Chapter 593 - 374: Minotaur Peiya
Chapter 593: Chapter 374: Minotaur Peiya
As fellow Elemental Users, the difference between Muslim and this other person was like that between a Giant Dragon and a common lizard. A gap this immense could only mean that the elemental fluctuation belonged to a Legendary Powerhouse.
The trio quickly ascended the steps and reached the summit. To their surprise, the mountaintop was a perfectly flat meadow. A simple, small manor stood in the center, surrounded by groves of birch trees.
Little Buji wriggled out from Levi’s arms, poking out her delicate little head. Her tiny hands rubbed at her drowsy eyes.
She was extremely attached to her "old dad," so unless he was on business and insisted she sleep on her own, Levi almost always had her with him.
Little Buji was, without a doubt, an Epic Level Elemental Master herself. She must have sensed the vast, ocean-like elemental fluctuation from the manor, but she merely peeked out for a moment before burrowing back into his arms.
’No matter how strong they are, they’re not stronger than Father.’ So Little Buji wasn’t the least bit worried.
Muslim, for once, spat into his palm to smooth down his bird’s nest of a hair. He then straightened his clothes and, assuming the air of a respectable visitor, knocked twice on the main gate.
CLICK~
With a soft click, the gate swung open, revealing a two-and-a-half-meter-tall, clothed Minotaur Iron Man.
As it opened the gate, the Minotaur, clearly a product of Alchemy, greeted them.
"Hey, it’s you again, kid. Huh? And who are these other two guests?"
Muslim scratched his head. "Peiya, these two are my friends. I brought them to see Master Rudy."
Aside from her body, which was forged from various metals that glinted uniquely in the sun, this Minotaur was otherwise indistinguishable from a real one. She glanced at the dumbstruck Mier and spoke perfunctorily.
"Sorry to have scared you."
But when her gaze landed on Levi, she instantly zipped over to the Lord’s side and took his hand in both of hers.
Levi was surprised to see what looked like drool at the corner of the Iron Man’s mouth. She gushed, "Oh, handsome guest, please forgive me for startling you! No apology could be enough. Please, allow me to take the liberty of preparing a sumptuous meal for you as a token of my regret."
Mier felt wounded. It wasn’t a wound from a sharp blade, but an insult to his very dignity.
Levi tried to pull his hand back but found it locked in her grip. If he used force, he’d probably send the presumptuous Minotaur flying.
Considering he was a guest, he could only offer an awkward smile and let her have her way.
...
「Dusk.」
The aroma of beef stew filled the kitchen and the manor’s great hall.
Peiya, the Minotaur, wore an apron and hummed a cheerful, nameless tune in the kitchen as she tended to the stew.
"I didn’t expect the arrival of you and your companions, Your Excellency Levi. It’s a rare treat for an old man like me to enjoy such a fine meal." Rudy sat at the table with Levi and the others. Steam gently rose from the hot tea before them.
To this moment, the Lord was still struggling with something he couldn’t quite put into words. The reason was, of course, that Rudy the Great Sage—the man before him—was actually a Tiger Man!
He had the head of a tiger and stood about as tall as Sam—around 1.6 meters. His build was somewhat lean, and he wore a wide robe and a gold-rimmed monocle, giving him the distinct air of a knowledgeable scholar.
’But for the famous Great Sage, a pillar of the alchemical world, to be a Tiger Man... that was something the Lord had never expected.’
"And Miss Peiya is...?"
Fortunately, the Lord had seen his share of strange sights—he’d even seen mice chase cats—so this little surprise wasn’t enough to make him lose his composure.
"She is one of my less-than-brilliant disciples," the Old White Tiger said, shaking his head with a sigh. "She was researching the Alchemy of ’Creation’ but ended up losing her own body. Ever since, her soul has been confined to this custom-built vessel."
’She was clearly his most promising disciple, but because of this incident, her progress in Alchemy came to a complete halt.’
’The principle of Alchemy is equivalent exchange. She had clearly grasped its secrets, yet she ended up exchanging herself.’
"I’m sorry to hear that," Levi said.
’So they hadn’t reached the level of creating souls from thin air. It was just a soul transferred into an Iron Man.’
"The delicious beef is here!"
Peiya came over carrying a platter laden with beef, unnecessarily wearing oven mitts.
Levi tried a piece and praised her sincerely, "Miss Peiya, your cooking is excellent. It puts even Half-Elf chefs to shame."
"Then have some more." Peiya propped her elbows on the table, rested her chin in her hands, and stared intently at Levi.
"Peiya, mind your manners. You’re making our guest uncomfortable," the Old White Tiger admonished, helplessly setting down his bowl and chopsticks.
"You old geezer, are you going to take away my one and only pleasure?" Peiya shot her master a glare.
"Sigh... sigh..." Rudy sighed twice in a row, then could only apologize to Levi. "Your Excellency Levi, please forgive my disciple’s rudeness."
"It’s nothing," the Lord said, waving his hand with a magnanimous air.
’Frankly, she did treat me to a meal. Besides, it costs nothing to let her look, and she’s just a pile of metal and Elements. It’s not like she can do anything to me.’
"Your Excellency Levi, you are as magnanimous as your actions have shown. A truly kind heart." The Old White Tiger took out a white handkerchief to dab at his mouth. With a flick of his wrist, a kettle sprouted wings, flew over, and filled everyone’s cups with tea.
It then flew back to the hearth, where the charcoal briquettes morphed into a ribbon of flame that coalesced into a human face. The face opened its mouth and exhaled, and a roaring fire erupted, keeping the water at a constant boil.
’In the Lord’s estimation, this must be alchemical transmutation.’
This was not an ability that just any hack could use. Among Alchemists, anyone capable of this would be hailed as an Alchemy Master.
For them, turning common stones into gold was a simple feat.
However, every Alchemist abides by the ancient principle of equivalent exchange, and thus avoids doing things that would massively impact reality.
In their view, such actions would inevitably coalesce into some unknown disaster in the shadows. That was equivalent exchange: for every boon, a bane must arise.
This principle, in fact, could be applied to all things; it was the core tenet of Alchemy.
"As an envoy, you weren’t required to pay. And yet, despite the spider-coachman’s scorn, you still gave him a reasonable fare. I must say, that is quite magnanimous. Your Excellency Levi, you lack the arrogance common to other Legendary Powerhouses," the Old White Tiger said slowly.
"How could you know that, Your Excellency Rudy? According to my senses, you’ve been here the entire time. You haven’t even left the manor." The Lord raised an eyebrow, the feeling of being watched creeping over him.
In fact, he had felt as if someone were spying on him at the time, but with so many citizens of Feilengcui watching him on the main road, he hadn’t paid it much mind.
"Above Feilengcui is the ’True Eye of No Concealment’ that I created for the Holy Sith Kingdom. It’s responsible for real-time monitoring of the entire city." The Old White Tiger made no attempt to hide it. "And I happen to have the authority to use it."
"To be honest, I wasn’t specifically observing you, Your Excellency Levi. It’s just that the Holy Light within you is as brilliant as the sun. It’s impossible not to notice."
"This..." A certain phrase came to Levi’s mind.
When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you.
Just as he had sensed the elemental fluctuations within the Old White Tiger, the tiger must have also sensed the potent Holy Light within him.
As expected, powerhouses are drawn to one another.
"Is there a way to hide it?" Levi asked curiously.
After all, as an avid reader of Knightly Novels, he understood the importance of hiding one’s strength to get the drop on an opponent.
"Your Excellency Levi, do you think the sun can hide in the sky?" The Old White Tiger spread his hands. "It’s like a Giant Dragon trying to become an ant. It’s impossible."
"Concealment might work on ordinary people or those of a lower Tier, but for us, it’s like watching someone wear a blindfold. It doesn’t make them invisible."