Shocking News

Early spring, though the weather remained bitterly cold, already there was a hint of green on the branches, tender new buds braving the chill wind and imparting a sense of boundless vitality. Yet, for the old manor, discerning the seasons by the plants was almost impossible; here, lush greenery cloaked the grounds year-round. Whether spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the courtyard was ever verdant—such a landscape in the snow-laden depths of Cervantes’ winter, or at the dawn of spring, was truly a marvel.

Early spring brought many sunny days, and even someone as reluctant to venture outside as Mu would, in these sunlit stretches before the arrival of spring rains, often step out to bask in the sunlight—a rocking chair, a pot of tea, an old cat, the occasional birdsong: nothing could be more leisurely.

Amid the tranquility, the “old cat” sprawled on someone’s lap suddenly sprang up, leaping to the armrest of the rocking chair. Its short fur bristled, stiff as steel needles; its eyes narrowed, pupils contracted to slits, radiating an intense, fierce light. All four paws extended their claws, glinting with pale blue coldness under the sun—

“Tsk, you’re quite vigilant,” remarked a young man squatting beside the rocking chair, separated from the “old cat” by a small table set for tea. His face bore a lazy, irreverent smile. One hand held a small teapot from which he sipped, the other gripped a large biscuit he gnawed at leisurely.

Upon seeing him, Mumu immediately let down its guard, retracting its claws, relaxing its fur, and nodding its feline head with a dignified yet respectful greeting: “Lord Lambert, good day.”

Lambert stuffed the last bite of biscuit into his mouth, and with a flick of his slender, well-defined fingers, grass leaves suddenly sprouted and grew rapidly from the ground beside the table. Soon, they stretched along Lambert’s back, supporting his weight and relaxing his limbs, forming a comfortable and elegant green chair.

Settling in comfortably, Lambert turned his face aside and complained, “I say, Mu, your rewards are really hard-earned. I’ve killed five ‘Night Fiends’ for you—had to chase them across frozen wastelands in the dead of winter. I’ve suffered quite a loss.”

Mu opened his eyes slightly at this, casting him a cold glance before replying in a slow, measured tone, “I heard that someone wanted to experience the thrill of a chase in the snow, which is why you followed them into the storm’s eye?”

“Heh, is that so? That person sure has guts!” Lambert chuckled shamelessly. “The ‘Night Fiends’ in the Ice Plains are acting strange. You and Aunt Felina should discuss whether to send someone in for further investigation.”

Mu nodded slightly, indicating agreement, and added, “Felina will be here soon; you can talk to her yourself.”

“No need for that,” Lambert said, springing to his feet and, with a swift motion, leaping onto a high branch. Waving goodbye, he called, “Job’s done. I’m off now, Mu. Say farewell to Aunt Felina for me!”

Before his words faded, he was gone. Mu’s lips curved into a smile as he reclined back in the rocking chair, eyes narrowed, gently rocking.

When Felina entered the manor’s courtyard, she saw Mu seemingly asleep, and Kaka and Jiujiu curled up together, fast asleep. Only Mumu greeted her energetically, inviting her to sit on the grass-leaf chair.

As Felina stroked the armrest of the chair, she suddenly smiled, “Lambert was just here, wasn’t he?”

“He was here half an hour before you,” Mu replied, his voice tinged with quiet amusement.

“Hmph, that sly little rascal…” Felina snorted with faint annoyance, then composed herself and said, “News has come from the southern seas; things seem a bit off there as well. I’ve requested that the ‘Rangers’ go patrol and see if support is needed.”

Mu raised his brows, and his aged face broke into a genuine smile. “It seems you can’t stand to see him idle.”

“Ha, the capable should do more,” Felina replied with a charming smile. “Besides, the southern region is famous for beautiful women. Since he’s been sent out to ‘find a wife,’ he might as well enjoy the variety of local beauties.”

At this, Mu and Felina exchanged smiles. Meanwhile, Lambert, who had escaped the manor and was now sunning himself somewhere in Cervantes City, suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, muttered, “Women are trouble,” and turned over for another nap, oblivious that his carefree days had long been calculated for.

Felina and Mu discussed a few more trivial matters. Once business was settled, Felina finally relaxed, picked up some pastries from the table, and slowly paired them with black tea—now, at last, she was truly enjoying her afternoon tea.

The tea was robust, with a sweet aftertaste that blended exquisitely with the soft, sugary pastries—refreshing and delightful.

With worries resolved and good food enjoyed, Felina’s mood naturally brightened. As she sipped her tea, she suddenly spoke with a smile, “A little incident occurred at the academy a few days ago.”

Mu lifted his eyes, signaling interest.

“A classroom suddenly exploded and caught fire, the blaze was fierce. Someone used a ‘Water Veil’ to extinguish it, but instead of putting it out, it intensified the flames. In the end, I intervened myself, used ‘Thousand Wind Blades’ to create a barrier, then ‘Water Tornado’ to suppress the fire. Afterward, when we inspected the site, we found only traces of water washing over everything—no other evidence. There were no burn marks, no smoke stains, not even a clue to the cause of the fire…”

“Channeling water as fire?” Mu supplied, catching the subtle meaning in Felina’s smile. “That’s not so rare. What are you really getting at?”

“The one who created fire from water was Tess,” Felina answered candidly. “She’s been working on some alchemy experiment lately, always distracted in class, and this time she conducted the experiment right in the classroom—though she failed and caused a fire, I suspect with another couple of tries she’ll succeed.”

Hearing Tess’s name, Mu immediately understood Felina’s intentions—ever since the trip to Stormhold, Felina had kept a close eye on Tess. Yet what surprised him was the implication behind her words.

“She’s only at level two; Carol couldn’t have taught her ‘elemental combination techniques’…”

Catching the flicker of surprise in Mu’s eyes, Felina smiled and continued, “So, could she have figured it out on her own?”

“Impossible,” Mu frowned. “For someone at level two to grasp the threshold of ‘elemental combination techniques’—that’s completely unreasonable!”

“Yes, it really is unreasonable~” Felina replied, still smiling—causing Mu concern was evidently a source of delight for her~

☆☆☆

They say the first time is unfamiliar, the second time brings ease. When Theresa visited Ince’s ‘cozy lair’ again, she was less anxious and curious than before, and instead more excited. As soon as she was led to the wine-rack-lined room, she eagerly pulled out a fist-sized crystal flask from her leather pouch and set it on the table in front of Ince, smiling, “Uncle Ince, look, I did it!”

Ince lifted the bottle, inspected its color, then gripped the crystal flask tightly and gazed at Theresa with an enigmatic light in his eyes. “You’re impressively efficient—since you managed to refine it, you should have some idea of its purpose, right?”

“Hehe, I was lucky,” Theresa replied, picking up a glass of water from the table and taking a sip. “This potion transforms water into fire—an extremely ingenious accelerant. I thought, if sealed properly, it could burn underwater! But I’m missing several ingredients and can’t test it—Uncle Ince, are you interested? With your connections, getting those materials should be a breeze!”

Her words made it clear: she was asking Ince to bankroll her, supplying alchemy materials. Yet, her proposal evidently lacked sufficient allure, for Ince grinned and said, “Well, let’s forget it. Lighting balls work fine underwater, so ‘fire under water’ isn’t really necessary—but since you’re interested, there’ll be a sales fair next week. You can see if there’s anything you need, and anything you fancy, just put it on my account, as payment for your hard work.”

Theresa hurriedly waved her hands in refusal. “No, no, you’re too kind! Just being able to study such a cleverly designed alchemical formula is reward enough—the things I’ve learned from that ancient recipe far outweigh what I’ve given; you don’t need to pay me anything extra.”

Ince laughed, wagging his finger. “This isn’t payment for just one flask, but for a hundred. I’m officially placing an order: within this month, make me a hundred bottles. How about it?”

“A hundred bottles!” Theresa’s eyes widened. “It takes me half a day to complete one experiment and get a single bottle. How could I possibly make a hundred? Uncle Ince, if you really need this potion urgently, wouldn’t it be better to hire a professional alchemist?”

“No one else can do it,” Ince tapped the table, motioning for Theresa to sit as he explained, “I’ve had this ancient recipe for nearly three months and searched all of Cervantes City and its surroundings for alchemists below level six. Only seven claimed they might be able to crack it, given time; the rest advised me to seek higher expertise. As for level six alchemists—they could indeed produce it, but their prices are too high. A bottle or two, maybe. But a hundred? I’m a businessman; who would willingly make such a loss?”

The more Theresa listened, the wider her eyes grew, the more incredulous she became. At last, she murmured in a daze, “No way. You must be mistaken, absolutely mistaken!”

Seeing her state, Ince’s smile only deepened. Perhaps to avoid further shocking her, he did not press the matter. “Never mind whether I’m mistaken. Will you take the job or not? If you can’t manage a hundred, fifty will do. What do you say?”

“Whatever, if you want to buy, I certainly won’t refuse to sell,” Theresa muttered, rubbing her face, her mind still reeling from the shock of the ancient formula—only seven alchemists below level six thought it possible to crack…

When had she become so formidable? (To be continued)