Chapter 355: Arrogance
In the world of Beast Master, the alchemist guild is a very powerful organization, with an alchemist guild set up in every city of each country.
The Haunted Marsh is even the headquarters of the alchemist guild, and the old man sitting on the sofa in the hall of the Genosha alchemist guild is a high-ranking member from the headquarters of the Haunted Marsh alchemist guild.
Owen was deep in thought, he knew that what the other party said was not a joke but a genuine display of power. Not to mention anything else, just the restriction of certain alchemical materials for the Genosha alchemist guild would already be unbearable for Genosha.
Among the seven countries of the Abyssal Depths, Genosha is not very powerful, it could even be considered a weak nation. This is one of the reasons why the people of Genosha were so excited when they saw Charles lead the young Beast Masters of Genosha to defeat the Beast Masters of the Stellar Empire.
"Honorable Mr. Quinn, the Genosha alchemist guild cannot interfere with any decisions made by Colton, a master-level alchemist." President Owen said slowly. At this point, he could only say this, hoping that the old man named Quinn would take a step back.
Unexpectedly, Quinn merely glanced at him dismissively, then leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes, clearly refusing to concede any ground.
Owen furrowed his brow tightly, there was nothing he could do. The other party was clearly prepared and had come specifically to target Colton, this master-level alchemist.
"I say, your Genosha alchemist guild is really lacking, isn't it? What of a master-level alchemist? Is Colton, that cowardly turtle, no longer a member of the alchemist guild?" the young man on the sofa shouted incessantly.
"Sir! Please observe some basic courtesy, a master-level alchemist should not be insulted so casually." Owen took a deep breath and said slowly.
If it weren't for the pressure of the situation, he would have taught this arrogant young man, named Seven, a severe lesson long ago.
Unfortunately, the master-level alchemist from the Haunted Marsh, Quinn, is actually Seven's teacher.
"Polite? I've been very polite. A bunch of narrow-minded people, what's so genius about being an eighteen-year-old senior alchemist? I, Seven, will become a top-level alchemist in less than a month!" Seven kept shaking his neck, loudly addressing the people around him.
In his eyes, Genosha was just a small place, both poor and backward. What does an eighteen-year-old senior alchemist mean? He's probably close to nineteen and just got lucky to barely become a senior alchemist.
He, the alchemy genius from the Haunted Marsh, may not be the most talented, but he was confident that in a small place like Genosha, no young person had better alchemy talent than him!
"Hmph, a bunch of useless fools, especially you! You all look like you're in your thirties, yet you still carry intermediate alchemist badges. It's just embarrassing! You might as well give up being alchemists and go back to the countryside to raise pigs." Seven said with a grin.
His words instantly changed the expressions of the alchemists present in Genosha. Those who were ruthlessly mocked gritted their teeth, clenched their fists, and stared fiercely at Seven, wanting to pin him to the ground and beat him up.
"Dear Mr. Quinn, isn't your apprentice going a bit too far? There aren't that many geniuses in this world, the vast majority are ordinary people who work hard day after day for their dreams of alchemy. They shouldn't be mocked." said Owen, the president of the Genosha Alchemist Guild, who couldn't bear to see Seven continue being so arrogant.
In his mind, he subconsciously recalled Charles. Among the young people in Genosha, only Charles had the alchemist talent that could compare to Seven.
However, Owen was somewhat uncertain. After all, Charles had not been a senior alchemist for long, while Seven was already close to becoming a top-level alchemist.
"Perhaps even Charles wouldn't be able to compete with this arrogant boy, given that they are from the Haunted Marsh." Owen thought to himself.
His reasoning wasn't unfounded, in the world of the Beast Master, the vast majority of alchemy experts were concentrated in the Haunted Marsh.
There, various exchange and study activities were frequently held, and their alchemy skills were generally much stronger than those from the Abyssal Depths.
Even if Charles and Seven had the same alchemist rank, Charles would not be Seven's match.
Just as Owen was analyzing this in his mind, Seven spoke up again,
"We'll only be staying in Genosha for three days. If that guy Colton still refuses to let me have a duel with Charles, you'll have to bear the consequences yourselves." Seven said smugly.
His gaze swept disdainfully over the surrounding alchemists, and he continued speaking with a hint of boredom:
"This is boring, you're all just a bunch of useless fools. Look at your cowardly expressions, unable to voice your anger. Genosha probably doesn't have any alchemy geniuses, and maybe Charles's alchemist rank is fake. After all, in a place like this, no one would come to check."
An old man and a young man suppressed all the Genosha alchemists present. Owen could only take deep breaths to ease his anger. He knew very well that he absolutely could not let any unexpected incidents occur, otherwise, the other side would definitely seize the opportunity and push further.
"I will report this matter to the headquarters of the Alchemist Guild. Duels between alchemists should follow the principle of mutual consent!" Owen said in a low voice.
The old man, Quinn, instantly opened his eyes, his tone filled with disdain as he replied leisurely:
"You should know the rules and regulations of the Alchemy Guild. Resources are limited, and the Alchemist Guild in Kingston is better in my eyes. It's only fair that they get priority for their alchemy resources."
Upon hearing this, all the people from Genosha fell silent. They all understood what the consequences would be. If the resources of the Genosha Alchemist Guild were restricted, the Beast Masters of Genosha would be greatly affected.
Moreover, as an enemy nation, Kingston would have more alchemy materials than Genosha, which would be an even bigger blow.
In the struggle between the two countries, Genosha would be at a disadvantage.
"How can this be?! Isn't this just bullying?" A Genosha alchemist clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, speaking in a low voice.
Someone nearby sighed helplessly and replied:
"There's nothing we can do, our country doesn't have connections at the headquarters of the Alchemist Guild."
Another person thought for a moment and cautiously said, "If Charles agrees to the duel, maybe it won't come to that."
The speaker's voice was very soft, but many people still heard it, causing several angry glares to be directed at him.
"What do you mean by that? Charles just became a senior alchemist, while the other side is almost a top-level alchemist. If you let Charles agree to the duel, isn't that a guaranteed loss?"
"Exactly! Charles just led the youth to defeat the Beast Master of the Stellar Empire yesterday, bringing glory to Genosha. Are you really suggesting he enter a duel that he's certain to lose?"
"Besides, there's a lot of malice behind this, if he agrees and fails, the consequences will definitely be severe."
Most of the Genosha alchemists were deeply grateful to Charles, considering him a hero of Genosha who should not agree to a duel that was certain to be a loss.
"But if that's the case, we have no other options." the person said, lowering his head and speaking glumly.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The hall of the Alchemist Guild was large, and it was now packed with people, none of whom were speaking.
"Don't worry, our stakes won't be too excessive. We're just asking that Charles never practices alchemy again, that's all. It's a simple matter." Seven said with a grin.
At that moment,
a gasp suddenly erupted at the entrance of the Alchemist Guild, and someone shouted, "Look! It's Charles! And his teacher Colton!"
In an instant, everyone in the hall turned their heads to look outside, their faces filled with anticipation and excitement.
"I told you, I will not let Charles participate in this duel. You can give up on that idea." Colton's voice rang out, his tone very resolute.
Quinn, who had been lounging on the sofa, slowly sat up straight, reaching out to stroke his graying beard, and turned his gaze to Charles with keen interest, saying:
"Colton, it seems you care a lot about this apprentice of yours. If you don't agree, Genosha will lose a lot, you will become a sinner."
Colton took a deep breath. He was well aware of the consequences. Quinn's brother was the alchemy genius who had committed suicide, and the other side could do anything for revenge!
"When I dueled with your brother, it was mutually agreed upon. If I lost, I would also give up alchemy as per our agreement." Colton said slowly.
Back then, in their youthful arrogance, the stakes were a bit too high, which ultimately led to Quinn's brother's suicide. However, from another perspective, when agreeing to an alchemist duel, the outcome was already predetermined.
The risks he took were the same as those taken by Quinn's brother, but his strength was simply greater.
"Shut up! This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, my brother might have become a master-level alchemist or even reached the legendary level!" Quinn suddenly yelled out in a frenzy.
All these years, he had never been able to forget his brother. After all, it was under his brother's influence that he had embarked on the path of alchemy.
Now he had become a master-level alchemist, while his brother could see nothing at all.
"Colton, and your apprentice Charles, you both must agree to this duel. The loser will never be allowed to touch any alchemy equipment for the rest of their life!" Quinn said, his gaze dark and his tone resolute.