One month had passed. Kasuur and Mais had been partially introduced to the aristocratic quarter of the city. News from the city lord's mansion praised these geniuses highly. This made people skeptical. However, they showed no sign of impatience, knowing they would soon be able to judge for themselves.
Today was Kasuur's birthday, and an evening celebration was planned. Mais and Kasuur's abilities had been told to Baro, as much as Maria knew, but how much did Maria actually know? She mentioned that Mais was an alchemical genius. She said he was a master alchemist. Baro was quite surprised by this, and he liked it. The highest title of alchemist in the Yellow City was Alchemy Master, and there were only three of them. All three were old men, at least in their forties. According to Maria, Mais had just turned 10.
Of course, Baro didn't completely believe Maria. She could have misinterpreted what she saw. How could a child from nothing become a master alchemist?
His cultivation skills were no weaker than Maria's. Although his skills were probably enhanced by alchemical pills he made himself, Maria had also been nurtured by her father. So his talent was beyond question.
Moreover, there were many other mysterious aspects. Mais' understanding of the Trace of the Tao — Baro knew he was not a Sage — had already been confirmed by some of his men. This also raised suspicions that he was the original owner of the peak core technique. However, Baro did not recklessly charge toward Mais. First of all, Mais had a Sage Beast with him. Baro realized this beast was weaker than him, but he kept all the information he had heard from Maria to himself. No doubt Mais didn't care that he knew all this. That explained a lot. Baro was the city lord when Mais was just a 10-year-old boy, and Mais only told him what he wanted him to know. He came to this conclusion because most of what he knew came from what Mais had told Maria, so he was not wrong.
Judging by Maria's first arrival and her behavior, Mais would undoubtedly have killed her if he thought she would put them in danger. Even though Mais was only ten years old, Baro believed it. This child seemed to have the cunning not to risk his own safety.
He had learned about the death of the town leader. When he learned about their relationship with these children, he became even more cautious. Mais was a cunning little fox, even if Kasuur didn't seem very clever.
The birthday boy was a different story, though. His talent certainly surpassed both Maria's and Mais'. There was no doubt he would be the kingdom's hope in the future. That's why Baro valued him as much as Mais. He may not have been very clever, but he was easy to get along with. Because he was close with Maria, Baro often met Kasuur. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the boy was just a child.
Apparently, Mais only had a high level of intelligence. With such maturity and talent, it was not that he was not worried that they were fugitives from a great sect.
After all, it was an extreme coincidence for two geniuses to come from such a simple village. Furthermore, Mais could not have learned alchemy on his own.
Although it puzzled him where Mais had learned alchemy, he knew that everyone has lucky encounters and didn't dwell on it too much. After all, the boy was just an alchemy master, not the God of Alchemy. Not the God of Alchemy. Let the other alchemists worry.
Kasuur had already left the building. As the birthday boy, he had left early to meet the nobles who had come to celebrate. Now that he was much richer than before, he dressed accordingly.
He went hunting and made money by selling the skins of the animals he hunted. He had a reputation in the market for hunting monsters as high-level as the ones he hunted, which was no easy feat. Unfortunately, the lack of hunters his age forced him to hunt alone. Maria was the only one who sometimes joined him.
Kasuur now had a rather large tuxedo made. I say "had it made" because there was no other human that fat and short. He looked like a ball. Naturally, there were no ready-made clothes that fit him. Mais wished him luck in not tearing his tailored suit to shreds before the end of the party.
Meanwhile, Mais stood calmly at the entrance to his house. Even on his best friend's birthday, he did not lose his seriousness. Since finding out that his father had died and the Empire had fallen into the hands of his eldest brother, he had been unhappy. Of course, Kasuur made him laugh and Maria told him nice things, which made him feel good. It was not that Mais never smiled. You could only say that he was sad.
He wore a black tuxedo. With gray eyes and black hair, he was very handsome. The tuxedo fell down his neck, covering the three-tailed cat's body like a blanket. Little White perched on Mais' shoulders and made them her home. This was great for Mais' safety, but it was doubtful how much it affected his comfort.
Mais tapped the end of the black-and-white stick he used as a walking stick. His steps were hard and violent. Baro had granted his request. Now, they both had two villas in the middle of the city. For Kasuur, home was a place he rarely went in and out of, but Mais could no longer tolerate staying in filthy places.
Mais had acquired many different kinds of plants this month. They also received a salary. It was worthless to Mais, but a considerable salary for Kasuur. It was more than enough to explain where the money came from.
In return, Mais accelerated Maria's cultivation. Not every day, but once a month, Mais would rub a pill suitable for her cultivation technique onto her body as if it were an ointment. Or rather, he would. The first time, an alchemical artisan in the city applied it, but when Mais realized that the effect Maria was getting was not as great as he had expected, he decided to take matters into his own hands, starting this month.
He applied the pill to various parts of her body. Although it burned a bit, it helped Maria cleanse her veins and body of impurities. Thus, her potential became stronger. It will be easier for her to become a sage in the future. Her cultivation would also accelerate.
Of course, other master alchemists could prepare such an ointment, but it would never be as effective or cheap as Mais'.
There was a woman waiting for Mais at the door. She had jet-black hair pulled back behind her head, and she was dressed like a secretary in black. She looked a little worried. She obviously didn't know what kind of person Mais was and was afraid he might hurt her. She was of very low status compared to the person in front of her. In fact, that's why she was chosen. She was desperate. This way, no one would take advantage of a blind person and embarrass the whole city. However, it also meant that the attendant would have to bow down to everything.
The moment she saw Mais, she bowed her head, but there was a dangerous spark in her eyes. After all, she was not completely worthless. Even though Mais was just a little boy, she kept her guard up.
She swallowed when she saw his gray eyes. Even though he showed no signs of life, his movements were so frequent that they made her feel inferior.
"Mr. Mais."
"Let's go."
This woman had come to guide the blind young man. Mais certainly couldn't find the right path on his own. He needed someone to help him and hold his hand. She took his hand, and they set off together. Mais looked like a child born crippled as he walked, holding his staff in his hand like a cane. But he was definitely not trash. The woman with him was an alchemy artisan. In every other city, she was considered highly valued and precious, but the city lord here had asked her to accompany this blind young man and warned her well. She must not treat him disrespectfully.
She did not know his specialty. Perhaps he was the city lord's illegitimate child, but the young lady was certainly not going to anger him today. It was not worth the risk.
In the far north of the city, there was a large ballroom. A few young people were standing outside the door. They seemed to range in age from 14 to 17. When they saw a dark-haired woman who looked like a secretary come in holding a boy's hand, they suddenly stopped talking and turned toward her. They gave off a very gentlemanly aura. The youth who looked like the leader called out,
"Miss Xiao, what an honor to see you here! I thought we wouldn't meet until I came to pick up the meditation pills," the older boy said. He looked about 17 years old. He had a light beard, and his thin hair was pulled back so that it wouldn't fall in his face. He had squinty eyes and red lips. He undoubtedly gave off a shrewd air.
Meditation pills were Artisan-level pills that increased meditation time and strengthened focus.
Xiao was also surprised to see him, but wasn't sure if she should say anything. Mais wasn't making any movement towards her, though. This meant that there was no problem.
"I heard that a great young talent has emerged in our city. It's important to have the opportunity to meet someone like him. He turns 12 today and has already reached the Core Realm." I see you have become a Stage 8 Origin Master, Ulam. Still, it will be hard for you to find something to brag about in front of him. Hahaha!"
Ulam laughed along with him, but the people behind him laughed fake laughs. They looked quite nervous. Xiao seemed to be joking around, but who here wouldn't understand that she was making fun of Ulam? Ulam already had veins popping out on his neck, and his smile was dark. He was definitely holding back.
"Haha, Ms. Xiao, you may think so, but I certainly don't believe such a genius exists in our small city. There are many holes in the story. First of all, if he was so talented, why did they keep him out of sight for so long? Did the city lord really not have the ability to protect him? Of course he did! There is absolutely no such genius today. The city lord must have another reason for gathering us all here. I don't think you should believe in the existence of such a person either. "
The youth said nothing more, turned around, and walked through the wide doors. The two guards at the door didn't even bother to stop him. In this large party hall, they already knew the identities of some people.
"Who was that?" Mais asked. He was certainly no ordinary man, and although his talent was mediocre in Mais' eyes, his family must have been someone to watch out for.
"He is the young lord of the Meng Clan branch here, to which the miners belong. The Meng Clan is a large clan that lives in the capital. They have many side businesses. One of those businesses is the gold mine in Yellow City. Ulam's father is the head of this local branch. He is a powerful sage."
Mais shook his head from side to side. "There shouldn't be so many Sages in one city. If they hadn't come to an important city like Yellow City, then surely only the city lord would have been a Sage. He had made the wrong choice for their safety this time. They were weaker than the enemies here.
Still... Mais knew it was wrong to care about that. You had to know how to survive wherever you went. Being afraid just because people were stronger than you was a great weakness.
Mais had the treasure of his family. He certainly couldn't live like a coward.