Chapter 6: Capable
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“Regarding what?” The Clan Master demanded. “As far as I and everyone is concern, Lugiel is performing an impeccable job in its management. Very few, if none, in the Clan could have accomplished what he did for the Tower.”
“I share the sentiment, Clan Master,” was his Aunt Ximena’s reply. “In fact, our concern is actually for Lugiel’s wellbeing.”
“His wellbeing?”
She nodded. “Despite his disability, there’s no question on his accomplishments. Thanks to him, we no longer need to import pills and potions from the Medical System. We all have confident of his abilities as Tower Headmaster. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same thing to the others that manages the Tower alongside him.”
‘So this is how they’re gonna strike.’ Lugiel remarked internally.
He’s the golden-egg laying goose so they cannot gut him but the same can’t be said to people. Raine, Vlad, Rommi, and Trey, the four he assigned to take the role of Masters of the Alchemy Tower, all have humble origins that these elitist can exploit.
“We investigated the origin of the current Tower Masters and all of them were revealed to be from the slums. They never had any proper education and one of them was even arrested by the Guardian Hall once for pickpocketing. We’re afraid that their induction to the Tower was solely due to the immediate need of personnel back then to fill the vacated positions left behind by the former Masters and that they are not fulfilling their duties well.”
He took them in due to their competence and ethics, completely freed from any predetermined bias generated by their unglamorous backgrounds, and they delivered. Lugiel could not have fulfilled his responsibilities, both as a Wanderer and as the Tower Headmaster, if it weren’t for them.
Unfortunately, to those that do not share his perspective, to those who are also against him, they will only look at the cons and use it to undermine them to the Clan Master.
“This could be placing a serious toll to Lugiel.”
The Clan Master nodded, “I understand. However, these are so far mere assumptions. Do you have any evidence to prove this?”
“Nothing substantial but we can already judge it with the current shape of the Tower,” she said. “During the first six months since Lugiel took it over, it immediately experienced massive improvements. However now, another six months since then, there’s nothing. Given Lugiel’s talent, that should not be the case not unless he is burdened in managing the Tower all by himself.”
The Clan Master nodded again.
Now that the Clan Master had bitten the bait, his Aunt Ximena finally reels. “That is why we propose that if the present Tower Masters failed to provide proof of competence then they should be replaced and if the Clan Master will permit it, we have a list of competent people perfect for the positions.”
The facial expressions of everyone else present ticked a bit to that of disgust. They are all aware that his Aunt Ximena has not an ounce of concern towards Lugiel. In fact, she’s the one among the Clan Master’s children who would grab every chance she can get back then when they were still alive to ridicule Lugiel’s parents for sullying their family’s bloodline when they produced a useless cripple like him.
It’s obvious even to the Clan Master that this nothing more than her shameless attempt to grab the Alchemy Tower by planting her people into it. However, the Clan Master must remain impartial in making a decision and his eldest daughter had presented a sound argument. There’s no improvement in the Tower since his initial success and for someone like Lugiel whose talent in alchemy was not just acknowledged but even praised by the Headmaster of Medical System, the biggest alliance of Alchemist in the Galactic Tree, onlookers could assume that his executives, the Tower Masters, are performing poorly in their jobs, hindering him from making progress.
In truth, it’s actually the opposite. The Tower Masters are performing stellar jobs in fulfilling their duties and it is him and the two lives he is maintaining that’s actually hindering the improvements to be done for the Tower. Fulfilling commissions as the Wanderer, he was not able to find time these past six months to execute so.
Unfortunately, he can’t tell them that.
“I will consider it once your claims are proven to be correct,” the Clan Master told Ximena. Then, he turned to Lugiel. “Lugiel, child, let’s listen to your side.”
“Yes, Clan Master.” Lugiel stood and saluted. “I condemn such claims as hearsays. The Masters are nothing but outstanding in fulfilling their duties. In fact, the lack of improvements during the past half a year was due to my own neglect as I was too preoccupied in completing a certain experiment.”
The Clan Master nodded to that before saying, “Unfortunately, I can’t just take your words for it. Can you present us proofs?”
“Of course,” he said and pulled out a bottle from his storage ring. “This is what took all my time, reverse engineering and creating a mass production method for the Nine-Cycle Elixir.”
“WHAT!” Several leaders exclaimed and fired up from their respective seats including the Clan Master.
There are two vital parts in exercising a Combat Style regardless if it is Martial Art or Sorcery. First is the healthy pool of Mana which is achieved through cultivation and second is having excellent meridians.
The meridians are the body’s pathways which distribute Mana from the Soul Realm to the skin and out of one’s body whenever a Combat Style is utilized. The better the meridians are, the faster and smoother the flow and the less Mana wastage there is, leading to the easier and faster mastery of a Combat Style. Unfortunately, the quality of the meridians is completely independent to the advancement in cultivation.
Regardless how far one’s cultivation had progressed or how deep their Mana reserves are, they will still display mediocre results if the innate quality of their meridians are poor and in the past, countless Martial Artists and Sorcerers were shackled due to this problem until the still newly established Medical System back then invented the meridian-refining elixirs with the Nine-Cycle Elixir being among of the rarest and the best one they have.
Since then, the problem of poor innate meridians was resolved. However, the production and distribution of the best elixirs is monopolized and highly guarded by the Medical System, making the entire Galactic Tree including the Grimlands completely dependent to them. Many had tried but all had failed to reverse engineer their elixirs, much more to engineer a mass production method as the elixirs are notorious for their time consuming production.
“Lugiel!” The Clan Master cried. “Even if you’re my blood, I will not forgive you if you make a baseless claim!”
Lugiel smiled, “You can appraise the product yourself, Clan Master. I’m sure you can tell if it is a real Nine-Cycle or not. The mass production is in progress too as we speak, official distribution will commence in a day or two.”
“Bring that bottle to me!” The Clan Master ordered to his aide and Lugiel handed it over to them.
After the Clan Master evaluated the bottle’s content, his eyes widened before declaring, “Good heavens, it’s truly the Nine-Cycle!”
This caused the venue to grow rowdier.
“If this is the result, being stalled for half a year is nothing!” Someone audibly remarked.
“Order! I need order!” The Clan Master banged his palm repeatedly against the wooden surface of his part of the circular conference table.
His voice and authority organized them but not their internal agitation. Lugiel could clearly hear the louder beatings of their hearts. Having a Clan controlled elixir producer could surely change a lot in the Grimlands.
However, before the Clan Master could speak again, his Aunt Ximena stood and saluted to speak, “These are truly great results, Clan Master. We cannot express enough how greatly this will improve the state of the Grimlands. Still, if the Masters of the Tower are truly capable, they should have done developments during Lugiel’s absence.”
She’s still unwilling to give up especially with this revelation. Too bad it’s the weapon to push her back.
“As I’d said, it is my fault,” he repeated for her. “They could have done something. They are more than capable to do so. But I ordered them to refrain from doing anything crucial such as improvements and expansions during my absence. Though not evident, I have a bossy nature.” Some chuckled to that mention. “I despise insubordinations.”
“Then that settles it,” the Clan Master concluded. “There’s nothing distressing in the Tower’s current state, just its Headmaster’s way of things. There’s also no foundation to prove that the present Masters are incapable and therefore, the need to replace is unnecessary. This is over. Matter dismissed.”
“Thank you, Clan Master.” Lugiel lowered his head and saluted. “And if it will not upset the assembly, I would like to prematurely end my attendance so I can be of assistance to the production.”
“Of course, of course. Proceed.”
◆◆◆◆◆◆
“It’s amazing you actually pulled that off. Aside from fighting, you actually never studied a thing in your life.” Magnum remarked upon their return home in Eluard, Grimland’s central realm and vanguard against the Voided Reaches.
The reverse engineering and experimenting were both a complete sham. He might be a hailed genius in alchemy but that’s just in concoction. In truth, he does not have an ounce of patience or dedication towards the technical knowledge of the craft. The formula and the mass production method are actually bounties from his life and death expeditions through the darkest corners of the Galactic Tree in the past.
They used to just be treasures sitting in his trove but now, he can finally have a use for them.
“What matter is that it’s over and everybody is happy.” That includes his Aunt Ximena. She might have failed but having an abundance of Nine-Cycles in the Clan for her children and subordinates is a nice consolation. “The real face of it is completely irrelevant.”
“Anyway Boss, do we really need to head there next month?”
“Yeah,” he confirmed but his expression is not pleased about it. “That’s the appointment.”
“I don’t want to?” Magnum groaned. “I’m not thrilled to meet that hag again.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” he seconded. “But with what’s at stake, we unfortunately have to.”
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