The next day Michael opened his eyes after a restful sleep. He decided not to cultivate last night and give his mind a brief respite before his first day in the Soaring Dragon Sect. Although his first day wouldn't be as he envisioned considering he was starting as a servant and not a cultivator, he still felt a wave of excitement wash over him.
As he was getting ready, he looked out the window and paused slightly. 'Mother, Father, Rosa… This is just the first step. I'll become a cultivator and avenge you. I promise'.
Archie piped up 'Master, you mustn't be late!'
Michael took a deep breath and centered himself before he replied in affirmation. He put on his grey robe, the one marking him as an alchemy servant and checked himself in the mirror, making sure that he looked presentable for his first day and smiled wryly.
'They say the clothes makes the man, then what the hell does this make me?' seeing the drab grey robe that hung loosely off his body, he remarked sarcastically.
A barely audible chuckle was heard in his mind as Archie was trying to hold back his laughter.
Sighing lightly, Michael walked toward the alchemist division. Luckily for him there was a sign planted in the middle of the crossroad with directions. Glancing at the sign, he followed the directions toward the alchemy lab.
Just over a rise the alchemy building came into view. It was an awe-inspiring sight. The building was massive, at least five stories high, with ornate carvings and intricate designs adorning every surface. The walls were made of a dark, polished stone that glimmered in the sunlight, giving the building an imposing presence. The closer he got, the more detail he could see within every piece of stone.
As Michael stood before the imposing entrance to the alchemy lab, he couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension wash over him. He knew that his first day as an alchemy servant would not be an easy one.
'Am I in over my head?' he asked himself.
'Just remember you have me!' Archie pumped his fist and cheered his master on.
Michael rolled his eyes but was inwardly thankful for the relic spirits' support. Just as he was gathering his courage to step inside, the door creaked open and a tall, gruff-looking elder man appeared before him. Unlike himself, the man wore a crisp white robe with a golden embroidery of the alchemy division on the left side of his chest. His hair was a stark white, slicked back neatly, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to bore right through Michael.
"Are you the new servant?" the man barked, his voice as gruff as his appearance.
"Yes, sir. My name is Michael," Michael replied, trying his best to keep his voice steady.
"Hmph, well, I'm Evan Booth, the head alchemy servant. You'd better keep that in mind if you want to last more than a day around here," the man said, his tone pompous and condescending.
Michael felt an instant dislike toward this head servant, it was clear that his time would not be pleasant if he upset this guy. 'I better play along for now' he thought and nodded quickly, trying to appear obedient.
Evan nodded, pleased that the newbie was well enough behaved. "Follow me" he grunted, turning on his heel towards the double doors.
The entrance to the building was a large set of double doors, easily twenty feet tall, made of a rich mahogany wood. Above the doors was a massive emblem, the symbol of the alchemy division, picturing a cauldron with 5 stars above it made of pure gold, glinting in the light.
Michael followed along, keeping pace with the older man and looking around to take in the gorgeous sights.
As they approached the doors, Michael could see the hustle and bustle of the alchemy sect, with servants and cultivators alike moving in and out of the building. The air was thick with the scent of various herbs and ingredients, mixed with the acrid smell of smoke and chemicals.
Evan turned to Michael, his gruff voice interrupting his thoughts. "This is where you'll be working, boy. Better get used to the smell, because you'll be breathing it in every day from now on." He gave a cackle before coughing violently, almost keeling over.
'What the f*** is wrong with this guy?' Archie exclaimed in disgust while covering his mouth.
Michael blinked twice before wiping off some spittle that had landed on his cheek during the coughing attack. Holding his bubbling rage within, he lightly cleared his throat and asked "Who will I be assisting today Mr. Booth?" he asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
Evan patted his chest, recovering from his earlier episode. "This way, you'll be in charge of preparing herbs for our 1-star alchemists". He gestured inside and picked up his pace toward the end of the corridor.
Vowing to wash his face at the next opportunity Michael hurried along after the older man, eager to ditch the decrepit old fart.
Evan led Michael through the winding hallways of the alchemy building, the air thick with the scent of herbs and the hum of spiritual energy. They finally arrived at the herb preparation room, a large chamber filled with rows of shelves lined with jars of herbs and ingredients.
"Here we are," Evan said, gesturing to the room. "This is where you'll be spending most of your time, Michael. Preparing herbs for the alchemists' concoctions is a vital task, and it's important that you do it correctly."
Michael nodded, taking in the sight of the room. There were several other alchemy servants bustling about, grinding herbs and mixing solutions in large stone mortars. He spotted Elena among them and gave her a small smile, glad to see a familiar face.
"Elena, come here," Evan barked, summoning her over. "I want you to show Michael how to prepare the herbs for Master Shen's next batch of pills. Don't mess it up."
Elena's eyes widened in fear, but she quickly composed herself and nodded. "Yes, Elder Booth," she said, leading Michael over to a nearby shelf.
"Have you prepared herbs before?" she turned to Michael and asked softly. His interactions with Elena the day before had been brief and therefore she was still timid in his presence.
"Nope, I usually only harvest them." He said with a dumb smile.
"Um." Slightly vexed, she grabbed her glabella and responded "Okay, I'll show you how to prepare the easiest herb for pill refining but then it's all up to you."
"Works for me!" Michael said cheerily.
Shaking her head, she approached some crates that were lying on the ground and began to unload some herbs onto the workbench next to them.
"These are White Spirit Roots, a tier-1 ingredient used in pills related to Qi absorption" she stated.
"While they are not considered rare, White Spirit Roots that are above 50 years of age have a qualitative transformation and turn into the Purple Spirit Root. However it is harder than finding a needle in a haystack to locate one over 50 years."
Michael nodded and was inwardly impressed with Elena's knowledge of herbs.
"Now, the pills Master Shen are making require White Spirit Roots that are no less than 20 years of age and no more than 30 years." She said matter-of-factly.
"You can tell the age by the number of rings located at the root of this herb".
Sure enough, Michael looked to where she was pointing and saw 2 white rings. "Sounds easy enough" he said nonchalantly.
"What do I do with the White Spirit Roots that are not yet of age?"
"Throw them in this crate over here, they'll be mixed in with the feed for the spirit animals." She continued, "Now pay attention, I'm going to show you the correct way of processing this herb".
As she began to explain the process to him, Michael couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the timid girl. She seemed to know what she was doing, but the constant fear and belittlement from the other cultivators had clearly taken its toll on her.
Letting his mind wander for a little longer, he suddenly felt a shock enter his body from his pocket to his brain. 'Holy f***' he exclaimed internally.
'Master, what is it??' Archie asked immediately.
'Hehehehehe, it would sure be a shame to let these young White Spirit Roots be eaten by some shitty livestock don't you think Archie my boy' a devious grin appeared on his face.
Archie saw the look on the face of his Master and instantly felt unclean, however as their time together increased the devious grin was becoming less jarring.
'Let's paint our herb garden white, what do you say Archie?' Michael stroked his non-existent beard, his eyes seemingly turning gold from thinking about how rich he would become.
'Hehe, it won't be white for long Master!' finally catching onto what his Master was getting at he joined in on the fun, dancing around and hopping from one leg to the other.
Seeing the visage of his 10-year-old self dancing around like an imbecile, Michael almost fell over in embarrassment.
'TURN INTO SOMEONE ELSE YOU PRICK!' he screamed internally, scaring the innocently dancing Archie.