Sitting on the couch, Zara had a cup of tea in her mouth, she had a beautiful smile on her lips.
Unaware a shadow materializes beside her not making any sound.
She jumped back on the chair making the tea pours over her head.
Her jaw dropped, opening her eyes wide. She blinks her eyes twice, fixing her gaze on the intruder.
Is she seeing right?
Holding the teacup with a firm hand raised high, ready to smash the cup on whatsoever is the shadow.
"Are you going to attack with that? Hmm"
Thomas emerged from the shadow, pointing at the teacup.
His lips twitched upward a bit, shaking his head, he sat down beside Zara crossing his leg over the other.
He picked a fruit from the basket on the table, eating not glancing at Zara who had been frozen beside him.
The tea dripped from her head to her toes, unaware of this. Her eyes linger on Thomas's action.
Resting her left hand on her fast beating chest, her heart was beating twice the normal heartbeat.
She breadth in a large air, waiting for a few seconds to let her heartbeat return to normal.
Placing the cup on the table, she turns to him. Her air swirled, the tea on her hair sprinkled everywhere.
" why!"
She yelled, clutching her fist.
She uses her hands to fan herself, she smoothes her hair with her hands and positions the loose strand hair at the back of her ear.
"I ought to punch you right between the eyes." She thought, gnashing her teeth.
She stumped her right foot on the ground, walked out of the room grumbling.
Thomas sat down relaxed, staring at the fruit he was eating.
He swings his leg up and down, humming a sound, tapping the chair with his left hand in a rhythm.
'pa pa pa'
Thomas was on his third fruit when Zara entered. Glancing at her, his sparkling white teeth slowly bit into the fruit.
Zara dressed in a blue robe with white stripes. She sat beside him.
"Are you the shadow who punched that man?" she inquired.
"What do you think, hmm?" He smirked.
He faced her with his mesmerizing lips twitched.
"What did man offer you? And what do you help him with?" He questioned.
He looked straight into her beautiful eyes, raising his eyebrows.
"He offered rank 2 monster beast for essence gatherer pill" she replied.
"Hmm, that's good." He brought out a clean white handkerchief from his storage ring, cleaning his round gorgeous lips.
"It's already late, let's call it a day. Tomorrow will be hectic " Thomas stands up, walking out of the room.
*****************
Early in the tranquil morning, the morning dew is everywhere. The dew dripped from the tent, making a sound.
The shriek of insects and animals adds to the dramatic making of the beautiful morning.
The morning mist makes it obscure for people to see ahead.
The sun is yet to emerge in marking the glamorous advent of the day.
In front of the red sparrow merchant tent, few people had gathered.
They put on an expensive silk cardigan to wade off the cold.
After two hours, the sun is up demonstrating its full majesty.
The crowd had already increased, talking in a hushed voice among themselves.
A young lady with an average look, dressed in a violet V-neck robe and a short skirt.
She steps out of the tent, radiating a lovely smile.
"Good morning, I welcome you all on behalf of the legendary alchemist" she paused, she watched all the powerful people.
They dressed in exorbitant clothes, radiating a strong aura with a high cultivation realm.
She continued " Today is the last day for the legendary alchemist to stay at the merchant arena. So if you're not with the right offer, please don't bother coming inside. Any question?" She inquired.
She raised her eyebrows with a delightful smile on her lips.
She sees that none of them is ready to ask a question " now, please you are to enter one after the other, ok?"
She walked back inside the tent wriggling her small ass.
The nobles started walking inside without any problem from anybody.
Five hours went in the nick of time while they were being attended to by the legendary alchemist.
Rumors and gossip started circulating like wide fire in the merchant arena.
" do you hear?"
" hear what?"
" the legendary alchemist is from the sky polar empire"
"What!"
The crowd who had assembled in front of the merchant tent had their mouth open, their jaw dropped.
Their eyes opened, staring at the person who disseminated the information.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, one of the elders who met the legendary alchemist is my father's friend. He told us, he could not believe if when he sees her"
"Am I hearing right?"
The man uses his right to slap his forehead a little bit. He opened his mouth wide, not able to close it while shaking his head.
"Take it easy," a man said. Though he is yet to believe the shocking discovery.
"But which family is the legendary alchemist from?"
"Oh! She is from the Agramunt family. She is the eldest daughter of the family. She is an instructor at the Imperial Academy."
"What!"
"She is young"
"Where did she learn alchemy from?"
"I believe the Agramunt family is yet to know of this"
"Yes, they don't know or else they would have been flaunting their arms right now."
Unaware, a luxurious carriage stopped not far from the crowd. The carriage was driven by four large black ordinary bull beasts.
These bulls could travel one mile in an hour while they could run ten hours without getting tired.
The carriage exhibits a profound aura. Mere looking at it, it commands dignity.
An elder man walks out of the carriage, dressed in a red luxurious robe.
He had long white hair and a white beard. He looks grand.
Everywhere his eagle-like eyes stared, people bowed and avoided his gaze.
Taking a short step at a time, he walks without making a sound.
Walking inside the red sparrow merchant tent. All the attendants had their mouths opened, their jaw dropped.
Are they dreaming?
The royal family's fourth protector.
They all froze on the spot. They started trembling, their eyes opened wide, their eyebrows raised.
The elderly man did not have any expression on his face.
He looks at them like it was a common occurrence for people to act.
"Where is the legendary alchemist?" The elderly man inquired in a sonorous voice.
"What!"
Hearing the sonorous voice, all the attendants awoke from their stupor.
They looked left and right not sure what to do. They disappeared into the inner chamber without uttering a word.
"What!"
A loud voice came out from the inner chamber.
In a twinkle of an eye, Madam Song rushed out from the inner chamber.
She had a bead of sweat on her forehead, tremble a little. She looked at the elderly man with reverence, she bowed.
"Fourth protector, welcome. The legendary alchemist is waiting for you. Please follow me." She declared.
She tried to hide her trepidation by holding the hem of her clothes. She fumbles with her clothes while avoiding the fourth protector's gaze.
She leads the fourth protector to the inner room where the legendary alchemist is sitted.
Madam Song scurried away after delivering the fourth protector.
Zara sat on the chair with her back rested on the chair. She placed her right arm on top of the chair.
She looked relaxed with a cup of tea in her mouth.
Zara stared at him without exhibiting any form of apprehensive or regard.
The fourth protector was surprised by Zara's behaviour. "Hmm, she is not scared of me and she does not show me any respect." He thought.
"Have a seat"
The fourth protector sat down, his gaze on Zara. " you are from the Agramunt family?" He inquired.
"Yes, any problem with that?"
Zara questioned him without looking at him. She put her beautiful lips on the teacup and took a sip.
"Hmm" she swayed her head to the left side enjoying the flavor of the tea.
The fourth protector was dumbfounded. His jaw dropped to the ground.
Is this for real?
Nobody in the sky polar empire had ever behaved like this in his presence. The princes and princesses with every royal household had to show him a bit of respect.
Except for the king and the other protectors who can behave anyhow they like in his presence.
The fourth protector had been lost in his thoughts, his eyebrows raised with a frown on his face.
" will you ask me what you are here for? Do you come here to stare at my beauty, hmm?"
She swivels her hair left and right gently with a radiant smile, her round mouth open a bit showing her set of white sparkling teeth.
She looked at him with the edge of her eyes. She took another sip and giggled with an enchanting smile on her lips.
Her lips had a small drop of tea at the edge. She licks it while looking at the fourth protector.
The fourth protector had his heartbeat raising. He tries to calm his heart down while inhaling a large gulp of air.
"I never thought I would possess this reaction just looking at her. I should stay away from her. She is dangerous." He thought.
"Have you seen enough?" She asked.
Her expression transformed in a swift motion, she glared at him with a sharp eye.
"What! How can an expression change like this?" He proclaimed in his head?
He had forgotten all the thought that he was the fourth protector of the empire.
He had a tense muscle with beads of sweat on his forehead. He used his hand rubbed it off. He was sweating a lot under his robe.
"I must escape from this vixen," he thought.
"Ah ah ah" Zara laughed. " I'm teasing you, relax. Ok?"
She laughs again.
"Ah! LordMaster, he knows these people well. Fiddling with their emotions works like charm" she thought.
He opened his eyes wide, he opened his mouth and wanted to talk but nothing came out.
He closed his mouth, clenched his fist. He stared upward.
He gathered his thoughts, he was frustrated " you know I can kill you without laying a finger on you"
He looks at Zara, their gaze met.
Zara did not avoid his gaze, her gaze was sharp.
Is this happening?
"You can try"
Her voice was cold and detached, she did not emit any teasing vibe.
"Do you think you are invisible with your peak essence building realm stage 7, hmm?" She questioned.
The fourth protector was astonished. How did she know his cultivation realm?
He started feeling uneasy.
" what is happening here, who is she?" He thought.
He averted his gaze. "I have been doing a lot of thinking since I met her," he said in his head. He shakes his head.
"You are formidable" he confessed while laughing " I know that the legendary alchemist will not be a pushover"
He straightens his back, he regains his lost bearing.
Zara remains cold, she smirks" without calling my master, all I need is a single pill to render you useless."
She sways her hand on her storage ring, a blue pill appears.
She shows him the blue pill " if I smash this pill you will lose your cultivation. Without me giving you the antidote you will remain cripple for the rest of your life."
He was surprised, he opened his eyes wide, his jaw dropped.
He shivers, his back was drenched in a cold sweat. He shifted upward on the chair trembling.
She looked at him, seeing him shivering, she snouted " do you believe now you are nothing in my presence, hmm?"
He did not know when he nodded. He was scared silly.
His eyes were still on the pill, he pointed at the pill " please put it away"
"Oh really!"
She raised her eyebrows, her lip twitched.
"Do you know you're nothing now?"
"Yes, yes, I am nothing in front of you" he retorted.
"Ah ah ah"
Zara laughed.
" I am not going to use it on you, you are the protector of the empire" she teased. She put away the pill.
" you are a coward" she chuckled with an enchanting smile on her lips.
He breathed a sigh of relief. " I pray I never see that pill again," he murmured.
"What do you say?" She inquired.
"Oh nothing, I said you are considerate"
"Better, let be serious now, hmm"
"I've been serious from the beginning. You this vixen is the one that is not serious." He thought.
He wanted to cry but there were no tears. When the fourth protector became a person who is scared to utter his thoughts.
He shakes his head.
"Go back and tell the king that my condition is to have access to all the books in the imperial library. But if you need a pill you still need to provide the material." She explained standing up ready to leave.
"Are you not going to hear what am going to say"
"No"
She left the room, leaving him bewildered, with an open mouth unable to close.
The fourth protector was left downcasted.
He leaves without making a sound.
In another room in the inner chamber, Zara stood in front of Thomas dangling her clothes.
She had a beautiful smile all over her face.
"Did I perform very well," she consulted.
"Yes, you perform more than expected" he nodded.
"Yeh, what's my reward?" She rejoices.
"Park and sort everything we had collected today, we are leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
"Really" she frowned her face. she was expecting a reward but now she got another work.
"Hmm hmm" he nodded " it's already late let rest"
Outside the red sparrow merchant tent, all the crowd had dispersed. The sky had darkened, everywhere remained silent.
The shrieking sound of crickets and frogs fills the night.
A person dressed in black clothes with a hat on his head evades the night guard and sneaks inside the red sparrow tent.
Who is this?