Who did you sleep with?

The outward effect of using the stone to forcefully manipulate its energy only shown a small part of the true disaster that Sebian invited to his body. With his entire inner state consumed by the raging flow of the impure magic from the stone, he no longer had any cultivation to speak off.

From the moment the alchemist lost control over this power, the immense mana poisoning filled his body. Taking place of the paths that his cultivation formerly used, it comfortably lodged itself into Sebian's body.

But he didn't feel unconscious. Sebian just couldn't afford to pay any mind to anything that wasn't strictly related to the damage control. By forcefully driving the remnants of the energy from the stone through his body, Sebian managed to clear most of the problems… But at a price.

Unable to refine his cultivation to the point where mana poisoning would no longer be a problem, Sebian only managed to remove most of the impurities. But as he used the raging current of mana within to clear the blockades, some of the poison seeped deeply into his flesh and bones.

"Wake up! Please!" By the time the alchemist finally managed to conclude his immediate maintenance, his senses started to return. Opening his eyes, he could see a teary face of this curious girl hanging right above him. Feeling the wet drops falling on his face, Sebian barely managed to hold his smile back.

'I guess I overdid it a little.' From a quick look at his current state, Sebian was pretty much fucked. While no sustainable damage was dealt with him… His body would no longer as easily accept the medicinal power from potions or stones. Until he would properly reach the fourth grade of cultivation within its first dimension, the stage where mana poisoning would no longer matter at all, his alchemy, his greater power, would be unusable for him.

But that didn't mean he was out of options at all.

"Thank Gods, you are alive!" Breaking under the immense wave of relief that overwhelmed her, Aina's body seemed to lose its power, relaxing completely. Deprived of the support of her own muscles, the girl just plummeted down, clearly requiring some time to recover.

"I'm glad that you are okay. Sorry for keeping your situation under wraps, but I didn't want to risk probing the parasite." Shaking his head, Sebian moved his hands around to assess his strength. Deprived of his cultivation, the alchemist required a few swings to finally get used to his newfound weakness. Taking a moment to carefully stand up, Sebian threw a glance towards the elder nearby.

Now that he has inevitably shown the elder his own apparent weakness, Sebian didn't expect the situation to improve at all. But if he wished to throw the sect at the girl's feet like he already decided to do, then this man's help would be indispensable.

"Master, I finished the materia prima as requested. What are the further steps?" Instead of making use of the opportunity to deal with the weakened alchemist, Sheeren patiently stood by the side, only going for as much as asking for the next instruction.

'Does he want to get the recipe first and then deal with me, or…?' Unsure about the intentions of the man, Sebian ended up shaking his head again.

"Bring me the most commonly used pills that you have. Their quality or quantity doesn't matter. I need to know what to make first." The greatest benefit of using modern alchemy over the old one laid in its gradual development. While the craft master in ancient alchemy had to prepare the entire ritual with the end-product in mind from the get-go, with Sebian's method, one could slowly prepare all the necessary ingredients only to just mix them in correct proportions later on.

"Right away!" Respectfully bowing his head, Sheeren rushed into the back of the shop. In this short period of time, Aina approached Sebian's side, before gently tucking on the side of his fur.

Looking to the side, Sebian could see the girl hanging her head low. A slight sound reached his ears, so silent that the alchemist couldn't even decipher its meaning. Then, after noticing a lack of reaction from the stranger, Aina pulled on his hand, as if attempting to force the man to notice her.

"What's wrong, little one?" Unable to resist the charm of this girl, Sebian smiled. In the end, saving her from that damned parasite was the reason why he decided to pay such a hefty price. Acting numb to her advances would be perfect against everything he did so far.

"…you… Will you accept me?" Her hands and shoulders were shaking slightly, giving testimony to how the girl felt. 'Right, I never openly said it…' Turning around to the girl, Sebian smiled lightly. "You already know what are the terms for anyone wishing to follow me. Are you sure you are ready to fulfil them?" Referring to the terms of the deal from before, Sebian smile grew even wider when a sudden doubt appeared in the girl's teary eyes. But this time, it lasted only for a fraction of a moment.

Making up her mind, the girl opened her mouth to respond, only for her attempt to answer to be interrupted by a loud announcement of Sheeren's return.

"Master, I brought the samples and the herbs we used to make them." Placing his huge haul stacked full in several metal containers, Sheeren freed himself from his hurdle before standing at attention.

'I guess I was worrying too much…' Even without his cultivation, with such an abundance of various alchemy materials all around him, Sebian could still easily defend both himself and the girl if the elder were to attack. But recalling the glint in his eyes from when he started speaking about new ways of alchemy, Sebian couldn't really worry about the man's potential intentions.

It seemed that he was already lured in by the prospects of extreme riches that he could obtain with my knowledge!

"Okay then, give me just a moment." Approaching the pile of resources, Sebian took one piece at a time, only to whiff it and place it back. Bit by bit, a pile of tested materials grew to the side, stealing the content from the initial one prepared by the elder. Only once Sebian finished sniffing all the product did he bother to turn around and look at the elder.

"This pill," raising his hand with a simple, brownish ball between his fingers, Sebian cast a glance at Sheeren before asking, "how much is it worth on the market?"

"Huh? Isn't that Kubian Pill? It helps one to relax his inner flesh while cultivating, making the process far easier even for people on my rank." Noticing the pill in Sebian's hand, Sheeren summed up. "Due to its wide range of usage, it can fetch the price of even grade two stone."

Hearing the answer, Sebian didn't manage to hold his happiness back anymore. Taking a look at the bustling street outside of the window, the alchemist took a moment to calm down before taking a look at the elder beside.

"You will take this, this, this and that herb." Pointing his hands at various medicinal plants that he brought, Sebian directed the elder around. "Soak them in boiling water as if you wanted to turn them into a brew. Once they are soft, squeeze all the water out of them through a cloth, before mixing it in a ratio of," Taking a moment to recalculate everything, Sebian closed his eyes for a second only to open them up and add. "Five, three, six and one. "

Tapping his finger at the table, Sebian took another look around the place. With a bruise appearing on his forehead, both Aina and Sheeren shivered. Given how the two of them already recognised the man's capability, they weren't happy to see a clearly dissatisfied look on his face.

"Take this..." Pulling out one of the last grade four stones that he had on himself right now, Sebian threw it towards the local apothecary. "I need you to buy me a modest villa with at least a courtyard and preferably a huge garden. It can be outside of the city but needs to be comfortable. For the rest, buy as many of the herbs I pointed out as you can."

As if everything was sorted out, Sebian pushed his back against the edge of the table, turning his steps towards the girl. Turning his head around for the last time, he smiled at Sheeren. "You have two days to organise the villa and as many pills as you can. Just make sure not to sell a single finished pill to anyone."

Turning his head back in its normal direction, Sebian looked at the girl kowtowing on the floor. In just those few moments that passed ever since she asked whether he would accept her, the girl managed to lay her forehead on the ground in wait for Sebian's response.

"Aina, am I right?" Squatting in front of the girl, Sebian pushed her chin up with just a single finger of his.

"Yes, master!" Spoken to directly, a strange glow appeared in the girl's eyes. Maybe not loyalty, not admiration... but devotion?

"Since you wish to acknowledge me as a master, then so be it. But before that," standing up, Sebian walked to the place where the new grade-two stone rolled after Aina dropped it. Picking it up, the alchemist then forced it into Aina's hand. "Treat it as your allowance. But there is a single painful question that I need to ask."

Looking directly into the girl's eyes, Sebian turned serious. There was no more kindness in his words, just endless wrath.

"About two years ago, who did you sleep with?"