Emperor's Reckoning

A part of the cauldron fell—face-up under the view of the spectators. Everyone was stupefied—some mortified. 

Lyon's way of alchemy was something that they had never seen before. The soul flame normally rested under the cauldron because it was easier to control the heat necessary through a medium. However, his soul flame jumped into the cauldron instead of resting below.

"What is going on..."

"Why did he put it inside?"

"Why doesn't the cauldron explode..?"

Everyone was questioning the very fundamentals of alchemy.

Lumina had her pupils shrunk as she watched with her brows raised. She had read many books, including the fields in alchemy art. However, not one mentioned the way what Lyon had done.

"What... was that," Elise was standing with her eyes looking at the nervous youth picking up the piece that fell off from the cauldron. 

"What kind of alchemy is that?!" Tamuh gulped. "That had to break some rules, no, it broke the very raw fundamental of alchemy! I can't believe it."

Malaqa was hardly breathing as she was still locked in disbelief. What happened right in front of her, she was the legitimate witness. She saw the soul flame crashing into the cauldron right before her weary eyes.

She gulped. Right at this moment, her answer lies inside her hand. She caught something that was jumping out of the cauldron almost immediately, and this was due to Lyon hinting at her. She could see smoke coming out between her fingers as she could feel her aging heart thumped.

"Ly-Lyon! Are you alright?" asked Renduval as he regained his clarity.

"What?" Of course, I am!" said Lyon before he threw the piece of the cauldron at him.

Renduval was slightly shocked but his reflex still made him catch the piece of the cauldron. "Hey!"

Lyon shrugged as he smirked. "Mine is over, the next test is yours." He turned around and left.

Malaqa opened her hand and her pupils shrunk to a dot. Her hand was trembling as she made a harsh swallow. "Impossible..."

The pill was purely white to the touch, it even reflected the glow of the sun. She had never seen anyone pull this through, not even Elise when she was applying to Alchemy Union. It was not just above seventy percent. "Purest... one hundred percent," she muttered.

"Lyon!" called Malaqa.

Lyon turned with his brows raised. "What?"

"You forgot this," Malaqa suddenly threw an azure cloak out of nowhere.

Everyone was slacked-jawed as they saw the azure cloak fluttered in the air before crashing against Lyon's shoulder. 

"He... succeeded?" muttered Tamuh as he raised his brows.

"Heh," Lyon smirked before putting the azure cloak on with one elaborate swing. 

"And there he goes," said Kesya with a smile. "All but spontaneously well done."

Cecile smiled as she shook her head, "He will get bored in less than a day."

"True that," Kesya nodded. "But look how good he is in that alchemist cloak."

Lyon jumped out of the field and immediately stood in front of his group with his arms crossed. "What do you think?"

"The black one suits you more," said Cecile before she pondered a little. "Maybe the white one?"

Lyon smiled wryly as he undo his crossed arms. "You want me to become the headmaster here?"

Cecile chuckled. "It would be interesting to have a headmaster like you."

Lumina shuddered as she think about the scenario. Lyon was too random to sit in a position of power like the headmaster and too perverted. "It won't take more than seven days before a scandal occur if you were the headmaster."

"That's rude," said Lyon as he furrowed his brows. "It would be less than a day, hahaha!"

Lumina sighed as she heard Kesya laugh along with her emperor.

"Lyon!" Elise called out.

"Eh? What?" asked Lyon as he turned. 

Elise was about to ask about who taught him how to do alchemy like that but with Tamuh and everyone around, it was better to find a different time and place. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Lyon furrowed his brows. (It's kinda weird now that she called me by my name).

"Ah young friend, congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!" said Tamuh as soon as he reached Lyon's hands and shook them.

"Alright, alright, already," said Lyon with a slight dejected expression. Being congratulated by women was a blessing, but by a bald old guy—it was more of a bad omen for Lyon.

"Hahaha, please do excuse me. I was too excited by your victory!" smiled Tamuh (I need to know the result, that old woman must have known something. The purity of the Agi Pill that he concocted with that unorthodox way, what was it?).

Malaqa smiled before she put away the pill inside her pocket. She returned her glance toward the two rookies before furrowing her eyebrows. "What are you doing? You haven't made your Agi Pill yet!"

"Y-Yess!" Both rookies immediately answered. Who would have thought that the guy that was stretching for an alchemy test would be the first one to pass it, certainly not them.

"So we need to wait for them before Renduval took the test?" asked Lyon.

"Indeed," answered Elise. "The gold cloak always comes later."

"What kind of test?" asked Lyon.

"It's making a pill of course," said Elise as she nodded. "A bare minimum is a level four soul flame."

"The green one?" Lyon raised his brows.

"The green one," Elise nodded.

"Why?" asked Lyon as he furrowed his brows.

"Because, young friend, it is necessary for making level four pills with purity above seventy percent," said Tamuh delightfully. "It would be hard, no, straight impossible for a level three soul flame to make a level four pills above seventy percent purity."

"And also time-consuming," said Elise. "It is possible to use a lesser soul flame to create a higher level of pills, but it would be more time-consuming."

"Oh," Lyon nodded before he sighed. "Man, waiting is not really my hobby." He looked over at Elise before asking, "Oh yeah, you said that you want to meet me, what is it?"

Elise sighed, "I don't know if you can read my mind or not, but it doesn't matter now. I was planning to give you some knowledge about alchemy in hope that you used the scroll I gave you and joined Alchemy Union."

"Eh," Lyon smiled wryly. (So I guess it's not necessary then).

"Congratulations, young master Lyon," said Cherie as she slightly bowed. "I never thought that you would also be an alchemist."

"Hahaha, me either," said Lyon as he laughed. "I just like the cloak."

Hilde smiled wryly (Don't tell me that is the sole reason you want to enter Alchemy Union).

"That is the sole reason I joined the Alchemy Union," said Lyon as he nodded.

Hilde and the two elders almost puked out blood. It was never a noble reason for Lyon, it was just aesthetic. Nobody had ever entered the Alchemy Union due to becoming a fan of the cloak they made.

"I mean I'm not going to stay here for long anyway," Lyon laughed.

"Fufufu~ since you joined under my name. Your little house would be built on my hill! Rejoice, boy! For you will be the first!" said Elise with proud laughter.

"Hill?" Lyon furrowed his brows as he looked at Elise. "Oh, you mean that lonely hill!"

Elise's lips twitched slightly.

"Yeah, it was all fun and games but I'm not planning to stay here for long, sorry," said Lyon as he grinned. "Maybe I would take a visit from time to time."

"Hmm, that's fine," Elise nodded. "By the way, have you heard that Anna is looking for you?"

The name brought a slight jolt inside Ivy. She looked at Elise with her brows furrowed.

"I've heard," said Lyon as he nodded. "She wants me and my hunters"—he paused as he smiled at them before continuing— "To gather a flower with one hundred petals?"

Elise nodded, "Yes, she was trying to concoct a difficult pill. However, the flowers are located in a dangerous cave."

"A cave, hmm... never went to a cave before," Lyon muttered. "Oh wait I did, with a guardian of a forest, which is just a hamster rodent."

"Young friend," said Tamuh. "It is best to be prepared before venturing to such a dangerous place. A kunpeng is a mighty beast, but that cave has taken more lives than a single kunpeng has."

"That's kind of obvious," said Lyon as he squinted his eyes. "But really? It has taken more lives than a kunpeng? Hmm..."

"Indeed," Elise nodded. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Lyon crossed his arms as he smirked. "Maybe I will check it out, after all, she is coming with us right?"

Elise nodded, "Yes, she will come of course. Besides, the hunters rarely saw the flower before... wait, why are you asking if she is coming with you?"

Kesya proudly said, "He needs a new prey."

Everyone was shocked, especially Ivy.

Cecile pulled her ears as she smiled, "She is just joking."

"Aw Aw Aw!" Kesya wailed, "or is she?"