Legacy of Hatred

At the end of the seventh day of the alchemical competition, Liam and Grace’s future in the area was pretty much set in stone.

While no additional rank 3 products came from Liam’s side, his complete lack of failed concoctions made him too priceless to ignore. He was a perfect money multiplier, something almost too good to be true, but definitely too good to let go.

The comparison with Master Vermillion deepened that conclusion. He might have managed to complete another rank 3 concoction in that week, but his failures had been aplenty, even when it came to those of lower rank.

That even applied to the second alchemist in the area, the one belonging to a Sect. He didn’t have such a high failure rate, but his productivity was subpar, and the Guilds struggled to access him due to his privileged status.

Liam basically promised to be the best of both worlds once he became a branching expert, one belonging to the Guilds, so they had to ensure his cooperation and extend their protection before the Sects intervened.

Grace wasn’t any worse in that regard. With Liam’s skills making everything more friendly, she could finally start trading, and the couple had much to unload and purchase. Honestly, they could almost sell everything they had now that she had become a branching expert.

What Liam had concocted after the border and stolen from Jessica netted the couple a lot, which Grace promptly reinvested in ingredients, making a stark profit, on top of leaving the Merchants Guild wanting more.

After all, neither side had involved rank 3 resources yet. The conversation about the martial arts had also been postponed, making Grace almost more desirable than Liam for now.

Of course, all that was just groundwork. The money and ingredients Liam had secured were merely preparations for when the rank 3 resources joined the fray, which couldn’t happen in public contexts. The celebratory meeting on the contest’s seventh night was enough to prove as much.

Five had gathered in a tent set up for the occasion higher up the mountain, right above the contest’s structure. Liam, Grace, Felix, Colleen, and Master Vermillion enjoyed wine at a circular low table, their seating arrangements revealing that friendliness couldn’t defeat politics.

Grace was on Liam’s right, with Colleen at her side. Master Vermillion was on Liam’s left instead, while Felix was further away from the four. Red Boar hadn’t joined them for obvious reasons, but that couldn’t completely remove the tension in the air.

"It’s called postponed interaction," Liam exclaimed. "It’s when you refine the first ingredient only after another or more have joined the concoction."

"But why?" Master Vermillion questioned.

"Because it uses the following ingredients’ influence to ease the first’s refinement," Liam explained. "It stabilizes the concoction’s initial phase. It’s the staple with explosive products."

During the week, Liam had discovered that Master Vermillion was completely self-made. He had spent decades amassing random knowledge about alchemy, wasting an unbelievable amount of resources to get where he was.

That spoke greatly for Master Vermillion’s passion and skill, but his raw knowledge paled compared to Liam’s. Concepts Liam saw as basic were completely foreign to his fellow master, and he didn’t mind sharing them to repay him for letting him witness multiple rank 3 concoctions.

"Lady Grace, I look forward to your visit to our local branch," Colleen politely invited. "A tour of our vaults will bring us closer."

"Lady Chief, you are too kind," Grace chuckled. "It’s a pity my beloved and I can’t possibly own wealth worthy of the Merchants Guild’s vaults."

"I merely want to spend time with you," Colleen reassured, not bothering to call out Grace’s act.

"If that’s the case," Grace responded, the deal taking shape without her needing to mention it openly.

All that sounded perfectly normal on the surface, but there were layers that kept Felix silent, outside the conversations, and troubled. Despite having used the right channels, the Enforcement Guild would have plenty of problems on the horizon.

First, no matter what happened, Grace and Liam remained outsiders, and the rank 3 Cloud Pill he had made one week ago confirmed their ability to do damage.

Then, there was Liam himself. He was just too good for the Sects to remain silent. Unless he suppressed his output, powers greater than the Enforcement Guild would step in.

Colleen was also going all-in in that relationship, and succeeding would make the Merchants Guild far stronger than the others, at least in the area. It might not happen immediately, but the benefits would accumulate until her branch became too influential to control.

In theory, the Guilds should make a united front against outsiders, but the world was far more nuanced. Felix could already see the Enforcement Guild’s authority suffer, and using Master Vermillion against the couple clearly wasn’t an option.

Honestly, there was only one solution Felix could see to prevent chaos, or at least contain it.

"Fellow Daoists, apologies," Felix finally spoke, his stern tone conflicting with the friendly mood. "Shall we discuss what comes next?"

Felix became the target of everyone’s attention, and the two merchants almost wore identical smiles, aware of what was about to come.

"Master Black Qi, Lady Grace, I’ll be blunt," Felix called. "You are too exceptional to be wandering experts. Rather than building a force, it would be more practical for you to join the Guilds."

Felix wasn’t too savvy in political matters, at least when it came to negotiations. It wasn’t his job, but he wasn’t completely lost, either.

Everyone at the table could read between the lines, and Felix explained himself better before complaints could arise.

"Lady Grace’s rightful place clearly is among fellow merchants," Felix stated. "While Master Black Qi could attend to the Enforcement Guild’s vaults."

That was a compromise. By sharing Liam and Grace between the two Guilds who had shown more openness toward them, they would obtain a rightful standing in the area without causing too many waves.

Belonging to Guilds carried limits, but also advantages. Moreover, it would secure the joint support of two of those, reinforcing the couple’s security in the area.

While Felix had spoken for Colleen, she didn’t argue, instead turning toward Grace. She knew the couple disliked the idea but wanted to see how Grace handled it to benefit from the situation.

"Black Hound," Grace said, ready to start her usual shenanigans, when her face snapped at Liam, sensing something only she could notice.

The change in the atmosphere arrived right afterward. For some reason, Liam’s whole presence had tensed, growing so alert that the very air shook. Even his face had gone feral as his eyes darted left and right.

"Something is wrong," Liam muttered.

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