Chapter 729: Section 517: Master: Where is my little Koizumi?
Bu Quan was caught in a state of hesitation, and had been for some time now.
This was within the city of Snowbird Port.
Near the central area close to the residence of the City Lord.
This small Alchemy Workshop was also Bu Quan’s favorite place to be before she joined the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
On the table, the spherical flask was being heated, with pink bubbles continuously emerging from the yellow-green liquid.
Bu Quan’s pupils dilated slightly; she was daydreaming.
But her potion-making movements did not change in the slightest, each action was extremely precise.
Even when multitasking, Bu Quan, with her profound alchemy skill, carried out the experiment to improve the potion formula in an orderly fashion.
"Should I really write a letter, asking my mentor for help?" Bu Quan felt very embarrassed.
She was well aware that she could have never come this far without the teachings and support of her mentor.
Her mentor’s care and concern for her were far beyond what others received, to the point of arousing jealousy.
Such was her mentor’s treatment of Bu Quan, yet she had insisted on going to Snowbird Port to avenge her nanny. Her mentor did not stop her but instead used his connections to protect her.
Bu Quan had always felt a sense of guilt towards her mentor.
After joining the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, that guilt only intensified because Bu Quan understood that her mentor had always been nurturing her, grooming her to be his successor in the Mage Tower.
Yet, Bu Quan, following her own desires, curious about another way of life, had cast aside those expectations.
To be honest, Bu Quan also felt pressure.
The moment she chose to join the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, it became hard for her to face her mentor. She wanted to explain but didn’t know how; she didn’t want to deceive her mentor.
Therefore, she had never reported her current choices and lifestyle to her mentor.
She was afraid to face her mentor and, with an attitude of avoidance, hoped that Master Zhong Bei would go back to the Alchemy Guild to inform her teacher.
Since rejecting Master Zhong Bei, she had been waiting for a reproachful letter from her mentor.
Instead, she received a visit from both Master Zhong Bei and his son, Master Da Bei.
Bu Quan once again rejected Master Da Bei, and she began waiting for her mentor’s reproachful letter.
But it never came; what came instead was a request from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
They were actually requesting that she take the initiative to write and ask her mentor for assistance!
This matter posed a huge psychological barrier for Bu Quan.
"I’ve already let my teacher down."
"Now, to ask my teacher to intervene, wouldn’t that be utterly shameless of me!"
"Yet... the situation of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is truly perilous."
"Especially Lord Long Fu, the squad leader, who was actually ambushed by three Golden Level enemies. Fortunately, he was powerful and killed all three Golden Level attackers."
"He’s truly the man I have my eye on."
Thinking of the Dragon-man youth, Bu Quan’s eyes sparkled, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly, revealing the sweet smile of a woman in love.
Unknown to her, the astounding feat was not actually accomplished by her beloved but by Zong Ge.
"Lord Squad Leader cares about me, so he made a point of writing to look after me."
"If I don’t invite my teacher, it’s very likely that I will find myself in danger."
"Perhaps..."
Bu Quan’s thoughts began to drift.
"Perhaps, the enemy attacks. Their onslaught is ferocious, wretchedly aggressive, and they conquer this place. Even the Mage Tower is destroyed by them."
"I struggle to defend, but I am outmatched."
"At the most critical moment, squad leader descends from the sky, a hero to the rescue! With only three moves, he subdues the enemies."
"He cradles me in his arms, with a pained expression on his face, he tenderly says to me, ’Sorry, Bu Quan, I’m late. Where are you hurt?’"
Thinking of this, Bu Quan’s cheeks had already turned red.
She shook her head, her thoughts continuing to wander.
"No, I knew full well the significance of these Magic Potions to the Mercenary Group."
"I could have retreated, but to protect these Magic Potions, I had to stay and contend with the enemies."
"I fought a bloody battle to the end with the enemies, successfully safeguarding these Magic Potions. But as a result, I paid a heavy price."
"I was about to die; nothing could save me. Just as I was at death’s door, squad leader arrived, swiftly slaying the remaining enemies."
"He held me in his embrace, heedless of my bloodied body, crying out in agony and regret, blaming himself for not returning sooner."
"He called out my name loudly, unwilling to watch me die in my sleep."
"My complexion was extremely pale, and using all my strength, I reached out to caress the squad leader’s cheek, feeling the tears he had shed."
"I said to him, ’Lord Long Fu, I’ve protected these Magic Potions. Sister Yao Ma had entrusted me with this task, and I’ve done it.’"
"’No, Bu Quan. You’re too foolish, truly too foolish. In my heart, you are worth far more than these Magic Potions. A hundred times more, a thousand times, ten thousand times!’ shouted Lord Long Fu."
"He glared fiercely at the Yao Ma Mage by his side, then tightly grasped my hand: ’Promise me, Bu Quan, do not leave me. Hang in there, you can’t fall asleep, okay?’"
"But I still didn’t hold on; I died."
"From then on, Lord Long Fu’s heart only had room for me. No matter how beautiful and talented the people around him were, no matter how Yao Ma Mage pursued him, he remained indifferent."
"In the end, as Yao Ma Mage lay dying, full of regret, she lamented, ’In all my life, I only lost to one woman. She is Bu Quan. Though she lost her life, she won over Lord Long Fu. I so wish I could replace her, but alas, I no longer have the chance...’"
Bu Quan, thinking this far, had tears welling up in her eyes, immersed in her daydreams, immersed in the melancholy and emotion spreading in her heart.
After a while, Bu Quan kept thinking until her cheeks were red and hot, when she was startled back to reality by a strange sound emitted during potion mixing.
She snapped out of her reverie, staring blankly at the potions in her hands, which had already been perfected.
Her alchemy skill was solid, and her talent was very high; even when severely distracted, she was still able to successfully brew a Silver Level potion.
Bu Quan’s emotions were unsettled, devoid of any joy over the successful potion creation; her mind was filled with the image of the Dragon-man youth.
"I don’t care about the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but if it pains Lord Long Fu, it pains me too!"
"Teacher... I have let you down. But this time, I must ask for your help."
"Because I don’t want to see Lord Long Fu suffer, to remain unmarried for life, full of regrets."
"Lovers should be together forever; I cannot allow the greatest tragedy of this world to unfold!"
Convinced by her thoughts, Bu Quan, biting her teeth and mustering her bravery, filled with love, begins to write a letter.
After she finished writing the letter of help, Bu Quan immediately used the channels of the Alchemy Guild to urgently send it back.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps relies on messengers and the Teleportation Array for communications.
Bu Quan does not.
She was a member of the Alchemy Guild, which was a major organization in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital, controlling a considerable amount of resources and channels.
The Alchemy Guild had many Teleportation Arrays, specifically for sending secret letters. These arrays couldn’t transport living beings, yet they had received the Royal Family’s permission and passed a series of strict audits, thus establishing a direct connection from Snowbird Port to the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
Alchemy Guild headquarters.
Snow Honey Tower.
The Tower Master was none other than Bu Quan’s teacher, Shuanglian.
She pushed open the heavy door to the Alchemy Room, emerged with dark circles under her eyes and a vacant expression.
The grand alchemy experiment that had been ongoing for several months had ended in failure.
Shuanglian was in a terrible mood.
Her disciples gathered around, some attempting to support her, only to have their hands brushed aside. Others offered prepared wet towels and meals, all of which were refused by Shuanglian.
"Teacher, you’ve been working on alchemical experiments for months without eating, drinking, or sleeping. You need to rest."
"Yes, we’ve prepared a sumptuous meal for you, the result of a week’s painstaking efforts."
"I’ve organized details on the Mage Tower’s revenue situation and a series of events that occurred within the Kingdom to report to you at any time."
But Shuanglian had no interest in these things.
She asked, "Where’s Little Quan Quan?"
She didn’t find the person she wanted to see in the crowd, growing even more disheartened, "Oh, that’s right, Little Quan Quan has already left me."
"How is she doing?"
"Where are her letters?"
"Show them to me quickly; I want to see her letters now, to soothe my wounded heart."
The remaining disciples and students looked gloomy, and one stepped forward, "Sister Bu Quan’s letters have all been collected, hidden in the third-floor mailroom. Teacher, I’ll fetch them for you right away."
Shuanglian nodded, "I’ll be in my study, hurry and bring the letters."
After Shuanglian left the floor, the disciples and apprentices complained amongst themselves.
One pouted, "How long has Bu Quan been gone? Teacher still can’t forget her."
Another expressed their disapproval in a low voice, "I underestimated her. I didn’t expect that even after she left, Teacher still cares about her the most!"
"How can Teacher care so much for someone who has stayed in Snowbird Port for such a long time, only writing letters back every now and then? Why does Teacher treat her so well?"
Some found satisfaction in others’ misfortune, "Heh, Bu Quan is definitely going to be criticized this time. Teacher is sure to get angry since there were issues at the Alchemy Guild. Bu Quan has now joined that Dragon Lion Mercenary Group."
"When Teacher gets angry, someone’s going to be in trouble. Ah! Are there any external missions from the Mage Tower? I want to get out."
"I do too, I really do."
"I, on the other hand, want to stay and see how this all unfolds. If Bu Quan is ordered to return, the scene will be too good to miss!"
Shuanglian returned to her study.
From a drawer in her desk, she took out a small and exquisite vanity mirror.
An alchemy tool – the Cleansing and Care Mirror.
She looked into the mirror and instantly her face was not only thoroughly cleaned, but also moisturized and meticulously cared for.
Although Shuanglian still appeared exhausted, her complexion had improved significantly, returning to that of a middle-aged Snow Elf beauty.
"Little Quan Quan..." Shuanglian caressed the frame of the vanity mirror, a look of longing on her face.
This vanity mirror was a small gift that Bu Quan had given her for her birthday.
"Teacher, these are all of Sister Bu Quan’s letters." A student delivered the letters to the study.
Shuanglian gave a slight nod, "Place them on the desk, you may leave now."
Just as the female apprentice reached the door, Shuanglian stopped her, "Wait, are these all the letters? That’s not right, is it? Over such a long period, Bu Quan only wrote these few letters to me?"
The apprentice was somewhat afraid and hesitated to tell Shuanglian the truth, hedging, "Teacher, these are indeed all of them. The one at the very bottom arrived just today."
Shuanglian’s brow furrowed slightly and a bad feeling surfaced in her heart.
"Is something different about this situation, could my beloved disciple have encountered a problem?"
Shuanglian dismissed the apprentice and quickly opened the letters, examining them closely.
The contents of the earlier letters were the usual,
In which Bu Quan reported her daily life to her teacher, and posed questions and discussions about alchemy.
But the last few letters revealed a drastic change.
"Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?!"
"Their squad leader, Lord Long Fu, indirectly avenged Little Quan Quan."
"Being able to slay a Gold Level as a Silver Level, this Dragon-man is quite extraordinary."
At first, Shuanglian had a good impression of the Dragon-man youth.
But then...
"What?!" Shuanglian’s eyes widened, nearly shouting out loud.
"Little Quan Quan actually joined the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps? Did she join on the invitation of Long Fu?"
"Foolish, utterly foolish!"
"How could Little Quan Quan join a mercenary group, especially a small Silver Level one, and one that’s an outsider at that?"
"Invited by the squad leader? That’s clearly deceit and trickery! Yes, this accursed Dragon-man thief must have sweet-talked and deceived my Little Quan Quan."
"My Little Quan Quan, lacking worldly experience, has been duped and strayed onto the wrong path of life!"
"Damn it, this Dragon-man—if he shows up in front of me now—I’d tear him limb from limb!!"
"Really, damn it, what’s wrong with the Alchemy Guild? Didn’t I arrange for someone to keep watch over Little Quan Quan around the clock?"
"Who was responsible for this? Just let Little Quan Quan be tricked and end up on a thief’s ship?!"
The middle-aged beauty grew angrier the more she thought.
"Let me think, I recall the person I assigned was called...something Bei. He’s the son of some elder in the guild, supposedly very reliable."
"So reliable, really?"
Shuanglian crumpled up the letter in her hand in her anger, but could not immediately recall the person in charge’s name.
Just then, the Tower Spirit’s voice rang out, "Tower Master, we’ve learned that you’ve concluded your alchemy experiment. There are important visitors here to see you: Master Cai Jing, Elder Da Bei, and Master Zhong Bei."
"Zhong Bei?" Shuanglian startled, then her expression turned to one of anger, "That’s him! Yes, it’s this Zhong Bei."
"Good, very good, I haven’t even started looking for him, and he’s come to find me!"
"What, bringing his father and other toughs along?"
"Do they intend to threaten me?!"