Preparing the moves

Alerted by the commotion, Aina directed her teary eyes towards the back of the shop. Only to see Sheeren holding a cup where the potion was brewed before with a terror written all over his face. Terror, mixed with a glint of excitement.

"Don't worry, it's not the final product yet." Putting on a satisfied grin, the man in front of her clearly enjoyed the moment. Alternating her eyes between the two of them, Aina kept her lips pursed while watching the old apothecary return to them while holding the potion in his shaking hands.

"It shouldn't be possible… But it is. This potion already is at least twice as strong as even the best Kubian pill I have ever brewed." Carefully putting the cup down on the table, Sheeren shook his head in disbelief only to cast a sharp glance at the alchemist before him. "I think this potion reached third if not the fourth level of quality. That means,"

Rather than letting the elder run his mouth, Sebian nodded his head lightly before casting a glance at the product. Whilst still not finished, the rich aroma raising from the brew already proved to be quite refined. "Judging from the intensity of the smell, it won't reach the pinnacle level, but shouldn't fall far from it." Straightening himself up, Sebian looked up at the elder. "It will still take about two hours for it to reach the optimal state. Keep the herbal mash soaking in it, then timely remove it."

With the worst part of the next few days already done, Sebian finally dared to relax a bit.

He lost the entirety of his cultivation. His body was no longer as capable to absorb herbal or raw energy from the mana stones as it was before. But that didn't mean there wasn't any solution to this problem.

"Aina, do you have a place to live somewhere in here?" Suddenly changing the topic, the alchemist turned around to the girl. With her emotional moment now gone, she wiped her teary eyes once again before answering with a straight face. "Yeah, do you want me to…" Before the girl could finish, Sebian's head theatrically fell on his chest.

"Don't worry about it. I just want to know what your situation is." Sebian could tell that the girl was instantly willing to guide him to her lodgings. Even though they didn't know each other for long, all his actions from before finally started paying off. For the first time since Aina met him, he was able to let her take a glimpse at the insane extend of his means. "But I still need a place to sleep. Are there any Inns around?" Since keeping up this topic could be potentially dangerous, Sebian turned his head to the apothecary beside him.

"There are a few, although I have some spare rooms in here." Pointing his hand at the back of the shop, Sheeren offered.

"Sorry, but I need a private place. Aina, I will have two tasks for you, for now. First off," Turning back to the girl, Sebian smiled before picking up, "I will need you to guide me to one of the Inn's nearby. But what's even more important," taking a break to keep the girl tense, Sebian smiled even brighter. "Once you return to your place, you should shed some tears, drink some wine and…" Sebian's smile reached its peak state. "Give up."

After everything that happened in the past few hours, Aina could no longer feel shocked by anything that Sebian would say or do. Right now, her new master was akin to a wild force, not obeying any common laws or beliefs.

"What do you mean?" Instantly tearing up and nearly collapsing to her knees, Aina clearly misunderstood Sebian's words. But it was only for the best.

"That's it!" Shouting happily, Sebian pulled the girl into his arms before giving her a tight hug. Unable to hold his amusement and endearment anymore, the man openly laughed. "That's exactly the face you need to make. Make it seem as if you actually broke after the betrayal of your teammate, ultimately giving up on those bastards." That was the true intention behind Sebian's decision. Because of two reasons, he couldn't just keep the girl by his side right away.

"First off, whoever planted this bug into you, will be alerted about its death. That's why you need to pretend that it was due to your inner surrender." Sadly, this matter wasn't done yet. And that meant, that being weak was out of the option.

If their luck was great, then the bastard who did it would be just some lowly lower-disciple scum from the sect. Without any backing, he would pose no challenge to the alchemist, even if Sebian were to be crippled, blinded and forced unconscious. But knowing the difficulty of planting this kind of bug, only made Sebian expect that the reality would be far worse.

And that meant, he couldn't hold back at all, even in his first day in this damned city!

'Why are humans so rotten everywhere…' Sebian's face darkened. Then he looked at the diligent eyes of the girl in his arms. 'Oh boy,' Instantly charmed by her obedient and attentive spirit, Sebian shook his worries out of his head.

"That's why, I need you to return to your place, despair over failing yet another exam, think about the future and whether to return or just look for some job. Then, you peacefully go to sleep, hoping for a bright new day tomorrow." Explaining the situation to the girl, Sebian could feel his muscles contracting and relaxing. As little as it could do, even with all his cultivation gone and extreme mana poisoning, he could still train his physical body. 'And if we let this bastard check the situation out, I will have a chance to find out just who that bastard is.' Only the utmost mental effort allowed the alchemist to hold back his killing intent from seeping out.

"As for you," turning back to the apothecary behind, Sebian took a moment to think before pointing at the materials gathered on the table. "Use all the money you have, liquidate all the assets you possess. Use every underhanded or official method to stock on the herbs we used. You have time until midnight. Once you are back, start preparing the materia prima." After figuring out a proper procedure, Sebian wasn't willing to hold back at all. After all, the elder, despite his years, was at the peak of the first dimension of cultivation.

And that meant, Sebian could work him to absolute exhaustion only to feed him some magic from the stones only to repeat the process!

'Every empire starts with the first subordinate.' Looking at the apothecary already rushing towards his task, Sebian couldn't hold his smile back. With just the little showdown he prepared, this man was already willing to risk his entire wealth just because of his single order. Even though he had his flaws, he could be of great use for the former ruler of the world. But once Sebian's eyes drifted towards the girl, a sudden thought passed through his head.

'Every empire starts with the first subordinate, but to think I would already find the first queen already?'