"What? Ban's Alchemy Notes?" Everyone who knew what that was was stunned. They now understood why the Emperor had been so shocked—anyone would have reacted the same way.
Ban had been a legendary alchemist from a thousand years ago. His mastery of alchemy had already surpassed human understanding. Whoever obtained his techniques could make a nation stronger.
It was somewhat like modern technology on Earth: whichever nation possessed the most advanced technology would grow powerful.
Countless people had offered irresistible terms in hopes of obtaining his techniques, but he had never agreed. Some had also tried to seize them by force, only to discover that it was nearly impossible.
Alchemists originally possessed their own unique methods of combat. They could use Alchemy Arrays to summon magical elements, and they could alter certain things in their surroundings. Some changes merely reshaped objects, while others could even transform their material structure.
A powerful alchemist could absolutely contend with a mage or martial artist of the same level. They also generally carried alchemical items, making them even more difficult for others to deal with.
However, alchemists had to calculate all sorts of factors while fighting and accurately draw Alchemy Arrays and so on, so the requirements were extremely harsh. Ordinary alchemists could at most learn to protect themselves. Advancing into an expert was exceedingly difficult; even in a hundred years, one might not produce a single master.
But if alchemists were given sufficient time to prepare beforehand, they could easily blast an expert into scraps.
"Yes, that is what the information says. The item is currently in our Imperial City," the Emperor said, nodding.
"What? Whose hands is it in now? No matter the cost, we must obtain it." A military general who looked exceptionally valiant spoke up. He was already rather old, and he appeared to be the empire's Grand Marshal.
As the Grand Marshal of a nation, he naturally understood the benefits Ban's Alchemy Notes could bring to the army. If they managed to create even one or two powerful alchemical Magic Devices from it, they could sweep through everything in their path.
"This... the person mentioned in the report surprised me," the Emperor said, his expression somewhat strange as he glanced at Ye Chengtian beside him.
"??" Ye Chengtian did not understand the meaning behind that strange look. Those who did not know better thought the item had fallen into the Ye Clan's hands.
"Chengtian, if your Ye Clan obtained it, hand it over. You cannot swallow this for yourselves. At most, I'll yield to you a little in the future. As for you becoming clan head, I'll support you all the way," the Grand Marshal said bluntly.
"Uncle Li, if our Ye Clan had it, with my father's personality, wouldn't he have brought it out long ago to show it off to you?" Ye Chengtian said helplessly.
Grand Marshal Li's relationship with Ye Yi could be described in three words: iron brothers. They had grown up together, made trouble for people together, chased girls together, and traveled the world together...
Though the two had now both become grandfatherly figures, whenever they met, they would bicker and quarrel over trivial matters. Of course, that was merely a sign of how close they were.
"That's true. If you had gotten it, he would have come here immediately today instead of hiding at home to get intimate with Sister Lian'er." Even without anyone telling him, Grand Marshal Li knew Ye Yi was surely glued to Ruan Lian'er. He could not understand why those two old husband and wife types could keep things that way all these years. Things between him and his own wife had become far more subdued.
Still, Grand Marshal Li would not think that he loved his wife any less than Ye Yi did. Their methods were simply different.
"Chengtian, the person who obtained this item truly is from your Ye Clan. You simply do not know it. Perhaps even he himself does not know," the Emperor said then, leaving everyone baffled.
"??" Ye Chengtian looked at the Emperor in confusion, waiting for his next words.
"Little Ye Lang, come over here. I have a question for you." The Emperor beckoned to the little Prodigal Son, who was still chatting with Ye Lanyu off to the side. The little Prodigal Son did not hear him at all, leaving the Emperor depressed for a moment.
However, once the Emperor called out to the little Prodigal Son, everyone seemed to understand something. Could it be...
"Your Majesty, what do you need?" After Tiger Girl pulled the little Prodigal Son over, he asked directly.
"Little Ye Lang, did you buy a strange box at the auction house today?" the Emperor asked with a faint smile.
"Yes, I bought it for one hundred thousand gold coins," the little Prodigal Son answered.
"Then do you know what is inside it?" the Emperor asked probing him.
"No." The little Prodigal Son shook his head.
"So it really was like that. Since you did not know, why did you buy it?" the Emperor asked in confusion.
"I wanted to squander money," the little Prodigal Son declared with righteous conviction.
"..."
The Ye Clan members, both the older generation and the younger one, covered their foreheads in utter helplessness. They had all guessed that would be his answer.
"He squanders money like this, and none of you stop him? Does your Ye Clan have that much money?" Grand Marshal Li said. He had heard of this little Prodigal Son of the Ye Clan, but only today did he learn the extent of it.
"You think we do not want to? He likes doing this, and there is nothing we can do. Besides, the things he buys often contain strange and rare objects whose value is beyond imagination," Ye Chengtian said with an odd expression.
That was right. If this little Prodigal Son had not occasionally bought extremely rare treasures, the Ye Clan members probably would not have allowed him to squander money so recklessly. At the very least, they would have restrained him somewhat, perhaps only allowing him to spend one hundred thousand gold coins at most.
But could that even be called restraint?
"That's right. I know about this as well. It seems that since childhood, he has had the Goddess of Luck's favor. Take this time, for example—the box he bought for one hundred thousand gold coins is worth far more than everything he has squandered before. Even ten million would be a bargain," the Emperor said.
"Could Ban's Alchemy Notes be inside that box? Little Ye Lang, quickly let your Grandpa Li take a look at the box you bought," Grand Marshal Li said.
"Alright. Um... who is Grandpa Li?" The little Prodigal Son nodded, then realized he seemed not to know who Grandpa Li was.
"..."
"Pfft..."
The people nearby let out soft laughs, then immediately put on solemn faces, their expressions utterly denying that they had laughed just now. Among them seemed to be the Emperor and the others.
"Son, your Grandpa Li is him. You met him when you were little." Long Anqi held back her laughter and gave the little Prodigal Son a tap.
"When was that?" The little Prodigal Son still could not remember.
"When you were one month old."
"Oh..."
"..."
Before you continue