One-Eyed Monster

Just as the HUMPH, like a clap of thunder in broad daylight, echoed above the Non Intoxication Tavern, Kuyi Tulan, the chief Gold Alchemist of the Alchemy Workshop, was descending the stairs from a guest room on the second floor of Lubin Tavern.

Kuyi Tulan stretched lazily. Every morning in Guru Mountain, he would procure a bottle of low-quality fruit wine to sample. This wine was brewed locally, without any special techniques. It looked murky and tasted bland. Yet, he would still pick up a bottle resolutely every day. Perhaps even he himself didn't know for how many consecutive days he had been drinking this bland fruit wine.

Kuyi Tulan was not a drunkard, much less a wine taster; he was simply interested in the impurities in the wine. In his view, anything containing impurities deserved close scrutiny. After all, he was an Alchemist, possessing a natural sensitivity to the exchange of matter.

Just as the Alchemy chief retrieved a bottle of fruit wine from behind the tavern's bar and was about to uncork it, Milo—his fellow disciple and reliable subordinate—hurried over, his expression grave.

"Any new discoveries?" Kuyi Tulan was very familiar with Milo's expression; unless there was something exceptional, this Gold Alchemist wouldn't have such a tense face.

"Yes, Chief," Milo said with utmost respect. "Sage Bigas has made an appearance."

"Oh?" Kuyi Tulan was slightly surprised. "How did she appear this time?"

"Like a clap of thunder!"

"Heh heh heh," Kuyi Tulan couldn't help but chuckle. "That Bigas... always so ostentatious, causing a huge stir every time."

"Chief!" Milo seemed to have more to say.

"Hmm?"

"If Sage Bigas has also appeared, Chief, does that mean you've confirmed the Teacher is indeed here?"

"I'm not sure. Although I am in contact with Bigas, we didn't inform her of this operation. I myself am puzzled as to what the Wizard Alliance is doing here, and of all people, it's Bigas who has come."

"So, we're still facing a vast unknown."

"Yes, Milo. It's a pity we couldn't extract any information from Reed of the Black Crow, but don't worry. Perhaps Joela and the others on the mountain have made some gains."

"Let's hope so, Chief!" Milo remained uncertain about the future, his serious expression deepening slightly.

"Don't worry. I'm here. I won't let the Alchemy Workshop suffer any losses." Kuyi Tulan knew his fellow disciple well; if he didn't offer some reassurance, that solemn face might persist for the entire day.

"But, Chief, if we continue to idle around here, it might displease the Workshop Elders." Milo was burdened with too many concerns.

"Don't worry. The elders can only talk; they can no longer influence the Alchemy Workshop."

Kuyi Tulan poured two cups of fruit wine, pushed one to Milo, and kept one for himself.

"Those old fossils are about ready to exit the stage. The future of the Alchemy Workshop needs transformation."

"Yes, Chief." Whenever the future of the Alchemy Workshop was mentioned, Milo's heart would swell with passion.

"However, all transformations can only proceed after we find the Teacher."

"May the Stars in the sky shine upon us." Milo placed his hands on his opposite shoulders, crossing his arms.

"May the Stars in the sky shine upon you and me." Kuyi Tulan mirrored the gesture.

"Alright, since members of the Wizard Alliance are here, we should pay them a visit. I originally had something to discuss with Bigas; I didn't expect her to actually come."

"Chief, the Sage is at the Non-Intoxication Tavern, but that place right now..."

"What's wrong with that place?"

"It's overcrowded. Because of a Spirit Duel, the entire tavern is completely surrounded."

"A Spirit Duel? That Bigas... Alright, let's go join the crowd. Maybe we'll learn something unexpected from her."

"Chief, are you saying Sage Bigas knows something about the unique nature of this mountain?"

"More or less. She generally wouldn't leave the Alliance Hall without good reason. Her showing up here today means she must have some ulterior motive."

Kuyi Tulan put down his half-empty cup of wine, his gaze drifting out of the tavern as he mulled over past events.

He wondered: if Bigas saw her beloved here this time, would she burst into tears? Kuyi Tulan took another sip from the half-empty cup and once again cast his gaze into the distance.

In the distance, before the entrance of the Non-Intoxication Tavern, the Treasure Hunters' mouths remained agape, seemingly stretching even wider. Just moments before, this crowd of Treasure Hunters, who had been watching a Spirit Duel, were startled by an abrupt HUMPH. That sound was merely a warning; what followed was what truly astounded them. It left them all gaping, their eyes wide. Their previously dull gazes instantly sharpened, terrified of missing a single moment of the spectacular scene should they so much as blink...

Floating in midair above the Non-Intoxication Tavern—yes, floating—was a person!

The person was magnificently dressed, wearing a pointed, wide-brimmed felt hat. The attire clearly marked her as a Wizard.

But the robe she wore was baffling. In the Treasure Hunters' experience, Wizards usually wore black or Gray Robes. At most, a High Rank Wizard might wear a White Robe. But the robe worn by the figure floating in mid-air was neither white nor gray; its color seemed to shift between golden-yellow and purplish-red. As the robe swayed in the wind, its colors changed unpredictably—a truly beautiful sight!

However, few people knew what this robe signified.

The Gray Robe Wizard involved in the Spirit Duel suddenly felt his legs go weak, and he involuntarily collapsed to the ground with a THUD.

"Great Saint! I was blind and foolish to covet the Saint's artifact! I deserve ten thousand deaths!" The Gray Robe Wizard never dreamed he would witness a Holy Robe in his lifetime, and at such close range.

"Ten thousand deaths?" the floating figure said, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Such a fate would be too lenient for scum like you."

It was understandable that most other Treasure Hunters couldn't comprehend the color-changing Wizard robe. However, for him, as a Wizard, not to recognize this color-changing Wizard robe would be a profound disgrace to his profession. This color-changing robe was the ultimate aspiration for a Wizard, and only Wizards of the highest echelon could wear such garments.

A Black Robe advanced to a Gray Robe, a Gray Robe to a White Robe, and above the White Robe was the Holy Robe.

The magnificently dressed woman hovering in midair was a Holy Robe.

Her name was Bigas, an elder-level Wizard in the Wizard Alliance, and one of the newly-promoted Six Wise Systems.