Chapter 119

As planned, Cyrus left the Saint Airo Empire ahead of schedule, only to find His Holiness the Pope waiting there at the port—His Holiness the Pope said he was going to the Desinia Territory.

So Cyrus offered a ride.

More than half a month later, apart from the unexpected encounters with His Holiness the Pope and Archbishop Paul, Cyrus finally returned to the Desinia Territory with a ship full of "harvest".

Just before the long convoy was about to enter the Par Mountain region, a heavy snow fell all night.

The next day, everything was covered in a silvery white.

The roads were covered in snow, forcing the convoy to slow down. Fortunately, Par Mountain was in sight, and the castle was almost there.

Inside the carriage, Cyrus, covered with a fluffy blanket, sat next to His Holiness the Pope, reading a book.

The two were very close, so close that their hair could touch and intertwine. As the carriage swayed, their arms would occasionally brush together, a display of intimacy.

Eggy and Rice Cake, the two little ones, were curled up together on the soft mat, fast asleep.

Rice Cake Cake's fluffy tail covered Eggy's body, and Eggy tucked one of its little paws under Rice Cake's head. After a while, Egg Boy started whimpering and kicking its paw.

Cyrus moved the book blocking her view and looked over—

Just as Rice Cake was about to be woken up by Eggy's whimpering kicks, he bent down and gently pulled Eggy's little paws out from under Rice Cake's head.

Then, Cyrus patted the two cubs on the back soothingly, finally lulling them to sleep again.

One was sleeping face down, and the other was curled up in a sleep. The two cubs' little bellies rose and fell rhythmically, smelling sweet and fragrant. Even Cyrus felt a little sleepy watching them.

He couldn't help but yawn, rubbed his eyes, and gently lifted the curtain with one finger, whispering, "We're almost there. Make sure you get some sleep when we get back."

Are you sleepy?

Just then, a low voice came from the side, which contained a hint of laughter.

"Um."

Cyrus turned to Segalot: "Your Majesty, before you boarded the ship, you said you wanted to come to the Desinia Territory to confirm something..."

Is this matter very serious?

To be honest, when Cyrus unexpectedly encountered the Pope at the port of the Saint Airo Empire, she was both surprised and a little nervous.

After all, he thought His Holiness the Pope knew about the "good deed" he had done before leaving the capital.

But Segalot knew all this, yet he had no intention of stopping it.

He arrived at the port early to travel by ship back to the Desinia Territory with Cyrus.

Cyrus always had to ask why.

Segalot said he came to the Desinia Territory to confirm something in person.

Cyrus thought—something that could be personally confirmed by the Pope must be extraordinary, and she wondered what impact it might have on the Desinia Territory...

He always pays attention to matters that concern him.

So, Cyrus asked the question.

He added, "Your Majesty, if the situation is serious, please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can do to help..."

Please don't be shy.

Segalot seemed to ponder for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "This matter has no impact on anyone else, but it has a very significant impact on me..."

"Having been pope for so long, this is probably the first difficult problem I've encountered, and I want to solve it myself."

Cyrus asked in surprise, "It only affects you? What kind of problem is that?"

Segalot: "You'll find out later."

Perhaps we'll never know.

Seeing that His Holiness the Pope had no intention of continuing the conversation, Cyrus tactfully stopped the topic.

Since it doesn't concern his territory, there's no need to worry.

Soon, the convoy entered the Par Mountain and arrived at the castle.

As soon as the carriage procession stopped, the fluffy creatures scattered in all directions, each squeezing into the castle through the familiar beast-only passageway.

Castles are familiar and safe homes where they feel completely at ease.

Cyrus, carrying Eggy and Rice Cake, also jumped off the carriage.

Instead of rushing into the castle, he looked back and handed the two whimpering cubs to Judas to hold. "How many people are still stubbornly refusing to submit?"

Besides the alchemists who had voluntarily followed him back, the carriage behind him carried other alchemists whom he had "invited" by force.

Along the way, Cyrus did a lot of ideological work and persuasion with them, which really moved many people.

After all, becoming an alchemist in some noble's territory is not just a job.

They were all the same under any nobleman; the only difference was how generously the nobleman was willing to provide for their alchemical research.

Cyrus was both a high-ranking nobleman and a highly experienced and accomplished alchemist.

So, setting aside the way they were brought back to the Desinia Territory, following such a lord who was not lacking in money and power, they actually came out ahead.

However, some people couldn't heed Cyrus's exceptionally sincere words.

Judas held the two cubs carefully and said, "My lord, only Master Chipman Norton and his apprentice Beijin are still insisting that you release them from here quickly."

"The attitudes of the others have softened."

"Your method of having the alchemists from the Alchemy Tower ride in the same carriage with them has been very effective."

Compared to the other kidnapped alchemists who were either dissatisfied or angry, Chipman Norton remained very silent.

He didn't exactly seem to be resisting.

He just kept saying he wanted Cyrus to let him and his apprentice Beijin leave, because he couldn't accept becoming an alchemist in the Alchemy Tower.

Cyrus was puzzled, so she asked him why.

Chipman Norton did not answer at first.

Only after the fleet reached the territory's port did he speak—because the president of the Alchemy Association had been kind to him in his teachings, and the Ed Merchant Guild had provided him with financial support during his time of difficulty.

Chipman Norton said to Cyrus, "I'm not a genius, and I'm not as good as you."

"I also owe you an apology. I researched your herbal potions and ointments without your permission, which is why the Ed Merchant Guild started selling them..."

Cyrus: "You don't need to belittle yourself."

"Back then, many people wanted to understand the proportions and formulations of the herbal medicines and ointments that appeared, but only you figured them out. That alone is enough to demonstrate your ability."

"As for the Alchemy Association, I have no intention of suppressing it; I simply want to develop together with them."

"After all, even if I let these alchemists go, they can't possibly return to the Alchemy Association. In order for their future alchemical research to proceed smoothly, they still need to find a nobleman to provide financial and other support..."

"But look around, is there any nobleman more reliable than me?"

Cyrus said without blushing or panting, "I don't think so."

Chipman Norton remained silent.

Cyrus continued, "While the Ed Merchant Guild helped you during your difficult times, the Ed Merchant Guild achievements you've provided over the years must have earned them a great deal of money."

"What was due has already been repaid."

Cyrus felt that what she said made a lot of sense.

But Chipman Norton was perhaps a bit stubborn in some respects and never softened his stance.

Cyrus stood in front of the castle for a moment, then walked toward the carriage where Chipman Norton was.

At this moment, Chipman Norton and his apprentice Beijin, alighted from the carriage.

Beijin saw Cyrus, he seemed hesitant to speak—in fact, he was somewhat moved by what the Desinia lord had said.

But unfortunately, the teacher kept refusing.

Unbeknownst to Beijin, Chipman, whom he had helped down from the carriage, had already begun to waver slightly, though he remained somewhat stubborn.

Chipman watched as Cyrus approached, expecting him to offer another lecture, and he was mentally prepared.

To everyone's surprise, Cyrus appeared before them and said, "The local anesthetic you developed is flawed in both its treatment method and its application."

"What?!"

Chipman blurted out, "Why do you say that? Where's the mistake? What's the mistake...?"

Chipman pressed for more questions.

He was always meticulous and wouldn't allow any problems to arise in his research. Eager to know where the error was, he hurriedly followed Cyrus after she finished speaking and turned to leave.

Beijin was taken aback, then quickly grabbed his things and ran behind.

A person who hesitates to make a decision is overthinking.

If you give him something else to think about, his attention will quickly be diverted, and he will forget what he wanted to decide or make a decision.

The timing was wrong before.

Now that we've arrived at Par Mountain, surrounded by Visas and Komoy Fort, why would anyone want to leave after seeing it for themselves?

Moreover, Cyrus believed that everything inside the Alchemy Tower would make Chipman Norton never want to leave.

As expected.

Within two days, Chipman Norton's attitude began to soften, and he showed signs of hesitation.

After Cyrus personally led the alchemists he had recruited to the Alchemy Tower...

Just as women are captivated by clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics, these alchemists were completely conquered by the sophisticated and professional instruments and equipment within the Alchemy Tower.

Their gestures and expressions as they touched the equipment were like those of someone meeting a beloved girl—fascinated and excited.

After Chipman Norton showed strong signs of wavering, Cyrus finally proved some of the errors in the use of local anesthetics for him.

In the end, Chipman Norton decided to remain in the Desinia Territory.

He also personally wrote a letter and sent someone to the Saint Airo Empire to deliver it to the president of the Ed Merchant Guild.

The letter stated that he had left with the Lord of Desinia voluntarily and would remain in the Alchemy Tower for a long time to come, hoping that the Grand Master could forgive his departure without saying goodbye.

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In short, it means—I'm sorry, I'm leaving, but don't come after me, because I don't want to go back.

Leaving aside the fact that Elder Thomas was once again so angry that his chest ached.

One morning, after waking up in bed, Cyrus glanced at the sea map on the system interface as usual, and then--

!!!

He involuntarily opened his eyes wide.

Suddenly, I sat up abruptly from the bed—on the sea map in the system interface, the little green dot representing the Orca Rice Ball finally stopped spinning in place and started swimming back happily!

This means that Samuel Fern, who set sail in search of the New Continent, is also beginning his return voyage; the Windrider is coming back!

Cyrus couldn't contain her joy and excitement. She kicked her legs and rolled around on the bed several times, laughing out loud.

The Qing Tuan paused in its morning routine of preening its snow-white feathers, looked over at the sound, tilted its head, and revealed confusion and bewilderment in its bluish-gold eyes...