Chapter 357 Colton's Thoughts
Seven's words were not without purpose, he could sense that his mentor, Quinn, was stunned by Charles's talent.
Moreover, the expressions on the faces of the useless Genosha alchemists around him while they spoke didn't seem to indicate that they were fabricating anything.
No matter what, Charles had already posed a threat to him.
As Quinn's apprentice, Seven had seen too many powerful alchemists and had developed a mad craving for alchemical genius.
Now, a sense of crisis had started to grow in his heart because of Charles.
"What if my mentor gets tempted and wants to take Charles as his apprentice, or worse, lowers the stakes of the duel? That cannot happen!" Seven thought to himself.
His gaze hardened, even if there were geniuses among these small nations in the Abyssal Depths, none could be stronger than him!
He couldn't do anything about the alchemical geniuses from the Haunted Marsh, having to watch as they grew ever more powerful, but now, an opportunity to destroy a potential rival lay right before him. How could he possibly let that slip away?
"Destroying a world where someone might be stronger than me is an exceedingly pleasurable thing. I'm on the verge of becoming a top-tier alchemist. Even if Charles's talent is indeed greater than mine, he still wouldn't stand a chance against me!" Seven was very confident in his own abilities.
"Are you actually afraid of me now? Saying so much that is obviously false just to make me think more highly of you?" Seven said ominously to Charles.
Charles remained unfazed, his mindset had always been calm, rarely fluctuating.
Just as he was about to respond, Colton suddenly stepped forward and stood in front of Charles, saying,
"Enough. I'll give you an answer within seven days. Quinn, you've gone too far."
Quinn suppressed his shock and thoughts, slowly raising his eyes to look at Colton, and replied, "There's no other way, unless you voluntarily give up everything, including your hands."
As soon as those words were uttered, the alchemists present erupted into a clamor, continuously discussing:
"That's too cruel! An alchemist without hands can't continue alchemy at all!"
"For a master-level alchemist, that's more painful than death."
"Of course! No one can give up everything, it's an unbearable thing."
"This is outrageous! Are the people from the Haunted Marsh really this unreasonable?"
"Sigh, we are still too weak. The people from the Haunted Marsh don't even regard the Abyssal Depths, let alone us Genosha."
"Damn it!"
The atmosphere on-site grew more tense and oppressive, and the Genosha alchemists felt a surge of anger building within them, wanting to vent it out.
Many impulsive individuals had already made their way to the entrance of the alchemist guild, standing by the door. As soon as there was any sign of trouble, they would close the door and prevent Quinn and Seven from leaving!
Meanwhile, the president of the Genosha alchemist guild, Owen, exchanged a silent glance with master-level alchemist Colton, both letting out a quiet sigh.
"Seven days, that's the final deadline!" Quinn coldly tossed out this statement, surveying all the Genosha alchemists around him without a hint of fear.
He was confident that if anything unexpected happened to him in Genosha, the alchemist guild from the Haunted Marsh would not let Genosha off the hook. That kind of wrath was something a small, remote nation could not withstand.
"Seven, let's go." Quinn directly led Seven out of the Genosha alchemist guild.
They walked out the door, facing the furious gazes of countless people, yet not a single person dared to act. Everyone understood the consequences of such actions. Explore new worlds at empire
Soon,
back in the hotel, Quinn lay on the sofa, feeling somewhat fatigued. He instructed Seven, who was beside him, saying:
"I'm a bit tired right now. Go check on Charles's information and organize it. I want to take a look later tonight."
Seven nodded calmly, his heart bursting with joy.
He knew this arrangement would happen, as Quinn was getting older and wasn't particularly fond of the internet. He often believed that information online was misleading, designed to fool the masses.
So whenever there was a need to research or investigate information, he would assign it to Seven, sending him to seek out professional intelligence agencies.
"Now I really want to see if Charles is as monstrous as they say!" Seven quickly got to work.
An hour later,
He stared at the intelligence coming in from the laptop, falling into silence, unable to speak. Beside him lay an overflowing pile of cigarette butts, he had smoked an entire pack in a short amount of time.
"Damn it, I can't find a single flaw or shortcoming. The information says Charles is just a commoner from an ordinary family, who only got into alchemy after undergoing the Beast Master awakening ceremony."
Seven went over the data on the laptop again and again, his eyes bloodshot with jealousy.
"Why should this be? I studied alchemical knowledge since I was young. My family paid a huge price for me to become Quinn's apprentice, yet Charles became a high-level alchemist in such a short time!"
"It's unfair! Unfair! Damn it! All geniuses stronger than me should just die!" Seven glared at the laptop screen, his twisted face reflected in the glow of the light.
...
When Seven printed out all the information and organized it, he casually handed it to Quinn, who had just finished resting, and then stood quietly to the side without saying a word.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before.
Quinn disdainfully tossed the documents on the table, saying sarcastically, "I really thought Genosha had produced a once-in-a-lifetime genius. This information seems perfect, but it has quite a few flaws. Does it really think everyone is a fool?"
Seven lowered his head, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He had only made a few minor alterations, he hadn't completely fabricated the data, and in some places, he had exaggerated even more.
He did this knowing his mentor Quinn's character and way of thinking, so he intentionally made those changes.
"Master, someone like Charles is simply too detestable. His hypocrisy is disgusting, he doesn't deserve to be an alchemist." Seven continued to embellish.
Quinn nodded, thought for a moment, and slowly said:
"Contact the alchemist guild in Kingston. Have them find a way to escalate some conflicts at the border between Kingston and Genosha. I want the people of Genosha to truly feel a sense of crisis."
"And if Charles really wants to challenge you to an alchemist duel, don't show any mercy. Stick to what we discussed before: make the entire alchemist career your wager. You won't lose."
Seven nodded frantically, his heart filled with joy. If Quinn were to change the terms of the wager because he valued Charles's alchemical talent, then he wouldn't have the chance to destroy Charles!
As for the possibility of losing the match, the same wager would force him to end his entire alchemist career.
Seven was very confident, Charles had just recently become a high-level alchemist and surely wouldn't be stronger than him. He was certain he would achieve victory.
"Now it's just a matter of getting Charles to agree to the alchemist duel. That old coot Colton wouldn't really want to cut off his own hands, would he? Charles isn't even his biological son, so he shouldn't." Seven kept pondering in his mind.
His relationship with Quinn as a mentor and apprentice was relatively good.
If they encountered such a situation, Quinn would undoubtedly have him participate in the duel between alchemists without hesitation.
So Seven felt that Colton was merely hesitating, the status, strength, and wealth of a master-level alchemist were not so easily discarded.
A lost apprentice could be replaced, but losing one's arms would be much harder to recover from.
Because Quinn would definitely use special methods to ensure Colton couldn't rely on restorative miracle drugs to regenerate his arms.
"Charles, you are indeed so much stronger than I am, but it's a pity that you are going to be destroyed by me!" Seven stifled the laughter bubbling within him as he slowly walked out, waiting until he was sure Quinn couldn't hear him before bursting into loud, unrestrained laughter.
On the other side, Charles had already returned to Cyber Academy with Colton, arriving at the wooden cabin.
Colton sat on the steps of the cabin, gazing at the bamboo forest swaying in the wind, lost in thought.
He hadn't expected to encounter such a situation suddenly. He originally thought everything could proceed as planned, with Charles's alchemical skills continuously improving under his guidance, allowing him to enter the "Valley of the Herb King" secret realm and fulfill his dreams.
Who would have thought that troublesome Quinn would show up out of nowhere?
Now his affairs had entangled Charles, and the entire pressure of Genosha was weighing down on him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
If Charles had spent a bit more time with him and learned more alchemical knowledge, Colton might not be so worried.
"Master, I feel like I should be fine, that Seven isn't a top-tier alchemist." Charles said slowly.
He was quite confident in himself because he could already sense that his alchemical skills would improve to the level of a top-tier alchemist in just a few days.
Even though Seven was also a high-level alchemist, Charles wasn't afraid of him.
"Well, let's just forget it. There's a lot of risk involved, and I don't want you to lose your future." Colton sighed and replied slowly.
He looked at the bamboo forest outside, his thoughts swaying with the wind. If it came to a point where there was no other choice, he would bear any cost.
As long as it didn't involve Charles and didn't affect him, Colton could accept it.
"You should head back now. Remember, you can't go anywhere for the next few days, and definitely don't make any statements online about agreeing to the duel." Colton said seriously.