Chapter 57: Cooperation

"No! I am so close to success! Alchemy is not some fraudulent trick; it is a solid, viable pursuit. Only arrogant mortals like you dismiss what you cannot achieve as impossible! The true greatness of alchemy lies in turning the impossible into the possible! Just wait, I will use alchemy to make Uther pay!"

For generations, Myrrhin's family had dedicated themselves to the study of alchemy, and Myrrhin held an unwavering faith in it. Incidentally, it was precisely because of this devotion that his entire family had been systematically exterminated by King Uther. It was a tragic tale indeed—after centuries of fruitless research, they were wiped out in one fell swoop by Uther. It was infuriating just to think about it.

Nimueh arched an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, though she cared little either way. She had not come here to debate such matters. The parlor tricks of alchemy could easily be replicated with magic; why waste time worrying about them?

"Why wait? Could your so-called plan to make Uther pay simply mean waiting for him to die of old age? How many years have you been waiting, Myrrhin? Ten? Twenty? Do you intend to wait another decade, or even two? Why not act now?"

Nimueh's words abruptly choked off Myrrhin's grandiose speech. Indeed, while he had found the key to alchemical success, the problem was that he had no idea how much longer his research would take. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps a lifetime.

Yet, Myrrhin was quickly captivated by Nimueh's final sentence.

"Act now? What do you mean?"

Without keeping him in suspense, Nimueh stated frankly, "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has presented itself right now!" With a hint of disdain, she glanced around the crude encampment and added, "If you are willing, we can cooperate. If not, you may continue living like a cowering rat scurrying about in the shadows."

Naturally, Myrrhin was not going to let such an opportunity slip away. He studied alchemy to slay Uther and destroy Camelot, not the other way around. Since a chance to fulfill his lifelong ambition had finally arrived, he certainly knew how to choose. Alchemy could wait until after Camelot was ruined and Uther was dead.

"What kind of opportunity? And why choose me? I recall you flatly rejecting my previous proposal to join forces. Why seek me out voluntarily now?"

Still, having served as a rebel leader for so many years, Myrrhin retained a measure of caution. Tempted as he was, he needed clarity before making any commitments.

Nimueh paid little heed to Myrrhin's wariness. After all, surviving and thriving amidst King Uther's relentless purges for so many years required a healthy dose of caution; otherwise, he would have perished long ago.

"Camelot and Senserdrid have gone to war!"

"Impossible! Uther signed a treaty with Senserdrid, and they have maintained peace for over a decade. How could a war break out so suddenly?"

Myrrhin's lifelong ambition was the destruction of Camelot, so he paid meticulous attention to any intelligence concerning the kingdom. Although his spy network within Camelot was not exceptionally vast, it was hardly weak enough to miss something like this. Thus, his initial reaction to Nimueh's claim of a war between Camelot and Senserdrid was utter disbelief.

Over the years, in his quest to strike down Camelot, Myrrhin had certainly considered enlisting foreign powers, but it had proven entirely unfeasible. Camelot's formidable military strength and King Uther's diplomatic prowess had ensured lasting peace with all surrounding nations.

Yet now, Nimueh was suddenly telling him that Camelot and Senserdrid were at war. How could he possibly believe it?

"True, under normal circumstances, a war between them would be out of the question. But what if Prince Arthur has slain Prince Alired of Senserdrid?"

Myrrhin immediately composed himself. If things were truly as Nimueh described, it was entirely plausible! Taking the life of a foreign prince was already a grave offense, let alone assassinating an heir to the throne.

"Uther's son killing Alired—was that your handiwork?"

Although Nimueh held Myrrhin in low regard, that did not make him a fool; on the contrary, the man was quite clever. It was simply that, as a witch, Nimueh viewed the world from a different perspective than ordinary people. To Nimueh, Myrrhin was merely a third-rate, bumbling wizard who wasted his days on useless alchemy, earning her natural contempt. Yet, the fact that Myrrhin had managed to survive Uther's purges for so long demonstrated that his capabilities were far from ordinary. Thus, he quickly deduced why Nimueh claimed that Camelot and Senserdrid were at war.

"Indeed! Just a remarkably simple little spell."

Nimueh did not deny it. She had indeed meddled in this affair.

For certain reasons, Arthur could not die at Nimueh's hands, which was why she had not targeted him directly. Instead, she had cast a simple enchantment on the other protagonist of the incident, Prince Alired, slightly destabilizing his emotions. Initially, Nimueh had intended to stir up further trouble along the way, but she had never anticipated that Arthur would be so accommodating—taking the initiative to escalate the situation, provoking Prince Alired into a frenzy, and conveniently ending the prince's life in the process...

Calculated this way, her own contribution had been minuscule; the true 'architect' of the deed was Arthur himself.

Myrrhin cared nothing for the details; he only knew that Nimueh had no reason to lie, as such an event could easily be verified with minimal inquiry. Therefore, he had only one question left.

"Why choose me?"

Myrrhin was acutely aware of the disdain Nimueh held for him.

"I need manpower, and you have manpower at your disposal," Nimueh replied with absolute candor.

Myrrhin did not mince words, for their objectives aligned. He cared not a whit about being used by Nimueh; on the contrary, as long as it meant killing Uther and destroying Camelot, he was more than happy to be utilized. "What do you need me to do?"

Nimueh smiled with satisfaction.

"I need you to help me retrieve two items. One lies within an underground crypt beneath Camelot, and the other is the Nyad Crystal!"

"You..." Myrrhin stared at Nimueh in shock. "Those things are mere legends. I haven't the slightest idea of their exact locations. How do you expect me to acquire them?"

As a native of Camelot whose family had lived there for centuries, Myrrhin had indeed caught wind of certain state secrets. The legend of the underground crypt was something he had heard about since childhood.

As for the Nyad Crystal, its reputation was deafening. Twenty years ago, countless sorcerers had perished at Uther's hands while striving to protect that very crystal. Though Myrrhin knew nothing of the crystal's actual powers, the fact that so many powerful spellcasters had fought and died to safeguard it meant it could not possibly be ordinary.

Alas, regarding both the underground crypt and the Nyad Crystal, that was the extent of his knowledge; beyond those rumors, he knew nothing.

"That precisely is why I came to you for cooperation," Nimueh said with a confident smile.