A Dish Best Served Cold
"Well, well, well, look who the cat dragged in. If it isn't the doofus heirs from the Great families," Karsha remarked, instantly causing Elder June and Xian to feel their world crumbling. It wasn't just them; almost everyone on the second floor, including the sellers, wore expressions of shock.
And why wouldn't they? They all recognized the three heirs and their entourage who had just entered the hall. They were the heirs of the great families. So, for someone to label them as doofuses was a jolt to their sensibilities.
However, Karsha stood there with a smile on his face, unperturbed by the potential consequences. After all, they had already sealed his fate; what more could they do?
"Why, cat, got your tongue?" Karsha taunted, directing his question to Vance, who was brimming with anger. "You'll pay for this." With those words, Vance unsheathed his sword and lunged at Karsha, who simply blinked away and reappeared 20 meters from Vance.
"Is that all you've got?" he goaded, and Vance took the bait, charging forward once more. But Karsha blinked and materialized beside Orga, who had left his shop and now stood not far from the crowd.
"You'll have to do better than that, Mr. Great Family Heir," Karsha taunted before blinking away once more. Vance, feeling like he was being played with, became so enraged that he began exerting his Semi-Saint strength. His speed increased, but it was futile. Karsha wasn't engaging in a one-on-one battle with him.
He was simply toying with him, provoking his anger to observe his reactions. Last time, he missed the opportunity to eliminate his younger brother due to Hugh's interference and the risk to Xian's life.
However, circumstances were different this time. They had a Saint among them, so Karsha knew Vance wouldn't dare harm Xian. With that assurance, he chose to goad Vance and humiliate him in the process.
"Feeling tired already?" Karsha taunted once more. "I had no idea the heir of the Varon Great Family was this weak."
"You bastard, face me like a real man!" Vance shouted in frustration. But no matter what he did, Karsha remained just out of reach.
"A real man? What a joke. You want me to face you like a real man? Where was that dignity when your family condemned me to die on Snake Island?" Karsha seized the opportunity and dropped the bomb, sparking murmurs among the onlookers.
"Snake Island? Isn't that where they send criminals to die? Why would they send a kid there? What crime could he have committed?" one spectator queried, voicing a series of questions.
"I haven't heard anything that would warrant such punishment," remarked a young man.
"It seems the incident at the Sunlight Restaurant a few days ago wasn't taken lying down by the Great Families," another observed.
"What happened there? Tell us," the crowd demanded.
"It was just a minor altercation between two young men. Nothing serious. No one was killed. Just a misunderstanding," someone explained.
"If that's the case, why are they sending him to Snake Island?" a flurry of questions arose, and Karsha, alert to the reactions, couldn't help but smile. His plan to tarnish the reputation of the Varon family and garner sympathy from the people had begun.
He is aware he doesn't have the strength to fight them now, so he resorts to using the people t tarnish their image.
"You bastard, I'll skin you alive!" Vance's shout pierced the air once more. He increased his speed and charged toward Karsha, only to miss him as Karsha blinked away when Vance was just a meter from him.
"I don't know what's so great about your family, but pray I die on Snake Island. Because believe me, if I return alive, I'll make it my mission to destroy everything you hold dear," Karsha declared, blinking from one location to the next.
"You have my word on that," he added.
"If you're a man, face me, and let's settle this," Vance challenged, as he resigned from chasing after Karsha who was just too fast for him. "I'm willing to face you one-on-one. But you'll have to wait until I return from the island. I have more pressing matters than wasting my time on an idiot like you."
Karsha's words further added to Vance's anger which seemed to have reached new heights. However, before they could enter another cat-and-mouse chance, a voice boomed across the entire second floor of the Alchemy Guild building.
"That's enough. This establishment is dedicated to Alchemy. If you have no business here, then leave, and don't dare use your family name to intimidate anyone," a man in his late 50s stepped forward, accompanied by the young man who had earlier spoken about the reward for taming the Lonely Cauldron.
"Master, that's him, the one who tamed the Lonely Cauldron," the young man pointed at Karsha.
"Young man, I heard you tamed the Lonely Cauldron. Do you have a moment to speak? I am Master Artemis," the man introduced himself.
"I have all the time in the world, Grandpa," Karsha replied, seizing the opportunity to extricate himself from the tense situation. He blinked and materialized before Elder June, nearly causing her to have a heart attack.
"Big brother, come find me later for the details on how I tamed the cauldron," Karsha instructed the burly man before he, Xian, and Elder June followed Master Artemis.
They entered a lift that ascended to the top floor. Stepping out, they were greeted by a sumptuous spread of fruits.
Karsha gulped audibly at the sight before him. "Please, help yourselves," Master Artemis offered, noticing their interest in the fruits.
Karsha and Xian wasted no time and began loading their plates. Meanwhile, Elder June chose a seat where she could observe everything and intervene if necessary.
After loading up their plates, Karsha and Xian took seats at a round table and began devouring the fruits like hungry demons.
Sometime later, Master Artemis initiated conversation, "I heard you tamed the Cauldron using a rather unorthodox method. Care to share where you learned the Speech Method from?" Karsha, in the midst of munching on an apple, his interest was quickly shifted to the Old Man.
"You're familiar with the Speech method of cauldron taming?" he asked.
"I've come across it in my readings, but I'm no expert," replied Master Artemis. "So, where did you learn it?"
"It was taught to me by my master. He claimed it was the simplest and most effective method," Karsha explained before taking a bite of another apple.
"And who might your master be? I may be acquainted with him," Master Artemis inquired curiously.
"Well, his name is Jubal. But I doubt you know him; he's not a regular in these parts," Karsha responded, fabricating his master's identity.
"I see," Master Artemis nodded. "So, what level have you attained in Alchemy?"
"I've reached the Grandmaster level, with a purity rating of 98% for Common Grade and 80% for King Grade," Karsha casually replied, eliciting astonished looks from everyone inside the room.
"Hey kid, you know it's wrong to disrespect your superiors," the young man with Master Artemis said in an angry tone. "If you're a Grandmaster, how come you don't even have an Alchemy flame?" he asked, still maintaining his angry tone.
Karsha, sensing something might be wrong with what he said, stopped chewing and turned his attention to the young man. "Sorry if I sounded arrogant, but I'm not lying when I say I'm a Grandmaster.
The issue with my Alchemy flame is actually a funny story. I had an accident while practicing to get my purity to 100%, so to save me, my master had to take away my flame.
However, now that I'm all healed up, I wanted to get a new flame so that I can start practicing again," Karsha said, lying through his teeth. He may have the knowledge, but he doesn't have the practice. However, that's not a problem. He has the understanding of how to control the flame from a divine alchemist.
If he's talented enough, he'll be able to craft an 80% pure Common-grade pill or a 60% pure King-grade pill. In alchemy, there are grades of pills, ranging from Common, King, Earth, Heaven, Divine, to God.
Most alchemists were only able to reach the Rank 4 Heaven grade. That's because, after the King Grade, the pills are divided into Ranks. Earth-grade pills, despite their purity, are ranked from 1 to 9. Similarly, Heaven-grade pills have various ranks, but Divine-grade pills have 6 ranks. A God pill, on the other hand, has only 1 rank, so a god pill is a god pill.
The reason why they could only reach that rank is that after Rank 4 Earth grade, there will be a heavenly judgment after concocting a pill. It determines the usefulness of the pill and bestows blessings if it deems it worthy. Purity measures how impurity-free the pill is, but the quality is determined by the Rank of the Pill.
As the rank rises, the judgments become severe, making most alchemists have the means to endure up to only Rank 4 Heaven grade.
The current person with the highest purity level in pill-making in the whole of Sunlight City is Master Artemis. But even he wouldn't be able to craft a Rank 5 Earth-grade pill with 80% purity despite being a Saint-Level alchemist.
So, for a 19-year-old to say he has a purity level of 80% came as a shock and insult to them. But Karsha wasn't one to care about those things. He just wanted a fire to prepare for the Snake Island.
"I would like to see you try to craft an 80% pure Rank 1 Earth-grade pill," Master Artemis spoke. "And in return, I will give you anything you want from the Alchemy guild," he added.
"Anything you say," Karsha, who saw an opportunity to win something, replied in a curious tone. "Yes, anything."
"Good. Where can I buy Alchemy flames?" Karsha asked, a glint in his eyes.
"You can claim one for free since you have tamed the Lonely Cauldron," the young man said. He then walked to a corner of the room and pressed a button.
"You get to pick from the top of the line." A door opened, revealing different types of flames.
==============
However, on the second floor, whispers began to circulate about the Varon Great Family's controversial choice to dispatch a 19-year-old to Snake Island over a mere misunderstanding with one of their heirs.
Karsha had triumphantly executed the initial phase of his scheme, poised to rally the support he craved. The Varon family had tangled with the wrong person and were about to confront the repercussions of their actions.