One-Eyed Monster

”Your existence is a disgrace!”

”A disgrace? Do you know what you’re saying, Dastan?” Although Kuyi Tulan didn’t react strongly to Dastan’s words, Carmello, who was beside him, couldn’t hold back.

Carmello, filled with emotion, glared at Dastan in the cage, his brow furrowed. Dastan’s words had offended the man Carmello revered, something he could not tolerate.

”Without the Chief, how could the Alchemy Workshop be as it is today?”

”If it weren’t for him, your Great Mentor wouldn’t have found himself without a foothold in the Imperial Capital Xinbal, wouldn’t be hiding from the world with us, and the Alchemy Workshop wouldn’t have turned into this ungodly mess,” Dastan said blandly, his tone devoid of emotion, as though he were discussing something trivial.

But this very indifference was what made his words so cutting. Kuyi Tulan’s subordinates quickly grew incensed. If Kuyi Tulan hadn’t stopped them, they would have rushed in to beat Dastan.

”Without the Chief, the Alchemy Workshop would still be the Empire’s Guardian Army’s testing ground!”

”Without the Chief, Alchemists would forever be suppressed in this Empire!”

”Without the Chief, how could Alchemists stand on equal footing with the Wizards?”

”Even now, those in the Wizard Alliance look down on us Alchemists!”

”That’s right! If it weren’t for the Chief’s concept of Battle Alchemy, we’d still be a group of people who are looked down upon!”

...

Hector and Carmello took turns, one picking up where the other left off, extolling Kuyi Tulan’s numerous contributions, as if their barrage of words could somehow convince Dastan.

Dastan sneered inwardly. He hadn’t expected the Alchemy Workshop to have devolved into such a state. If the Great Mentor saw these disciples, would he be disheartened? As a branch of Scholars, how had Alchemists become so enmeshed in power struggles? Why had they, too, become like the Wizards, believing themselves masters of the world? Why did so many pursue immense power? He himself had once been one of them. Can attaining power truly change everything?

The more Dastan pondered, the more his thoughts drifted, until he could no longer hear what the two Alchemists were saying.

The Alchemists were still fervently listing the changes Kuyi Tulan had brought to the Alchemy Workshop. For some reason, this display starkly contrasted with their earlier show of strength. Moments ago, they had presented themselves as mature, formidable experts; now, they seemed like petulant children.

This left both Baharo and Elder Rostellum dumbfounded.

Baharo found these Alchemists rather comical, still squabbling over such an intangible title.

Elder Rostellum, on the other hand, couldn’t understand it. These people from the Alchemy Workshop, who had previously been so on edge yet acted with such swift decisiveness, were now lost in reminiscence and bickering. Why were they being so fussy? Significant events were unfolding outside; shouldn’t they be more concerned? He, as a Politician, was certainly anxious, even if they weren’t. Most importantly, their presence here offered no immediate prospect of ’shiny things’ for him. He needed to go out and sensationalize the monster incident further. Perhaps then the Treasure Hunters would be more convinced by his words and bring him even more ’golden treasures’...

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Kuyi Tulan’s glorious deeds relegated to the recesses of their minds. Apart from the Alchemists from the Alchemy Workshop, who were caught up in their own hype, no one else was on the same page.

In a sense, it was a rather pathetic scene.

However, Kuyi Tulan, the central figure in all this, seemed unconcerned. His thoughts, too, were elsewhere.

Naturally, these thoughts all pertained to Great Mentor Guzan.

We are not enemies; we simply have diverging opinions, Kuyi Tulan recited silently to himself.

He still respected Master Guzan deeply. After all, Guzan was his enlightening mentor, who had cherished him like a father. Kuyi Tulan, at heart, was a man of sentiment and could not bring himself to be disrespectful to this Great Mentor.

He couldn’t bring himself to oppose the Great Mentor, yet he couldn’t align himself with the Great Mentor’s views either. He felt that the Great Mentor’s ways were outdated, unsuited for the current era. He believed he had to change everything.

Revolution demands sacrifices. Without sacrifices, the desired effects cannot be achieved.

To realize his retribution, he had no choice but to argue with his mentor, no choice but to defy his mentor’s teachings. Though he felt a hint of apology towards his mentor, he did not regret it one bit.

”I see a brilliant future; you see only the decay that precedes its arrival.”

Muttering to himself, Kuyi Tulan closed his eyes. He felt he had said enough. He had spoken so much primarily to articulate the things long hidden within his heart.

This was his apology, his penance, and also the stepping stone for his progress. He would not allow the same thing to happen a second time. His period of immaturity had ceased fifteen years ago, on that fateful night. That night had been an awakening, forcing him to see a certain truth. A truth so brutal, it solidified his resolve. The Agreement Plan had failed. He had to achieve more, to make further breakthroughs, if he was to continue receiving His Majesty the King’s support. Otherwise, all would be for naught. He had no path of retreat. Only by constantly developing new, powerful forms of Alchemy could he ensure the Alchemy Workshop’s continued existence. Though the Great Mentor was like a benevolent father, he had still abandoned him at the critical juncture. No one could be trusted. In this world, he could only rely on himself to move forward. He had grown accustomed to being alone over these many years.

”Enough, Hector, Carmello!” Kuyi Tulan cut short his subordinates, who were indignantly defending him. Over the years, many events had validated his earlier views: only when one becomes strong themselves will others willingly pledge their lives to them.

”Dastan is not wrong. The Great Mentor has his choices, I have mine, and each of you has your own.”

”I respect your choices. However, no matter what, I will not relinquish what is mine.”

Kuyi Tulan stood up and looked at Dastan. ”You are my creations. You should not stray from me. Not even the Great Mentor has the right to take away what I have created.”

Dastan looked at Kuyi Tulan with utter contempt. ”At that moment, I truly believed I was dead. I am nothing more than a damned monster created by you, you bastard!”

”You are all my creations! Imperfect, perhaps, but your power is sufficient. That is why I am unwilling to let you vanish before my eyes!”

”If it weren’t for the Great Mentor, I might have truly died in that pitch-black cell. And perhaps that would have been better. Because then, only you could have collected my corpse. You would have seen for yourself exactly what kind of thing you had created! Then you would know what a true disgrace you are to the Alchemy Workshop!”

”Whether I am a disgrace or not is for posterity to judge,” Kuyi Tulan said. ”I have always wanted to know: what did he say to you that night? What made you so willingly follow him? Did he promise to restore your original appearances?”

”He said nothing. That night, he—the Great Mentor—simply allowed us to find ourselves again.”