Chapter 821: Comparing Their Seniority
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Leo was cursing internally. Domoto was only now being polite; that dude finally realized that Leo was the senior, huh?
“Oi, what’s your name? Which force did you join? What’s your status now?” Leo ignored Okuyama Domoto. Even if his status wasn’t like before, he still didn’t need to care about Domoto, or at least Domoto wasn’t worth his time for now.
“I’m w.a.n.g Zhong, a Holy Apprentice from the Tyrants. I just wanted to try out for the alchemy subsidiary profession test.” Seeing how the other party pretended not to have met him before, w.a.n.g Zhong decided not to mention it either. After all, he had bribed him before, and that wasn’t something very honorable.
Leo didn’t reply to him but activated his Skylink instead. No one knew what he was doing. Leo sent a message to Great Master Murphy straight away. He had been tormented over this issue recently, and he could finally complete his task now. He almost shed tears of joy, but now wasn’t the time yet. He had to be on alert as he still didn’t know the reason why Murphy wanted to find w.a.n.g Zhong. Since he didn’t know what was going on yet, he wasn’t going to take sides. Sitting on the fence was the safest option.
“Domoto, we must be fair and impartial in judging the candidates. This is one of the principles of the Alchemy Union. Tell me what happened. Why do you want to disqualify him?” Leo tried to smooth things over. Even if Leo was in this state now, he still had the ability to deal with Okuyama Domoto.
Okuyama Domoto was stunned. He didn’t expect Leo to react like that. What was he thinking? He wanted to help this useless trash?
“Seems like there’s gonna be a show.”
“What’s happening? It’s that w.a.n.g Zhong guy again? That dude never fails to cause trouble.”
All the newcomers who were waiting for their turn to be evaluated were extremely nervous, but after this episode, many were not as anxious anymore and whispered among themselves.
Noraba was also somewhere in a corner of this examination area. He had made quite a big improvement in the past six months and was considered to be in the top tier among the newcomers. He was one of the people who could pa.s.s through the Thousand Gorge Fish Forest for sure, but he knew how important it was for newcomers to be promoted to Holy Disciples. That was why he decided to get another insurance for himself. He was doing well in alchemy under the help of some senior brothers in the Tyrants. He had done many alchemy experiments in the past six months, so he probably had a chance in pa.s.sing the subsidiary profession test. He wasn’t in a hurry to start the secret realm test. It would be safer to wait for firsthand news from the people who went through it. Noraba might not have fit in with the people in the Federation, but he was rather popular in the Tyrants.
There were way too many people who came to register for the subsidiary profession test today. When he came in the morning, the morning slots were already full before he even got to queue up. He only managed to get into the queue during the afternoon when there were fewer people. It was pure coincidence that he got allocated to take the test in the same batch as w.a.n.g Zhong. He couldn’t help but sigh silently at this sight.
Previously, when Noraba reminded w.a.n.g Zhong that someone in the Tyrants was after him, he was referring to Okuyama Domoto. Senior Domoto was a prominent figure among the Holy Disciples in the Tyrants, and several seniors from the Tyrants had heard what happened between him and w.a.n.g Zhong. They wanted to get into his good books, so they wanted to teach w.a.n.g Zhong a lesson. Noraba had heard about that, but there was nothing he could do; he could only convey it to w.a.n.g Zhong discreetly. Luckily, w.a.n.g Zhong disappeared every so often and didn’t show his face much in the Tyrants, so those people didn’t get a chance to teach him a lesson.
However, he didn’t expect this guy to be supervising the alchemy selection test today, and w.a.n.g Zhong just happened to have come for the test. w.a.n.g Zhong was offering himself to his enemy on a silver platter… Noraba was hesitating. At that instant, he wanted to say something to help w.a.n.g Zhong, but he dismissed that thought after a few seconds. Although he held a favorable impression of w.a.n.g Zhong, they weren’t even friends. If it was a small matter, he would have helped; but this concerned his future… Forget it. Anyway, this guy was still so straightforward. Trying to challenge the enemy in his territory, w.a.n.g Zhong was just digging his own grave. There was no way Noraba could help him even if he wanted to.
w.a.n.g Zhong was done for.
Noraba sighed and straightened his clothes. He decided to just stand there quietly like a pretty vase and watch this guy seek his own death. He would burn a joss stick for him after he died since they were acquaintances.
“He destroyed three buildings in an experiment previously. Isn’t that enough to disqualify him?” Okuyama Domoto suppressed his anger mainly because he wasn’t sure whether Leo really wanted to help this guy or whether Leo just wanted to prove his existence. If it was the latter, he could just explain everything in one sentence and settle this easily; there would be no need for the two supervisors to fall out.
“Oh, that’s a wards experiment, right? That’s not related to alchemy!” Leo acted like he didn’t understand. He got a rough understanding of w.a.n.g Zhong’s accident by listening to the murmuring voices around him. This person was really a… magnet for trouble! Leo wiped the cold sweat dripping off his forehead. It seemed that w.a.n.g Zhong was already showing mercy last time when he didn’t clean up after himself in the workshop, or Leo would definitely be worse off now!
“It’s an experimental accident! Any accident is still an accident. Senior, are you doing this deliberately?” Okuyama Domoto was losing his patience.
“How could you say I’m doing this deliberately?” Leo frowned. “I’m just stating facts. Also, he has already received punishment from the Holy City for his offense. We have no right to pursue the matter further. Domoto, don’t cause trouble! Okay, everyone, continue with your test. Don’t let this affect the progress of your test!”
“Wait!” Okuyama Domoto’s face changed completely, an ice-cold expression now on it.
Frankly speaking, if he was facing the Leo from before, Okuyama Domoto certainly wouldn’t dare to talk to him like this. However, he really didn’t care about Leo now. Leo was just a guy who lost his backer in the Alchemy Union, so what if he was a 5-star alchemist? A 5-star alchemist with no connections was as useless as a pile of dog s.h.i.+t; he didn’t have any influence in the Alchemy Union and couldn’t do anything to Domoto at all. On the contrary, if the two of them really clashed, Domoto’s backer could crush people like Leo casually. If Domoto just let this slide, he would become a joke.
Previously, he was just polite to Leo since he didn’t want to gain a reputation for bullying old people. Leo really thought that he was worthy of being his senior?
“Leo, don’t you know what kind of situation you’re in now in the Alchemy Union? I’m calling you Senior out of politeness, but you need to know where to draw the line. Do you really think that you’re calling the shots here?” Okuyama Domoto said coldly. “I’m disqualifying this dude for sure today. Do you really think you can interfere?”
Leo was stunned. Although he knew that Domoto didn’t truly respect him, he could feel a rush of fury rise up in his chest upon hearing such an insult. Even if he was a phoenix that had fallen, he wasn’t someone that a little duckling could challenge. He was about to unleash his rage when someone spoke at the door. “The examination area should be silent. Domoto, Leo, as the supervisors, why are you fighting?”
Although the person at the door seemed to be scolding the both of them, he was clearly staring daggers at Leo.
Okuyama Domoto smirked secretly and bowed respectfully to the person. “Teacher Elnic!”
Everyone quieted down instantly. The person at the door was around forty years old. He was short and slightly chubby, but he was full of vigor. He stared at Leo coldly, like an eagle looking at a quail.
Elnic was a 10-star alchemist in the Alchemy Union, and he was considered to have some power in the Alchemy Union.
When he still had the trust of Great Master Murphy, Leo was rather famous. There were many people like Elnic in the Alchemy Union, and Leo didn’t pay much attention to him. He vaguely remembered that they had worked together before on some Alchemy Union matters. Of course, Leo was the main person in charge while Elnic was just an a.s.sistant. Elnic didn’t like to suck up to people and was rather conceited. Leo had even scolded him before.
Well, well, he’s Okuyama Domoto’s teacher?
On the other hand, Elnic got a rough understanding of what happened and glanced at w.a.n.g Zhong. Honestly, he wasn’t interested in w.a.n.g Zhong. It was Leo that he was more interested in. When that dude had a high status in the Alchemy Union, he randomly allocated many resources and opportunities to other people, just not to Elnic because he wouldn’t suck up to him. Those chances had belonged to him. If not for Leo, he might have become a Great Master by now.
Elnic laughed coldly and looked at Leo. “A person that failed at wards and comes running to alchemy, how is such a person fit to become an alchemist? Even if we don’t talk about his accident-p.r.o.ne nature, he is not qualified to be an alchemist just based on his personality that lacks perseverance and continuity. What does he see the three major subsidiary professions as? He thinks he can switch around based on his mood? There’s no problem with Okuyama Domoto’s decision. Leo, you, however, you’re so protective of him. Were you bribed by him?”
Leo didn’t receive any reply from Great Teacher Murphy, so he wasn’t sure whether he would come. Actually, he could have just asked w.a.n.g Zhong to leave his contact details privately, but after searching for him for a few months, he was on the verge of going crazy. Now, once he saw w.a.n.g Zhong, he just felt the need to hold on to him tightly and wait for Great Master Murphy to come. His brain wasn’t functioning properly since he was too afraid that w.a.n.g Zhong would disappear again.
Hearing Elnic’s snide comments, Leo was p.i.s.sed off, but he didn’t dare to take his anger out on him. Who knew whether Great Master Murphy still valued this guy called w.a.n.g Zhong? Leo could only drag this conversation on for as long as he could. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s qualified. As the teacher supervising this test, I’m protecting the basic rights of a candidate. He didn’t do anything wrong in the examination area, so there’s no reason for anyone to disqualify him.”
“Haha, I’m just being polite, and you’re taking it seriously? Do I need your permission to disqualify him? Do I need a reason to?” Elnic said coldly. “Don’t forget your status now. Don’t you know your manners? You’re just a 5-star alchemist who relied on connections. Who gave you the audacity to speak to me like this?”
Leo wanted to fight it out with him, but he resisted the urge to do so. His talent couldn’t be compared to that of Elnic. Without Murphy, he could never win against Elnic. Since w.a.n.g Zhong was found, it was none of Leo’s business if he was disqualified; it wasn’t as if he was going to be killed.
Seeing Leo shut up, Elnic smiled proudly and clapped his hands. There was a commotion outside as two rows of five guards ran inside in a neat formation.
Elnic was slightly stunned. There seemed to be more guards than usual today. The Alchemy Union had arranged 10 or 20 guards to maintain order at the examination area today, and it wasn’t likely that most of them were standing guard outside to wait for his orders… He didn’t have time to think much of it anyway.
All of them were wearing the silver uniform that Alchemy Union guards wore. There wasn’t anything wrong. Elnic looked at Leo and w.a.n.g Zhong with a scornful look on his face. “Throw this person out now!”
It suddenly became very quiet. Numerous candidates, including Noraba, gulped a mouthful of saliva. It was only an alchemy test, yet this required the Alchemy Union’s guards to be dispatched…
w.a.n.g Zhong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Things seemed to have become more complicated with Leo’s intervention. Elnic was obviously targeting Leo, implicating the innocent w.a.n.g Zhong. Otherwise, Okuyama Domoto had been ready to fight him after being provoked, and it would have been a convenient reason for w.a.n.g Zhong to beat him up and feel good. He would have just left after that.
Well, nothing could be done now. Trouble already came knocking, and these were Alchemy Union guards they were talking about. This wasn’t a matter of whether w.a.n.g Zhong had the power to fight them, but it would be considered as opposing the law of the Holy Land if w.a.n.g Zhong tried to resist. That wouldn’t be a private fight. It would become an entirely different matter.
Elnic was in high spirits and felt good about himself. When Leo gave away the resources that were supposed to be his, he didn’t dare to say anything, but he had been imagining countless similar scenes to today’s ever since. However, after he gave the command, those guards didn’t react at all and just stood there motionless like wooden blocks.
Elnic was shocked. “Why are you all just standing there? You didn’t hear what I said?! Move it!”
“Someone has quite the hot temper today.” Suddenly, a voice rang behind him.
“Who the f*ck dares to…” Elnic flew into a rage. As a 10-star alchemist, he was the overall person in charge of the alchemy evaluation tests this time. Who had the audacity to say that he didn’t have the right to command a few guards?
He turned his head sharply, only to be dumbfounded. He didn’t manage to get the rest of his words out before a middle-aged man walked towards them in big strides. Despite his relaxed appearance, he radiated a strong aura.
With the appearance of this person, the candidates in the originally quiet examination area, as well as those who were waiting outside, all started shouting.
“Great Master Murphy!”
“Oh my! Teacher Murphy actually came to the newcomers’ examination area?! Am I seeing things?
“Sh*t, what is happening now?” Noraba’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Subconsciously, Noraba sensed that this matter was about to progress in another direction just because w.a.n.g Zhong was involved. F*ck, would w.a.n.g Zhong really be able to get out of this???
This middle-aged alchemist was too famous. He was Great Master Murphy, one of the three most acclaimed alchemy Great Masters. He was regarded as an alchemist second to none, especially by Heroic Soul soldiers, since he was the only Great Master that made weapons for them. This led Murphy to be held in high regard by everyone in the Holy City.
Perhaps there were other Great Masters that were more skilled than Murphy in the Holy City, but there were none that were more famous than him. Posters of him were the ‘brand’ of Murphy’s Alchemy Workshop, and they were pasted all over the streets in the Holy City; it was hard not to recognize him. At the same time, he was the vice president of the Alchemy Union and definitely held significant power and influence over the alchemy sector in the Holy City.
Elnic’s mind went blank. Logically, it was impossible that Murphy would appear here and even more impossible that he would come to help Leo. This… what was happening!?
Elnic was extremely confused, while beside him, Domoto was scared silly and didn’t even dare to open his mouth.