One-Eyed Monster

Just as Estev was burning his arm at Dawn Peak, an eerie silence had descended over the Lubin Tavern at the foot of Guru Mountain. This silence resulted from the arrival of a Hunchbacked Elder.

The elder, unremarkable in appearance, astonished everyone present because every word he spoke provoked deep thought and yielded invaluable insights. Trembling and frail, he answered the questions from the imposing figures in a mumbled tone.

Kuyi Tulan, the Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Workshop, quietly observed all this, remaining silent throughout.

His heart was somewhat stirred. Not long ago, one of his subordinates had brought back a familiar figure from Guru Mountain. This person might not be an old friend, but they were certainly old acquaintances.

The appearance of Dastan only fortified Kuyi Tulan’s belief in the information from the Black Crow: the Great Mentor was somewhere on this mountain. This further inspired confidence in his current actions.

With the arrival of Bigas, he had come to comprehend the uniqueness of this mountain. He hadn’t expected Soul Guardians to protect it, let alone one being the renowned Bigas.

Whatever the mountain was hiding didn’t interest him in the slightest; he simply wanted to find his Great Mentor.

That’s why his extensive discussion with Bigas went so smoothly. Had he harbored the slightest desire for what the mountain concealed, Bigas would never have reached an agreement with him.

With the agreement signed, he felt a step closer to his Great Mentor...

Fortunately, the world operated on the principle of Equivalent Exchange, and this rule had often brought him unexpected gains.

For instance, the ancient existence of the Soul Guardian had greatly enlightened him this time. Although the Alchemy Workshop was powerful, it lagged in terms of information. Their headquarters in Imperial Capital Xinbal had hardly any records concerning Soul Guardians; it seemed their archives contained nothing but outdated formulas. The Alchemy Workshop needed innovation—and not just a little. Kuyi Tulan was already formulating his plan. He even felt his team currently needed someone well-informed and possessing accurate judgment, even if this person wasn’t an Alchemist or one of the Adventurers with Class.

Kuyi Tulan found the people of the remote Gaga County quite astute. Setting aside that politician with the shifty goat beard, even his crippled little aide was extraordinarily perceptive. The aide had managed to identify another Soul Guardian on Guru Mountain without any external help. This cripple was indeed capable.

It must be said that Elder Rostellum in the Lubin Tavern was currently beaming, looking as if he had acquired a great deal of shiny, gold-like things. He was gratified that with Uli the Housekeeper’s whereabouts unknown, Aliusan had stepped up. Aliusan, almost self-taught, had quickly become his right-hand man. Although Aliusan was crippled, he was no less capable than anyone else.

Aliusan had successfully recommended two guides to Elder Rostellum, solving a pressing problem. Although the guides were eventually brought back by the Alchemy Workshop members, feedback indicated they hadn’t caused the Alchemy Workshop any trouble.

Of course, Elder Rostellum also remembered that Aliusan had successfully provided him with another means to make money: selling soil and stones from Guru Mountain. Although this venture ultimately brought only a deathly, dangerous atmosphere, it had still brought him a considerable number of gold coins.

For Elder Rostellum, gold coins were everything. Everything he did revolved around gold coins. Even his current deference to the Alchemy Workshop was due to the allure of the ever-present gold coins he believed lay behind it. The mere thought of Lubin acquiring so many gold bars in just a few days made his teeth itch with envy.

”As a tavern owner, why have you only paid such a small amount in taxes to the County Administrative Office? Are you trying to evade the County Administrative Office’s taxes?” Elder Rostellum suddenly remembered: this Hunchbacked Elder had been running a tavern in his territory for some time. He hadn’t paid it much mind when Aliusan first brought the hunchback, because Aliusan had kept emphasizing that this Hunchbacked Elder knew certain undisclosed secrets. Elder Rostellum wasn’t particularly interested in these undisclosed secrets; he felt that Guru Mountain was perfectly fine as it was. However, the arrival of Young Master Rostov and the Alchemy Workshop had shattered Guru Mountain’s original tranquility. Now he knew it was impossible to maintain the previous state of affairs. He could only align himself with the Alchemy Workshop and seek a new way forward. Therefore, this Hunchbacked Elder, who could only reveal his secrets to the Alchemy Workshop, was brought to the Lubin Tavern.

Elder Rostellum didn’t know exactly what this Hunchbacked Elder had told Kuyi Tulan, but judging from the Alchemy Workshop’s reaction, the outcome seemed favorable.

”Sir, I have not evaded any taxes. It’s just that sometimes I do not use gold coins for payment,” the Hunchbacked Elder responded, unhurried and very polite.

”Could it be that there’s something else capable of replacing gold coins?” Elder Rostellum’s mouth gaped; he felt he was hearing this for the first time.

”The connections between all things in the world stem from exchange. Gold coins are merely one standard for measuring the items of exchange,” the Hunchbacked Elder replied faintly, exuding a scholarly air.

Elder Rostellum had seen his share of Scholars, but those he’d met before were mostly the sort who just made grandiose claims, all talk and no substance. Never mind others, just one of those two previous guides had claimed to be a Scholar, yet the fellow couldn’t even string a proper sentence together. He was an utter disgrace to the title of Scholar.

But this Hunchbacked Elder, according to Kuyi Tulan, Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Workshop, was an extraordinary Scholar. It seemed few in the entire Empire could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Rostellum had heard the appellation ’Scholar Manjia’ before, but it had always seemed too distant a title to him. He thought he’d never have the chance to meet such a person in his lifetime.

But life is unpredictable. Who could have imagined that this Scholar Manjia had been running a tavern—and a rather unremarkable one at that—in his territory for so many years?

This hunchback—no, Scholar Manjia—had no airs at all and had never even mentioned he was a Scholar. Rostellum couldn’t help but think: experts are indeed experts, quite different from the common folk. If it were anyone else, they would have started boasting about being a Scholar long ago.

”Then, what exactly did you give that could substitute for gold coins?” Elder Rostellum also realized he felt not the slightest bit of fear towards this Scholar Manjia. He maintained a completely condescending attitude, which seemed a bit odd.

After all, the other party was a famous Great Scholar of the Empire. Why did he lack any imposing aura at all? How could he be so deferential, like a common beggar?

Elder Rostellum couldn’t understand why this Scholar Manjia gave him such an impression of being so lowly. He stared intently, waiting to see how this hunchback would answer.

”I gave nothing valuable, only the words they wished to hear.”

Words? Elder Rostellum looked bewildered, not understanding at all. However, Aliusan beside him felt a tremor in his heart. Although Aliusan said nothing at this moment, he held a profound reverence for this Scholar Manjia.

Because this Scholar had long since seen through them all.