Chapter 18: The Boy Genius' Feats

"You are the Lucian Zhang, the youngest Master Alchemist in the world—no…

…the youngest Grandmaster Alchemist."

Lucian was about to leave his seat there and then, but he knew that there was no way he could actually escape from Hall Master Charlotte. He knew he was stronger than before, to just rip off a Spirit Elder's flesh with his bare hands would mean that his physical strength was at the very least at the late stage of Spirit Elder, or perhaps maybe even Spirit Master… but he just knows that the Hall Master Charlotte was at a different level — perhaps a late stage Spirit Master, or even a Grandmaster.

She would rip him to shreds — and that is something that shouldn't happen because it will also kill Maeve and Malenia.

"I am Lucian Zhang." And so, Lucian just stayed seated on the sofa with absolutely no change in his already stoic expression, "But I am not an alchemist — I am a Looter, Ms. Hall Master. You could confirm it with the receptionist, I have just finished—"

"No, you're Dr. Lucian Zhang," Hall Master Charlotte quickly shook her head; her mask not even budging even a single millimeter as she did so, "I already recognized you the first time I saw you, I just wasn't sure if it was really you — after all, the last time you appeared was almost 20 years ago now…

…when you were arrested for the death of that guy."

"I do not know what you are talking about, Ms. Hall Master," Lucian shook his head, "You do not need to pay me for my time. If you will excuse me, I still have—"

"I still have your book, you know. I managed to hide it when they started removing it from the libraries and stores," Hall Master Charlotte then grabbed something from her robes and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. Lucian only glanced at it, but his face when he was just a child was literally plastered on the back of the book.

"That does not even look remotely close to me, Ms. Hall Master," Lucian said while lowering his head further, "We only have the same name."

"Do you know that I can't find anything about you on the internet?" Hall Master Charlotte let out a small but very deep sigh as she crossed her arms, "There was nothing about your arrest, nothing about the things you have done, about how you have advanced medicine decades into the future — the Crealith pill, which temporarily increases lith absorption…

…a pill that you created, is now credited to the Azure Pill Sect."

"I am not—"

"You are — and if you are hiding it, then you do not need to worry," Hall Master Charlotte shook her head before stretching her arm to the side and poking the empty air beside her—or so Lucian thought. As she did that, a sort of soft ripple became visible, showing the invisible spherical barrier that surrounded the space around him and Hall Master Charlotte,

"I used a… sound barrier technique so that no one outside this sphere could hear us. If I wanted you dead or if I wanted to abduct you, I would have already done so without you even knowing it, Dr. Lucian."

"...What do you want from me, Ms. Hall Master?" Lucian could really only let out a small breath; of course, he still was not going to vocally confirm Charlotte's claims.

"The medicine you promised — the pill that would turn any ordinary citizens into cultivators…" Hall Master Charlotte's chest slightly puffed; her words, slightly shaky and containing a little hint of excitement. But of course, Lucian does not notice that at all,

"...It worked, didn't it?"

"I don't know," Lucian just shook his head.

"It worked."

"If you already have an answer to your question, then there is no need to ask me, Ms. Hall Master."

"I'm sorry. But you need to understand, Dr. Lucian. You… you were an inspiration to me," Hall Master Charlotte was trying her best not to let out her excitement, but failing to do so as an awkward giggle escaped her mask, "While most of the children in my sect were extremely envious of you or berating you because you weren't a cultivator, I strived to become like you — and my father also studied all of your research. But sadly… they took away all of his books. They…

…they erased you from existence. 20 years ago, it was quite easy to do that since the internet still wasn't as mainstream as it is now."

"And perhaps it is better that way, Ms. Hall Master," Lucian shook his head.

"And now, you're back…" Charlotte started looking at Lucian from head to toe, "...Just what did they do to you, Doctor? My father said that they might have already killed you, and he told me that they killed the man you turned into a cultivator too. After all, it was obvious right from the start…

…that those higher up did not want to turn everyone into cultivators at all. But the fact that you are here as a cultivator just means everything they fed the people back then are all lies, fake news."

"Thank you for the lesson in history and human psychology, Ms. Hall Master," Lucian once again let out a sigh as he stood up from his seat, "But I truly am not the person you are looking for — your father is right, Dr. Lucian Zhang died a long time ago."

"If you need help, my sect can help you!" Charlotte also quickly stood up, "I belong to the Wandering Forest sect and my father holds a high position in it. We're an Alchemy sect and we would truly—"

"I can not get involved with an Alchemy sect, Ms. Hall Master," Lucian shook his head and started walking away, "And I also can not be discovered still creating pills, they will kill me."

"They…? Who's they, Dr. Lucian!?"

"You do not need to bother about any of them…" Lucian subtly glanced back at Charlotte, "...They are all in the Demon Continent now, I made sure of it."

"Demon Continent… Immortals? Wait, at least meet with my father, please!" Hall Master Charlotte pleaded as she followed Lucian, "Are you mad that I pointed my sword at you? I will kneel if I have to."

"Oh…" Lucian blinked a couple of times as he stopped walking, "...That was you?"

"Wait… we've been talking since earlier and you didn't know!?"

"You are wearing a mask, Ms. Hall Master."

"My voice is still the same, and I am literally wearing the same robes!"

"I did not notice, Ms. Hall Master," Lucian bowed his head, "Now, if you will excuse—"

And before Lucian could finish his words, he instinctively moved his hand to catch the pouch that Charlotte carefully and gently threw at him.

"I said I would pay you for your time, and I have," Charlotte also bowed her head, "We will meet again a lot of times from now on, Dr. Lucian. Please, I only want to help. You can't walk this road alone…

…you already did that, and look at where you ended up."

"I am not alone, Ms. Hall Master."

"T—" Charlotte was about to say something, but could not help but just stutter as she saw a hint of a smile crawling on Lucian's face. It did not last long, however, as Lucian bowed to her again and thanked her for the payment.

"If you want to talk to me again, Ms. Hall Master…

…please submit a request to the receptionist."

"..."

***

"The price has gone up."

"Why?"

Somewhere in the darker parts of the city, where the light does not really reach as everything was either covered by the tall abandoned buildings filled with settlers and squatters, or the tents of the people living on the streets.

People, if one could even call them that. All of their eyes were dead; their bodies, filled with all sorts of drugs — most of them, even thinner than Lucian. But if anything, Lucian was not out of place there as he looked as tired as any of them.

And right now, Lucian was inside one of the abandoned buildings, as he had always been frequently visiting for the past 3 years. After all, Lucian can't really buy the ingredients, materials, tools, and apparatus he needed legally without setting off alarms — and thus, he found it in…

…dubious sources, in this case, the bottom skirts of Old York where law does not reach.