Chapter 461: Goodwin, a Name in History
"What the…?" The moment Zhou Ning heard that name, his scalp tingled. Once again he felt the inevitability of fate, as if some invisible hand were manipulating the course of his life.
Even Molly couldn't help sounding astonished. "I remember that name. In my era he was already one of the very best alchemists! Are you sure he's the one you'll be facing?"
"There's no mistake."
Zhou Ning couldn't help feeling powerless. He had interacted with beings of the same level before—more than once—but this time he was truly shaken.
There had always been strange coincidences that let him see or come into contact with this name.
The first time was in the Invisible Man Holvig's diary. The second was when he bought one of his alchemy books in a bookstore. The third was when he found another of his books in the underground market. The fourth was seeing him become Pirate King Zhou Ning's ring-bound old mentor during the Apocalypse world-crossing simulation. The fifth was encountering his name again in the Elven King's tomb. Now was the sixth—and now he was about to face Him directly.
In the field of mysticism, there had long been a saying that coincidence is never just coincidence.
He was already beginning to regret accepting this commission.
Wendegoon—Goodwin—an ancient elven court alchemist, older even than the Four Heroes. When Pirate King Zhou Ning crossed over, he had already become the old mentor residing in his ring. A being who, hundreds of years ago during the divine war, already had the ability to craft mythic creatures. Even back then, he had wanted to dissect gods and refine them. His true identity might be the president of the Life Alchemy Society. Now he had also been confirmed by Ignatius Woods as a high-ranking leader of the Church of Alchemy and Craft, while at the same time being the mysterious teacher mentioned by Charles VII.
He had left deep marks on history through various identities, yet somehow always stood just outside of history itself. Every one of his personas inspired a kind of dread.
To Zhou Ning, it was like a character who should only exist in a story had suddenly appeared before him. There was something faintly unreal about it.
Though, during the simulation, his body had been crafted by Pirate King Zhou Ning, Zhou Ning wasn't naïve enough to think he would actually call him "father."
In truth, once someone gained divinity, that divinity would gradually erode their humanity. A true angel was often very detached when it came to emotion.
His actual strength was definitely far beyond what appeared on paper. Zhou Ning might well be facing someone equipped with a vast number of top-tier alchemical creations.
With thoughts swirling, Zhou Ning decided he would take it one step at a time. Since he had already agreed, hesitating and second-guessing wasn't his way. This encounter only made him feel an even more urgent need to strengthen himself.
Zhou Ning took Ignatius Woods back the way they came. When they reached the doorway, golden rippling flames rose along the path he had passed. They quickly died out, burning away every trace left behind.
After that, they waited at the entrance of Bantuen Port for almost twenty minutes before a returning carriage finally arrived.
Out of caution, Zhou Ning had the driver detour to the Sixteenth District at the far eastern edge of Nathaniell before finally returning to the Ninth District's Horizon Inn just before dawn.
He took Ignatius Woods and knocked on Richie Burke's door. After two minutes, a shirtless Richie Burke opened it with an annoyed look, which vanished the instant he saw Zhou Ning—clouds turning instantly to clear skies, as dramatic as Sichuan opera. "Boss, what can I do for you?"
Zhou Ning pointed to Ignatius Woods beside him. "Starting today, he's your colleague. When you find a place to live, remember to build another workshop. Whatever you two need, discuss it among yourselves."
"What? Colleague?" Richie Burke stared at Ignatius Woods in disbelief. As an old client, he knew well what the man was capable of. The Bryston Kingdom had tried recruiting him before, only to be rejected. And now, out of nowhere, he was somehow his coworker? Since when had reality become this surreal?
Seeing that they were already talking like a pair of old buddies, Zhou Ning felt slightly relieved. It was undoubtedly a good start.
Afterward, as usual, Zhou Ning went out to complete the requirements of the god-level training regimen, gaining +2 Strength and +2 Agility before returning to his room for his daily reading.
These two tasks were unbreakable commandments in his routine.
Now that he had the "Immersion" specialty, his reading efficiency had greatly improved, and before he realized it, he had already finished today's progress.
After finishing two books, the family motto task was completed. Zhou Ning glanced at the progress toward the next Reader level and froze—two books had raised it by only 5%!
Meaning he would have to read forty books to reach Reader Level 8!
Zhou Ning silently drew in a breath and told himself to stay calm. Then he spread out today's newspaper on the desk.
His eyes went straight to the housing rentals section as he began searching for a suitable place.
His requirements were simple: price wasn't an issue; renting or buying was fine. The closer to the city center, the better. Convenience was key. Ideally, the place would have an attached home workshop so he could craft daily skills at home.
After looking through the listings, Zhou Ning narrowed his choice to one particular property:
In the Seventh District, at 129 Golden Law Street, a townhouse with a garden. The landlord was a viscount from the Sepharic Kingdom named Sean Hall. The rent wasn't expensive for him—less than 700 Vecktas a year including furniture. Quite cheap, really.
Zhou Ning circled this listing and memorized the contact information. If everything checked out, he would rent this house as his base in Nathaniell.
After settling on a place, Zhou Ning took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was 4:20 sharp.
Before going to sleep, he rubbed his face, sat at his desk, and reviewed the day's events.
He had arrived safely in Nathaniell, gained a powerful hidden secondary profession, acquired a large sum of money and a transcendent item in progress. Aside from accepting that last task he shouldn't have, it had been a decent start.
After thinking it over, he opened the notebook where he kept the Fourteen Secret Words.
Capital Ruins, Bitter Path… and now he added a new secret word: Goodwin.
As he had said before, the Capital Ruins represented his experience in Darkland, the Bitter Path represented his spiritual transformation, and Goodwin represented the entanglement tied to that name.
When he finished writing, the quest progress for the Fourteen Secret Words quietly shifted from 2/14 to 3/14.
...
At nine the next morning, Zhou Ning changed into a white formal outfit not suited for combat, paired with a matching hat. He carried the disguised Heavenly King cane and left the Horizon Inn.
Richie Burke had already gone out, and even Ignatius Woods had left—to withdraw cash at the bank and purchase the contract papers for their agreement.
Zhou Ning hailed a carriage and headed to Golden Law Street to visit his potential landlord.