When Alex arrived back at his courtyard, he was surprised to find that he was the first one back. His master wasn't there yet. Momo, who was supposed to return with him, wasn't there either. He was the only one in the courtyard—he and the Divinity, of course.
They waited for a while before Silvermist and the rest finally returned.
Silvermist walked straight up to him on the porch and asked, "Did you talk to the Alchemy God about this?"
Alex was taken aback by his master's sudden question. "About what, Master?"
"About Momo's disqualification," Silvermist said, clearly offended. "How could she be disqualified for failing a pill lightning tribulation? That makes no sense."
"We talked to him, Grandmaster," Momo said. "We already decided it wouldn't count."
Silvermist turned to Alex. "His Majesty said he asked you. Is that true?"
"He asked , and I asked Momo. Together, we decided that the rules were fair and that her entry in the competition should be disqualified."
"For that one test, sure. But for the entire competition? That's absurd!" Silvermist said.
"It does sound absurd, but that was the rule," Alex said. "I wasn't the only one impacted by it, Master. Hundreds of alchemists had their disciples disqualified, preventing them from entering the final competition. It's done, so we should move on."
Silvermist grumbled, still angry. "You could have won if not for that ruling."
Alex sighed. That was true.
"Congratulations on moving on to the final competition, Brother," Pearl said with a beaming smile. "Not that it was a surprise, of course."
"Thanks. Did you two have a good ti in the stadium?" Alex asked.
Whisker jumped down from Pearl's shoulders and landed on the porch. "A very good ti, Brother," he said. "Do you think I can learn to control puppets like those people on stage? Or play music like them?"
Alex smiled. "If you want to, I'm certain you can do anything you set your mind to."
Whisker nodded happily.
There wasn't much of a celebration, as one might have hoped. With Alex's victory seeming guaranteed from the start and Momo's unfortunate disqualification, no one was in the mood.
So, they simply sat by the porch and talked.
The mood improved as they talked, and Momo spoke more about her experience. She was more fascinated by her Dao than anyone else around her.
"I wasn't even trying to learn it. I was just trying to make a pill, and next thing I know, I'm learning a Dao. It was such a surprise to too."
"Dao of Detoxification, huh?" Silvermist said. "It's not a regular elental Dao, so it must be quite rare. You did well to learn it."
Momo smiled. "Thank you, Grandmaster."
She then talked about her experience summoning the pill clouds. That was an even more interesting mont for her, as she could perfectly recall all her thoughts, emotions, and sensations at the ti. She talked about what she did, going through every step one at a ti.
Both Silvermist and Alex were surprised to hear that she had only managed to form the pill because she had compressed it. Seeing their surprised look, Momo got even more excited and relayed the rest of the event.
Alex smiled as he listened and glanced at the Divinity present. The man seed genuinely interested in hearing all of it.
"You seem intrigued, Senior," Alex remarked.
The Divinity gave a small smile. "It's rare to hear about an alchemist's first experience with a pill cloud—especially one as recent as this. I don't think I've ever had that privilege."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Have you never ford a pill cloud, Senior?"
The man looked confused. "Ford a pill cloud? No, I'm not an alchemist."
Alex was stunned. "You're not an alchemist?" he asked. "Pardon my ignorance, but I thought all the Alchemy God's subordinates were alchemists. Am I wrong?"
"I cannot say. I don't know much about the Alchemy God's subordinates. But I do believe almost all of them are alchemists. At least, I've never t one who isn't."
Silvermist turned to the man. "You speak as though you're not one of them. Is that the case?"
The man nodded openly. "I serve under His Majesty, the Formation Monarch. I was assigned to assist the Alchemy God because they were short-staffed."
"I see," Silvermist said. "So he has help from the Formation Monarch in more than just formations."
"And your robes?" Grimsight asked. "Those are the robes of the Alchemy God's people."
The man smiled. "This is what we wear to blend in and ensure others can identify us. I suppose I'm temporarily under Alchemy God's command since I must follow his directions until the tournant ends."
Alex and Silvermist were intrigued and began asking more questions. Soon, they learned that the Formation Monarch wasn't the only one lending assistance. The Artifact God's people were also helping the Alchemy God during this competition.
They only served as guards and enforcers, however, ensuring the tournant ran smoothly. They did not involve themselves in any matter that required knowledge of Alchemy.
During their conversation, the Divinity suddenly beca distracted. He paused for a mont, then stood up. "You might have so guests. I'll be right back," he said, quickly leaving the courtyard.
Monts later, he returned with another Divinity wearing the sa robes. Behind them were two people—a man and a woman.
The newcors wore white and purple robes with black dots scattered across them. They looked sickly, though it was clearly makeup. The man had vibrant green hair, and the woman had striking red hair. Together, they stood out.
Silvermist looked confused at the sight, and Alex, who had no idea who they were, waited until they were close before standing to et them.
"Who are you two?" he asked, as bluntly as ever.
The man spoke first. "We… are searching… for the child… who learned a Dao." His words ca with awkward pauses, during which he licked his lips with a forked tongue. "Is that she?"
Momo began to stand, but Grimsight caught her shoulder, pulling her back down.
"Why are you searching for my grand-disciple?" Silvermist demanded.
"Our master wishes to speak with her. We are here to escort her to him."
Alex frowned but stayed quiet. Matters involving Divinities were better left to his master. His unasked involvent would be seen as disrespectful after all.
"And why does your master need her?" Silvermist asked. "Who even are you to dare co here and—"
"Brother Silver," Grimsight interrupted.
"What?" Silvermist turned, confused.
Grimsight ignored him and addressed the pair. "Which God do you serve?" he asked.
The woman scoffed. "For a man of no worth, you sure speak as if you are our equal."
"Answer him," Silvermist said sharply.
The man smiled, licking his lips again with his forked tongue. "We… are here… on behalf… of His Deadliness, the Poison God."
Silvermist narrowed his eyes at the mont, surprised to hear. "The Poison God wants to et with my grand disciple?"
Both Alex and Momo were stunned as well. Neither of them could have foreseen such an event happening. "Yes," the woman answered. "His Deadliness is waiting for these two. So if you don't want to offend him any longer, I am taking these two with ."
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