Randolph continued to make his rounds, sneering at the work of the other servants and making snide remarks. But as he approached Michael's workstation, something caught his eye.
He leaned in close and inspected his work, his expression turning sour. "This is unacceptable," he said loudly, for all to hear. "Your mixture is too diluted. You've wasted precious resources and time."
Michael's heart sank. 'Trying to discredit me in public hey?' he thought wryly, 'Unfortunately for you, I've processed hundreds of White Spirit Roots and this batch is as good as any.'
Randolph looked at Michael with a sneer, their eyes making contact. 'I'll get you kicked out in no time you prick.' He thought.
Randolph continued, "While the White Spirit Root itself is by no means precious, surely the Soaring Dragon Palace would not allow any quack to waste these materials?' he looked around, addressing the entire room.
He dipped his finger in the mixture, as if to test the consistency before stirring slowly. However as he stirred the mixture, it seemed to lose its texture, almost as if someone had added additional spiritual water.
'Master! I just felt spatial fluctuations' Archie yelped in surprise.
Michael was startled, he quickly looked at his herb mixture which had been reduced to a puddle of wasted materials. 'That beanstalk is trying to frame me!' he cursed internally.
"My how times have changed, it seems that any idiotic youth can become an alchemist servant. Even as an apprentice alchemist I would have been heavily punished for wasting such herbs." Randolph moved around the room, drawing everyone's attention to his tirade.
"Unacceptable, I wonder if Master Yi would take kindly to these useless servants wasting his precious herbs." He continued, every word dripping with venom.
The whole room paled at the mention of Master Yi, the head of the Alchemist division in the Soaring Dragon Palace. In addition to his position, it was also unknown what level of Alchemy he had reached. However, they also knew that Randolph had a relationship with Master Yi.
Elena who had been watching from the side had also seen the change in Michael's herbs after Randolph had interfered. She looked at Michael who was deep in thought and was about to open her mouth to say something.
Michael quickly grabbed Elena and shook his head, telling her to calm down and not say anything. He knew that Randolph would deny any claims of having tampered with his mixture. In this place, with his background he could essentially do what he wanted without consequence.
Seeming to achieve the desired effect, Randolph walked up to Master Shen who had been observing the entire situation. He was too far away to see the tampering, however even if he did see it there was nothing he could do. Being a 1-star Alchemist, he had to treat Randolph with the proper respect.
"Master Randolph, I apologise on behalf of our servants." He gestured to Michael from across the room, "Michael here, is our newest addition to the team. I have personally inspected his work over the past few days and have been happy with his progress."
Michael looked over at Master Shen and felt a warm sense of gratitude. Despite not having a relationship with Master Shen, he still went out of his way to defend him, at least superficially.
Randolph turned to Master Shen and scoffed. "Personally inspected? Are your eyes painted on!?" he shouted, admonishing him.
"This trash knows nothing about alchemy! He should be disposed of like his ruined herb mixture." Randolph bellowed, causing spittle to project around the room.
Michael had been watching Randolph's tirade as if it did not involve him, marvelling at the acting skills of the toothpick. 'I wonder when he'll be finished.' Michael said to Archie casually.
'Master, it's not often we get to see a good show. I only wish I had some snacks to fully appreciate it.' Archie commented.
Michael couldn't hold in the chuckle that escaped his lips, fortunately the impassioned Randolph did not see it. However, Elena who was looking at Michael in pity managed to. She was immediately puzzled.
'How is Michael so calm? With Randolph this fired up, he could get him kicked out of the Soaring Dragon Palace or even worse.' Stressing, she bit her lip out of habit. Worrying about what would happen to him, as well as her future of cultivation.
'Oooh Master, it's about to get even better!' Archie yelped in surprise.
'What do you mean?' Perplexed, Michael asked.
'Just wait and see.' Archie responded with a childish grin.
It was as if Randolph were auditioning for a role as a character in a movie. His impassioned speech about the integrity of Soaring Dragon Palace and the duty of every individual to uphold it was enough to bring others to tears. However, the venom behind those words made it obvious that he intended to punish Michael.
Master Shen's face had continued to redden throughout the speech. Initially he had attempted to protect Michael, hoping that Randolph would give him some face in consideration of their prior relationship. However, after receiving insult after insult, he had nowhere to vent his frustration.
He looked over at Michael who seemed calm and collected, as if he were not the root cause of this situation. 'You little… this is all your fault, yet you're standing there nonchalantly.' Master Shen seethed internally.
Seeing that Randolph was continuously speaking insults, deep down he knew that Randolph had a problem with Michael. He also knew that this would all go away if he removed Michael as a servant, expelling him from the alchemy division.
"Only a blind old fool couldn't see how useless this person is…" Randolph continued.
Master Shen's eyebrows twitched violently, the anger that was bottled up inside of him felt like it was about to burst. Just as he was going to open his mouth and expel Michael, a servant ran over and whispered in his ear.
Master Shen almost jumped in surprise, his early anger quickly dissipating. "Let him in quickly!"
Hearing the disturbance behind him, Randolph quickly turned around only to see the large doors open.
Master Yi, the head of the alchemist division, walked into the room with an air of grace that commanded respect. He was an elderly gentleman, with a wrinkled face that showed signs of wisdom and experience. He was dressed in clean, white robes that flowed around him as he moved, almost as if he were gliding across the ground. His steps were measured and precise, each one two feet apart, as if he had carefully calculated the distance beforehand.
Despite his age, Master Yi was strong and agile, and his movements were fluid and effortless. His hands were steady, and his eyes were sharp, constantly scanning the room as if he were taking in every detail. He held a cane, but it seemed almost decorative as he did not use it for support or balance even once.
The room became silent, not a peep could be heard from even Randolph who was midway through his acting audition. After a full 3 seconds of silence, it was broken by Master Shen who stepped forward and clasped his hands together. "Welcome Alchemy Head Master Yi."
This snapped everyone out of their stupor, they all followed suit and a symphony of "Welcome Master Yi!" followed.
Michael looked over and the grin on his face widened, turning mischievous. 'Haha, you're right Archie. The show has gotten more interesting.'