Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

”Tell me, who did this? Why are you covering yourself?” Priam asked hurriedly.

”N-Nothing happened at all, Boss!” she answered way too quickly, her voice an octave higher than usual. She tried to cross her arms to look intimidating, but let out a muffled groan of pain halfway through the motion, freezing in an awkward pose.

”I-I was just doing the job I told you about earlier... this torn robe? Tactical ventilation! It’s the latest combat fashion among great generals. And this dust and these scratches on my face? War makeup!”

Priam simply looked at her for a second. Without stepping closer or touching her, he casually flicked his fingers. A gentle breeze, controlled by his energy, delicately pushed aside the torn cloth she was using to cover herself, exposing the injuries.

Seeing that Priam had uncovered everything with that simple trick, Dandara’s proud, brave-general act collapsed like a house of cards. Her fearless general face instantly turned into dramatic, indignant sobbing.

”Boss, you need to get justice for me!” Dandara cried out painfully.

”Was it that idiot Walhart? I’ll kill that bastard!” Priam roared.

Her clothes were torn in several places, and her skin was covered in ugly bruises. She was even bleeding slightly in some areas.

It didn’t look like anything serious or life-threatening, but he couldn’t stand seeing his vice-leader in such a miserable state.

”No... I was beaten up by a group of women!” Dandara shouted.

”Women? Did you offend Daraen?” Priam was shocked. That woman was definitely not someone to mess with.

”No.” Dandara shook her head again, puffing out her cheeks.

”Then who was it?” Priam gave her a confused look. ”Brat, don’t tell me you tried selling some incomplete information again... In situations like that, it’s better to keep your mouth shut. Being too greedy...”

”Boss, I’m not that kind of person anymore! My days as a seller are over. Now I’m fully your vice-leader. I’m dedicating my body and soul to you!” Dandara exclaimed indignantly.

”Alright... get up and tell me what happened. If someone bullied you, your Boss will definitely get revenge for you,” Priam said, letting out a small sigh.

He waved his hand, and his nature energy gently surged toward her, instantly healing all of her injuries.

After realizing she was completely healed, Dandara dramatically raised three trembling fingers.

”There were three waves of people who beat me up.”

”That’s too much! You got beaten up three times in a single day?” Priam was speechless.

”Exactly, exactly! This is outrageous! I didn’t even have a chance to fight back... They were higher-rank disciples!” Dandara replied, equally furious.

At first, Priam was genuinely angry. But after hearing that, he started feeling that something was very wrong. The situation didn’t seem as simple as he had imagined.

”What exactly happened? Start from the beginning.”

Dandara waved her hand dramatically.

”Yes! I was walking through the forest, working hard for Boss. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a silver-tongued alchemist trying to sell his products to a female disciple. He told her that if she gave him a hundred points, she’d get a foolproof love potion that would make the man she liked see her in a whole new light.”

”Boss, don’t you think that’s ridiculous? What kind of potion has that sort of effect? Besides, how could some fake alchemist from the outer sect possibly make something on that level? He was obviously acting in bad faith, trying to scam her with colored water. I got mad for her, and being such a righteous girl, I just couldn’t stand there and watch. So I went over to expose him,” Dandara explained, full of righteous indignation.

”That sounds strange. If you exposed him, didn’t the girl help you teach him a lesson?” Priam asked.

”He wasn’t the one who beat me up—it was the girl I was trying to save!” Dandara exclaimed.

”What?” Priam narrowed his eyes.

”Exactly! I was being completely honest with her. I said, ’Girl, don’t waste your points on this. Look in the mirror! With that face, not even the most forbidden love potion in the universe is gonna make a man see you differently. You might be completely flat and not have anything that stands out... but if you really want that guy, there’s another way: just give him a strong aphrodisiac when he’s drunk, then make your move in total darkness! Oh, and if possible, wear a mask over your face.’ I was trying to advise her with all my feminine heart, but she completely snapped, started pulling my hair, and beating me up! Boss, tell me... wasn’t she being completely irrational?!” Dandara ranted.

Priam took a deep breath, stunned by her audacity.

”And then?”

”I just ran away! I wasn’t going to fight back, because I’m a lady and I value peace. So I held back my anger and went near the Great Lightning Peak to calm down. But then... I saw a woman walking sadly, looking completely devastated, heading straight toward the Lightning Rift. I panicked! That peak is constantly struck by high-level Yang lightning; it’s a deadly place for women, and no one should go in there without serious preparation! She was obviously trying to kill herself!”

Priam narrowed his eyes again.

”Suicide?”

”Yeah! I shouted at her from a distance, but she ignored me. I panicked, so to stop her from taking another step toward the lightning, I grabbed the highest-grade insect repellent pill I had and threw it right at her head! I figured she wouldn’t want them to find her body in such a horrible state, reeking like that!”

Priam blinked a few times, trying to process what he’d just heard.

”Dandara... you really...”

”Exactly! But instead of thanking me for saving her life, that lunatic came at me like a demon! She yelled that she was using a Wind Magic Art to fly through the sky and move around safely, but she’d accidentally dropped her precious ring down there... that was obviously just an excuse! She didn’t want to thank me, and she still tried to beat me up, Boss!” Dandara sniffled, completely indignant.

”...” Priam was completely speechless.

Dandara let out a sigh.

”I was there, crouched down in the path, crying and trying to clean the dirt off my own clothes, when a group of girls with mystical and beautiful eyes walked past me. They were so beautiful and elegant that they looked like fairies. Seeing my condition, they were extremely kind. They asked what had happened and praised my courage for trying to help others. Besides that, they recognized me! They said I was a very famous figure among the higher-rank factions, that they had all watched the recordings of the final test, and praised my leadership.”

”At that moment, my heart filled with pride. But I’m not stupid, right? I replied that the true legend was my Boss, and that compared to you, I was nothing more than a simple, pathetic insect that could be easily crushed before a majestic mountain. And then... then their expressions changed immediately, and they attacked me with their weapons! I almost became a rug if I hadn’t run away quickly enough! Boss, why are the women in this sect so bipolar? Do men actually like this kind of personality?”

Priam carefully observed Dandara before letting out a long sigh.

”Girl, you... I honestly wonder how you’re still alive. A group of beautiful women with mystical eyes? My guess is that they belong to the *Hivewardens* race, the same as Sallya. For those insect tamers, their art is the thing they admire the most and consider the most extraordinary thing in the world. And you insulted their insects by calling them pathetic right in front of them...”

”Ah?!”

Only at that moment did Dandara realize how serious the situation was. Their eye colors and styles were so different from Sallya’s that she never imagined they belonged to the same race. Besides, they should have been some insignificant figures from a race she had never even heard of.

Priam sighed, completely helpless.

Was this the same terrifying commander from before? The same sharp and talkative merchant? Or perhaps that shy and hesitant girl from the beginning?

At that moment, Dandara showed him another side of herself: that of a young airhead who acted purely on impulse.

But thinking about it, in the first two situations, she really had tried to help. Unfortunately, besides doing it in a rather... peculiar way, she didn’t have enough strength to fight or escape. Even when facing people of the same Rank, Dandara would probably still end up defeated.

’I need to make this girl stronger. As long as her talents remain completely sealed, combined with this chaotic personality, she’ll constantly be in danger. Fortunately, she’s still excellent at commanding people, so she isn’t a dead weight.’

*Buzz*

Suddenly, Priam heard a faint buzzing sound.

Dandara jumped in surprise. Then, she moved her hand toward the upper part of her chest, opened a slit in her clothing, and reached inside. The next second, she pulled out a small emblem.

”It’s a message from the faction. The workers finally brought our entrance gift!” Dandara said excitedly.

Priam was surprised, and he even forgot to ask why the hell she didn’t keep her emblem inside her spatial ring.

”Entrance gift?”

”Yes. It’s an incredible potion! Absurdly famous, and only the best alchemists in the sect can create it. Whoever uses this potion has their future greatly expanded. Every faction only receives a small amount at the beginning, and the leaders must choose who gets to enjoy it. Everyone who enters the sect dreams of being chosen.” Dandara spoke with shining eyes.

At that moment, Priam felt his blood heat up. He could clearly feel that this might be the great opportunity he had been searching for.