Immense Worth... And Attention

"!!" Sect master Yolin, just like everyone else that finally processed his words, reacted with disbelief and amazement to them. Sect master Yolin was already taking another step towards him while from the crowd, sect master Holoriu, and pastor Erquiles had already made their way out of it and were now looking at what is basically a boy challenging to death an experienced old man in the latter's field of expertise.

“Ciemnosc-...” Sect master Yolin tried to talk to him. But the boy, this time, didn’t even look at her and instead kept his eyes on the old man that hadn’t decided and hence kept his arm high with the ‘bombing button’ still about to be ‘pressed’.

“W-what- just what do you mean by that, boy?” Agitated, but then again, feeling relaxed and trying to figure out what Ciemnosc was trying to get to. Radarf spoke out as loudly and bravely as he could, which was stuttering so readily and sweating off a little bit more, while his eyes trembled between Ciemnosc and the sect master of the Preferential Light Justice Sect still.

Ciemnosc shook his head, but that was towards himself for being too little clear for such an idiot who would need hours of explanation to understand something simple, despite whatever attainments the old man had in alchemy and the like. He rolled his eyes and then said a very short, semi rough sigh from his nostrils. “We either bet on whatever we are to do with our deaths, or we simply engage in an activity that decides the winner only once one of us dies.”

“How about it?” Barking in a low volume and calmly, Ciemnosc added with a nod before falling silent and letting the crowd hush all within the grand hall. The sect masters and the pastor had differing expressions. Sect master Holoriu and pastor Erquiles had observant expressions, clearly simply wanting to know what the kid could ever have in his hands and brain.

Then there were the sect masters of the other 2 sects. While the Eagerburning Flames Sect looked eager to try and meddle in at any point, sect master Yolin was already trying to talk Ciemnosc out of it.

“Ciemnosc, you can’t do this.” She spoke with a calm, cold, and at ease tone with the left hand on his right shoulder, not thinking anymore whether Ciemnosc would be as stubborn as a mule or not and giving her image as a sect master of the Preferential Light Justice Sect a bit more of justice and less importance for just her image from being such.

“It would be fine if you were in the same realm despite your obvious inexperience compared to him. No matter what you choose to do then, you would be able to attain the same things as he does in terms of technique. But you aren’t even one step behind it, but 3!” Sect master Yolin, to the rest of the crowd, poured buckets of ice cold water onto Ciemnosc’s back.

“... So?” Ignoring her, for the moment, Ciemnosc gave a quick glance over at her with his eyes narrowed more than halfway there to fully closing his eyes. He then looked at Radarf, who seemed to have already calmed down, and asked, without much of a care, with the latter responding as he gave a light, hearty laugh out first.

“Ahahaha, little master Ciemnosc. You are indeed a youngling, your blood is hot, and you are also hot-headed. Nothing wrong with it. Then sure, I, the most incredible alchemist alive in these last few generations and the generations to come, accept a little boy’s challenge to death! You! Choose the uh- whatever method you think is right for you!”

“I won’t impose any of my expertise upon you, take this as a chance to either drop out or choose a death that you are comfortable with yourself,” Radarf spoke aloud and appeared to be almighty. But his eyes were cautious as sect master Yolin’s cold eyes made their way towards him. Yet, after thinking for a little while and giving the place where sect master Holoriu stood, he added with his chest filling up with air.

“And her, why don’t you incl-” But just then, rolling his eyes for the 3rd, 4th— ? —time, Ciemnosc stepped forwards twice and said with an incredibly calm voice. “I already know what to do, but if you just want to die early without even letting me kill you indirectly then alright just keep talking because you’re making great work to get on other’s nerves.”

“You! Damnable punky kid!” Radarf’s eyes were looking at sect master Yolin’s body once more, this time specifically her belly. Woke up and looked at Ciemnosc with fury in his eyes. The guts of this young boy! Saying that he would be deciding Radarf’s, the top alchemist in the entire world, life despite being 10 years and some months old, the stupidity of it!

“Alright, alright then! Speak your death sentence! Kid!!” Radarf almost screamed out in a rage, barely containing himself and letting it remain as a howl of rage against an unruly and undisciplined ignorant person for the sake of advising such. Of course, the words that were said didn’t have any kind nor bonafide sentiment behind them.

“Mmm, since betting our deaths seems like something you wouldn’t dare to do,” Ciemnosc began, his tone calm just like before, but in his head he was silently adding: ‘Because I don’t want to see any damn drama.’

“Then, we’ll do a duel to show off our alchemy level of knowledge and practical skill, techniques, and methods for analyzing and concocting pills in real time. How about it?” Ciemnosc nodded upwards to the old man defiantly, then added once he saw the latter make a face of pondering but…possibly just to hide the fact that he was processing his words.

“You will formulate a poisonous or venomous pill, then I will eat it after a little bit of time which can be decided by the two of us in which I will be able to analyze your pill in order to create an antidote. Then, once I survived it,” Ciemnosc looked with his head low and eyes upturned to Radarf at these words. He smirked, “It will be your turn to find the antidote.”

“Oh…oho, ohohoho, ohoho!” Excited, the old man Radarf began laughing with a semi ‘o’ face and held his belly with his hands, he turned to look all around while ignoring his sect master Farno’s face of a warning before nodding towards Ciemnosc. “Alright, very well. Let’s start-”

“Hold it.” A powerful voice sounded out at this moment. Everyone felt such power come from sect master Farno who then finally stepped out from within the first line of the crowd watching his duel be formed. Awed by the strength of just his voice which almost made them feel like hot blazes and warm waves hit everyone slowly and gently, they watched the sect master cross his arms and look sternly at Radarf.

“Radarf, what do you think you are doing right now? When did I authorize this? And since when can you make such…decisions when it comes to dealing with an important person, not for just the major organizations, but the entire world as a whole?!” Sect master Farno. With his arms crossed and his gaze turning more severe with each word he spoke, made Radarf gulp every few seconds of his speech.

“I am merely, merely…” Only now did Radarf start seeing the results of his thinking from before, did he really believe that an outsider’s words would be trustable when being in that other person’s territory? But now, he had already ‘tried so hard’ to get to this point…he…just wasn’t willing to let it go and go on with another thing or back down.

“Since you don’t even have a reason for this, then just step down, and I can start overlooking this offense to my authority, to your loyalty to the sect!” Sect master Farno hollered, leaving a needy for killing-Ciemnosc startled, whose face made sect master Yolin giggle mentally. The sect master then added, his voice growing louder, “And do not forget about asking for forgiveness from Ciemnosc, understood?”

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“A-a- aah- ah, yes sect master, underst- ah…” Appearing to be another person, just as it is ruled when one bullies weaklings and fear strong ones, Radarf began stuttering once more but this time from his own sect master and not an enemy one. Yet, just as he was nodding and going to voice out his chickening self, another powerful voice came from the side…

“Wait.” Sect master Holoriu didn’t even move out of the first line of gossipers of the crowd watching all of this unfold when or after he spoke, standing still as everyone turned to look from them to him only. Only then adding an amicable little smile on the face of his tall muscular self, “Since Master Radarf has already agreed to the duel, there’s no need to go force him to go back on his words now, is there?”

“...” Now clearer of this mess than ever, the Eagerburning Flames Sect sect master looked in silence at the perpetrator, the perpetrator in question forming a full smile in return at being ‘caught’ red-handed before continuing. “Besides, making master Radarf apologize to a kid. That would be too much of an insult to your own sect, wouldn’t it be so? Ciemnosc isn’t from your sect, after all, sect master Farno.”

“Instead, I think that doing such a thing would put your sect in an embarrassing situa-” But suddenly, sect master Farno stepped forwards once more, his image akin to that of someone restraining themselves with great difficulty and apprehensive but still demonstrating the non-cowardice present within that person’s heart and their organization’s mindset.

“Sect master Holoriu, I don’t think you are who to tell my sect how to behave and, besides, I’m already sure that what little face my sect has,” sect master Farno looked at Radarf before returning his eyes to be locked on sect master Holoriu’s body. “It has already been tainted and played with by the hands of others.”

“... Err, though I admire sect master Farno’s concern for a little, unimportant boy like me, I’m willing to go for it.” After a little bit of time passed, Ciemnosc finally chose to speak at this moment. His eyes had already blinked for enough time that his drama resistance tank, which almost burst was now going back to normal.

“Good!” Radarf shouted and directly took out from his Covert Space bag a lavish and gem-decorated cauldron the size of from his feet to his knees but as stout as his belly. He rushed at Ciemnosc without a twinge of shame, “We’ll start right now, and then, you kid will have only 1 min- no! Just 50 seconds to analyze my pill, 50 seconds only!”

“Ciemnosc!!” Not caring anymore, sect master Yolin ignored the old man’s ramblings and the other sect master’s face off from the distance and without making any moves while also ignoring the entertained face and shining eyes of the pastor. She took Ciemnosc’s shoulders and made him look up at her. There wasn’t an honest concern but more like that of a nanny taking care of a child, nothing else.

“Mn, sect master Yolin is a great beauty, so she shouldn’t put so much emphasis on getting this close to me,” Ciemnosc said, daring enough as his huge balls trembled and dangled. While he moved his hands to touch and grab her wrists, pulling them to the sides back towards her body, adding only once she was standing neutral and strong flashes of who knows what were crossing through her eyes nonstop.

“But I never needed a nanny, a bodyguard perhaps, but I still haven’t had the chance, nor do I think I will ever need it, where I am protected by a girl- or woman for that matter.” Ciemnosc said, also cocking his head to the right momentarily thinking of the ‘disappeared’ Mosto. But he also…looked damn virile and mighty handsome in the always cold eyes of the wonderful sect master Yolin. Some of it melted and fell off as warmth within her eyes still.

…Fwushh.

From the other side, Radarf was already on his way to making his pill. Though Ciemnosc didn’t directly look at him start, nor did sect master Yolin. With their Spirit Sense and only being about 4 meters away from him, they were able to notice each of his movements even when they were fully concentrated on their ‘little moment’ together.

Their little moment together which, in return, was noticed by sect master Holoriu, caused a kind of pressure in the atmosphere increasing and making a few core disciples and core believers of the major organizations faint beside him. Well, some even bled from their 7 orifices.

Radarf was sending his Power Energy into the cauldron every 3 seconds with any of his hands’ palms, he was just now throwing a bunch of herbs at the same time, making the liquid within the cauldron already gushing about and leaving a strong smell.

From which the silent grand ancestor Xing Kei ‘hidden’ within the crowd flung his sleeve, and the doors to the grand hall were opened, allowing the windows on the hallways to get rid of the excessive amount of foul air so that other people wouldn’t start fainting…or even dying any further.

Radarf then used a few more liquids from bottles, some from small vials and tiny flasks, whose content showed off an eerie, disgusting aura or even emitted smoke from just making contact with the air and were all of a gloomy yet ‘bright’ color tone.

Whenever those were being used to fall on the alchemy pot, a little explosion or the creation of countless bubbles would follow. Though that was not visible, and only the sound of such was what exposed them. Radarf kept on adding herb after herb every few half a minute, not only stressing the veracity of the poison he was making with a smile but even giving everyone else a show of what the strongest and strangest of pill concoctions could be like.

It hasn’t even been half an hour before things started to get ‘ugly’ yet also seemed to begin to form ‘something’ deep within the cauldron. The liquid had saturated up to the mouth of the cauldron and everyone could now look at the blackened-gray substance with bubbles of a filthy murky brown popped out in large sizes from time to time, but at least it was calmer.

While sweating the life out of himself, Radarf brought a large box out of his Covert Space bag, showing what was a child-sized box which he treated with utmost care. As he opened it, he revealed what made even the Obsidiafying realm cultivators want to sweat blood out of fearful surprise and wariness!

It was a plant this time, it was a tulip to be more specific with a large light green stem of 30 cm. It had white petals, and while its small petals were already beautiful despite their ordinariness, dainty despite their image of standing out even as ordinary looking as it could be; its 3 large petals were tightly covering the center of its body.

“GASP! That’s an Odorless Venomous Pure Lips!” - “No way! Not…possible?!” - “This is nuts, it can even kill- no, it can kill everything in this world!” - “How dare he! Does the Eagerburning Flames Sect have no shame? They even used that to duel with a little kid!” - “What was the point of using all other herbs then? This is just ridiculous!” - “Does this mean that the Eagerburning Flames Sect always had ownership over such a weapon? How st-... Why would they show it here?”

“...” Ciemnosc, on the other hand, tilted his head to the left ever since the moment that the child-sized box was brought out by a sweaty and even intensely trembling Radarf. He couldn’t help but remember, and more than once at that, the times when he traveled to the first city he ever saw in his country bumpkin life - where he even killed another 2 teenagers back then…

It was the same tulip from back then! Well, the exact same kind!

But that was indeed a reason to be angry and more suspicious than ever for someone like sect master Farno, who could now understand the troubles associated with letting any person, even if they are ‘good’ at something, have both control secrets and letting them hold the most important resources relating to what they’re ‘good’ at. Everyone learns at their own pace and in their own time.

“Ciemnosc? Are you alright? I can take you out of here…but that will probably be…forever.” Sect master Yolin said after looking at Ciemnosc had such a change in his mood, his eyes even looked lost and kinda cuter than ever, to be honest, she almost fell for his eyes to the point even her legs became wobbly. She innocently thought, ‘Dammit, how dangerous he will become as a man…as a…man?’.

“Mn, everything’s fine. Just remembering a nice taste…”

Sect master Yolin: “...?”

After Ciemnosc responded, all that was left was to watch as Radarf took the white tulip into his hands covered by a thick glove which began melting before his hands even made it to grab the plant. And as Radarf carried it to the cauldron, despite it being just half a meter away in a reverse ‘L’ shaped trajectory, he calmly and slowly moved it as it appeared to be too quick yet too long of a motion that kept everyone else at ragged breaths, while the 4 inches thick gloves quickly melted down.

Only when the gloves had a few remaining layers left did Radarf manage to let it slowly drop onto the already disgustingly dangerous liquid of the cauldron; its light green stem was first, followed by the tulips’ small petals as it then sunk itself with ease and no problems arising with the last of its small petals above its center sunk into the cauldron.

Then, finally, the ‘fireworks’ and so-called ‘arts’ that the Eagerburning Flames Sect were inherently famous for came to light in the eyes of those around them.

Before, the cauldron didn’t have any flame below its butt and was only flaming inside because of Radarf’s Power Energy, one of the many newest ways to practice and simply do pill concocting. There was no show nor sight of whatever the Eagerburning Flames Sect was also really known and understood as alchemist-alcoholics. But it was now at last that they began to see…

…