NOVPUB
Chapter 230: Meeting the First Prince
Inside one of the rooms in the Diamond Inn, a handsome young man with brown hair sat with a pensive expression. In front of him knelt a person who had just reported something that made him thoughtful.
"That guy knows Aldrian? Is this bogus or something else? But he was with the Sword Saint, so there’s no way he was joking." This young man was Hector. After returning to the capital, he immediately began searching for information about the Alchemist Association’s auction of the six-striped pill. The first thing he did wasn’t to verify whether the pill was genuine, but to investigate the alchemist who concocted it.
As the First Prince, he wanted to uncover this person’s identity and establish a connection with them. He knew that if something as astonishing as the six-stripes pill had suddenly appeared, the alchemist who created it must be someone other than the usual grandmasters of the association.
Why did he think this? Because he had never heard of the grandmasters being capable of concocting a five-stripes pill, let alone a six-stripes one.
He thought it must be the work of someone outside the imperial family’s attention. He began gathering information about unusual events in the Alchemist Association over the past weeks and even months. However, the only noteworthy incident he found was a meeting where all three grandmasters of the association met with a young man. He couldn’t uncover any details about the young man’s identity or his relationship with the grandmasters, but the event piqued his interest, and he immediately considered the young man the prime suspect.
Many claimed that the young man was just a beginner because of his behavior, which suggested he wanted to learn alchemy. However, he didn’t immediately trust that information and wanted to confirm it first. Even if there was the slightest possibility, he needed to know if this "newbie" was the alchemist he was looking for. He tracked his movements and eventually learned that he had stayed at the Diamond Inn. But by then, the young man had already moved out, and no one knew where he had gone.
After a few days of tracking, he discovered a new clue: someone had purchased a property in the special district. After several more days of investigation, he found strong evidence, he decided to attend the auction first and then try to contact the alchemist.
The auction finally began, and he attended in disguise. When he witnessed the effects of the pills, a thought suddenly struck him—what if this mysterious alchemist had some connection to Aldrian or even Aldrian himself? The timing seemed too coincidental, as it followed the chain of events after people reported seeing Aldrian vanish, and the very next day, this alchemist appeared.
If—only if—the smallest chance existed that this alchemist was the same person, he couldn’t ignore it, even though it seemed impossible. He thought that, even if this mysterious alchemist wasn’t the same as Aldrian, he must still have some connection to him. The way they both acted was strikingly similar, they were causing shock and awe, yet neither wanted to be known.
Last night, he explained his plan and ordered his trusted knight to investigate the mansion where he suspected the mysterious alchemist was staying. However, after his knight returned and reported what he had found, Hector was shocked by the results, as they were beyond his expectations. The appearance of the Sword Saint was more than he could have imagined, and to think that he also had some connection to Aldrian.
"Is he still in the mansion? The man who knows the information about Aldrian?" Hector asked.
"He’s still in that mansion, Your Highness, and he is waiting for you to come," Lorenzo replied. To be honest, he was quite upset when that man requested the prince to visit. Who was he to dare ask a member of the imperial family to come to his place? However, Lorenzo also knew that, at this time, they needed him, so he endured it.
For Hector, this man was quite interesting. To not fear a member of the imperial family—what made him so confident? The Sword Saint? The mysterious alchemist? Or was there something else?
"Let’s go. I will come there," Hector said. After that, the two men moved toward Aldrian’s mansion.
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After they arrived in front of the mansion, Hector that in disguise, glanced at the mansion for a moment before stepping through the large front gate. The moon still shone beautifully, and with only a few people passing through the area, the road was serene and quiet.
After he arrived at the front door, it opened on its own. Without hesitation, Hector and Lorenzo stepped inside. Once inside, they were stunned to see a beautiful woman and it’s an elf?
"Welcome to our humble residence, Your Highness. Please, there is already someone waiting for you," Sylphia said.
Without hesitation, Hector followed Sylphia as she led them to one of the guest rooms. When they stepped inside, they found Aldrian sitting with a serene expression, sipping his tea. Hector, seeing Aldrian for the first time, was stunned, his instincts telling him that the person before him was extraordinary. He looked around but didn’t see Xin Haotian or anyone else present.
"Your Highness, that is the man I mentioned," Lorenzo said through voice transmission to Hector.
Hector then walked toward the sofa opposite Aldrian. He looked at Aldrian’s serene face and, for some reason, felt a wave of nervousness. Although Aldrian didn’t exude any visible aura or energy, his mere presence seemed to carry its own weight, as though it were pressure itself.
"What’s wrong with me?"
He then sat down while Lorenzo stood behind him. Sylphia brought the tea and placed it on the table for Hector before quietly leaving the room. After waiting for a few moments, and seeing that Aldrian didn’t speak, Hector decided to break the silence.
"I came here because my knight told me that you have information about a man named Aldrian. Can you please share it with me now?"
Aldrian, who had been enjoying his tea, looked at Hector and set his cup down.
"Your Highness, could you answer my question first? It’s related to what I’m about to discuss with you," Aldrian asked.
Hector frowned but nodded.
"Go ahead."
"How did you find this place?"
"I investigated Aldrian’s traces, starting from the town of Ilyon, Falanis, and to the Rivas city. However, my arrival here was purely coincidental. I never thought about Aldrian when I came to this city. My focus was solely on the six-stripes pills and the alchemist who concocted them. My curiosity got the better of me, and my intention was to try to build a connection with him."
"With my network, I traced the buyer of this mansion, who was someone never known to show interest in purchasing properties in this area. It struck me as odd that he suddenly desired to buy a mansion here. After a bit of digging, I discovered that he was only a third party in the transaction. He received a large sum of wealth from an unknown individual. From what I understand, this unknown identity is someone connected to the Alchemist Association. Why do I believe this? Because someone from the association noticed a person with similar characteristics among their members."
"The next question is why the Alchemist Association suddenly bought this mansion in such a roundabout manner. There are a few possibilities, but I’ve settled on the one that seems most likely: the mysterious alchemist. Considering the secretive way the mansion was purchased, it all connects. I believe the association was trying to find a place for him."
"However, I’m the type of person who looks for even the smallest clues, and this time, those clues might have led me to Aldrian. After last night’s auction, I started thinking that the alchemist must be connected to Aldrian, since his appearance came not long after Aldrian disappeared from Ilyon. Others might see this as a coincidence, but for me, it’s a possibility."
"After last night’s auction, I ordered my knight to check this place, and I was truly shocked by what he found." Hector paused for a moment, looking at Aldrian.
"Are you satisfied with my explanation?" he asked.
Aldrian continued to look at Hector with a calm expression, showing no sign of emotion.
"He’s not lying. Good." Aldrian had to make sure the first prince didn’t learn of this place through suspicious means. This also involved the devils, and Aldrian needed to ensure that the prince wasn’t one of their extensions.
Aldrian finally smiled at Hector.
"I’m satisfied, Your Highness. Good. I’m sorry for my rudeness, but I had to ask you about that for personal reasons."
Seeing Aldrian smile, Hector seemed more relaxed. This was far better than the calm face full of pressure he had seen earlier. Hector sighed.
"So, about Aldrian?"
"Well, you’ve already seen it."
Hector was confused by what the man in front of him said, but a second later, his eyes widened in realization.
"He is right in front of you."
