CHAPTER 71: CAN CHARM ANYONE

Once he was checked, Leon began to walk towards the wall, but Amber once again stopped them. As he turned around, she explained the reason for her shout.

"The formula for the potion is very precious, so let me check the hall first. Who knows if there are some hidden cameras or something?"

Her blatant distrust in the government, and in all of them in particular, made them frown, but they didn’t say anything. They would have done the same thing in her place, after all.

Then, Amber ignored them and went past the wall, where a large hall filled with many ingredients, materials, tools, and a lot of other things was revealed. These were all chosen by her, and most of them were useless.

They were just there to confuse others, and she knew Leon was intelligent enough to guess her intentions. She really didn’t trust the government.

Meanwhile, Leon was facing the top Alchemists and a warrior like Elodie on his own, but there was hardly any trace of nervousness.

"Haha, I really didn’t expect you to actually make something like this so soon. I knew you were intelligent, but this is just damn!" Akash was full of smiles, and Leon could see that he was genuinely happy for him.

"Well, I had to surprise you with my intelligence. Ain’t I awesome?" Leon had a cheeky grin on his face as he spoke.

"Learn to be a bit humble." Akash sighed.

"I’m surprised someone as young as you can make that potion," Wei Xiao said calmly. "Let me introduce myself again. I’m Wei Xiao, and I’m quite interested in that potion you made. But you can rest assured, I will never force my authority over young talent like you. I know what youngsters like you can accomplish."

"Then, I’ll introduce myself too," Leon said as he extended his hand. "I’m Leon Walker, an upcoming rising star in both the Combat Department and the Research Department."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Wei Xiao’s eyes that definitely didn’t escape Leon, who was paying deep attention to this apparent blood relative of his.

’So, he knows my mother or at least her family. Walker... why does this sound a little familiar?’ Leon wondered.

"Also, even if you wanted to use your authority, you wouldn’t have been able to," Leon smiled and said. "I secured enough backing first before putting out the potion."

"You’re so confident because of Amber?"

"She’s definitely a big part of it," Leon replied with a smile but didn’t elaborate.

It wasn’t just Amber who gave him confidence, but her background. Most people thought that Amber was a lone wolf, but it was quite the opposite.

Her background was simply too massive, and she never bothered to use it properly. After all, she was a prodigy herself. A true prodigy who reached Tier 11 before the age of 30, when all other Ascended were 40 plus.

But if it really came to it, she wouldn’t hesitate to use that ridiculous background of hers.

’I don’t know if Jade will protect me just because of my connection with Silver, but there’s a high chance she will. That’s her character, but I can’t rely on possibilities.’

Wei Xiao seemed to be satisfied with his explanation as he smiled lightly and said, "That’s good. You’re intelligent in the lab and outside it too. A necessary quality if you want to survive in this world."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Wei Xiao turned towards the only woman who hadn’t spoken a word since Amber arrived and asked, "Alena, why are you so silent today?"

"Because people around me are too bright," Alena said as she adjusted her glasses. "Amber Frost, Wei Xiao, Akash, Elodie, and now this young man who made this potion... how can I shine among you bright stars? I’m just a small alchemist here, just a spectator."

"I didn’t know B-Rank Alchemists are considered small nowadays," Leon said. "Miss Alena really knows how to joke."

"I meant compared to others here in the room," Alena emphasized.

"I wouldn’t say so. When I entered the room, I spotted you instantly." Leon spoke truthfully because he could see Alena really was feeling out of place.

"Haha, thanks for the encouragement, young man. You’re good with your words, has anyone told you that?" Alena laughed and said.

"My mom always says I can charm anyone with my handsome face and sweet words." Leon grinned as he spoke.

"Indeed, it’s a deadly combo." Alena chuckled and nodded.

She had to admit this young man had a way of charming others without even putting in much effort. In just a few seconds, he managed to make her forget everything and laugh.

Wei Xiao was watching Leon closely, and his eyes held a strange grief that couldn’t be hidden at all. A sweet, bubbly voice sounded in his mind from the past.

’Big Brother Xiao, you don’t need to worry about me at all. I am beautiful and also good with words. Just my presence can charm anyone.’

’Why is the world doing such coincidences? Why are you trying to hurt my family again? She’s dead.’ he reminded himself. ’She is dead, and we have to accept it.’

"Why are you sulking on your own? Are you sad at my student’s achievements?"

The moment she stepped out of the hall, she saw Wei Xiao’s saddened look, and it irked her for some reason.

"I wonder why Miss Amber is in a bad mood today?" Wei Xiao said, swiftly returning to his calm persona.

"Isn’t it because of your presence?" Amber snorted. As usual, she didn’t even sugarcoat her words.

Wei Xiao just shook his head at her words and said to Leon, "You can go and make the potion now. We are also excited to be a witness to this miraculous potion."

Leon nodded and entered the hall. Seeing so many materials present before him, his eyes began shining as if he had seen a mountain of gold.

’This is a treasure trove. I’m stealing everything here... wait, I don’t need to steal. It’s mine to begin with.’

He knocked on the table and closed his eyes to focus on the task at hand. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and began preparations for the potion.

It was quite easy to make potions as long as you had the formula, and that was exactly the reason Alchemist ranks were not decided by the potions themselves.

One just needed to follow the formula with precise details, and they would have a very high chance of success.

There were a total of twenty-three ingredients for this potion, and they needed to be prepared before he mixed them to make the potion.

Some needed a certain temperature to reach their optimal state, some needed to be distilled, some required dilution to a certain degree, and many other aspects.

It was quite a hassle that he had gone through inside his dorm room back then, especially since he failed a few times too. But now that he had the formula, it became quite easy.

Once everything was done, he began boiling water, then mixed some ice in it, and only then did he begin to add more and more prepared ingredients to it.

’I will also prepare a few other types of potions to confuse them. Even though they can’t find the formula through just the ingredients, I can’t take risks. I need to earn big.’