"Patriarch, here is the esteem guest I was informing you about," informed Kiu Thao. Both Silver and Kiu Thao stood in silence as they watched the patriarch gazing out the window.
"Alright, you're dismissed," replied the patriarch in cool tone with his back still face towards them. He brought up his left hand up, slightly tilting it back, as a signal to be dismissed.
"Yes," monotoned Kiu Thao as he turned around and headed out of the room. With a quick glimpse, Kiu Thao turned his head to Silver, showing a small yet sullen smile as he finally left while closing the door.
"Have a seat," the patriarch instructed flatly as he turned around. His head didn't move, but his eyes were carefully probing Silver with his divine sense. But all he could find out was Silver's cultivation in the early stage of Nova Origin. Right after, he noticed Silver's calm demeanor, unfazed by his probing.
"How did you meet Kiu Thao? I also hear that you're an alchemist?"
"I had gotten duped by a caravan while travelling and somehow after an hour of walking aimlessly, a group of bandits surrounded me. Kiu Thao's servant, Yong Satay, came out of nowhere and took care of the bandits while Yong Dango finished them off. From then on, I got acquainted with Kiu Thao," explained Silver, recounting the events.
"After that, they dropped me off and I went to take my alchemist exam. Here's the badge."
Finishing his narration, Silver took out the Alchemy Division cauldron shaped black badge and placed it onto the desk. The patriarch took a moment to inspect the designs thoroughly. It was near impossible to fake the badge, but it was best to ensure it was the real deal. Something like an alchemist was a godsend to their clan, but as of late, they had no way to obtain any resources as the enemy clan had bought most of the things they needed.
His enemies had been quite cunning over the years, patiently chipping away their Kiu Clan's power.
"What did my . . . child say to you on the account of becoming an esteemed guest for our Kiu Clan?" asked the patriarch.
"I was told as an esteemed guest I have freedom than those who are within the clan while guiding the exceptional clan members. I would also obtain ample resources for my experiments but restricted to see the martial art and cultivation manuals. However, I'm allowed to use the library of your clan for basic usages," replied Silver.
"Ah, yes. Based on the badge, I seen it a few times in my life in Blue Dream City. It's rather amazing for someone talented in the field of alchemy becoming a good acquaintance of my child. Fate is a wondrous yet a terrifying thing . . . as of today you'll be an esteemed guest. I will write your name and give you our Kiu Clan Guest token. Based on your characters and how you treat Kiu Thao, it would be alright to go along with that child wishes. If I do find you a vulture mimicking a majestic eagle… the consequence will not be so simple."
"En. I understand and Thank you."
Silver stood up, cupping his fist towards the patriarch after receiving the red and white token that the patriarch given him. Taking a small glimpse at it, the token was shaped like a pentagon with a turquoise border and grey interior with "Kiu" written in turquoise on the grey background. He carefully placed the token in his robe pocket, returning his gaze at the patriarch.
"Any tasks for today since I'm now a guest of your Kiu Clan?" asked Silver.
"Not yet, although you have that badge, it is only temporary. When do you go back to retrieve your badge and be informed of your tier?" asked the patriarch.
"In a few days' time. I would like to enjoy the free time I have and explore the city."
"Yes, yes as you should. You've just recently came into our city. The Dragon's Gate Lake is a famous area within our city, it's quite easy to get to once you head out. Just take the other trail when you reach the fork by Jade Dragon Restaurant. From there, continued that trail until you see the lake. The best is at the crack of dawn . . ."
"I thank patriarch for your suggestion, I would definitely check out the Dragon's Gate Lake during my stay in the Kiu Clan."
"Oh yes, I have been a bit rude. I am Patriarch Kiu Hanbe," said Kiu Hanbe, cupping his hands towards Silver. Since Silver was now an alchemist, they stood at equal footing in status. To have such promising alchemist was akin to giving wings to a tiger.
"En. I will head out to meet with Kiu Thao now," informed Silver as he turned around and walked out of the room.
"Ah, yes . . ." mumbled Kiu Hanbe, turning his head back to the window. A sharpness could be seen in his eyes as he gazed at a lake within their clan.
Kiu Thao was standing at the side of the door with his head down. His mind was full of needless thoughts as his expression was quite gloomy. Soon, he lifted his head after hearing the door being opened and closed. Turning his head left, he stared at Silver with an anxious expression.
"How did it go?" queried Kiu Thao, a heavy rock sinking into his heart. His father was unusually cold and rarely accepted any request he made for many years. His mother, on the other hand, was forgiving, kind and always supportive of whatever he liked or do but she hadn't been appearing as of late. From what he could gather, something was brewing within their clan, but he was left out in the dark as well as the other younger members.
"It went well, I am now an esteemed guest of your Kiu Clan," answered Silver, showing a relaxed smile.
"That's good!" smiled Kiu Thao, relieved that everything went better than he imagined. This was the first time in many years since his father approved of something he suggested. With Silver in their clan, it would be a blessing.
"It's nearing dinner time, would you like to go out and eat? And have you found a place to stay yet?"
"I did walk by a restaurant not too long ago, let's head there," answered Silver. Although he had reached a high cultivation, he could still get hungry from time to time but he still enjoys eating good food, nonetheless.
"Nothing beats food accompanied by wine after a long day."
"Hmm, oh! The Jade Dragon restaurant is quite popular for both food and wine. It'll be the best place to eat. "
"That's great. Let us gorge ourselves in good food and wine then!"
"Hahaha, it seems you're quite hungry. I'll grab the other three and we can walk to the restaurant. What do you say?"
"I don't mind. Food and wine can bring many people closer, it's a universal language that can never cease just like music and emotions."
"For an alchemist, you have a lot of wisdom."
"Mmm, most likely. Just the thought of good food and wine is getting to me. Let's hurry."
Both Silver and Kiu Thao, walking side by side, headed towards the courtyard of Kiu Thao's to grab Bu Keng, Yong Satay and Dango. Upon getting there, an odd scene played out as Yong Satay was furiously dodging both Bu Keng and his sisters attack. His skill in blocking each hit in a slow yet relaxed manner was quite profound. As for the duo, they were sweating nonstop as they continued their barrage.
"Why did I do this time!? Why do you both ganged up on me whenever you're both mad!?" screamed Yong Satay while countering every move they used against him.
"How are you stronger than I, Bu Keng!?" yelled Bu Keng, throwing his kicks faster and faster. He felt infuriated by the fact he had been played by the buffoon in front him for many years.
"How did you, Yong Satay become stronger than I, Bu Keng? How dare you make a fool out of me!"
Even though Yong Dango didn't say much but Silver could feel that her mood was in disarray. Her younger brother was surprisingly stronger than her, so strong that both Bu Keng and her couldn't even break his defense. The more she attacked, the stronger her heart demon grew. She was supposed to be strong enough to protect him and her master yet somehow, he was already walking further away from her view.
"He's grown strong," beamed Kiu Thao, staring at the stern-faced Yong Satay.
"All the hard work he's been secretly doing is finally paying off, hopefully Bu Keng doesn't do anything cra-"
"DAMN YOU YONG SATAY, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU'LL NEVER USE THOSE FISTS AGAIN!!" screamed Bu Keng, taking his sword out of the scabbard. With a quick and precise swing, he directly aimed at Yong Satay's arms. His eyes were blinded by fury, arrogance clouded his narrow mind for many years. It was as if his pride was on the line, nearly crumbling into the ravine of his wrath.
"NO," yelled Yong Dango, after seeing Bu Keng swinging the sword at her younger brother. She hastened her steps, attempting to run in between the two.
As she got closer, Bu Keng kicked her ribs which knocked her back a few meters. Compare to her strength with Bu Keng, it was like night and day. He was obviously stronger than her by a realm.
"Truly despicable, blinded by rage and arrogance and cannot even uphold your brittle pride," chided Silver as he took a step forward. With that very step, he unleashed a raging torrent of killing intent onto the bickering trio.
"I will give you three a taste of what it means to face a nightmare. A nightmare so horrifying that even your egotistical pride will do you three no good."
An incredible murderous intent filled the area Bu Keng, Yong Satay and Dango as their bodies had forcefully stopped. Their minds went into shock as they dropped to the ground convulsing in fear. Their eyes were wide, finding themselves in an inescapable illusion as they continuously were sunk deeper into the killing intent. Tears streamed down their cheeks as mucus poured out their nose like a faucet.
Waves of hellish nightmares twisted their minds, forever petrified in their current state.
'What is true fear? This is true fear!'
Nodding, Silver gave a huge smile, releasing his intent that hovered the trio. All of this happened in less than a second, but to them, it felt like years. All three blinked their eyes slowly, their minds crawling back into reality. They inhaled and exhaled heavily as they slowly stood up, attempting to process what they had went through.
Bu Keng puked on the side, using his sword to prop himself up as he got the worst of it out of the siblings, a befitting punishment. After tidying themselves up, all four stared at Silver in awe and fear, unsure what to do or say.
"I hope you've learned your lesson," Silver chirped, smiling brightly.
"Unless you haven't learned yet?"
All three nodded their heads in unison, admitting they had learned their lesson. To them, the smile Silver gave them became eerie and devilish as the cold sweat ran down their backs. Whatever little pride they had was crushed by an alchemist they had met on the way to Blue Dream City.
It even changed the way they thought about Silver to the point it sparked Bu Keng's admiration to the point of fervent devotion. If Silver knew that Bu Keng was the M of the group, he wouldn't have done such a thing and just knocked him out using Kiu Thao as a decoy.
"It seems like you been given an ample punishment," smirked Kiu Thao, staring at his three servants. He was giddy inwardly as he realized Silver was a true expert. They didn't even need to save him, but it seems they were fated to meet which created the previous scenes earlier in the morning.
"Alright go clean yourself up and quickly change, we're going down to the Jade Dragon Restaurant to eat. Don't worry about a carriage, it's not a far walk and it'll help you cool off a bit more."