"Then everyone," Belias Alstreim expressed an amiable smile, "Please move towards the circles that have been mapped over the surface of the participant’s zone. It also has your names on it, so don’t mistakenly sit somewhere else. It will be taken as a clear violation of the rules, causing you to be disqualified."
As his voice ended, the circles and the names on the participant’s zone appeared. The area of the hall displayed a square, and in that square were over more than three hundred circles.
The crowd went further back to give way to the participating alchemists to be seated, while the latter searched for their seats for a while before being seated over the circles.
For a while, the hall seemed to become hectic with no kind of discipline whatsoever.
"This circle... It has Young Mistress Nora Alstreim’s name on it. I am not mistaken to be seated here, right?" Dalila Leehan suddenly posed a question with a charming smile.
"If you’re representing Young Mistress Nora Alstreim, then that is undoubtedly your place, Top Pill Disciple Dalila Leehan." Belias Alstreim responded politely.
"Excuse me, but... I don’t see my name or my Young Mistress’s name anywhere." Davis suddenly raised his voice in askance.
Belias Alstreim’s expression became stiff as he knew that he had messed up. He should’ve expected this, but he was overly confident in having the logistics all ready. He could feel the cold glances that were cast behind him. After all, to not have the Dragon Queen’s name or her subordinate’s name on the circle is clearly humiliating them when seen from the outside!
"Alchemist Davis, there has been a sight mistake due to last-minute changes. I claim full responsibility for this mistake, and apologize for this wrong!"
Belias Alstreim bowed and clasped his hand as he profusely apologized! He sincerely wished one of those cold gazes from behind him wasn’t from the Dragon Queen!
The atmosphere quickly became tense, but a sudden chuckle made that decrepit atmosphere disappear.
"It’s alright since Elder Belias Alstreim apologized... No one expected my Young Mistress or me to attend this Alchemy Exchange anyway, so trivial mistakes such as this are bound to occur." Davis simply shrugged, causing Belias Alstreim to visibly heave a sigh of relief.
For a low-level mistake such as this, as long as the other party gave a sincere word of apology, Davis wouldn’t pursue the matter. However, Davis didn’t know that this simple gesture of his in forgiving an Elder’s mistake caused the people of the Alstreim Family to change their perception about him.
They already possess a preconceived notion that this handsome man was deeply arrogant because of his skills, and it was even more so when he ruthlessly slapped a talented alchemist in front of the Grand Elders just because he possessed the backing of the Dragon Queen!
His reputation had hit rock bottom in their eyes, making them feel envious and angry, but this gesture made them look at him in a new light. Their impression of him improved in a better way.
"Belias Alstreim thanks Alchemist Davis for his understanding!" Belias Alstreim became relieved. When he came back to himself, he gulped as he realized that he was slightly sweating from his forehead.
’Sigh... Even after becoming an Elder, I still feel fear of two little juniors... It looks like I have to temper my rusted will in the upcoming years...’ He Alstreim inwardly mused in lament.
"Then?" Davis suddenly asked.
"Then?"
Belias Alstreim became confused before his expression became a bit difficult, ’Don’t tell me he’s going to pursue this matter after forgiving!?’
"Where should I be seated?" Davis’s lips widened in annoyance.
"Oh that...!," Belias Alstreim realized that he became absent-minded, and his expression became a sight to behold as he almost cried from shame.
"You can sit anywhere you please!!! There should be a few unoccupied circles as not all registered alchemists come to attend."
Davis nodded his head and looked around before he chose the closest one and sat down. When he sensed a peculiar gaze from coming from him, he cast a look back and saw that it was a familiar face.
Her eyes were simply shining at him while she looked at him with a deep smile on her face.
It was none other than Immeth Alstreim, Nora Alstreim’s subordinate. He didn’t know what was up with this woman, so he promptly returned his gaze to the front, and at this time, an uptight lady with long legs and a strict look on her face walked in front of him and waved her hand.
A writing table spawned in front of him, along with a few papers and an ink quill.
Davis roamed his gaze over the content and saw that the ink seemed to be made from special tree sap that wouldn’t fade even after being subjected to a torturous regime of air, light, and water. The quill seemed to be obtained from a Peak-Level Sky Grade Avian Species Magical Beast, judging by the durability. He felt that it wouldn’t break even if a Gold Stage Body Tempering Cultivator applied immense force over it.
He stretched his hand took the black-feathered quill. It felt like he owned a premium pen in his hand, making him feel like an authentic scholar.
Once the lady left towards the next person, Davis waited for the signal. Meanwhile, he was astonished that the question papers were in a turning page format rather than a scroll format.
After half a minute, Belias Alstreim announced, "You’ll have three hours to answer the questions. You can submit your answers anytime you want, but as soon as the third hour passes by, you are all required to put down your quills and keep the question papers on top of the table. If you do not follow this rule, you will be instantly disqualified!"
He then looked towards Grand Elder Lloyd Alstreim to commence the start of the test, but Grand Elder Lloyd Alstreim instead looked at Princess Isabella and gestured, "Please!"
Princess Isabella gave a smirk before she moved her lips, "Commence!"
The turning of papers instantly echoed in the hall, causing people to have their eyes lit up in excitement. The reactions the participants gave to the first page of the questionnaire were interesting, to say the least, as many quickly expressed their frown over their faces.
Davis was still carefree, maintaining an amused expression on his face. Unlike many others who scrambled to dip the quill on the ink and write the answers with ardent vigor, he wasn’t in any worry to make haste.
[If the Zenwater Pill is created through the mixing of two ingredients of earth and water attribute, what would happen if an additional yet opposing ingredient is added to its gentle nature?]
[The Frigid Cleanser Paste removes the frigid air that is emanated by ice attribute ingredients when it is mixed. If so, what is...]
[The concoction of a breakthrough pill requires a strong ingredient that...]
He took his time, turning the pages to read the questions as if he was taking a stroll through the park.
Dalila Leehan was also like him, flipping through the pages with amusement, but the more she turned, the more her amusement disappeared, replacing her smile with a solemn expression on her face. The questions became difficult to answer the more she turned the page. She quickly turned the pages and arrived at the last few pages, her eyes narrowing into two tiny slits.
She put down the question sheets with a smack and raised her hand, causing everyone to look at her in shock as the silent hall echoed with her intensity.
"Is there anything wrong? Top Pill Disciple of the Thousand Pill Palace?" Belias Alstreim asked with a frown.