Chapter 18

While the influence of the Church Order surged in the Western Continent, it was altogether a different story in the eastern counterpart. The empire that conquered the whole of the Eastern Continent, Yu Ga, was a theocracy. How could a country that regarded their Emperor as the son of God be fond of the Church Order?

For this reason, the Emperor of Yu Ga denounced the divine power of the Church Order as witchcraft, persecuted its priests, and saw to it that the order would be unable to make a place for themselves. Following that, the Eastern Continent, which disavowed divine power, developed an independent medical practice which the Western Continent termed 'alchemy'.

'If I could at least bring the alchemists here...'

If Kynemeia's recollections of the original novel served her correctly, there should be a few alchemists from Yu Ga lying low in the Western Continent at present.

'They have been exiled from Yu Ga, after all!'

Xing Kakahn, the current emperor of Yu Ga, was known to be a ruthless tyrant. Needless to say, he had a whole host of lieges criticizing him, and the alchemists rallying their cause faced banishment eventually.

'Everything will be fine if I can marshal those alchemists here in the fief!'

But in order to round them up, she couldn't just publicly proclaim: 'Come, all you alchemists who have taken up illegal residence in the Western Continent, come here.'

'If I have to select only one...'

Xuan Tian Xinghai. The alchemists' one and only spiritual leader.

Xuan Tian Xinghai was, in fact, the reason why the alchemists vocalised their thoughts as one in Yu Ga; when he'd opposed the emperor's vicious tactics and ended up banished, all the alchemists banded together to launch a revolt. After their exile, they roamed around with no set destination in mind and eventually migrated to the Western Continent.

'If I set my sights on that man...' Kynemeia's gaze swivelled quickly to meet Shane's.

"Young Lady, do you need something?"

"Shane, call over Mikhaela."

"Cough."

The handsome man sat up with a light cough and drew his blanket down, then leaned against the headboard and placed an arm on the windowsill. With a miserably wan face, he stared at the scant few decaying leaves on the autumn tree, some of which were soon broken off the scraggy twigs by a chilly gust of autumn breeze. Xuan Tian's melancholy gaze tracked the leaves as they floated down.

"When all the leaves fall, I'll probably die."

He said feebly. But the big and handsome man, who exuded a sharp impression, knitting by his side replied offhandedly,

"You won't die. You will be freakishly healthy even after a hundred years, Master."

"This body is at its limit." "No, it's not."

"Cough, the coughs keep on... Cough..."

"Didn't you smoke all of yesterday after you claimed to have made some liquid tobacco?"

"Cough, so what I'm saying is "

"Please give up."

"This is my last day... Today..."

Law watched Xuan Tian's antics with apathy. Paying him handsome man, he was in reality so very healthy he could break into a jig on the spot. Who would believe him to be the zenith of the Eastern Continent's Alchemy? And despite his already deteriorating health—since he would consume just about anything in his quest to find the Liquor of God—Xuan Tian Xinghai hadn't given up on searching far and wide for alcohol that suited his palate.

no heed the latter coughed again, wiped his tears, and said,

"Bring out the liquor."

"But of course. You're a regular sloven."

Law said coldly and shot a glance at the crazy drunkard as he tied the yarn on the crochet hook.

The man who goes crazy for alcohol—that was Law's assessment of the illegal immigrant from Yu Ga.

Although he was putting on an act as a pitiful, sickly handsome man, he was in reality so very healthy he could break into a jig on the spot. Who would believe him to be the zenith of the Eastern Continent's Alchemy? And despite his already deteriorating health—since he would consume just about anything in his quest to find the Liquor of God—Xuan Tian Xinghai hadn't given up on searching far and wide for alcohol that suited his palate.

He propped his chin on the windowsill and groused,

"It's been half a day since I last had a tipple... This body of mine will perish if I don't drink soon."

66 %

Law decided he shouldn't give the guy the time of day. If he did, he was sure Xuan Tian would either talk nineteen to the dozen about alcohol or how he'd never lived like this back in Yu Ga. All day long.

"Do you have no compassion? It's said compassion is a fundamental quality, you know. Just what did the people of the Western Continent learn from their ancestors? This is unlike what I've gone through back in Yu Ga. The Western Continent is simply swarming with ignoramuses..."

Law, who was formerly one of the Kshan, 'Grim Reapers of the Desert', and had a consummate poker face, thought that even Xuan Tian's nagging resembled an old man's despite the fact that he was only 21 years old this year. His way of speech as if he was an elderly was the byproduct of years of tutelage under the elders to inherit the knowledge of alchemy.

"Please consider whenever you down a bottle that your lifespan will decrease by a day. You always say that they don't taste good, but why do you still persist in looking for more?"

"That's because I can't find any that suits my taste. Ha... So this is how I'll die... Without being able to find the Liquor of God for the whole of my life..."

Law, his self-proclaimed disciple, then curtly replied,

"Please leave your recipe before you go."

"I told you before, you possess zero talent. Just return to your original profession. Why are you sticking to me like a barnacle and insisting on practising alchemy although it does not suit you at all? On top of that, you keep on harping on me to avoid doing this or that."

"I've washed my hands off that. I'm knitting right now because you stated that delicacy is imperative for alchemy, am I not?"

"Why, you scamp! Knitting is...!"

Xuan Tian was about to dish him an earful but shut his mouth when he observed Law's creation. The muffler in the man's hands was a masterpiece; moreover, both of its ends were edged with cute bunny designs.

This son of a gun. He knits so prettily...!?

Xuan Tian had endured all manner of hardships, yet even he couldn't handle the tenacity and obsession of this guy who had established himself as his disciple. Xuan Tian clicked his tongue reasoning to himself that since one must undergo rigorous training to become a Kshan, Law perhaps learnt knitting by practising on human skin.

"Give it up! I intend to keep the recipe inside my

"Is this how alchemy shall meet its demise? Your ancestors would be furious."

"Where on earth did you learn how to use that phrase, 'the ancestors will get angry', so well?"

"You mention them day in, day out, don't you? Right, Meow?"

"Meow—"

Law caressed the Siamese cat that meowed as if in response to him. The man adored cutesy things very much, so unlike his profession as a desert warrior. Xuan Tian levelled a bleary stare at him.

"It's because you're too soft on the cats that they brazenly stroll in and out of the room. Back in the Eastern Continent, it would be unthinkable to let such a wily beast into one's room."

"Why? It's small and cute. This room would also prefer Meow to an old man who is forever declaring he's dying and a boorish man."

"You whelp, who are you calling an old man?! Cough, cough!"

"Don't push yourself. If you act without prudence and solely trust in your healthy constitution, you might end up falling like the last autumnal leaf."

"You little blighter. The way you talk is...!"

...Only bare seconds ago, he'd been murmuring in such faint tones as if death was imminent any moment. It was a habit of his to abandon his frailty and assume it anew whenever he saw fit. Shaking his head, Law wrapped the woollen choker he made around the cat. The colourful strap stood out from between its fluffy fur. The cat moved to nuzzle the back of Law's hand, and all the while, Xuan Tian watched the scene before him mutely. The cat let out a meow and stared back at him.

'This wily beast!'

Not wanting to lose, Xuan Tian began glaring at it. And so the staring match kicked off, but then...

"Say, what's that beside you?"

"Oh, you mean this?"

Law picked up a case lying on the table.

"The innkeeper told me to relay it to Master without fail."

"To me? Who is it from?"

"According to the innkeeper, they were attired in fancy clothes and observed proper decorum. They seemed like a messenger from someone of high standing."

"Someone of high standing...?"

Xuan Tian couldn't hide his sceptical expression as he shook the case. Living from day to day was a great struggle as an illegal immigrant; he certainly never had any occasion to encounter any of the Western Continent's big shots. Law, who also knew that fact well, asked,

"Did you cause a problem?"

"Problem? I remember no such thing..."

Maybe he had done something under the alcohol influence... No, Xuan Tian's body would flush out the alcohol on its own while he drank, so he's never been intoxicated. Then...

Only

While Law was deep in thought, Xuan Tian opened the case. A letter bearing a seal in the shape of a noble family's crest and a vial the size of a finger lay within.

"This is...?"

The vial contained a transparent liquid which produced bubbles when he shook it.

'What exactly is this?' "What is that?"

Law asked as he held the cat. Xuan Tian picked up the letter.

66.199 "What's wrong?"

After reading the contents of the letter, Xuan Tian's eyes began to tremble wildly.