Chapter 770 Gathering
I will be online on the alchemist Discord channel at 8th Nov 2020, 1am GMT 8+ (or 1pm -7th Nov- New York Time I think?) to celebrate the end of The Silly Alchemist. Come say hi! I love talking to you guys.
Finale chapter will be released at 12 am, which is one hour before the discord hangout session. See ya!
One more thing. The main royal alchemist of Soaring Sky had also entered the Ye Academy and was there to play a special role. Many people thought it was odd that this person was living as usual in Ye City.
Who was this alchemist? Everyone knew her as Sha Lan, the one who was once defeated by Ye Lang and Zhen Xiaoyan. The person who could’ve explained herself but did not.
Zhen Xiaoyan and the rest now knew that it was impossible for her to be pregnant because she was a virgin.
Her position at Ye City was peculiar. She even hangs out with Zhen Xiaoyan and the rest often, like good friends. No one understood them but did not look much into it.
Sha Lan kept a low profile and was a mysterious character. No one knew of her true intentions nor personality.
At the same time, everyone learned from Sha Lan that they must wait ten years for Ye Lang to return. This Was something they could do nothing about.
Although Li Yue also told them, they still had some hope but when Sha Lan, with her credentials, said the same thing, they must believe her because five years had already passed by then.
Ever since Ye Lang and Zhao Yarou disappeared, Li Yue had been guarding the ancient ruins. It had been five years but she never left it. She only passed messages to the Ye family.
Right now, there was a very peculiar gathering within Ye City. There were representatives from several powers of various countries. It seemed like a negotiation but not really.
Ye City was a neutral city so they could guarantee the safety of every party. At the same time, they did not lean towards any side. Even the people of Soaring Sky were treated the same.
Perhaps Ye City also wanted everyone to hold negotiations under peaceful conditions so this entire situation could end for the better. Or at least something would come out of the stalemate.
This gathering wasn’t an official one, the officials would never admit to holding a gathering like that. That was why the location was in a private residence.
The best place to hold such a meeting was the Ye Residence!
“Lanyu, don’t get mad later! Keep your wits about you! This is very important, it has to do with the livelihoods of people across the mainland.” This wasn’t the first reminder Ye Lanyu received. This time, her Second Sister, Ye Lanyun, was the one to remind her.
“I understand, Second Sister! I am not that reckless, plus raging would be useless. It’s not like Ye Lang will come out… If they had a method to rescue them, Zhao Yarou wouldn’t still be inside either,” said Ye Lanyu mildly, understanding the situation.
“I know that you know all of this but you said the same thing the last time. Yet you blasted them out of the room,” sighed Ye Lanyun.
Ye Lanyun understood that Ye Lanyu was understanding of the situation. But it did not mean she wasn’t going to get upset.
Every time she saw Sha Lan, Ye Lanyu would rage. She was a Tian Level master and at this point, if Sha Lan didn’t have bodyguards, she would’ve died many times already.
Sha Lan was the one who locked Ye Lang out, Li Yue told them and Sha Lan herself had admitted to it.
At the same time, Ye Lanyun and the rest wondered why Sha Lan stayed here although she knew it was dangerous. She said she was here to study Ye Lang’s alchemy but no one was really sure.
Everyone was studying the alchemy Ye Lang left behind but no one really understood his work. Even the head of the royal alchemists, Sha Lan, could not figure them out.
That was why Sha Lan gained respect for Ye Lang, impressed that he was a peerless alchemist!
Other than her research on his work, she also studied at the alchemy faculty and his teaching materials. She benefited a lot from his work.
Of course, the Ye family would not just let a person like Sha Lan gain knowledge in exchange for nothing. If she wanted to study here, then she must teach too, and she must share all she knew with everyone.
That meant she wasn’t just a student, she was also a teacher. She both received and shared her knowledge.
Initially, the Ye family gave this condition to make her life difficult because they thought she would never teach anything. That would mean she had to leak Soaring Sky’s secrets.
However, unexpectedly, she said yes. She was serious about it too, truly sharing her knowledge with the faculty. With her help, the alchemy weapons used by Soaring Sky were no longer mysterious.
When something wasn’t mysterious, everyone started to learn how to defend them.
Soaring Sky did not seem to care, they didn’t think Sha Lan was committing treason. Her position as Head Alchemist was still intact, they let her share and learn in this place.
Actually, to Soaring Sky, mastering Ye Lang’s alchemy was equally important. Sha Lan’s current knowledge wasn’t all that Soaring Sky had either. They still had secret weapons that they hadn’t used.
To use known knowledge in exchange for knowledge they didn’t have. This was a willing trade. Although Sha Lan’s ‘leaking’ of secrets looked like it was benefiting everyone instead of Soaring Sky, the truth might not be the case.
This time, Sha Lan was at the gathering as a representative of Soaring Sky. That meant she was likely to meet Ye Lanyu. No one knew what would happen then.
“Miss Lanyu, actually, Sha Lan isn’t a bad person. She’s like Ye Lang, they both only care about alchemy! She locked Ye Lang up because it was Zhao Yarou’s order, this wasn’t something she had a say in.” Zhen Xiaoyan was here too. She was in charge of placating everyone through her delicious cooking.
As long as everyone was in a good mood, then negotiations would go well. Perhaps the results would be satisfactory. This was Zhen Xiaoyan’s role to play today, courtesy of Seventh Brother.
“Xiaoyan, you’re too kind, you can forgive anyone!” Ye Lanyu shook her head exasperatedly. She had nothing to say to Zhen Xiaoyan.
Ye Lang had always loved Zhen Xiaoyan. Although it was just for her food, this is a reason why Ye Lanyu also loved Zhen Xiaoyan.
“Actually, at the time, Ye Lang and I were at fault… I’m the one who needs to be forgiven,” said Zhen Xiaoyan.
“I don’t think it’s really your fault. She’s the one who didn’t explain herself, she put herself in the situation willingly. If she wants to die, can you say that you killed her?” said Ye Lanyu. Everyone already knew about this gossip.
“…” Zhen Xiaoyan did not speak. At this point, she didn’t understand why Sha Lan did it either. She couldn’t accept Sha Lan’s answer because she felt like a person’s reputation was very important. Why didn’t she explain herself?
This was just a difference in values. Some people thought reputation was important, some didn’t.
“Forget about it. I heard Cousin Longji will be here today, also the little princess from Ai LA. It’s been five years, I wonder how she looks like now! I heard she’s now grown, a budding flower…” Ye Lang said excitedly.
If Soaring Sky was here, Vermilion Bird and Ai La had to send their representatives too. Other powers, including the beastmen, were expected too.
“Such vulgar descriptions! But if she’s grown, how can she be a budding flower!” The seventh princess took the chance to insult Ye Lanyu.
“Tsk, just a description. She must be a budding flower. It’s been five years but I don’t think she’ll grow too quickly… At least, I don’t think her rack will be as big as yours…” Ye Lanyu looked at the seventh princess a little enviously, though she sounded nonchalant.
“You’re impossible! You’re almost thirty, yet you’re still talking nonsense! That must be why no one wants to date you!” the seventh princess blushed.
“Thirty? I still have so many years left! If I’m almost thirty, you too! Also, I scared them all away, not because I talk nonsense… Ptui!” said Ye Lanyu.
“Uh… Are you both… talking about me?” They heard a small voice.
“No, I’m talking about… Hey, miss, you look very familiar. Have we met before?” Ye Lanyu turned to see that it was a very cute girl, about eleven or twelve.
There was an elegant young lady next to this girl. The lady smiled faintly at Ye Lanyu and the rest.
“Ah, Cousin Longji, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve greeted you,” said Ye Lanyun.
“With our current identities, how could we make dramatic entrances? Your place is surrounded by Soaring Sky.” Princess Longji smiled.
Princess Longji took one look at Ye Lanyu and said, “Lanyu, that’s enough of staring. That girl is Kaline. She spent so much time with you, how can you not recognise her?”
“Ah, that’s Princess Kaline, uh… yeah…” Ye Lanyu suddenly realised who the little princess was.
“What? Is it because she has changed too much and you couldn’t recognise her?” said Princess Longji.
“No, not too much. She changed too little. I thought she’d be at least like a budding flower. She is more like a bud now,” said Ye Lanyu very honestly.
“…” The little princess was silent as she stared at Ye Lanyu resentfully.
“Why do you speak without a filter? Little Kaline didn’t change a lot but at least she’s changing. Perhaps because she hasn’t grown in such a long time, that’s why the process is slower! You can’t just talk about another person’s trauma like that…” lectured Princess Longji, though she herself seemed to make the princess more upset.
“…” The little princess was still silent.
“I guess! Little Kaline, don’t worry. If you grow at this pace, you’ll be able to marry someone in five years. Then it would be just in time for Big Brother to come out. He’ll be able to officiate your wedding.” Ye Lanyu patted her little head, treating her like a child. She had forgotten that this girl was the representative of an empire.
“Big Brother…” The little princess muttered but did not speak. She looked very sad. It was an expression that should not appear on a young face like that.
While she looked young, she wasn’t actually very young anymore.
“Alright, let’s talk about that next time. Is everyone here?” PRincess Longji asked.
“Almost! Only the beastmen’s representative left…” said Ye Lanyu. “I wonder who they’ll send. It would be funny if Tai Ya comes.”
“What do you mean?” asked Longji.
“Don’t you know? Coincidentally, most of the representatives are girls today, and… everyone has had a relationship… no, everyone’s just related to Ye Lang,” said Ye Lanyu with a grin.
“What? That’s interesting!” Princess Longji’s eyes shone.
“Hehe, you’ll know when you get there!” Ye Lanyu smiled.
They’d see soon enough.
Princess Longji entered the makeshift meeting room. It was the living hall of the Ye family, an unimpressive one but would hold the meeting that would determine the future of several empires.
Of course, although she entered quickly, she did not show any kind of emotion. She was calm and composed, attracting all attention when she stepped in
Princess Longji enjoyed this attention. She was used to this too. She had always been the centre of attention. She noticed that everyone in the room was a gorgeous, elegant girl too.
Many people would want to witness a beautiful view like this one. It was a room full of girls as gorgeous as Princess Longji!
“Who are you?” a young lady asked mildly.
“I’ll introduce myself- I’m Longji from Vermilion Bird! And you all are…” Princess Longji smiled, wanting to know how these people were related to Ye Lang.
“PRincess Longji? Ye Lang’s cousin?” asked the girl.
It was obvious that she knew Longji was Ye Lang’s cousin, a person with a lot of power and influence.
The people in here were no ordinary girls!
Yet she did not seem to care about her identity, just the part that Princess Longji was Ye Lang’s cousin. This seemed to be more important.
“Yep!” Princess Longji nodded.
“Xuan Yuanbing from Sheng City!” The young lady nodded and said gently.
“The Sacred Lady! Nice to meet you. I’ve always heard that little jerk mention you but we’ve never met,” said Princess Longji immediately.
Princess Longji’s words meant that…
“It’s the same for me! I also hear him talk about you but we’ve never met!” said Xuan Yuanbing, returning the courtesy.
Yep, the people here all had deep connections with Ye Lang but hadn’t met.
But they must know each other quite well by now!
“You must be Coldblood Five, I think he likes you a lot.” At this moment, Xuan Yuanbing turned to the icy girl next to Princess Longji who hadn’t moved nor spoken.
“?!” Ye Lanyu and Princess Longji stared at Xuan Yuanbing in horror.
Even they did not know that this person was Coldblood Five, for she was in a disguise. She looked like an ordinary Coldblood member, they all covered their faces. No one would know it was her without help.
And Princess Longji did not introduce this person. Ye Lanyu and the rest thought Princess Longji had just brought a bodyguard. She was entering deep into the enemy’s territory after all.
“You can tell it’s me?” Coldblood Five did not pretend, instead took off her mask.
“Yep! Don’t forget that my heart is connected to him. I can sense his feelings towards you,” said Xuan Yuanbing mildly.
“If that’s the case, do you know how he is now?” asked Coldblood Five.
“..If I did, I wouldn’t be here talking to this woman,” signed Xuan Yuanbing, glaring at a girl sitting opposite her with hostility.
And that girl was Sha Lan.
If they weren’t here together, many wouldn’t know this was Sha Lan! Sha Lan did not know Xuan Yuanbing and Princess Longji either.
“That is a place separate from the rest of the world. Even if your souls are connected, you will not be able to sense anything,” said Sha Lan coldly. She accepted everyone’s hostile glares graciously.
“Sacred Lady, what’s his feeling towards me? Does he like me?” a girl in red next to the little princess arrived with Princess Longji and asked.
If she hadn’t spoken, they would’ve forgotten about her. Although she was a beauty, here, she was the same as everyone.
“Fei, does that question imply that you’ve fallen for my brother?” asked Ye Lanyu. The girl in red was Fei.
This time, Fei was here to protect the little princess. She was already considered a master in Ai La with Tian Level capabilities. Since she was of similar age to the little princess and a girl, she was the top choice as a bodyguard.
Fei was happy to take this mission too because she wanted to know more about Ye Lang’s situation.
“No, I just want to know what he feels about me. I think he hates me.” Fei shook her head. From her tone, there was no extra emotion, just a friend asking about a friend.
“Uh… It’s true he doesn’t really like you but I don’t think it’s hate…” said Xuan Yuanbing embarrassedly. She didn’t want or like to lie.
“I knew it!” Fei grind. She had expected this, she wasn’t disappointed.
“Third Brother, this is getting too weird! We should excuse ourselves and let them talk first!” Seventh Brother, who was supposed to greet every representative, suddenly realised it felt more like a fathering of Ye Lang’s friends.
“Yeah, we should!” Third Brother nodded and prepared to leave.
Third and Seventh Brother were leaders of the Ye family’s military. They had already received the baton from the previous generation, hence they must attend this meeting.
“Where do you think you’re going?! Also, let’s talk business now. Let’s not talk about Ye Lang, you have plenty of time for that later.” Sha Lan frowned as she looked at everyone.
“Fine, let’s get down to business! I think we should talk about the war. Continuing the war isn’t going to benefit anyone at this point,” said Princess Longji, looking at Sha Lan.
“I think so too! We must stop the war for the moment!” said Sha Lan. Her suggestion was very confusing.
Initially, everyone thought Soaring Sky would never stop the war so easily. From the current political situation, they were almost done swallowing the entire mainland. They shouldn’t be backing down now.
Yet at this point, although just as a temporary measure, Soaring Sky was suggesting to stop the war?
[Countdown to finale chapter: T-9]