Emperor's Reckoning

However, Lyon's laughter was met with another dead silence.

"Why is he laughing?" asked Porealus. "What is he talking about?"

"I see, he must have seen something that we can not comprehend! Truly amazing!" said Zet as he nodded proudly.

Porealus twitched his mouth as he heard what Zet's said. (Damn fanboy!).

"I don't know, but I think that it was a dirty joke," muttered Cecile before she chuckled. "He always has a perverse thought in any situation."

Kesya sighed. "It was the only thing keeping him off from a peaceful life."

"I doubt that," said Cecile as she shook her head, "Even Selena agreed that Lyon would be more troublesome to handle if he had that cool and calm bearing type."

"Wow really? You both actually agreed on something?" muttered Kesya.

"It's rare but we do," Cecile nodded. "After all, I'm the one that stole her sweetheart— just like that."

Kesya smiled wryly, "The rivalry between the two of you is very well known, but I never thought you have that kind of history."

Cecile smiled as she proudly raised her chin a little. "There is a lot that you don't know Kesya."

"I figure," Kesya smiled wryly before turning her glance back at her emperor. "YOU CAN DO IT, YOUNG MASTER!! WE LOVE YOU!! kinda."

Lyon's brows twitched as he heard what Kesya had just said, "Damn it, why does no one understand a dirty joke in this world?!"

Malaqa frowned before she examined Lyon's cauldron. She had heard a soft crack quite clearly due to the silence in the atmosphere. Her brows furrowed as she looked left and right. "I think you broke the cauldron."

"What?" Lyon raised his brows before the rest were shocked. His group couldn't believe what the elder just said, especially Elise who had her eyebrows pressing her glabella to layers.

The two rookies were already palpitating but they still could hear what she just said, but turning their concentration over would be a stupidly daring idea.

(Is he going to get disqualified?) thought one of the rookies.

(Did he fail?) thought another.

Both of them couldn't even leer at him.

"I think I heard a crack but can't seem to find it, maybe it happens on your side," Malaqa smiled.

"Well, ther is a crack," said Lyon as he looked down.

Lumina facepalmed almost immediately. (Why would you admit that?!).

"Oh?" (Interesting, he didn't even try to lie) thought Malaqa as she smiled inwardly. "Then are you sure you can keep going with that cauldron? We are not going to swap it with a new one and the next test would require you to actually make a pill with it."

"Oof, making a pill with a broken cauldron is a no-go," muttered Tamuh before he grinned, "Looks like a young friend is out of luck." (Offering him a cauldron at this time would be not ideal for my image).

"Nah, I'm sure about it," said Lyon as he smirked.

"Lyon, you..." Renduval couldn't believe how calm he was despite the latter being at a clear disadvantage compared to the rest of them.

"Don't mind me Renduval. I could flirt with a Demon Queen no problem, do you think I would be worried about this kind of thing? Besides, it is you that you should be worrying about, after all, you would love to have that gold cloak after so many years of trying," Lyon shrugged.

"?!" Renduval's eye widened before he nodded. "Elder Malaqa, the cauldron might crack but one only failed when the cauldron exploded."

Malaqa smiled. "I never said that he is failing the test, Renduval. I'm asking if he is confident to pass the final test."

"Heh," Lyon smirked. "Don't worry about it. It matters not if I fail to enter the Alchemy Union or not."

"Oh? So you're not intending to become an alchemist in Alchemy Union?" asked Malaqa.

"Intend? No, I'm in this position right now because of something that you might find petty," Lyon smirked. "However, becoming an alchemist here is not bad."

"You're sending mixed signals here," said Malaqa with a wry smile.

"Then I will let you think it for yourself, Elder Malaqa," said Lyon with a smile.

Malaqa smiled before she nodded. Most freshmen or newbies usually had their tone trembling when they talked to her, but the young man in front of her was not. He was unfazed by her presence nor by Alchemy Union itself.

"Alright, you three pass the second test," said Malaqa as she kept her eyes on Lyon. "Bring in the ingredients!"

The three of them put off their soul flame and looked over to the side.

Upon her order, alchemists clad in azure cloak immediately entered the field with pushable trays— with wheels. There were three items on the tray— a flower, a root, and fig leaves. Each of them had a hue of mana in which their intensity differed from one another.

"You all will be working with these three ingredients," said Malaqa as they set the trays to stand by the side of the rookies. "They are namely, Flower Hart, Root Tandus, and then Leaf of Aggresivity."

(Damn I'm not familiar with those ingredients at all) said Lyon as he crossed his arms.

"You'll be working with these ingredients to make a pill called, Agi Pill," said Malaqa as she crossed her arms. "Agi Pill is a pill that highly used by cultivators in low-level cultivation realm due to its ability to increase their overall strength for a period of time."

"Agi Pill, eh," muttered Lyon. "Never heard of those either."

"It is a level one pill and you must concoct it! The result must be above seventy percent purity! Below that then you have failed the test!" said Malaqa. "There is no compromise!"

The rookies gulped as they heard her words.

"This time, Renduval won't be demonstrating it for you," Malaqa smirked.

"Oh no," said Lyon in a sarcastic tone before the two other rookies glared at him.