchemist in the Dwarf Kingdom for decades.

The biggest trouble now was this individual, for he was preparing to vie with Gustavo Flint for the position of president.

Thus, the election voting during the establishment ceremony was crucial, and Gustavo Flint needed to reconfirm the intentions of those voters to ensure his victory in the election.

Most of the nobles had already been sounded out, those who could be won over had been won over, leaving the others listed as attendees.

The advantage he had fought to regain was that all guests attending the establishment ceremony were eligible to vote. If it were not so, his opponent would already have won, for in the Dwarf Kingdom, Gustavo Flint could not rival the other.

Therefore, the minor nobles and the unknown alchemists on the list had now become the targets of Gustavo Flint’s campaign efforts.

Minor nobles were easy to deal with; most were locals who naturally sided with him, and besides, these minor nobles needed a spokesperson to represent the interests of the people of the original Alchemy City.

The real problem lay with those invited alchemists.

As everyone knows, alchemists have a bit of an obsession with truth, and if Gustavo Flint’s opponent were not Legendary, there would be no need for him to canvas for votes to win, but as the two were about equal in ability, and each had his own distinguished achievements in alchemy, these alchemists might sway.

He had to secure all of them, or it would be a definite loss.

Looking at the list he held, Gustavo Flint’s pen lingered on the name Isabel.

A girl without a surname, clearly not of noble birth, she had become famous for inventing a new type of Youth Magic Potion. A beautiful girl and a rising star in the field of alchemy—this dual identity would make her an idol for many young alchemists, so Isabel’s vote was of paramount importance.

“The invitation letter I sent previously seems to have received no reply, I should visit her before the official start. Damn it, but these days I really can’t spare the time,” he groused.

Gustavo Flint’s schedule for soliciting votes was too packed, and it was difficult to find time now.

Just as he was considering sending someone to visit on his behalf, a servant reported that a visitor had arrived.

Upon hearing the name of the visitor, Gustavo Flint couldn’t help but frown.

Dor Beck, that was the Court Alchemist of the Dwarf Kingdom, a former friend of his.

Moments later, a man with graying hair and an extremely gaunt appearance stood before Gustavo Flint.

As soon as Dor Beck appeared, he got straight to the point, “Flint, you’re still troubled by electioneering, aren’t you?”

“Beck, you should know very well that I will not give up the presidency. Did you come to talk such nonsense today?” Gustavo Flint asked without any pleasantries, disgust plain on his face.

But Dor Beck did not get angry, only spoke calmly, “Flint, give it up. I consider you a friend and am just giving you a warning. The King will not allow an Alchemist Council that is out of control to exist. Only I can be the president. If you continue to resist, it will not end well for you.”

“Hmph, the Dwarf King has already promised to abide by the results of the election, why bother with such scaremongering? How do you know I won’t swear loyalty to the Dwarf King if I become president? As far as I know, your relationship with the Dwarf King isn’t too good, given that your potion did nothing for him when he was seriously ill.

“Now that the Dwarf King has regained his health, has he begun to doubt your abilities? Or perhaps, is he considering replacing the Court Alchemist?”

Gustavo Flint treated his opponent’s visit as an attempt to disrupt his plans, perhaps acting out of fear of losing, resorting to threats—a potentially good omen for him.

Dor Beck shook his head and said, “You will swear loyalty to no one, a fact that doesn’t require a reminder from me—you know it well yourself. As for my relationship with the King, that’s none of your concern. I came to remind you out of respect for our past friendship. If you continue to compete, not only will you lose, but also, you will meet a grim end. Take my advice, concede, and I can appoint you as vice president.”

“No need to waste words, who wins and who loses will be known in due time.”

Gustavo Flint remained steadfast, resolute in his decision to climb back to his former pinnacle, step by step.

Dor Beck glanced at his rival, his eyes sweeping over the desk and halting on the circled name, asking, “Isabel? I’ve heard that name, a promising young person. Are you seeking her vote?”

Gustavo Flint coldly replied, “That has nothing to do with you.”

“Heh, of course it doesn’t concern me. I have no grudge with that Lich, unlike you. Don’t you know that this girl is a student taught by the Lich?”