24 Final Preparations

Not a moment later than when the pills had been completed did the flame licking the cauldron, the tentacles bringing both heat and life, disappear. First into the array, then into the sky when the array no longer held. Louis grabbed the two pills within the cauldron, blowing off any burnt impurity potentially remaining on it, just in case, and placing them gently into the glass container. The two Fire Qi Replenishing Pills were treasures, not quite reaching the unique grade that he so desired, but an important step in reaching it: grade 11, the epitome of great grade pills and an achievement he had long sought yet could not achieve. Today was a momentous occasion for him, but he had nary a moment to appreciate it, only just enough time to review the entire concoction and cleaning process and see just how fortune had aligned for him for such a creation.

Louis had a thought of what he could have done right to achieve it, but no time to test it. He wrote his notes into his notebook, one that he had started writing just after his confinement. For his mind created and fermented new ideas but by the time he would come around to applying them, they would escape his mind. He had believed in his spiritual strength, his mind - the center of his memory - but he was not the alchemy emperor that could memorize books down to the letter but just a child who left his own diapers a couple years ago and only just managed to toilet train himself. This was not to say he could not remember all of these ideas, but that they would be lost among all the information he had to review and record into the alchemy book arrays he was making, partially for his apprentices that would be coming in two weeks, but mostly as a trial run so he could make a final product for Amber, when she finally reached the third realm and had time to take a break and cultivate her mind, her knowledge.

Nia was in a better position, she toiled day after day trying to compete with Amber without understanding the cataclysmic gap of cultivation between the two, yet never giving up when she lost. Her results bore fruit and she achieved a level of control and cultivation speed he did not imagine a six year old to have, even with the help of his pills. He had expected her to take five months to reach the second realm after he opened her lower dantian, but one month would be enough for her, especially with the help Melissa and Renee provided. The games were meant to be a game, a method of practice as well as a way to relax, not meant to be the most important factor in developing their skills, but he now had a newfound respect for Amber and Nia as well as his mother, Tera and Renee who humored their vigor and practiced almost fourteen hours a day with them.

Respect for their dedication was a growing sentiment throughout their first day, but as he soon began to realize its implications, only his exhaustion and regret, which had long since become a part of his daily life, remained. For every night of rest he got, he missed two more nights for the pills could not craft himself and he could not tell Amber and Nia to abandon their cultivation because he merely needed rest. He was the only alchemist among the seven people who consumed pills - Elaine and the new shrine maiden, Vanessa, also visited a week at a time to train, but they never used any pills, once out of qi they started their non-qi required lessons. He was ever so thankful for that tiny respite, for needing to craft two more people pills would have truly pushed him over the edge.

After safely storing the two Fire Qi Replenishing Pills, Louis left into a nearby room. Here, books, half-opened and covering each other, were scattered into a room no one else would understand. He only needed to craft one successful alchemy book array before he could put away all of these books, but, before then, he required every single book here, not because he did not know the information, but because he was afraid that he would forgot to add one or add one incorrectly. That was the problem of teaching material he truly never done himself, he had theoretical knowledge but its lack of importance only kept him interested enough for him to understand the basics and widen his foundation, before he stored it in the deepest crevices of his mind, perhaps never to be accessed again.

The alchemy book array itself was the easiest part of the book. He made the first array within a couple of hours and the rest within eight, but the alchemy book had took him the better part of his sleepless nights for the last two weeks. His apprentices were coming tomorrow and he was almost done with the first book. The first book required him to place each ingredient in the right place, annotate every part of the ingredient for its uses, how they should be cared for and mark what was to be avoided. At final part of the array, he added information about how the various ingredients interacted and recipes of all the first and second star pills. All he had to do left today was check if all the information was correct, then he could spend the next three hours copying all the information into the other arrays.

When he finished and pass through the rooms, it was well into the afternoon. Screams, yells and laughter echoed through the empty halls and open doors. Louis kept his head down and feet moving fast, otherwise he could be roped into another activity besides the sleep he so sorely needed and wanted.

Silva sat on the couch in his room, like a righteous angel who would never leave her followers behind uncared for and rested. She was seventeen years old, much younger than he had initially thought when he first met her and, most surprisingly of all, she was his cousin yet playing as his maid. It was both comforting that he had family that cared for he so but also questionable that she was a maid at all in the first place.

She had opened and started reading some of his alchemy notes, like a learned scholar, even though he very well knew she understood not a word. A warm meal placed on the coffee table with everything he wanted: a nice, big sirloin of the Four Horn Ox with white rice and a spicy vegetable soup. Silva had a giant smirk on her face as he dug right in.

"Delicious, right? I have been practicing over the past month." Silva said, tossing the book to the seat beside him.

Louis blinked a couple times as he slowed his chewing, savoring each and every bite. It was simply unimaginable this was the skill of someone who had just started cooking, but perhaps she had a talent for cooking like no others. He would believe it. "It's certainly good." He looked at Silva and squinted. "Are you here to hussle me for more pills? I won't have any until Nia reaches the second realm, but I will compensate after she does, like I promised."

"Oh, no. I'm just here to look after my cute little cousin, after finally getting some time to relax." Silva said, pausing for a moment. "It isn't easy to get everything you need, after all." She winked. "Though if you want to praise me or give me a few pills under the table, I would gladly accept it."

"Speaking of which, why are you my maid when you are the heir-apparent of Rosenburg City?" Louis said, putting down his plate. He had stopped to savor the food too late, it was already gone. "Do you not have anything to do and learn back in the city?"

"Oh, I do, but if you want me to tell you why, you can't call me old anymore." Silva said. "I'm merely seventeen, far too young to be called something like an old lady." Silva placed her hand over head as she began to shed fake tears. "I'm only a fair maiden at seventeen, too young to be forsaken like an old rag."

"But you always call me your cousin since I found out though." Louis said. "But sure, I accept."

"It began on that fateful day seven years ago, when I heard my precious cousin had been born and I just had to visit the little squirt and claim my title as the first in our family's generation. Amelia, you sister, gladly handed that title to me, no questions asked, but, just as I wanted to return home, I was told to stay. You see, my mother had been too busy with work to properly look after me, so after a couple months of being looked after by maids, I decided to become a maid myself. It seemed all too interesting the conversations they always seem to hear, the gossip they had and the lives they lived. I thought I would experience a maid in the meanwhile, since I had to stay anyway and aunt always humored me, so I became a maid. Truthfully, I wanted to be a maid for another family, spice it up a bit, but mother would not let me be a maid for anyone else but aunt. Reluctantly, I agreed. I had a sweet little baby girl to look after and just a little over a year later, aunt had you, so I just had to stay. I must say you were far more interesting than I ever imagined you to be."

"So what did you learn and was it worth it?" Louis said, seeing the sparkle in his cousin's eyes when she stopped, begging him to ask her for more.

"Well, now that you have asked, I have met so many shopkeepers, butlers and maids that manage the pill ingredients that you always seem to be in a short supply for. I try to meet a new shopkeeper every time, but it seems I have met all of them in the past couple of months. Most of them are rather low ranked people of their noble families, at least for the stores in the inner city that I shop. They all seem to want something more, a better job, more respect, but they all seem to be fine with the money they make. Oh, except for that Eten family branch. The manager is an understanding man, but the two man childs usually running the shop are the worst, greedy for money and never offering a fair price. I was so mad I walked right out after the appraisal. They even had the gall to stop me from leaving without selling my pills and buying their overpriced things. I gave them two quick kicks and that was the end of that discussion.

"The farmers that I buy the food from are much more fun to talk too. They are always polite, even if their speaking skills are not always up to par. They speak happy words and give me extra food, because I shop there everyday. Truly a nice group of people.

"It is such a shame that I have to fly everywhere because I take so much time exploring. I would very much like to talk with the gondoliers, the gondola drivers, but I never seem to have any opportunity. A shame really." She smiled as she stopped. "Now that I have told you a lot, you have to tell me how you already are a three star alchemist."

"I read a lot." Louis said, with a straight face.

"But we both know that's not true." Silva stood up and sat right next to him, putting the book on his lap. "Come on, tell me. I won't bite."

Louis grabbed the book and looked at her. "Good night." He ran to the bed and covered himself with the bedsheets before she could speak a word. He could hear her laugh as she pull down the blinds and left the room.