(This chapter is free)
Darkmoon City, a residence hall.
Allen listened to Gangke's report with a livid expression and asked, "Did Athena really say that human was her friend?"
Gangke replied, still shaken, "Yes, General! A lot of soldiers saw it. Lady Athena even drew her sword on me in front of everyone. I nearly lost my life."
"Damn that human! What does Athena see in him?" Allen gritted his teeth, consumed by jealousy. Athena never showed him, her own chief of security, the slightest courtesy. She wouldn't even look him in the eye. Now she was calling a human she'd only just met her friend and standing up for him. It was absolutely intolerable.
"That's enough, Gangke. You may go," another voice said calmly from elsewhere in the hall.
"Yes, Lord Joseph." Gangke was just as awed by this man as he was by his immediate superior, Allen. He bowed and withdrew.
"My friend, I truly don't understand what you find so captivating about that barbaric woman. If you want women, you can grab a whole bunch whenever you like. Shall I send you a few top-quality Succubus slave girls?" Joseph poured himself a glass of wine and spoke at an unhurried pace.
Joseph had a human appearance, and was likely of a mutant bloodline. He was elegant and composed, utterly unlike Allen's violent, brutish manner.
"Hmph, no need." Allen snorted. "Aren't you interested in the Eldest Princess, too? Princess Shea may be beautiful, but she's an iceberg with no sense of fun. I don't understand why you like her."
You fool. What I feel for her is different from what you feel, Joseph thought with a sneer. His expression remained calm as he said, "Just like you, I have my own preferences. I've only just returned to Darkmoon City, so I don't know what sort of background that human called Chen Rui has."
"He's nothing but a good-for-nothing with absurdly good luck!" Allen said through clenched teeth. "That human fell into the Demon Realm about ten days ago and was captured by the soldiers. During questioning, he gave the name Arthur. He was a noble with no combat ability. Master Aldas took him away as a test subject, but a few days later he miraculously became Aldas's apprentice, and Princess Shea publicly acknowledged his identity. I don't know what's so appealing about the man, but Athena and the little princess visit him almost every day."
Joseph considered this briefly before saying, "In that case, his greatest support is the attention he's getting from that Dark Elf master. I know the little princess well; she's only curious. The Eldest Princess is probably doing this to win Aldas over. But Aldas is in trouble himself and will soon be forced to leave Darkmoon City. Once this human has outlived his usefulness, even if you want to chop him into seven or eight pieces, Her Highness won't stop you."
"With someone from the Imperial Capital stepping in, Aldas is bound to lose," Allen said, his anger turning to delight. He nodded and raised his glass to Joseph. "You're right. Come, let's drink!"
In Aldas Laboratory in the palace's outer courtyard, after the three girls left, only Aldas and Chen Rui remained. The Lesser Devil, who was good at reading people, noticed that the master was in low spirits and had withdrawn early.
Aldas took out one thick book after another: The Essentials of Refining, Common Potion Recipes, Supplement to Poisons...
"Chen Rui, you can have these books." The Dark Elf sighed. "When I'm no longer here with you, study them diligently. Though you carry the Grandmaster's legacy, learning never ends. You must never slack off. If you keep working hard, one day your achievements will astonish the entire Demon Realm."
Chen Rui asked in surprise, "Master, what happened? Where are you going?"
"I may have to leave Darkmoon City." Aldas shook his head, his expression darkening, and explained the reason.
The Demon Realm revered strength, and competition was fierce not only in the struggle for power but in every field. The rules of potion-making were rather unusual. There were two ways to become a potion master. The first was to go to the Potionmakers' Alliance in the Imperial Capital and pass a series of complicated examinations. These included correctly brewing the highest-grade white potion within the allotted time, as well as earning the approval of at least two masters.
The second was to challenge an established master directly, with the Potionmakers' Alliance acting as witness. If the challenger won, he would immediately be promoted to master. If he lost, the challenged master would be stripped of his status and exiled for three years. Only after those three years could he challenge again or retake the master's examination. If the challenged master refused to accept, he would be considered to have lost.
However, challengers also faced risks. They had to stake an enormous fortune. If they lost, the master would claim it, and they would be barred from challenging again for three years.
Chen Rui understood. It was like gambling. Aldas continued to explain that money was extremely important to potion-makers, because alchemy was a costly discipline. Whether one specialized in potions or crafting, it required substantial financial backing. Even taking an alchemist examination or studying under an alchemist came at a high price. So ordinary alchemists had to seek the support of wealthy organizations and serve them in return.
Compared to that, I got off incredibly easily as a free apprentice, Chen Rui thought.
Aldas himself had once been deeply in debt because of a lack of funds and had suffered countless indignities. After staking everything on the master's examination and failing, he'd been left penniless and had nearly lost the will to live. At his lowest point, he had met the Eldest Princess Shea. She was only sixteen then and had recently taken charge of Darkmoon City, but she had recognized his talent and provided him with much-needed funds. After Aldas became a master, he repaid her kindness by firmly refusing the Imperial Capital's invitation and staying in Darkmoon City to serve Shea.
Chen Rui's expression showed understanding. No wonder the Dark Elf master held Princess Shea in such heartfelt regard.
Aldas sighed. "A few months ago, I received letters from Masters Zola and Kamp in the Imperial Capital. They offered me great rewards and tried to persuade me to serve Regent Heiyao, but I flatly refused. Today, the Imperial Capital branch of the Potionmakers' Alliance suddenly sent me a magical message. Sandru, a potion-maker from the Imperial Capital, has formally challenged me. The two potion masters and Sandru are already on their way to Darkmoon City. They'll arrive in two days."
So the consequences of refusing their offer had finally arrived.
Aldas was one of Shea's most capable supporters. If he was defeated and exiled, the reputation of the Darkmoon Territory and Shea's power would both suffer greatly. This was clearly one of Prince Heiyao's ways of weakening Princess Shea. The Imperial Capital was very far from Darkmoon City. Even on the fastest flying mount, the journey would take almost a month. Yet the magical message had only just reached Aldas. It seemed the other side had deliberately waited to catch him off guard.
"Master, no matter what schemes they have, only strength can decide the outcome," Chen Rui said after a moment's thought. "As long as you defeat Sandru, their plot will come to nothing, and they'll have to pay you a fortune."
"I understand that, of course. The problem is, I'm no match for Sandru." Aldas smiled bitterly. "Sandru is the most outstanding potion-making genius in the empire. When I took the potion-maker's examination, he already held the title of the empire's number one potion-making genius. He had master-level ability from an early age, and even many masters respect him. They say he once swore that he wouldn't take the master's examination until he had developed the strongest poison. Now he's challenging me partly under the Regent's orders, and partly because he may have made a major breakthrough in developing a new poison and plans to use me as a stepping stone to become a master. I just spent a long time discussing it with the Eldest Princess in the Council Hall, but we couldn't come up with a solution."
Chen Rui ventured, "Master, if you contacted Sandru's side right now and said you were willing to serve Prince Heiyao, could you avoid the challenge?"
Aldas shook his head firmly. "I refused Prince Heiyao's offer before, and I won't accept it now. We Dark Elves may not care for so-called virtues like honesty and tolerance, but we value gratitude above all else. I will never betray Princess Shea. Even if I'm exiled for three years, I'll do everything I can to become a master again and continue serving Her Highness."
But since Prince Heiyao was determined to target Shea, it was hard to say whether Aldas would survive his exile. And even if the Dark Elf managed to live through it and regain his master's status, would Darkmoon City, already teetering on the brink, still be under Shea's control three years later?
Even Chen Rui had thought of that. Aldas must have known it, too.
Aldas said no more. He continued sorting through his potions and books, preparing to leave at any moment.
Chen Rui didn't help Aldas pack. He stood nearby, frowning in silence. Aldas was extremely rigorous in his studies. Although he had a bit of the Dark Elf's cunning, he had held nothing back while teaching Chen Rui about potions and had shown no prejudice against other races. At the same time, this master was Chen Rui's best shield from the outside world. Whether for Aldas's sake or his own, Chen Rui had to find a way to help him.
Besides, the Super System's activation progress had stalled. Sandru's new poison might be just the opportunity he needed...
As he pondered, a daring plan gradually took shape in Chen Rui's mind.
"Master, wait! Don't be so pessimistic yet. We haven't necessarily lost. If my plan works..." After thinking it through, Chen Rui smiled and said, "Perhaps we can start by calmly discussing how to divide that enormous fortune."
Aldas froze at those words. His previously gloomy eyes suddenly widened.
At that moment, word was being deliberately spread throughout the Darkmoon Territory: in two days, Sandru, the potion-making genius from the Imperial Capital, would formally challenge Master Aldas. The news spread like wildfire, and the whole of Darkmoon was discussing the momentous event.
Two days passed quickly. Just as long as the magical message had taken to arrive, a group from the Imperial Capital appeared outside Darkmoon City right on schedule.
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