The Alchemist and the Thief

"Master, since you locked yourself in the alchemy lab to conduct experiments, three months have passed… During this time, you skipped five tower missions… There have been no experimental results to exchange for resources… Additionally, you've triggered fifteen explosions, three of which were intense enough to shake the entire mage tower… And…" The tower spirit replied expressionlessly.

"Uh, heh, well…" Realizing the truth, the figure continued to chuckle awkwardly.

Faced with the tower spirit's blank expression, they grew increasingly sheepish. "Fine, fine, I'll go out and gather some resources, alright? Ember, you're getting more and more like my father."

"My apologies, Master. That was your initial programming," the tower spirit responded, still devoid of emotion.

"Alright, alright, I knew I shouldn't bother saying this to a metal head like you," the figure said, shaking their head as they trudged toward the upper levels of the mage tower.

The living quarters on the upper floor should have been neat and comfortable, but now they resembled a chaotic ruin swept by a hurricane. Thick tomes were piled haphazardly on the floor, half-open books strewn everywhere. An overturned ink bottle had soaked the desk with sprawling black stains, while the disassembled arm of an unknown golem lay amid scattered parts…

The figure gingerly stepped through the gaps between the clutter, grumbling, "Seriously, how did it get this messy? Ember, why didn't you clean up?"

"My apologies, Master. You forbade me from moving these items," came the tower spirit's voice from a crystal orb embedded in the wall.

Hearing this predictable response, the figure rolled their eyes and fell silent, heading straight for the bathing area. With the flip of a switch, warm water began flowing steadily from the wall. Soon, thick steam filled the room…

Moments later, the figure emerged.

Now, it was clear that this experiment-obsessed lunatic was a female Mage! She had a slender frame, delicate features, and bright eyes, with slightly pointed ears that betrayed her elven heritage.

The downside? She sported a shiny bald head. Even her once-graceful eyebrows were nowhere to be seen—clearly casualties of an experimental mishap. Whether the rest of her body hair had met the same fate remained a mystery…

Summoning a water mirror, she stared at her bizarre appearance and pouted unhappily. "Going out like this will get me laughed at…"

But with the mage tower's supplies and funds at a critical low, she had no choice. She needed to venture out and secure resources.

After all, a Mage's training and pursuit of knowledge demanded astronomical sums of gold. Take her current experiment on elemental activation, for instance—each trial required materials costing 3,000 gold coins, and over the past few months, she'd burned through nearly a hundred batches.

She first headed to the alchemy lab, sweeping the experiment logs into a spatial pouch with a wave of her hand. She then packed a portable alchemy set and other essentials.

Finally, she retrieved a mage robe from the wall. This high-grade robe was enchanted with "Protection from Elemental Damage," "Cleaning," and "Advanced Mage Armor," while mithril threads woven into it enhanced its energy conductivity.

Slipping into the robe, her figure vanished beneath its voluminous folds. To conceal her current odd appearance, she pulled the hood low over her face. Summoning another water mirror, she checked multiple angles to ensure her features were hidden before nodding in satisfaction. She then grabbed a staff and opened the mage tower's sealed front door, stepping outside.

As she walked, she issued commands: "Ember, activate the mage tower's defensive field… Switch to Defense Mode 1-3… Enable all spell traps… Charge the golem puppets… Activate the maze lock…"

With a flurry of orders, bursts of magical light flared. In mere moments, the mage tower transformed into a fortress armed to the teeth—one that would make even a legendary Mage's eyelids twitch.

A mage tower was a Mage's stronghold, the heart of their training, experiments, and life. Every Mage spared no effort to fortify their tower with the most rigorous defenses, some bordering on paranoia…

"Your will, Master. Any further instructions?" the tower spirit asked.

"You're now permitted to move my things. When I return, I expect the living quarters to be spotless," she replied.

"…"

Facing the blinding sunlight, she slowly walked away. Behind her, the mage tower gradually faded into the mist conjured by the maze lock, obscuring everything—including a stone tablet by the entrance and its Common Tongue inscription:

—"Mage Federation, Forest of a Thousand Towers, Tower 206. Owner: High Alchemist, Lydia Stephen."

Whatever else was written below was lost to the mist.

Meanwhile, in Della City, Muse weighed a modestly sized coin pouch in his hand. Inside were a dozen variously sized gemstones. Only one—a flawless ruby—was pristine; the rest bore minor flaws. Even so, the pouch was worth over 1,000 gold coins.

These gems, of course, didn't belong to Muse. To keep him from sneaking out, Atro had decisively cut off his financial access.

When Muse slipped out of the estate, he'd been penniless.

But that hardly stumped him. Using spells, he infiltrated Della City, then seized an opportunity to knock out a shady character with a Knock spell. Dragging the man into an alley, he employed a few minor spells to easily extract the location of his gang's hideout.

What followed was a gleeful bout of "robbing the rich to help the poor"—at least, that's how Muse saw it.