บท 104: Old and New Acquaintances
Years ago atop the hills in the eastern region.
There was a walled community situated on the very hills. Within the walls were all sorts of of buildings such as the residences, shops, a merchant hub, brothels, etc.
It was none other than the Alchem Town.
This was where most of the alchemists in the nearby area where living at. In fact, it had more alchemists than the whole southern region.
The Alchem Town was one of the branches of the Alchemist Union. Although only a branch, the Alchem Town was also more popularly called as "Alchemist Union" or simply "Union", obviously derived from its mother organization.
***
"A new apprentice?"
"Yeah, I heard an elder accepted somebody new as a personal apprentice. He said it's a boy."
"How old is he? Is he older than me?"
"Nope, he's actually a few years younger than you."
"Seriously? Hais, looks like there's a second Gavin."
"Look, there he is. He's with... huh, Senior sister Airein?"
"What?!"
Two figures walked up the stone path on the hill. One of them was a boy wearing an eyepatch and carrying a satchel; while the other person was a girl who get angry from time to time because of the boy's attitude.
"This location here, where there are many houses is the residential area of the normal apprentices." The girl introduced to the newcomer.
She then asked, "Hey? So you're still not going to react Mr. Deadface?" She snorted. "Well, you'll surely be impressed when you arrive at the top of the hill."
The girl paused her steps then turned her head towards the gossipers. She showed a furious face and screamed, "I can hear you people gossiping about the new guy beside me from far away! You blabbermouths are better used if you were in a brothel or a tavern as drunk informants instead!"
"Senioe sister noticed us! Run!" The gossipers instantly scrammed away as if their lives depended on it. It wasn't the first time this kind of situation occurred.
She was called "senior sister" not because she was older, actually she was younger than them; but because she has a higher rank than they do.
As she was about to continue walking, she saw another person coming down from the hill approaching the both of them.
Her violent expression immediately turned into a humble and fragile one when the other person came closer.
"Senior brother!" She greeted the newly-arrived person with a wide smile.
"Airein, you are still very cute, you know that?" The boy squeezed Airein's cheeks with his fingers. Suddenly, he inserted more force on the squeezing motion. "I can hear you shouting like a crazy person from afar. You are going to wake up people from their sleep with that kind of attitude!"
"Ow! Stop it! I won't do it ever again! I will never again!" Airein forcedfully removed the hands off her face. Leaving behind red, cherry cheeks.
"This is the new guy, eh?" The boy looked over at the newcomer and asked.
"Yes.", Airein nodded. "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"
"Don't you already know him? Why don't you introduce us to each other?" Her senior brother said.
"Eh, I'm too lazy." She answered with a straight face.
'I will do it myself.' The boy thought and presented himself. "Hello, I'm Gavin, a personal apprentice of one of the elders. Welcome to the Alchem Town! A branch community of the Alchemist Union!"
"What's your name?" He reached out his hand in a bid for a handshake.
Looking straight on the eyes of the new apprentice, Gavin saw the expressionless visage of the other kid. He was surprised as even the old people he had been with weren't this emotionless.
'It's like I'm looking at a dead person.' He inwardly said.
'No. I shouldn't think like that.' He shook of that thought.
'We'll make him feel alive here then.'
"My name is Allen." The young Allen accepted the handshake.
"Junior brother Allen. Again, welcome to our little community of alchemists!" Gavin beamed up.
***
As Edwin and Alice were guided much deeper into the lounge room, the former slowly felt several intimidating auras from behind the second door.
"Please wait for a moment here." The host guided the two of them to sit down on a sofa. Attendants then brought them some fruits and drinks, then the host entered the second door, leaving behind the two magicians with some servants to accompany Edwin and Alice.
'I can take care of these two, but I don't know about the people on the other room.' Edwin calculated the risk of running away in case something 'funny' happened.
"Umm... how are you?" Edwin looked over to one of the magicians and tried to strike a conversation.
"Quiet, you have no rights to speak with us." The magician boldly replied. Not battering at eye on him.
'No rights to speak with you? Mister, you look like you are in your forties yet you are still in the Mage realm, even Anna could beat you with one move.' Edwin turned his sight away from the man and just rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Did you just roll your eyes?" The man audaciously asked.
"Err... what if I say yes?" Edwin cheekily stared back at the magician with a provocative tone.
"You...! Don't you dare be brazen to me kid!" The man further became more overbearing and almost lifted up his staff.
Edwin: "But what if I continue to be so?"
Also Edwin: :3
'Is this guy trying to commit suicide?!', Alice wanted to stop Edwin from teasing the magician, but because of her nervousness she was as still as a statue.
She knew that the magician was only a mage, with Edwin trying to provoke the other party, she knew he would easily beat him up.
"I'll kill you!" The man lifted up his staff on the air, however, the other magician blocked the line of sight of his comrade and said, "Calm down, don't do it here. Calm down."
As the other magician tried to settle down his fellow, Edwin showed his tongue from behind the former which further enraged the latter.
"I'm going to get you kid!" The fuming mage was about to push away his companion and shoot a spell at Edwin when the host finally came back.
"Sir and ma'am, may you please come with me?" The host politely requested.
On the other hand, Edwin and Alice didn't reply and just stood up and followed the host.
"You should be quiet because you are going bother the sirs, if you don't keep your mouth shut you'll be fired!" The host threatened the fumming mage in a calm and authorative manner; forcing the latter to obey and only angrily stare at Edwin.
'With his age, this man could become my uncle, yet his temper is like an immature kid younger than me.' Edwin thought.
Entering the other room, the two of them saw that it looked like large living room. The main colors of the chamber were green and yellow, which gave off a relaxing vibe like they were in a forest.
There were bookshelves filled with writings, even a big glass container full of scrolls, and a few parchments sealed and placed on the walls.
There were three people that were sitting on three separate beautified wooden chairs that had soft and cottony bases and restbacks around a table. Two of the chairs had equal height, but one of them was higher compared to the other two.
A thin elderly wearing white alchemist robes with gold and black linings was sitting on the tallest chair, while a man and a woman were resting on the other two.
After the door behind them closed, the woman flicked her fingers and an invisible barrier surrounded the room.
Edwin sensed that it was a barrier that could block people's communication and prevent others from prying into this room.
Or worse yet, to block their call for help.
'That woman is only an adept.' Edwin judged according to the power of the barrier and along with the fact he could still feel the power of the woman.
"Before I give the 900,000 mana stones, already taking away the 10% fee of auctioning the pill. Answer this question first, from whom did you obtain it from?" The younger man asked the question, looking towards Alice.
"From a customer, sir." Alice replied with utmost respect. The people in front of them weren't the type of persons one could easily offend.
"Do you know the background of that customer?", the man continued to ask.
"No, sir.", Alice replied with a calm face. With several years of her business expertise, she had haggled with a lot of customers. Her experience of facing people were now helping her to put on a calm facade.
"You do know if you are lying, your life is going to be torn apart for it." The man sternly replied.
"I wouldn't do so, sir." Alice answered back.
As the man was about to say something again when the elderly interjected, "That's enough, just give them the mana stones."
The man was surprised by the other's command, nevertheless, he obeyed it and stood up to give Alice a small bag.
"Do you have a large enough spatial storage to store that amount of mana stones?" The elderly asked.
"No, sir.", Alice shook her head.
"Keep the bag then, and off you go." The elderly said. The old man looked at the woman. The former didn't need to speak and the latter removed the barrier.
"Before you go, who is that boy beside you?" The elderly questioned.
"H-he's my... umm, boyfriend." Alice immediately answered back.
"Alright then, you may exit." The aged man let the two of them leave, guided by the host.
"Sir, why did you dismiss them so fast?" The man looked over. "They most likely really know where Alchemist Morgan is."
"The information that she gave is enough." The elderly drank the glass of wine on the table.
"Enough?" The man and woman curiously asked at the same time.
"Enough for me to take doubt on what she said." The elder swirled the glass and the corners of his lips slightly rose.
...
Both Edwin and Alice were walking alone in a corridor, the host already left the two of them after he led them out of the lounge.
It was a silent walk between the two of them, Alice was on the other side of the wall as Edwin was too. Earlier, after they exited the lounge, the two of them began to take distance from each other.
"Don't take what I said earlier seriously." Finally, the silence was broken by Alice. She still didn't try to make eye contact with him tho.
"Yeah, I won't." Edwin replied back, avoiding eye contact too.
Suddenly, the two of them stopped in their places.
'Why can't I move?!', Alice tried to shake her body, but she was as frozen as a statue on her spot.
'Somebody just froze us in place!' Although his body was frozen, Edwin could still move his eyes and he spotted a figure at the other end of the corridor approaching them.
When the figure was already close enough to be recognized, Edwin saw that it was the old man from earlier!
With his hands behind his back and with a slightly bent posture, he went over at Edwin and placed an orb on his hand. Saying loud enough for Alice to hear, "If he has time, tell Allen that I, Esmund, want to talk with him alone. This very orb on your hands is my payment to see him."
He also went over to Alice and smiled, "Also, lying to old people is bad for young people like you."
After that, he resumed walking, passing the two of them; finally, Edwin and Alice only got to move again when the sound of footsteps disappeared.
Freed from being immobilized, the girl slid to the ground and panted in nervousness, "I thought I was going to die." There were even traces of tears on her eyes as she stated those words. It was like a bucket of cold water was thrown over her.
Edwin approached over and calmed her down. When she finally collected her emotions she asked what he got from the old man.
"It looks like it's an internal energy orb." Edwin could feel the energy inside the orb resonating with the mana and internal energy within him.
"Let's get out of here before that old man changes his mind." Keeping the orb in his satchel, he supported her up.
"Okay." Alice muttered under her breath then resumed walking with a faster pace.
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