"Captain, the last of the crates have been loaded. We can set off as soon as Master Erkden gives the word."

"Sigh, it had to be that nuisance. I will inform Master Erkden; you go prepare the others to set off immediately. That impatient offshoot will want to leave before the words even leave my mouth."

The nameless captain marched through the expansive distribution center, nimbly sidestepping clusters of Seedlings who rushed about carrying small crates and baskets and pulling small wagons loaded with various goods. The air was thick with the scent of fresh produce, the strange smell of processed alchemic mixtures, and the hum of activity.

The captain walked towards a man dressed in extravagant clothing, with short brown hair and sideburns that extended into a thin mustache above his mouth. The man's face was sunken and bony, giving him a skeletal appearance, but his body was surprisingly plump, creating a stark contrast. This was Master Erkden, a young Seedling known for his unique physical features, impatient and lazy personality, and, most importantly, elitist mentality. As the captain approached him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disdain for the infamous Alchemic Master.

"Master Erkden, we have finished," the captain said, bowing his head, knowing what was about to happen.

"It's about time! Do you waste of space even know how long I have been waiting? I could have died from boredom in the time you lessers took to load the goods."

Erkden's brown eyes shimmered in annoyance as he glared at the lead captain of the supply shipment he was in charge of. They had taken so long to prepare this little amount of goods. What useless fellows were put under him? He should have been in charge of the last shipment instead of that useless Zindra.

Erkden came from a long line of renowned Alchemic Masters, and his talent was the best the family had ever produced. He was on the cusp of becoming a Grandmaster Alchemist in just under two hundred years, the standard that Grandmaster Alchemic families hold their descendants to, while Zindra only recently became a Grandmaster after over four hundred years she was a shame to any Grandmaster family. So why was he, in all his glory, besmirched as to be a supporter of that failure? What was she capable of? Could she care for the esteemed guest as well as someone of his standing, talent, and extravagance? The answer was no, and to Erkden, it was obvious, so how did that puddle manage to sink her claws into this opportunity, his opportunity? It must have been some malignant deed, lies, manipulation, or something of the like that was the only explanation as to why that failure stole his chance.

Zindra's incompetence was well known, so why was she in charge of this precious mission to care for these immaculate Feyrisians? Nepotism was the only answer Erkden could come to, and with that puddle's useless connections, she could never convince the council that she was fit for the task. Usually, Erkden would not mind; it is only suitable for those with power to use it. If it had been anyone else in her family, Erkden would have praised them and been content to be a supporting character, but not that useless Zindra, that useless puddle. Erkden would rather support some unknown beggars from one of those poor districts than support something like Zindra. Erkden's thoughts culminating there burst into outrage as his mind wandered about helping Zindra.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

Erkden threw a fit and began screaming as he stomped around the open floor. In his blind rage, he started damaging goods and emptying crates, throwing them around the room, causing chaos and destruction as shelves were knocked over and Seedlings were hit. The workers who witnessed this were left in a difficult situation, as they knew that reporting Erkden's behavior could result in consequences for them. On the other hand, if they chose to ignore the situation, the consequences could be just as dire. Ultimately, they felt helpless and powerless, and they could only try and carry on with their work while pretending that nothing was happening.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Why is everyone so useless? Everyone around me is useless!"

The captain moaned as he watched Erkden throw his tantrum. He could tell Master Erkden was upset, but the captain wasn't dumb enough to believe it was because of them. They had only received resupply orders today and had already, in the span of just a few hours, loaded more than two thousand carriages and large wagons with supplies; in no way was this slow considering their usual pace, but that didn't concern him; that was someone else's problem. But all of that still didn't take away from the tantrum that was happening now. If this continued, the damage would be enough that someone might become a test subject to one of the distribution center grandmasters, and the captain didn't want it to be him.

"Master Erkden?"

"WHAT!"

Erkden threw his head to glare at the captain, who dared to disturb his venting. His brown eyes glowed red with rage as he stared, waiting for the captain to justify himself, but the captain stood still and straight-faced.

"What do you want lesser?" Erkden said through his grinding teeth.

"If this continues any longer, then I must report to the lord master." the captain said

"Father?"

Erkden dropped the broken board he held in his hand, knowing that if this was reported to his father, he might lose his right to work as a supplier or, worse, to use his personal lab.

"You wouldn't dare!" Erkden said through his gritted teeth

the captain remained silent, his eyes never leaving Erkden as the captain pulled out a small crystal from a pouch around his waist.

"Y-You... Fine!" Erkden said

The captain knew that his decision would not improve the situation, but he knew it would prevent any financial loss. At that moment, the most important thing was to avoid any financial setbacks. Any other issues would be dealt with by someone else. The only thing that mattered to the captain was to please the lords. The lords of a house were more intimidating than any spoiled brat, even if they were master alchemists.

The Lord of this distribution center was not only a grandmaster and Lord of a Grandmaster family but also Zindra's grandfather. Although he was known for his kindness and forgiving nature, his bottom line was very high regarding his family and distribution center. It was good that Erkden and Zindra's fathers were close; otherwise, Erkden may not have been able to walk out of here along with most of the Seedlings who watched.

"Master Erkden?" The captain asked

Upon noticing Erkden's thoughtful expression and his slitted eyes, the captain decided to leave the area and allow the spoiled young master to handle any potential issues that might happen. As long as the situation didn't cause any problems for the captain, Erkden was free to create chaos to his heart's content.

"Zindra and her caravan had left three weeks ago, and if that useless woman was not so useless, then she should have arrived already or be close to arriving," Erkden mumbled, "I need to arrive soon so when she makes a mistake I can be there to clean up her mess, and if the Feyrisians happen to notice my achievement all the better."

Technically, Erkden was supposed to wait another week before he left, as the Alchemic race's agreements with any of its subordinate races is two thousand carriages sent once a month, no later than four months, which holds regardless of the population size. Still, Erkden was excited about the opportunity—at least, that is what he had justified in his mind. With excitement, Erkden followed behind the captain in the distance on his way to solve the mess that Zindra would make.