The Alchemist of the Heavens

Fixing Everything (1)

He didn't walk like an ordinary member of the public, his manner of speaking didn't resemble street slang, and especially his inability to distinguish between hunters, the fact that he hadn't even questioned anyone's age or gender since first meeting the hunting group, told everyone that Desmond had been raised in a good home.

Even the townspeople who saw him greeted him according to imperial rules, and Desmond never even showed his face to anyone. There was no need for it.

"This is the first time I've met such a polite nobleman! Well, they all behave politely, almost all of them. Still, they can be very rude sometimes, but you are not like that at all, sir!" the group member repeated.

Even though the other members were looking at him to shut up, Desmond smiled from under his robe and said politely, “Thank you.”

Desmond had never received such a nice compliment before.

So he took a small gold purse out of his magic bag and handed it to the group member who was talking to him.

“This?” said the group member and opened the purse.

There were at least two hundred gold coins inside the purse, which was less than Desmond would spend on a single meal, truly a sum that wouldn't even hurt the pocket of someone who had earned it over a lifetime.

“Good deeds should be rewarded. Did you spend it with your brothers and sisters?” Desmond said suddenly.

By the time he said this, George and the other members had returned. They all wore broad smiles.

“Sir, we've completed the arrangements. Please come in,” George said politely.

Desmond stepped inside the inn, completely oblivious to the eyes watching him, and was greeted like a king.

The inn servants knelt before him, and even the chefs and sous chefs had left the kitchen and were waiting in front of him.

Many hunters were also preparing to leave the inn; after all, everyone had realised that a nobleman had arrived, and frankly, they preferred to find another inn rather than face him.

Desmond took another gold purse from his magic bag and handed it to George, ordering, “Give five gold coins to each of the hunters who were forced to leave the inn because of us, George.”

George stood at the inn door without daring to question him a second time and began to carry out the order.

The innkeepers, a young woman and an old man, gently seated Desmond in one of the armchairs in the lobby and brought him a full cup of tea within a minute.

“Uuuh?”

Desmond said in surprise, and the old man asked, “Is something missing, sir?”

“No…” replied Desmond, and then took a sip from the cup. It was a very well-brewed tea with a rose scent.

“Please direct the hunters who are with me to good rooms,” said Desmond suddenly, and then, looking at one of the group members, added, “Call the ones who will stand guard at my door to come to me.”

Within a short time, three people had come to Desmond's side, and every hunter except George, who was still busy distributing gold to the hunters leaving the inn, had left the lobby.

When Desmond looked at the three hunters waiting in position before him, he said, “Today, you may hear groaning sounds coming from my room; this is because I will be doing an incredibly strenuous workout. Whatever sounds you hear, do not come inside. If you disturb me, I may react, and my body could be harmed.”

The trio immediately bowed their heads and saluted, saying in unison, “At your command, sir!”

After drinking the tea offered to him, Desmond was finally taken to the truly enormous room on the top floor of the inn. He was delighted to find this room, which could be considered superior even by city standards, despite being in a large town.

After finally changing his clothes and taking a quick shower, Desmond sat down quietly on his bed.

“What are we doing now, system?” Desmond inquired, and the answer came instantly:

[It will take nearly three hours for your cultivation veins to be strengthened and become as solid as diamonds, and for them to open, sir. During this time, your muscles and nerve cells will also develop. You must not faint during this time.] 

“What about my heart?” Desmond asked.

[We will also strengthen your heart so that it can carry the magic circles. Your heart will not change; it will only become strong and healthy. This will take about half an hour. Please, whatever you do, do not close your eyes and do not faint. If you faint and your bodily functions go into sleep mode, everything will fail.]

As each of these sentences echoed in Desmond's mind, the young man lay down on the bed and then said, “This position is fine, please begin.”

He didn't even know how much he would regret saying that sentence.

Within seconds, his nerve cells seemed to go haywire. Every vein in his body became prominent, and his eye muscles and cells ached as if they were being forcibly removed from his body and replaced with new ones.

“ARKH!!!” Desmond screamed. As he had ordered, his door had not been knocked on or opened.

Desmond began to writhe where he lay. This could be even worse than torture.

All his bones were cracking and even breaking. His skin was burning, and his complexion was turning white, almost like moonlight. While not completely white, his skin tone was becoming a lighter shade.

All the hair on his body began to fall out where he stood, and thicker, silkier hair began to emerge from the roots.

Despite all this pain, Desmond didn't faint, but the pain was unbearable. It was impossible to even describe how much it hurt.

He was truly on the verge of losing his mind. He tried to take deep breaths, but seemed unable to even do that. His lungs were starting to fail him.