The Steward Demonic Emperor

Chapter 879: Servant

Proofreader: Papatonks

“Hey, I didn’t even start yet! What’s the meaning of this?”

“What can you refine when you can’t even start your fire? Get lost!”

“This isn’t fair! How can we compete like this? It’s not our fault the others have better flames. You can’t do this to us! You’re discriminating against us because of our average flames…”

Complains, grumbles and dissatisfaction echoed as the guards drove away the alchemists that had yet to start.

It was not the guards’ job to care about their problems. They had a task and proceeded to throw them out the front door. No amount of complaining worked.

But if they resorted to force, the guards would cower them with their auras and bloodthirst.

The outcome was obvious to any just by sensing it, death.

So they shuddered and fell silent, leaving after feeling abandoned. Peace was once again restored outside the manor.

Baili Jingwei was on stage, giving them a cold gaze. His respect had been used up on Zhuo Fan and he had no more left to give to mere bugs. 

This was Baili Jingwei, the Prime Minister of the Sword Star Empire, always pragmatic.

He was willing to bear any shame in pursuit of talents, even at the expense of his own pride as a Prime Minister. But when facing these extras that didn’t make the cut, he found them an eyesore, offering no compassion or care.

This was how any true official should be, calm and of good judge of character.

[Another group is eliminated…]

Zhuo Fan knew this guy was tightening the noose around them. 

[It won’t be long before he gets his rat.]

Zhuo Fan glanced by chance at Shangguan Yulin. Seeing his nose so high up after making a pill and the sheer disdain for the alchemists who had yet to start, going as far as enjoying to see them being kicked out, Zhuo Fan’s face twitched and shook his head.

[What a fool, he’s totally oblivious of the net closing in.]

Baili Jingwei looked at the remaining candidates, around five hundred, while another two hundred had been removed. He smiled, “People, do you find my methods crude?”

“A brilliant man such as sir has done perfectly!” The candidates cupped their hands and shouted.

Zhuo Fan shook his head.

These guys were the winners in this case. 

[Since you kicked out their competition, they’re more than accommodating. He’s only asking to make this competition he’s presiding over sound fair.]

[I’m here holding a Pill King Convention, not a job offer. Those that didn’t make it failed to meet the standard. The empire did not toy with them.]

[Or the empire’s prestige would take a hit…]

Baili Jingwei nodded, finding it a bit lacking as he kept making excuses, “All alchemists should strive their best in a competition. Joining such an event, especially an empire held one, they should realize the minimal requirements, especially when it came to one’s flame. They should’ve been aware of the tight competition. Since they haven’t yet come to join such an event, it proves you’re not invested in it. Getting eliminated is only natural.”

“Sir is right, they got what they deserved!” One man bowed with a sneer on the spot.

The rest followed, hailing the Prime Minister, like they were congratulating a politician for winning an election.

Zhuo Fan, Meng Feitian and Xue Dingxian were silent. They weren’t against their ruling but not about to debase themselves. This was an alchemist’s self-respect.

All alchemists went from weak to strong, each having gone through using Yuan Qi flame at some point in their career. As for the special flame they had now, that was earned through harsh toils, it didn’t fall on their laps.

Only an alchemist knew another’s plight. Towards those poor alchemists, trying to get a better flame was very hard, sometimes even deadly.

But the flame did not mean one’s skill sucked. By admitting this fact, it was the same as saying these remaining candidates sucked the same at one point in their alchemist career.

This made some conscious alchemists aware of their value and not join the rear kissing. As for the rest of those toadies, screaming their lungs out? They were a disgrace as alchemists, pursuing this path for pocket change and ephemeral glory.

Baili Jingwei saw Zhuo Fan and some abstained from being swallowed by the trend and approved of it.

While looking at the toadies, he only had disdain. 

[They’re nothing but expendable pawns.]

Baili Jingwei smirked, “Let the true preliminaries begin!”

“Uh…”

The cheering died on the spot, “Sir, w-what was that? Haven’t we been through preliminaries already?”

“Of course not. You think the Pill King Convention is that easy?”

Baili Jingwei spoke, “That was only meant to eliminate random elements slipping in. The true selection has only just begun. Bring their pills!”

Baili Jingwei called his guards, sending them a couple of extra words before they entered the crowd to inspect their results.

The five hundred alchemists were sporting countless emotions, pride, anxiety, worry, fear… In an hour, the pills were brought back in two piles. 

The deciding factor of this split had nothing to do with the process involved or the quality. These piles had quality ranging from low to top as well. 

Baili Jingwei scanned the two and pointed at one, “Cast them out.”

“Yes, sir!”

Bowing, the guards walked in a line towards the designated targets. Hoisting them by the collar, they were easily carried off.

Though that didn’t make it any easier to accept it.

“Wait! I made a top pill! Why are you throwing me out?”

There would always be one who whined, and this time was no exception. Someone then pointed at someone snickering, “I refined faster than him and with good quality. Why is sir eliminating me as well?”

The guy jerked and shivered in fear, looking tensely at Baili Jingwei.

He knew very well he was worse than some who were eliminated. But was sir so nice enough to leave him out?

He was by himself with joy of having been skipped, but someone telling on him filled him with hatred and worry, cursing the culprit to the heavens.

[Screw you! I got luck on my side, alright? What the hell are you dragging me down for?]

Baili Jingwei ignored the complaint with a sneer, “Because his pill’s aura is thicker. How can you call it a spirit pill if it has no spiritual energy?”

Ugh!

Choking, the guy shuddered, but he still wasn’t convinced, “What do you know about alchemy? He used an 8th grade ingredient to make it so thick. But its quality is worse than mine. I used 7th grade ingredients and made it better. This shows my skill is better than his!”

The others bobbed their heads in total agreement.

“When did I say it’s about skill here?”

Baili Jingwei raised an eyebrow, “Once you enter the imperial capital, you’re to serve the imperial family. The first requirement isn’t skill but determination to give your all. I didn’t judge you on speed when you made the 7th grade pill, but being able to always refine to the best of your ability and speed.

“Then I found that some of you only cared about showing off your skills while forgetting about my requirement. It’s obvious you can make a pill faster with 8th grade ingredients, but you chose 7th grade. It’s obvious you can make a top 7th grade pill with 8th grade ingredient. Please, your lord is the imperial family and doesn’t need you to stint on ingredients and don’t need to dazzle them with your skills. As long as you do your very best and are fast, nothing else matters. I’m throwing them out because they were holding back. Any other problem?”

“Uh…”

Shuddering, the people fell silent. Baili Jingwei didn’t have a true requirement of an alchemist, but a bureaucratic one, to be a good servant.

[My character, livelihood and my prideful skills aren’t important here. I must first be a good and devoted servant to the lord first.]

Wasn’t this the whole point behind entering the imperial capital, ha-ha…