In a courtyard filled with the aura of iron and blood in the capital of Gama,
a harsh voice rang out, "Such a young fourth-grade alchemist, truly enviable. If it were Zhan'er... alas, never mind."
A burly man looked on with envy, knowing his own son was simply not cut out for it. Fortunately, his cultivation talent was decent, enough to ensure the Mu family's continued prosperity for a century.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked at the intelligence report in his hand, "Two female companions beside him!"
and immediately shouted, "Guards! This news must not reach Zhan'er's ears!"
As a long-time neighbor of the Mittel family, he knew all too well the minds of these merchants—full of benevolence and morality, yet ruthless in achieving their goals.
Even the royal family
had considered this. He paused, his expression suddenly becoming subtle.
"Give the order to prepare one set," Mu Chen gritted his teeth, his face hardening, and said fiercely, "No, prepare three sets of medicinal materials for refining fourth-grade pills. I, the patriarch, will personally deliver them."
At this moment, in a low-key mansion in the capital, a powerful voice echoed from a room.
However, if someone with strong soul power were present, they could discern a slight weakness in the voice.
"Su'er, go and retrieve that high-level Xuan-rank combat technique from the mansion. I will personally go to congratulate this genius alchemist."
Looking at the sheepskin scroll in his hand, a tall old man's expression revealed a hint of contemplation.
"What! Father, that's a high-level Xuan-rank combat technique, and you're just giving it to him like that?" A middle-aged man who had been sitting quietly nearby exclaimed in surprise, unable to believe his ears.
"What do you know? Our family has possessed the Five Elements Sealing Technique for a hundred years, but no one has ever successfully mastered it. It's utterly useless." Nalan Jie shouted, looking at Nalan Su, who, despite being middle-aged, was still easily startled.
"Yes, yes, Father is right. I'll go right away." Seeing his father's anger, Nalan Su immediately became like a coward, hastily admitting his mistake and using the excuse of retrieving the fighting technique to quickly retreat.
"Alas," looking at his good-for-nothing son, Nalan Jie sighed again, lamenting, "Fortunately, Yanran joined the Yunlan Sect and became its young sect leader; otherwise, after my death, the Nalan family would likely fade into obscurity."
"However," turning to look in the direction of the royal family, "this has its advantages and disadvantages. The royal family is increasingly distancing itself from the Nalan family, and even Su'er is now idle at home."
"I wonder if my decision is good or bad," Nalan Jie thought, a hint of worry appearing on his face.
"Cough cough cough,"
"Damn it, if it weren't for this damned branding poison, I wouldn't be in this state. *Bang*" After coughing, Nalan Jie slammed his hand on the octagonal table, his expression furious.
"I only hope that the genius alchemist's master has a way to cure the branding poison."
To the north of the capital of Jia Ma, a majestic mountain range stood, echoing the capital.
However, the army stationed at its foot seemed to indicate a superficial alliance between the two.
Of course, barring any major changes, this commander, at the Dou Ling level, might remain stationed there indefinitely.
The true determinants of the empire's direction are never these low-ranking soldiers, but rather the lofty Dou Huang powerhouses.
But let's leave that aside for now. Atop the mountain, in an elegant and refined hall, many elderly men in white robes were engaged in lively discussion.
At this moment, seated in the first seat on the left, an old man with white hair and a youthful face spoke,
"In my opinion, although Lin Feng's talent is one in a hundred years in the Jia Ma Empire, our Yunlan Sect already has the accomplished Master Gu He."
He paused, glancing at the surrounding gazes, and stroked his beard. "While there's no need to offend him, there's also no need to be overly concerned. Perhaps we should simply send him a few batches of ingredients for refining low-grade pills."
"Absolutely right, absolutely right! The Grand Elder is absolutely right. A true genius is one who has grown up. Who knows how many years it will take him to become a sixth-grade alchemy master? How can we abandon Master Gu He for his sake?"
"Elder Yun, you are truly wise! I admire you!"
As
soon as Yun Leng finished speaking, many elders immediately chimed in, showering him with praise.
Hearing the sycophantic voices below, Yun Leng stroked his beard and turned to Yun Yun, who sat at the head of the table, asking, "What does the Sect Master think?"
"Let's follow Elder Yun Leng's suggestion," Yun Yun, who had been sitting at the head of the table like a mere decoration, suddenly spoke, her tone ethereal, as if she were not of this world.
"However, raise the grade of the medicinal herbs; don't appear petty. Everything is up to Elder Yun Leng."
With that, Yun Yun's noble figure flashed and vanished from the spot.
"This, as you command." Looking at Yun Yun like this, Yun Leng was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.
"Teacher, what do you think of the invitation from the Alchemist Guild?" A young man with a first-grade alchemist badge on his chest asked a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, who had been studying the pill formula, finally looked up; he was quite handsome.
"You will go to celebrate in my place this time, and also retrieve the badge of a second-grade alchemist." He paused. "Furthermore, I have recently gained some insight and will need to go into seclusion for a while."
"Could it be!?" The young man's eyes lit up with surprise, and his voice rose slightly.
"Yes, but it's just a slight insight; a breakthrough is not certain."
"Hahaha, then this disciple will congratulate you in advance, Master."
Location: Salt City, northeastern border of the Gama Empire.
This city, which holds one of the empire's lifelines, was already bustling with activity.
However, the city was not controlled by the city lord's mansion appointed by the Gama Empire, but by the Mo family, headed by Mo Cheng, known as the Executioner Mo.
"Roar!"
At this moment, a respectful voice rang out from a dark, secret chamber where the roars of magical beasts occasionally echoed.
"Elder, what do you think? How should our Mo family respond to the invitation from the Alchemist Guild?" A somewhat overweight man in flamboyant and ornate clothing spoke.
"Oh, then I'll personally lead the team. It's been a long time since I visited the Yunlan Sect to catch up; that's the foundation of our dominance in Yancheng."
A hoarse voice rang out, and in the secret chamber, an old man conducting an experiment slowly turned his head, his body dripping with demonic beast blood, looking sinister and terrifying.
"Then, what should we bring as a gift?" The bloated man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly asked.
"Just bring two fourth-tier magic cores."
"Yes, yes, yes," the bloated man quickly replied upon hearing the answer, as if he had received a treasure, and hurriedly retreated.
Seeing this, the sinister old man couldn't help but feel disgusted, "If you weren't the most obedient, would such a cowardly person be worthy of being the patriarch of the Mo family?" ( P.S
.: What do you all think of my descriptions of the major powers in the Gama Empire? The royal family's stagnant and ruthless nature; the mercenary nature of the merchants at the Mittel Auction House; Mu Chen's charisma; the Nalan family's situation; Yun Yun of the Yunlan Sect's incompetence in handling sect affairs; and some other forces that are currently minor players, except those already mentioned in the original work, will not be elaborated upon.)
(End of Chapter)