Chapter 4: Arc 1: Start-up (4)

It was the same old scene, the same old signboard with ‘Springsong’ on it, but a different duo staring at the humongous obstacle of a derelict settlement.

Ciel spoke with a grim determination, “Amy, we are doing this?”

“Yes!” Amy nodded strongly to build confidence.

…

Inside a dingy wooden warehouse lit with a lamp that should be condemned along with the entire town, the three burly men, one wearing a bandanna, were facing the inquisition.

Contrary to the expectation, said inquisitor was a lanky man in a voluminous red robe and a slick shiny hair, not a super buffed pirate captain expected to lead the squad of Bandanna criminal. Average people would be forgiven to mistake this boss for a server in a struggling restaurant.

Unfortunately for citizens of AverageVille, this man wasn’t a member of staff.

“Let me get this straight,” the man leaned on the chair, glaring at three fuck-ups with his foot placed cross-legged on the planning table with the detail of the town. Two bulky enforcers stood like a statue behind him. “You tried to extort a girl for protection money. One public test later proved the girl’s potion is twice as effective as mine.” The man shrugged. “Sure, I barely tried when I made it, but that is still something.” The man then switched into a growl. “Instead of humbly apologizes and recruits this talent into our waiting arm, you chased her out of town. Right before several witnesses, which guaranteed the story will spread like fire, torching my reputation.”

“Um, Bruno, it is just a girl.”

“Oh, Moto Moto,” Bruno rose from his chair, barely containing his laughter.

The bandanna guy, scared stiff, tried not to react when his boss put both hands on his shoulder. In a testament of stupidity, he picked the wrong response, “Bruno, my name is—”

Bruno promptly clasped the man's head between his palms.

“I don’t care, Moto,” the gang leader said in a slow boil. “What I care about is my lost cred!”

His hands shone, “Red Magic Rank 2: Bolt”

The bolt of energy blasted from Bruno’s palms, blasting the head and bandanna between them into a bloody chunk resembling a squash watermelon. The two burly fuck-up leap away as their buddy headless corpses fell toward them.

“Humpty!” Bruno pointed at the enforcer on his left. “Sent word to find this girl.” Then he turned toward the two remaining screw-up.

“I am a generous but simple man. One of you, a survivor, will have an opportunity to redeem yourself,” Bruno realized his wording might be too complicated for the two imbeciles. “In case, you are wondering, I want you to kill each other. The loser will obviously die, and the winner will remain employed.” Bruno then turned back to the other enforcer. “Dumpty, if those two fail to kill each other in five minutes, kill them both.”

Let said the two (soon to be bloody pulps) got the message.

…

Ciel considered himself surprised

The original plan to do a market research got swept into the dustbin by the method he least expected. He originally expected a harsh session of observation in the town local bar. Instead, before he and Amy even ordered a drink, a knight invited them for a drink in the bar VIP room on the second floor.

Inside the Residence, Caislean was having a field day.

Caislean: Wow, is this the work of the god of luck or bad luck? Master, you should be careful, he might plan to murder you in the toilet and steal Miss Amy as his concubine. Hah, Netorare is the worst, but so fascinating.

Ciel made a face. Caislean’s ability was almost useless in combat, but it granted her ability to monitor anything connected to the residence akin to a security video and even shared the image. By combining this ability with her power to open the Residence between those linked by Unity Lord Authority, she became the ultimate battlefield operator, capable of deploying and withdrawing his faction from the battlefield at will

However, the strongest battlefield operator was useless without troops to operate and only single warp point to teleport too.

Ciel got no path to retreat, which made the situation facing him and Amy even worst.

The knight, a middle-age man with graying hair, took them to a blonde lady waiting in her private lounge. It was a nice lounge, admittedly, but a bit barren. It got a circular table with a window to a nice wield of the derelict town.

“Hello,” Elizabeth La Louve, Betty, the mayor little sister, greeted them with eyes as sparkling as her ruby earring.

…

“Please call me Betty,” the woman in a red, bare-necked dress poured them both a cup of tea.

Caislean: Master… she is an SSR.

Ciel: Tell me something I don’t know.

“Thank you, Betty!” Amy appeared to be the most cheerful of them.

Ciel gingerly accepted his drink and sipped it. Given that he wasn’t dying in agony, probably no poison here. The aged knight already left the room, but Betty scared him. Ciel felt the chilling terror behind the dazzling smile and friendly demeanor .

“What do you want with us?” Ciel tried to cut to the chase.

“Let me be straightforward," Betty cut to the point. "Are you the rumor potioneer that put on a lives show yesterday?”

“Correction, she is the maker,” Ciel gestured at Amy. “I am just the financial adviser.”

“I see,” Betty nodded. “I need to recruit a potioneer for my sister.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes,” Betty thought back to her troublesome sibling running on home-brew, illegal stamina potion. “She is ridiculously overworked and now substitutes sleep with stamina potion. Badly brew stamina potion that will probably kill her soon.”

“Tell her to stop,” Ciel advised. “Lock her in the trunk.”

“I can’t!" Betty said. "We aren’t on the best of term and the town—”

The door to the private swung open to reveal Bruno in his usual slick robe and shiny hair.

“Wouldn’t survive if she got taken out of commission,” Bruno finished her sentence and added the context. “To think our mayor is already in such a dire state. If you want a potioneer, your highness, I, Bruno Harris, am always available.”

…

Ciel knew from her glare that Betty didn’t approve of the man.

“Artichoke. You are a dear friend, so I will give you the opportunity to explain yourself.”

The aged knight, hidden behind the wall and out of fear, helplessly sweat.

“Lady Betty, don’t blame Sir Artichoke for my interruption,” Bruno walked to the table and handed Betty an envelope. “This will explain everything.”

Betty stared at the seal on the envelope, snatched it, tore it open and read the content. Her face scrunched with rage, “Slut. Daughter of a whore. Evil-stain--”

“I doubt Lady Westerna will like those comments,” siad Bruno

“As far as I am concern, getting recommend by Carolina Westerna proves you're a bonafide prick,” Betty growled. “Why should I let the lapdog of the Deputy Commissioner of Military Police anywhere near Xia?”

“Maybe because Lady Westerna insists,” said the smug Bruno.

Raw magical power rippled from Betty, “Don’t. Test. Me.”

“Why don’t I do it like this then,” Bruno turned to Amy. “Competition. Capital Flash Rule. The topic is the stamina potion you want.”

“Out of question!” Betty yelled. “You are going to rig the judge.”

“No need to worry,” Bruno said to Betty. “We need three judges, with a vote each, I believe Lord Artichoke, you and our beloved mayor will be fair enough. The winner gets to be the mayor private potion maker. The loser goes home.”

Ciel listened in contemplation. Something was wrong. The competition was simply too balanced. If Artichoke got bought, Betty would cancel him out, leaving the decision up to the mayor. It was too reasonable. It led to only one scheme.

Bruno didn’t want to win. That why the payoff was so normal. Won, he got the connection to the mayor. Loss, he got nothing. No. He gained the right to compete with Amy, but why?

Before Ciel could say anything, it was Amy who accepted.

“I take your challenge.”

“Amy, you don’t have to,” Betty tried to stop her.

“Miss Betty,” Amy eyed Bruno with determination. “I don’t want any regrets.”

…

Ciel whistled.

You are reading story United(?) We Stand at novel35.com

It was surprising how fast the wheel got moving. Within less than an hour, they got crowds, cheers, ingredients and full set of equipment on the go. Cauldron, pots, knives and several other implements lined on the two tables. Bruno was cracking his finger behind one, while Amy was checking her equipment on the other.

The only obstacle to the contest was the head judge — the mayor herself.

“I don’t want to be here!” the shabby-looking woman with dirty platinum blood hair and unwashed clothing, barely maintain with any dignity, was being dragged to her scheduled seat. “I have work to do! Stop it, Betty!”

“I am trying to save you from potion assisted suicide, Xia,” Betty mustered the energy to drag her resisting sister. “Stop acting like an uptight baby. TAKE. CHARGE. OF. YOUR. LIFE. DAMMIT.”

“Noooo!”

Caislean: Master… the mayor is an SSR. A badly package, immature, petulant SSR. In this case, I recommend the usage of paddle and candle to discipline her.

Ciel: Where the hell did you get all these ideas, Caislean?

After much effort, yelling and threatening to blow-up the street, Betty finally made Xia sat as judge while Artichoke (the compromised) read out the announcement, “I now announce a flash potion match between Bruno Harris and Amy Seyfert. Contestant, you have an 30 minutes to create the best possible stamina potion. May the skilled triumph you may begin!”

Both of the contestant hand flew across the table.

…

“Ciel,” Betty called the young man sitting next to her on the judge table. “Her full name is Amy Seyfert, right.”

Ciel watched Bruno processed each ingredient at high speed, measuring each portion precisely as he dumped it into the cauldron and expertly readjust the temperature. He already finished powdering magical beast bones by his right and ready to add it into the potion.

“Yeah,” Ciel observed Amy put an alarmingly huge bone into a soup to create a broth. Then the young girl started chopping up herb like vegetable and season it with a variety of grounded ingredient.

Anyone would claim Bruno was a potioneer, while Amy was better off as a chef.

Xia glanced at Betty. A silent agreement was made between sisters.

“Hey,” Xia whispered to Ciel. “Your name is…”

“Ciel.”

“Okay, Ciel,” Xia tried to shove a dangerous idea back down her throat. “Does Amy have a relative? A father? Or an uncle?”

“An adopted uncle. She calls him Uncle Gordon.”

Bruno stirred the potion that had transformed into the smooth color of gold beneath the steady flame. Meanwhile, Amy cooked her ingredient over the fires and seasoned them with powder and a touch of cream source she made beforehand. The comparison between the profession was downright bizarre.

Xia and Betty spent a solid five minutes to let the information sank in.

“It can’t be…” Betty watched Bruno dipped his ladle into the brew and filtered the content into three phials. “Hey, Xia, it should be impossible, right?”

“Can you name anyone else who made a potion like that?” Xia pointed toward the girl who pour the broth from the pressure cooker into the cooked ingredients, as if she was making a vegetable soup.

“What are you talking about? He is finished.” Artichoke watched Bruno walked toward them with the potion. “And he has 10 minutes to spare.”

“Please, take a sip, my dear judges,” Bruno presented the phials to the three.

Artichoke and Xia gulped theirs with no hesitation. Betty stared at the golden solution for three solid seconds and took a sip, judging from the rejuvenated look on their face, it was good.

“It is good,” Xia said in the definition of curt, wanting to get this over with.

“Excellent, young man, the effect is pretty advance even compared to the market. As a regular consumer of stamina potion myself, I will probably say it is around high-end,” Artichoke responded.

“Not the best I have tasted,” Betty admitted, grudgingly. “But certainly high-end.”

“Thank you, very much,” Bruno was pretty sure he won. “Can we announce the winner?” Bruno grinned. “For a second, I believe I am contesting against a chef instead of a potioneer.”

Then they heard the clatters of a tray.

“Hold up,” Amy arrived with three phials of golden potion with reddish amber color swirling inside them like glittering rubies. “My turn now.”

…

Ciel wanted to record Artichoke’s expression.

“Lady,” he looked at the red-color inside like it would explode. “Are you sure the potion isn’t contaminated.”

“Wow,” Bruno couldn’t help but make a jeering smile. “Even I didn’t expect you to be ballsy enough to poison the judge. You can just surrender, girl, and I won’t insist on you committing a crime.”

“Are you sure?” said Ciel

Bruno turned toward Ciel who pointed his thumb toward the side, specifically at Betty who was staring in mind-blown disbelief.

“I think she knew something you don’t,” Ciel said, knowing where this was going.

It was then Bruno remembered the seemingly naïve Amy created a potion that easily trashed the standard market.

Xia was as flabbergasted as Betty. It was like she was witnessing a blast from the past. A memory of happier days when she still lived in a castle surrounded by smiles and father’s love. She stretched her hand toward that phial, ignored all the stare and took the sipped of the drink.

Xiahana La Louve burst into tears.

“No way. This taste…” Xia sobbed. “There is no doubt… It is the same one as that day.”

“Ten years ago,” Betty said, picking the phial and stored it inside a hidden storage artifact with anti-theft measure. “That time father made a birthday trip to the ocean to celebrate you turning eight, and we landed a jackpot of a hundred lifetimes when it turned out he was in the town. He cooked a dinner for us, remember.”

“I can’t forget it, sis,” Xia was in tear. “No matter how many years it had been.”

“I know, sis. I know,” Betty consoled her sibling.

Ciel was expecting something great, but like Artichoke, the sisters’ reactions knocked him into orbit.

“Err,” Artichoke said. Betty’s action was unprecedented. “Aren’t you going to taste it?”

“Over this stupid competition?” Betty was outrage. “Artichoke, are you that dumb? This is a national treasure!”

Xia was bawling like a baby by this point.

Artichoke, in disbelieved, unscrewed the acclaim national treasure and sipped it.

At last, the knight understood.

The transcendent taste. The sweetness of the magical bones took the center stage as various flavors from the ingredient, sharpened via meticulous preparation and creativity, performed the transcendent opera. The sweetness of the black cream source was like the space that highlight the stars of the soup’s weighty softness.

Artichoke felt his fatigue melt away as his cell biologically de-aged, “This can’t be a work of human.”

“It is,” Betty said. “Amy. Your uncle is Gordon Ramiro Seyfert, right?”

Amy blinked, “You know uncle Gordon?”

Betty barely believed the question, “Do I know the best chef in Acceltra? An uncrowned overlord who spent forty years hunting and cooking sea-monster capable of ending nations and mastered the culinary art to tame every wonder in the seas. A master who created a Mythical-grade stamina potion for a kid’s birthday party. A man whose power and military prowess led him to be called The Admiral of the Five Oceans. Yes, Amy, I, and every nation in Acceltra, respect and fear your bloody uncle.”

Bruno could only stare. His expectation exploded to smithereens.

Ciel’s brain stopped working.

In the Residence, Caislean peered at the height of Mt. Amy, and despaired.

“So, am I hired?” Amy asked nervously.

Xia resurrected from nostalgia, grabbed Amy by the shoulder and shook like unlimited wealth was on the line.

“YOU ARE HIRED! YOU ARE BLOODY HIRED! I WILL EVEN ADOPT YOU AS A YOUNGER SISTER! FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE! JUST SAVE ME FROM MY CRAP COOKING! I BEG YOU!”

 

You can find story with these keywords: United(?) We Stand, Read United(?) We Stand, United(?) We Stand novel, United(?) We Stand book, United(?) We Stand story, United(?) We Stand full, United(?) We Stand Latest Chapter