Luna chuckled softly. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. After the eighth-grade comes the ninth-grade supreme alchemist. From what I know, there are only a handful in the entire country who’ve reached that level. Most of them belong to ancient sects, not modern academies. Sovereign’s Apothecary is based in Chetvine City, so they don’t have one. But the organization behind them, the Divine Alchemists, does have a few ninth-grade masters.”
Leslie nodded and asked, “General, we’ve been walking around all morning. Have you decided which alchemy master you want to learn from?”
Luna shook her head. “I won’t be taking a mentor. I’ll just seek some guidance.”
Leslie smiled. “Makes sense. With your status, General, even though these experts at Sovereign’s Apothecary are incredibly skilled, none of them are really qualified to take you as a disciple. But still, even if you’re only picking someone to learn from, you’ll need to decide soon. If Madam Baxter returns and finds out we’ve been hesitating, she might think you’re being arrogant.”
Luna nodded in agreement. “You’re right about that. Madam Baxter is someone whom even General Turman treats with respect. Since we’re asking for her help, we can’t afford to seem ungrateful or too particular.”
Her beautiful, flawless face showed genuine uncertainty for once. “I’m trying to decide between studying under Mr. Goodman or Mr. Orben. Within Sovereign’s Apothecary, Mr. Goodman has a reputation as a genuinely good person. He’s kind-hearted, not driven by ambition, and exceptionally skilled in his craft. Mr. Orben, on the other hand, is quite calculating and ambitious. I’ve heard he’s even been making moves to challenge Madam Baxter’s authority. While his alchemy skills are equally impressive, I’ve never been comfortable working closely with people who are overly manipulative and self-serving.”
Leslie grinned. “Well, that settles it then. Let’s just go meet with Mr. Goodman directly and work something out with him.”
Luna smiled in return. “Good idea.”
Meanwhile, Caden hurried over to find Theon, who was meditating in his courtyard.
“What is it?” Theon asked, opening his eyes with a hint of annoyance.
Caden spoke carefully, “Mr. Orben, Major General Luna Phelans has come to Sovereign’s Apothecary to study alchemy. I recommended you as her mentor.”
Theon’s expression instantly brightened. “Excellent. Very good. All that effort I’ve put into training you finally paid off. Luna is Philip’s prized student. If I can get her to take me as her mentor, it’ll be a huge boost for my standing here.”
He rose to his feet at once. “Call the other apprentices, and bring Mikayla too. Let’s make this grand. We’ll personally invite General Phelan to join our ranks.”
Caden nodded eagerly. “Yes, sir. I’ll get everyone right away.”
He rushed off and soon found Mikayla in the alchemy chamber, practicing her craft. After explaining the situation, she looked genuinely surprised. “Luna’s here to study alchemy? I didn’t expect her to have an interest in that. I wonder how talented she actually is.”
Caden grinned. “Come on, Mikayla, Luna’s a rare beauty and a genius in martial arts… Everyone in Chetvine knows that. Even Valerie Reyes is often compared to her. With such high talent in combat, I doubt her potential in alchemy will be bad.”
Mikayla frowned, unimpressed. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Martial arts and alchemy are two completely different worlds.”