Reaper of the Martial World

Book 12: Chapter 19: Speak Less (1)

Dyon’s expressionless gaze met that of the receptionist’s. If it wasn’t for the fact his palm still lay on the table, one would think he had not a thing to do with the sudden loud boom.

As if others weren’t shocked enough, though, a second sudden boom followed. In fact, it was several times louder than Dyon’s own palm strike. Still, even then, it was completely eclipsed by the roar of anger that came barely a split moment later.

The stunned receptionist panicked. She knew that none of this was her fault – seemingly having forgotten her rude attitude of just moments ago – yet she was fully aware that she would be blamed, nonetheless.

“Who did it?! I’ll rip you limb from limb!”

Dyon’s lips quirked as though to say “not bad”. Of course, this had nothing to do with the voice’s alchemy skill. To Dyon, screwing up a batch of pills and even causing a cauldron explosion just because of a little noise was just proof that you weren’t very skilled. Had Dyon used a swarm of qi, he would have been more forgiving in his conclusion considering how precise the control of energy was needed for immortal pills. But, he obviously hadn’t.

The reason for his “not bad” evaluation was because of the strength of the hidden alchemist’s roar. He seemed to be of the Peak Immortal Essence Realm just like the hook-nosed old lady. But the difference was that he was clearly full of vitality and much more powerful.

Moments later, a furious black-faced and wild-haired man flashed into the lobby, his aura causing the tiles beneath his feet to shake and quiver. It was clear that he didn’t feel the same need to control himself in his anger that the hook-nosed old lady had.

“V-Venerable Piers.” The receptionist stuttered, her haughty expression turning an unhealthy white.

It was obvious to anyone with a keen eye that this Venerable Piers was quite a handsome middle-aged man under normal conditions. It was just too bad these weren’t normal conditions. Not only had his face twisted savagely in a rage, but it was covered in dirt and soot.

There was nothing comical about his appearance. The truth was that cauldron explosions were incredibly dangerous, especially when they were unexpected. He hadn’t chosen to come down here in a rage, forgetting to first clean his face. The truth was that he had truly suffered terrible burns that would definitely not heal easily.

Depending on the batch of pills you were working on, and the quality of your alchemy furnace, an explosion could very well kill you. Certain combinations of herbs at the high temperatures of a resulting explosion could be incredibly toxic and corrosive. In addition, if it was a high-quality cauldron that exploded, it would be comparatively better at protecting you, but this was only to a certain point.

Past this point, if a high-quality cauldron wasn’t able to withstand most of the blast and broke down, then the results would be even more devastating.

All of this was likely the reason the alchemy guild required a strict level of quiet, but Dyon found this more amusing than anything.

In such a big city… You didn’t have a single person capable of laying a silencing array? Even one of the star grade would do, it didn’t have to be of the immortal grades.

What this essentially told Dyon was that these people called themselves array alchemists, yet they didn’t have the faintest understanding of how the two concepts were meant to play off and build off one another.

Dyon preferred to call himself an alchemist, this much was true. But the reality was that his knowledge and skill in formation theory was no less robust and profound. He just didn’t enjoy its use as much. He only used it as a means toward concocting the best pills imaginable.

It was obvious that Venerable Piers was trying to figure out just what happened here.

When he saw the hook-nosed woman being carried by two of the five bronzed armored guards, his first instinct was to unleash his rage onto her. It seemed obvious that she was the culprit, especially since he had heard her screech earlier. It was actually because of that screech that he was put in a precarious position to begin with. If it wasn’t for that, Dyon’s actions wouldn’t have so easily influenced him.

However, when his gaze landed on Dyon’s amused expression, a baleful aura billowed from his body.

A mortal dared laugh at him?

His peeling and singed skin trembled, revealing tender and bleeding skin beneath. His black face was quickly turning red for a reason other than his emotions. However, Dyon actually spoke before he had a chance to unleash his rage.

“If you’d like someone to blame, you can blame your receptionist.”

The young woman gawked. “… N-no Venerable P –.”

“I came here to take your certification exam, yet after standing here for so long, she actually ignored me. Don’t tell me you’re unaware of the consequences for such a thing.”

The young receptionist was stunned once again. How could one person be so shameless? He had barely stopped at her desk for more than a second before his palm slammed downward. How was this considered ‘standing here for so long’?

But, when she heard the latter half of his words, a deep shudder ran through her frail body. Maybe the most shocking thing was that it ran through Venerable Piers’ body as well…