Ami inhaled deeply as she cultivated on her rock. The formation had been arranged in such a way as to increase the quality of the ki which flowed through the estate, with the best of the ki flowing up around the rock. Formations were quite awkward and finicky, for there were many formations which appeared to do one thing, but truly did another. Thankfully, Mika had kicked one of the pebbles away, which decreased the ki elsewhere in order to stabilise the ki around the rock, and replaced the pebble with a twig that was no longer than his pinky.

Ami finished her morning cultivation by noon, panting as sweat trickled down her body. She glanced towards Mika, threatening to tackle him, but realised she was sweating too much.

“I need to train hard!” the girl shouted, hopping onto her feet. She drunk from her gourd, wiping her mouth as though she were a drunkard who had sipped the greatest wine, before returning back to the rock.

“Father said you should wait an hour after you stopped cultivating to cultivate,” Mika warned.

Ami’s eyes met Mika’s, wondering if he’d really tell their father, but she was also a good girl, so just sat against the rock instead. “I don’t have long to train.”

‘You have more than enough time.’ Mika thought, glancing around at the formation. It was a decent formation for them, but that only meant that the Town Lord would have access to a better formation.

“I need to place high so I can become a Celestial Guard,” Ami said, clenching her fists, her cheeks puffed out excitedly.

‘Should I increase the amount of ki I send into her at night?’ Mika thought. He was certain that Ami, whose ki had been enhanced by his technique late at night, had the most ki in terms of quality and quantity out of her entire generation, save for himself. ‘I could always use my reserves…’

Mika had ruined his dantian, something which had shocked his parents when he was young. It had reformed into a smaller dantian, something which had disqualified him from learning many of the family’s techniques. It had written him off to his family, though his status as a Page had made him valuable in other ways.

However, Mika had purposefully destroyed his dantian, for he had used it to hide his secret abilities. It would have been awkward to explain to his family how he had so much of so many other types of ki, each which was relevant to his specific abilities in his various lives.

Then, of course, there was the mana that he had also refined, which was a technique that was more than likely foreign to this world, and could have been mistaken as demonic ki.

“You can do it,” Mika eventually said. “I believe in you.”

Ami smiled. She reached up to his head and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad that you speak normally now.”

A darkness fell over to Mika as he recalled what his sister had said when he was young, back when he used to speak so arrogantly to her. It had struck him deep in the heart, and had almost formed a heart demon, though he quickly threw away his demeanour and his heart demon with it.

‘I suppose I should try to help you, sister.’

It wasn’t long until Expert Jon personally arrived to speak with the family. His appearance had caused quite the fuss, as Lina, the servant, had managed to spot him on the way back from picking up vegetables from the market. Her unsightly appearance running had caused Gant, the head servant, to admonish her, before she quickly explained the matter.

“I apologise for coming without sending word ahead, but our guild has had other matters to deal with,” Jon said, smiling innocently towards the family.

“There is no apology needed,” Amon assured. “Since you are my son’s Master, it is only right you may come without sending word ahead.”

‘Stop trying to get me killed,’ Jon thought as he continued to smile innocently. “I have come to speak with your Head, if he isn’t busy?”

It was one thing for him to come unannounced to the Right Hand, but for the Head? It was quite a slap to the face, but Amon bowed his head, sending word to the Head as the young Expert was settled in the guest pavilion, where he was poured tea.

Lina was conflicted. This young man had taken away her adorable Young Sir, but he had also brought up the boy’s status to the world. ‘I can’t forgive you, but I’ll surely thank you.’ She poured the tea with grace befitting a servant of the Black Hand family, almost a dance.

‘This must be Lina,’ Jon thought, recalling what Mika had told him. ‘She really is an idiot.’ He sipped the tea slowly. ‘Though, the tea is pretty good.’ He continued to sip the tea.

Rogue arrived a short while later. “Greetings to the Expert Alchemist.” He raised his hands in the cultivator’s greeting.

“Greetings to the Head,” Jon replied, also raising his hands the same way, palm across fist. “I hope I did not interrupt anything?”

“You did not,” Rogue assured, before he sat down opposite the Expert Alchemist. “What need of the great Expert Alchemist of this Head?”

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“Would you be willing to humour me before we begin our discussion?” Jon asked, placing an elixir on the table. “I’d like for someone to drink this elixir.”

Rogue bowed his head, motioning a hand to one of the guards, Gin, who stepped forward to drink the elixir. His ki instantly exploded, revealing the temporary increase in his strength, which had increased by a small realm for a minute. Such an elixir was common, though it did end up wounding the user after the effects ended. There was another elixir which was similar, though it did not increase one’s strength by quite as much, but lasted much longer.

Rogue wouldn’t refuse the Alchemist’s request, even though it meant one of his guards would be injured for a short while. However, at the thought, Jon placed down a pill, which Rogue assumed to be something which would heal the after effects.

“My father, Elder Yan, has asked me to speak with you personally, since Mika is under me as a disciple,” Jon began.

Rogue understood that Elder Yan must have gone to speak with the Patriarchs of the other two families personally, then. Technically, it meant that the Alchemists were disrespecting him, but since Jon had personally come to speak with him, it wasn’t that big oa deal.

“We are currently going through some more changes in our Alchemist’s Guild. Over the past few years, we’ve been changing our recipes, and have changes the prices accordingly. We have created two new tiers of some of our most popular pills. A pill which is only eighty percent effective, sold at half the price, and another pill which is twenty percent more effective, for twice the price.”

Rogue nodded, having been supplied some of these new pills recently, as were some of the other families. They had been sent around the time of the auction, though the nearby towns and cities were only just recently hearing about such news, though the chaos the Starr Alchemist’s Guild had created within the city was still spreading throughout the land.

“We have also changed some of our recipes for other products, and as such, would like to discuss a new contract with the Black Hand family.” Jon finished his tea, but Lina quickly filled up a new cup. “We hope that you are willing to discuss a new contract.”

Rogue thought about the contract that they had already signed. It was a fine contract, nothing too great, nothing too bad, though it was better than their previous contract. They were able to procure twenty percent more resources than previous, at a cost of twenty five percent more. “I am open to discussing changes.”

Jon placed the contract down before the Head. It had already been written down to an extreme degree of specifications. Rogue read the contract carefully, noting the Alchemists had decreased many of the pills which had originally been handed over to them, but had kept the price the same. Meaning, they would go back to receiving one hundred percent of the average pills and elixirs they usually procured, for twenty five percent more.

“If you are displeased, you may refuse the contract,” Jon said, politely, with the most innocent smile.

As the moments passed, Rogue could feel a heavy pressure press against his shoulders. His eyes fell up to meet with Jon’s, and the moments continued to pass. It had been a minute since he had read the contract, and the Head of the Black Hand family reached into his pocket and brought out his quill, which was enchanted with the ability to hold a large amount of ink, before he signed the new contract.

“It was a pleasure, Head,” Jon said, bowing his head, before taking the contract to send to the government, who would deal with storing it safe. “I will take Page Mika with me to the guild, for we need the extra hand.”

Rogue remained sitting as the Alchemist left, staring at the pill he had left behind. He wasn’t sitting down to be rude, but he was stuck in his thoughts. He wasn’t familiar with the pill, and wondered what it was truly for. Gin began to sweat next to the Head, before the effects of the elixir wore off. He reached up to his chest, feeling the heat within it, but it passed after a moment.

“Are you alright?” Rogue dared to ask.

“I am fine, Head,” Gin replied, cautiously. “I feel a little empty, but I think I just need to cultivate for a few hours.”

Rogue lifted up the pill, staring up at it, before he held it out to Gin. “Refine this and report to me its effects.”

“Yes, Head,” the guard said, accepting the pill, before quickly retreating away to cultivate.

‘Five minutes,’ Rogue thought. ‘Five minutes, and seemingly none of the typical draw backs?’

It was later that evening when Gin reported back to the Head, revealing that his ki had been reduced to a sliver of what it used to be.

‘Is that all?’ the Head thought, wondering if that was the side effects of the elixir. ‘No. So far they have not truly treated us poorly, and there’s always been a reason for their actions, regardless of whether or not I can fathom it at the moment.’

“Head?” Gin called, waiting for Rogue to nod. “My ki has changed.”

Rogue pressed his fingers against the guard’s veins. He tilted his head, before pulling his fingers back, staring at them. The purity of the guard’s ki had increased to an unreal degree. His own ki was fairly pure, purer than most within even the main family, but the guard’s ki had a greater purity than even his own. There was so little of it that it would have been difficult to use, but having such pure ki was a boon in its own way.

‘What does it mean?’ Rogue thought. Revealing such an elixir and pill to him no doubt meant that the Alchemists were hiding something more terrifying. ‘Are they preparing for war?’

While the Rogue was thinking of what the Alchemists were trying to tell him, they had finally returned to the Alchemist’s Guild. The Alchemists were casually working, for the last hour of the day, which was usually the busiest, had become one of the least busiest times.

Jon waves his hand, stopping them from greeting him, before he yawned. “Page Mika, come, I will test you on the sixth volume today.”

‘The sixth volume already?’ Senior Tama thought.

Mika followed him to his room.

“White spotted grass?”

“Sixty seven,” Mika replied, before relaxing on the sofa nearby.

Jon had asked purely so he hadn’t lied to the Alchemists, in the same way that everything he had said to the Rogue had been technically true. “I didn’t expect you to reveal the elixir and pill so soon.”

“My sister wants to place high in the tournament, so I might as well help her win,” Mika replied, picking up a book to read it. “It will be awkward for her if we don’t bring the elixirs and pills to market, then the Town Lord will complain and plot. Give him the same amount of elixirs and pills, and he won’t be too fussed about it.”

“Won’t it be too difficult if…” Jon sighed, realising how stupid his words were. “No. Nevermind.”

Mika smiled. Of course, if the Town Lord received the same resources, his family would still be able to progress quicker because of his status as the Town Lord. However, there was one thing the Town Lord didn’t have.

He who refuses to conquer the world. Again.