One-Eyed Monster

The Alchemy Servants’ greatest worries came from instinct. They had never seen the Alchemy Workshop thrown into such chaos. This kind of disorder made them feel that all of Xinbal was about to sink into turmoil. They didn’t dare breathe loudly, hiding in every corner, quietly watching how the masters would react.

Seeing the Alchemy Chief make his entrance in such a way, they finally understood what power was. The sheer force of it made them feel the gap. They were just menial workers, aspiring to become Alchemists, but now, seeing that kind of aura from the adults, they felt that their own distance from that position had become endlessly far…

A pessimistic mood gradually took hold of them. They became extremely sensitive, and it all happened in an instant.

They were afraid of losing, especially afraid of losing the protection of the Alchemy Workshop. They could feel it clearly: now everyone was treating their Alchemy Workshop as an enemy.

And those few sentences the Chief had just spoken sounded almost like plotting rebellion, making people deeply uncomfortable.

Conquest—could it be that the Chief intended to conquer the entire world!

That thought filled them with unease, made them feel that this world was about to undergo earth‑shattering change.

The changes already happening in this world were huge enough. Could it be that another upheaval was coming!

Just what was this Chief calculating!

”Since you’re all here, I won’t beat around the bush. Those willing to follow me, stay where you are. Those unwilling, leave—I won’t stop you!” Kuyi Tulan said with a smile. Right now he possessed extraordinarily powerful memory; the developmental history of this world lived in his mind, and the Shadow Ghost’s previous arrangements were also etched there.

He felt that although this Shadow Ghost had failed, it wasn’t completely worthless. To conquer everything, one must possess overwhelming power. Power is an indispensable tool. The force the Shadow Ghost had harvested was indeed immense, and the support sufficient. But the Shadow Ghost had made one mistake: he chose the wrong direction.

The Shadow Ghost had chosen to start with the entire Kayne Realm and conquer it bit by bit.

Yet he had underestimated the overall strength of the Kayne Realm. The resistance of the Adventurers with Class in Kayne far exceeded his expectations. He failed to use Black Crow to dominate the whole Kayne Realm, and failed to make the entire Kayne Royal Family kneel at his feet.

Kuyi Tulan could sense that the actions of the Kangen Family were more or less closely tied to the Kayne Royal Family, and that all the peripheral resistance came from a kind of innate defiance in Kayne’s Adventurers with Class.

This Empire had been built upon ruins. The people here were not ones to yield easily.

They had endured in silence for so many years, and finally stood as equals to those who had exploited them. That kind of thing embedded in their bones was something no one could ever change!

Kuyi Tulan stopped worrying about these details. He felt that the Shadow Ghost’s plan had completely backfired, but now that he had replaced the Shadow Ghost, all of this could be changed.

Of course, the Shadow Ghost wasn’t entirely inept. He had also taken some remedial measures, and those were under Kuyi Tulan’s own suggestion. It was a long story, stretching back to the time before Willem was Devoured, when he still accepted such advice.

Naturally, that suggestion was also part of Kuyi Tulan’s later calculations.

”Xinbal has already treated our Alchemy Workshop as an enemy. What we’re doing is solely to save the whole world!” Kuyi Tulan continued his speech. In truth, he didn’t particularly care whether these people would follow him or not. Still, having more Puppets was better than none. Besides, these Alchemists were the people he knew best; he could use them to create even more impossibilities.

Even though he was the Shadow Ghost, he knew he couldn’t discard a single person!

The desire for conquest had seeped into his bones. He wanted to turn the Alchemists who followed him into bloodthirsty conquerors as well!

”Chief, what exactly are we going to do next?” Milo asked. He would never doubt Kuyi Tulan. His loyalty to Kuyi Tulan was absolute. He firmly believed that Kuyi Tulan could create a beautiful world for them, a world worth their struggle.

Though the choice before them now was incredible, this was precisely the kind of person Milo was. Once he believed in something with all his heart, he would pursue it with all his heart, without a shred of complaint.

Others might have their own motives, such as gaining more money or more power, but not Milo. He was a youth who fought solely for that beautiful world, and he firmly believed that in this world, only Kuyi Tulan could lead them to success.

”Next, we’re leaving this place. Because the people here no longer trust us. They think what we’re doing is extreme.” Kuyi Tulan said lightly. This was his usual line.

”Great undertakings always come with sacrifice. We are willing to follow you, Chief!” Milo declared first, as if leaving this place, Xinbal, didn’t even warrant a blink from him.

”Good. I will lead you to create that world—and not only our world. There is another world as well. I will see all these places unified, no longer so chaotic, no longer ceaselessly torn by strife. Everyone will have a home to return to; everyone will be able to find their own refuge!” Kuyi Tulan was adept at oratory; that was only natural, given how many memories he possessed…

Milo was extremely stirred; clearly, he had once again been brainwashed by Kuyi Tulan.

Of course, Milo was far from the only one. The other Alchemists were also cheering loudly along with him.

Hiding in the corners, the Alchemy Servants finally understood: so these masters were leaving Xinbal. But where were they going?

Could it be that the entire Kayne Empire was in danger? Kuyi Tulan wasn’t just the Chief of an Alchemy Workshop—he was also the King’s Hand of the entire Kayne Empire!

Just what had happened to this Empire?

However, the Alchemy Servants still didn’t get their answer at that moment. In a haze of panic and anxiety, they suffered yet another shock. They could never have imagined they would witness such a scene.

As soon as Chief Kuyi Tulan’s impassioned speech ended, he stood amid the crowd and shouted loudly, ”Follow me!”

Immediately afterward, a dazzling blue radiance spread across the entire testing field. The light formed into a circle, the radius expanding, gradually enveloping all of the Alchemists.

Then, the glow from that ring erupted like a blinding bolt of Lightning, and a bolt of Lightning might well come with a deafening roar…

The Alchemy Servants tried everything they could to block their ears and cover their eyes, and in the end missed that wondrous moment.

They heard only that single ”pop” of sound.

But when they opened their eyes again, wanting to see what had happened, not a single shadow remained of the Alchemists who had been before them!

The entire testing field had become a heap of ruins, and from the rubble blue Smoke kept curling up without end.