The sudden explosion startled De Montfort, but the Third Prince did not miss this opportunity. Urging his mount forward, the Exploding Flame Tiger silently pounced with him on its back.
De Montfort revealed a sly smile, restraining the Xun Wolf Lizard to take a small step back. The Third Prince happened to fall within his reach, but due to this tiny distance, all attacks fell short.
A wave of cold surged from the ground as the Xun Wolf Lizard howled, with its limbs already frozen and bound by the wind. A dark cloud floated over the Third Prince's head, and the Xun Wolf Lizard had already leaped over it. The combined fire and electric magic attack of the Exploding Flame Tiger also failed.
With a flick, the Third Prince's Winged Demon Blade slashed toward the sky, and De Montfort lifted his arm, "Guardian of War!" With a resounding bang, a yellow, metallic shield bounced off the blade, which shattered the shield and then fell onto the Swallowtail Shield.
"Clang!" The Winged Demon Blade was already at its limit, making the Swallowtail Shield tremble, and the Third Prince could clearly feel his fingers numb.
The double crescent blade rose like a crescent moon, and the interwoven silvery moonlight flowed out like mercury. In that instant, De Montfort's body erupted with a burst of multicolored Qi, and at an indiscernible speed, he swiftly delivered over a hundred slashes!
This was the pinnacle of all his martial skills, a move that may not have been accomplished given different circumstances and timing.
The Third Prince concentrated his final Qi, channeling it all into his expensive armor, which immediately radiated a multi-colored light, seeming to thicken several times over in an instant.
The silver light's thin layers peeled off the luminous armor, with the Third Prince ultimately unable to withstand it. A rapid succession of clinking sounds reached everyone's ears as the Third Prince's armor was instantly slashed dozens of times.
Each strike from the double crescent blade left a wound, but De Montfort held back, damaging the Third Prince's armor without harming him. Even though his armor was ruined, the prince himself remained unharmed. Just as the Qi was about to hit its mark, De Montfort promptly retracted it.
Though he knew he had defeated the Third Prince, the Emperor would be delighted, as the one above was actually the Emperor. The Third Prince was after all his flesh and blood.
The mercury-like rays of the moon scatters as Dekumont rolls away from the Swift Lizard's body, the Twin Moon Blades follow him down, a silver screen falls with them, neatly separating the head of the Exploding Flame Tiger from its body.
Swish! The sound of the blade slicing through the air is crisp and decisive.
Roll! A large tiger head rolls out on the arena floor like a ball for tens of meters.
"Howl!" Seeing his great revenge fulfilled, the Swift Lizard howls toward the sky; Dekumont lifts the Twin Moon Blades with one hand, waving them above his head, staring straight at the Third Prince.
It is only now that the Exploding Flame Tiger mounted by the Third Prince collapses with a thud, a stream of blood spurting from its broken neck.
The Third Prince jumps off without saying a word, walking down the arena in silence, not even offering a final salute.
King Mejev IV's face looks somewhat unpleasant, but the words that have been spoken must be fulfilled.
It is only at this point that people begin to pay attention to what happened in the alchemy laboratory. The explosion-ridden laboratory has been swarmed by guards who have dug through the rubble and dragged out a half-dead humanoid creature, charred from head to toe, hair twisted upwards. As soon as it opens its mouth, before it can speak, a puff of black smoke emerges.
"Ha ha ha..." everyone bursts into laughter, looking at the laboratory, it is clear that it is Master Laurent who was the first to 'crack' the answer.
Miss Feifei sits by Sala's side, laughing heartily without any traces of a noble lady, holding her belly in amusement. Sala frustratedly says, "What are you laughing at? Even if there was an explosion, it doesn't necessarily mean failure!" Miss Feifei consciously says, "Oh, so you are also knowledgeable!" She emphasizes "knowledgeable," leaving Sala blushing red in embarrassment.
"Master Laurent, where is your work?" asks the Royal Chief Alchemist, Master Belote, serving as the host. Assisted by the guards, Laurent points to his mouth, as soon as he opens it, another puff of smoke rise. Suppressing a laugh, Master Belote has someone bring him a glass of water, and after Laurent drinks it, extinguishing the fire, he hoarsely says, "Impossible, my deduction is definitely not wrong, how could it possibly fail!"
Just then, the laboratory doors of Gezheng and Nublero open simultaneously, each of them bearing an item: the items in the hands of the two, however, are different.
"Perfect, all three are here, let's judge them together. Master Laurent, let's start with you," says Master Belote.
Assisted by the guards, Laurent, as black as soot, irritating the Royal ceremonial dress with golden silk thought, is not being supported with much care; rather, the two seem more like they are dragging him, one holding each of his arms like dragging a dead dog.
Laurent raises his head and looks at the magical screen, then starts reading the equation: "Northern flame water, frozen history, will give birth to a magnificent god..."
Gezheng and Nublero exchange glances: what's all this about?
Master Belote interrupts, "Wait a minute, Master Laurent, what are you reading, a magic incantation?" Laurent angrily says, "I'm reading this equation, how is it that none of you recognize the Anas magical language?"
"Anas magical language?" Gezheng and Nublero look at each other, indeed, if these words were mistaken for the Anas magical language, the phrase "northern flame water" is the first phrase!
Gezheng scoffs, this isn't a coincidence. One or two words could be coincidental, but a whole passage that could be misunderstood as another definite magical language, obviously the writer purposely mislead half-baked alchemists like Laurent.
Master Belote wryly says, "Laurent, I retract my title of Master for you, guards, drive this cheat out of His Majesty's sacred palace!" The two soldiers, no longer patient, completely adopt the tactic of dragging a dead dog, and drag Laurent out of the palace.
Sala can't stand and stands up, asking angrily, "Master, why are you driving our alchemist out of the palace? Even if he failed, he is still an alchemist and shouldn't be treated like this!"
Master Belote sneers frequently, but doesn't bother to respond to Sala. At this moment, Lord Bannat, the Order's steward, speaks up: "This isn't the Anas magical language, this is the Saiya quantum magical language in an independent magical language system. This person doesn't even understand magical languages and dare to call himself a master, I will reassess his certification badge!"
"Ahh..." Sala is speechless, the audience laughs, and someone immediately says, "No wonder there was an explosion, hahaha..." "Yeah, Yaqah's insidious method, finally, a truly talented alchemist has arrived, haha!" "When did the Austa Empire become a haven for cheats?"
The last sentence is heard by King Mejev IV, and his face turns unpleasant. His original intention was to showcase to all nations, but to think that because of Ayka, the Empire has become the laughingstock of the continent.
The king casts a cold glance at Sala sitting behind him and nonchalantly says, "Wasn't anyone reminded to tell that girl to sit back honestly?" Someone immediately scurries over by his side.
The king's inner officials by his side all know, the more angry the king is, the more flat his tone will be. Yaqah, this time, is in big trouble.
Sala sits back with a pale face, realizing that the king's anger will soon descend on her father's principality. What was supposed to be a grand display of talent, has ended up making them a joke.
On the other hand, Miss Feifei nonchalantly whistles, but Sala, in turmoil, has no attention to make fun of her.
The Emperor coldly sweeps a glance at the royal alchemists sitting behind him and slowly says, "Even such a waste, I heard even won the alchemy competition three times, do my alchemists, have a problem with their eyes?"
The alchemists are silent, daring not to speak. The banquet isn't over yet, and the three alchemists acting as judges are quietly taken away by the guards.
On the arena, Master Belote asks, "Both of you, please explain your answers to us."
In order, Gezheng goes first. He places his work on the table, which looks like a medicine pot.
He first reads the equation in Saiya quantum magical language, then translates it into the common language of the continent, explaining his understanding.
Master Belote listens and nods, even Master Bennett, sitting beside the Emperor, can't help but show approval.
After Gezheng finishes, he points to his work, "This is my work, a medicine furnace that can increase the properties of herbs by thirty percent."
Master Belt nods with a smile, "Very good, let me take a look." He picks up the pot and appraises it with an Analyze spell, and the effectiveness of the furnace is revealed. He nods again, "Hmm, very good, fine work, showing a high level of alchemy skills."
Gezheng modestly bows and steps back to his place.
It's Nuvello's turn. She hesitates and says, "I lost." Master Belote is surprised, "But you also have a finished work. How can you say you lost?"
Nublero hands over her work, and after the master appraises it, he furrows his brow, "This thing is indeed a bit ordinary."
She is being very polite, Nublero's work is not just a bit ordinary, it's very ordinary. She has crafted a mirror, while the image effect is very good, it doesn't have any additional attributes, compared to Gezheng's medicine furnace, this is definitely a failed work.
Nublero calmly says, "Queen, I thought it was the liver of the Great Back Eagle King." Gezheng taps his head, this explanation also seems reasonable: heart and liver, if the heart is masculine, then the liver is feminine, a stretch, but it still makes sense. That's why she was able to produce a work too.
Master Belote furrows his brow, "Both of you are great alchemists, you should know the enchantment of equations lies in their uncertainty, you have both produced works, while the quality may differ, I really can't easily draw a conclusion on who the winner is."
The master looks to Lord Bannat, the Order's steward, who frowns slightly, hesitates for a moment, before stepping forward and saying, "Let me see the quantities of their materials and the works for a comparison."
The material lists are brought up, and after Lord Bannat looks them over, he takes out a quill and meticulously calculates the ratio between the quantities of the materials used and the levels of the works on parchment according to a very esoteric formula.
A drop of ink falls, and the hard-calculated data is instantly contaminated. He mutters in frustration, apparently, Lord Bannat has reached his limit with the quill.
Gezheng steps forward, pulling out his steel pen, and unscrews the cap, "Master, try mine."
"Hmm?" Lord Bannat curiously looks at this novelty, taking it over and writing a few strokes. The pen strokes are finer than those of the quill and much more even. Most importantly, it doesn't leak.
After a few more tries, the normally frozen face of the master finally shows a rare smile, "Good stuff!" The attendants behind the master are shocked: the steward is actually smiling! Even the old man who has followed Lord Bannat for decades hasn't seen him smile more than a few times, the most memorable was the time when Lord Bannat was promoted to the three stewards, at that time, the president of the association, Lord Avisen, said to him, "I've known you for so long, I've never seen you smile, it's a good day today, give us a smile." Lord Bannat then grinned reluctantly, but now, a small thing from a little gadget has actually made the master genuinely smile from within!
Lord Bannat's broad vision and breadth of mind far surpass theirs. Though it's just a small thing, Lord Bannat can see that such a small thing will have a huge impact on the entire Star Alchemy World society.
With a pen in hand, he quickly calculated the result. First, he returned the pen to Ge Zheng, then announced, "Based on the efficiency of the raw materials, the winner is... Ge Zheng!"
"Yeah! The teacher is the best..." Miss Feifei exclaimed, jumping up and down. On the next table, Prince Sairkin shook his head with a wry smile, seemingly feeling resentful.
Nubero, hidden behind his mask, stared at Ge Zheng for a while, pondering on unknown thoughts.
As the alchemy competition concluded, the Emperor of the empire stood up, and the ministers quickly left their seats to kneel. Emperor Mejaf the Fourth declared, "The winner of the alchemy competition is the Maris Duchy, and the alchemy formula still belongs to the Maris Duchy." As for Prince Yagad and Prince Sairkin, they were to maintain stability in the southern part of the empire, without needing to mention this in front of the foreign envoys.
"The champion of the Royal Challenge is Baron Delmont!" The Emperor announced the final results with an impassioned voice, and with the sound of trumpets and music, he showed a benevolent smile, signaling for Delmont to step onto the red carpet...
After Anunda's injury, he had thought there was no hope. He hadn't expected Ge Zheng to save him once again. If not for that alchemic wolf claw, it would have been difficult for him to even enter the top sixteen. He couldn't help but turn around, meeting Ge Zheng's encouraging gaze. Delmont stepped onto the platform, placing his hand over his chest and kneeling before Emperor Mejaf the Fourth: "Your Majesty."
Emperor Mejaf the Fourth took a golden sword from a courtier and tapped Delmont's shoulder with it: "I, Mejaf the Fourth, by the right bestowed upon me by my ancestors and the gods, hereby grant Delmont Cesas Lendrok of the Delmont family the title of Imperial Count, and the fief of Selwan City."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! The Cesas family will never forget the grace of Your Majesty, and will be loyal to Your Majesty unto death!" Delmont exclaimed.
Selwan City was located on the eastern coast of the empire. In reality, the eastern coast was inaccessible, not directly connected to the sea, but to an area known as the "Dead Marshes." The name alone indicated the perilous nature of these marshes.
Thus, although the city was nominally a port city, in reality, it was not much different from inland cities.
Originally, Mejaf the Fourth had planned to grant the prosperous city of Ansei in the central plains, but that was meant for his son. Delmont's unexpected victory had caused some headaches for Mejaf the Fourth. During the alchemy competition, he had taken the opportunity to sneak a look at the maps and finally found a city that could serve the purpose without causing too much regret.
Although Selwan City was not a true port city, it was frequented by a considerable number of adventurers traveling through the Dead Marshes, as well as merchants buying magical creature materials and marsh-specific products. The annual tax revenues were comparable to those of Mountshan City. With this city, the Cesas family could consider themselves comfortably off among the nobility.
"Now, I declare, let the banquet begin, and may everyone enjoy!" Emperor Mejaf the Fourth said with a smile. Soon after, servants cleared away the remnants of the competition, and beverages were served. Mejaf the Fourth raised his glass: "To peace on the continent, cheers!"
"Cheers for peace on the continent!"
Ge Zheng sat next to Miss Feifei, feeling that this was finally the end of what truly defined a noble banquet. After tonight's banquet, he felt that the banquets in Mountshan City and Alba City were simply not worthy of the noble stage.
Noble banquets were not just about eating and drinking. The highest standard of etiquette involved seven main dishes and six additional courses.
The dining tables of all the guests were huge enough to accommodate a hundred and forty silver plates. Emperor Mejaf the Fourth was showcasing the wealth of Osta to his potential rivals.
The tables formed a horseshoe shape around the arena, with the opening of the horseshoe at the high platform where Emperor Mejaf the Fourth sat.
After tasty fruit wine for an appetizer, the first dish was served: a hot and steamy exotic bird soup containing the meat of seven magical birds of Level 4 or higher, including the Level 7 Thunder-Eating Eagle.
There were over twenty different condiments offered in separate dishes, allowing guests to select their preferred flavors for dipping.
Between the first and second main courses, it was time for additional courses.
The additional courses were not meant for consumption but for display. The huge arena was slowly lowered into the ground under the control of the Royal Mage Corps. This device had been present for centuries, and the Royal Challenge finals were held here every year.
After the arena was lowered, in the center of the horseshoe-shaped tables, a large stage was revealed. Twelve strong men pushed a small castle, complete with wheels, onto the stage. The castle was incredibly realistic, featuring turrets, a watchtower, and a fortress. Inside the fortress, there were archers posing with bows and arrows. A window on a turret opened, and five elegantly dressed noble girls sang praising songs about Emperor Mejaf the Fourth and the well-being of the people.
The Royal Music and Dance Troupe provided music.
All seven main dishes used extremely expensive ingredients, many of which were rare and precious. Emperor Mejaf the Fourth had clearly spared no expense to demonstrate his power to potential adversaries.
Among the performers during the breaks between the main courses, besides humans, there were tamed magical creatures.
The delicacies at this banquet were far from reaching the exquisite level of ancient China's feasts, but the grandeur and extravagance were no less impressive than those held by Ge Zheng's ancestors—although the content was not particularly dignified.
Inside the Rongheng Trading Company, a large olivine altar emitted a gentle glow from the blood-engraved charms. Clos had his eyes closed and arms outstretched, creating a radiant array of pale green bubbles rising from the altar. Gradually, the green color deepened, eventually turning ink-black!
Strange fluctuations emanated from the altar. Clos clasped his hands together, and the fluctuations suddenly intensified. In sync with the dark alchemy, the power was continuously channeled out...
Rongchan stood in the meeting room above the secret chamber. Without needing to pay special attention, she could feel the vibrations of the underground airflow. She revealed a happy smile as the vibrations sent out waves and the gold coins flowed back in.
"Fiesta, has our new antidote been delivered?" Rongchan asked the old steward. The steward bowed and reported: "It has been delivered, all four major warehouses in the city are now stocked." The steward vaguely guessed that these new types of antidote must be related to Lord Clos's activities below, but the sudden arrival of so much antidote made him concerned. Even with so many antidotes, the Delson royal city had a population of three to four million, which was far from enough.
He stole a glance at Rongchan, who still wore a pure smile on her unparalleled beauty, showing nothing else.
Before the start of the banquet, Master Benet quietly left with his entourage. They exited the Nal Imperial Palace through a side door, and the master instructed: "Go to the East Victory Academy." One of his followers exclaimed, "But sir, weren't we supposed to return to the guild immediately?"
Master Benet coldly said, "If we leave like this, we will never be able to return to the guild."