Chapter 131: The Dinner Before the Tournament

Luo Lin had originally assumed that the grand Alchemy Convention would be held in Hertz City, the imperial capital and power center of the Light Alliance. To his surprise, it was scheduled at Potter Academy, located several dozen miles away.

Upon reflection, however, he understood the reasoning. Potter Academy was one of the premier magic academies on the Aragon Continent. Even Thomas, the current president of the Alchemists' Guild, was an alumnus. Furthermore, the academy’s vast grounds and superior hardware facilities were more than capable of hosting such an alchemical feast.

Luo Lin practiced diligently, filled with anticipation. He understood that to make a mark at the convention, he had to constantly refine his alchemy and grow stronger. Although the six-star materials provided by the Alchemists' Guild were limited, he approached every refinement with meticulous care, striving for perfection.

Additionally, he still possessed a significant supply of five-star potion materials. To maintain his dexterity, he frequently used them for practice. While his alchemy had already reached the six-star level, practicing with five-star materials allowed him to solidify his foundational skills during this period of six-star material scarcity.

Beyond practical training, he dedicated his spare time to carefully studying the alchemy techniques and potion formulas of Mishus. He imprinted the unique methods and peculiar recipes into his mind, hoping they might prove useful during the convention.

While preparing for the event, Luo Lin did not neglect his cultivation as a warrior or his mastery of spatial energy. After reaching the fifth rank as a warrior, he focused more on live combat. His initial sparring partners were the undead under his control: Brian, over thirty wind wolves, and thousands of blue-winged bees. Though he was a fifth-rank warrior, he had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of undead at first. However, as his combat experience grew, he began to handle them with ease.

Once these undead no longer posed a challenge, Luo Lin turned his attention to Little Black. This, however, was purely an act of self-inflicted suffering. Every time he sparred with the donkey—a sixth-rank magical beast—he was soundly thrashed. Despite the intense pain, Luo Lin felt his combat experience as a warrior improving rapidly.

As for spatial energy, ever since that sliver of energy had been compressed into a orb, the fluctuations it emitted had become increasingly violent as his magical power and mental strength grew. Luo Lin believed the day for successfully condensing a spatial seed was not far off.

As the convention drew near, the number of unfamiliar faces in the academy increased. The resident students were well aware that the event would be held on their home turf, and they were filled with anticipation at the prospect of witnessing such a spectacle.

With less than half a month remaining, alchemists from all corners of the Aragon Continent poured into Potter Academy, turning the usually quiet campus into a bustling hub. Fortunately, the academy was spacious, and they had erected numerous temporary dwellings to accommodate the visiting alchemists and their entourages.

During this time, alchemical arrays frequently lit up across the wide training grounds as competitive alchemists challenged one another. Others, of course, were simply practicing in solitude to prepare for the main event.

Luo Lin, however, chose not to join the fray. He stuck to his daily routine, heading to the back mountain early each morning and returning late, training methodically.

On the evening before the convention, Dorm 2015 held a dinner party. Victoria, unsurprisingly, attended. The purpose of this gathering was to cheer on Luo Lin for the upcoming event.

"Fourth brother, come, here's to you winning a great victory at the convention tomorrow!" Malle raised a full glass of wine, clinked it against Luo Lin’s, and downed it in one go.

"Let’s have one too, fourth brother!" Gebaz and Bill also toasted him.

Victoria then raised her glass, the liquid inside shimmering with a color distinct from the others. "Luo Lin, I cannot drink alcohol, so I will toast with honey water. I wish you great success at the convention!" With that, she gracefully tilted her slender neck and sipped the honey water slowly.

To accommodate Victoria, whenever the group had dinner, Luo Lin would bring out honey from his blue-winged bees for her. Victoria, who loved the honey for its excellent beauty-enhancing effects, was quite fond of the gesture.

"Thank you, I will do my best tomorrow!" Luo Lin smiled at her and finished his fruit wine.

In the six months since Karina had left, Victoria had attended nearly every dinner held by Dorm 2015. At first, Malle and Gebaz were thrilled, doing their utmost to cater to their dream girl. But as time passed, they began to sense something was amiss.

They noticed that Victoria’s words and actions toward Luo Lin were subtly different. While on the surface she treated the three of them equally, the intuitive sense that develops after long periods of interaction told them they were perhaps deluding themselves.

Luo Lin eventually noticed it too. Initially, Victoria’s attitude toward him, Malle, and Gebaz seemed identical. Yet, as the dinners continued and their time together increased, he realized that when he spoke, Victoria seemed to pay a higher degree of attention. She was extremely subtle, and it was only through long observation that one could perceive it.

As for Bill, he was Victoria’s younger brother; he knew her every gesture and word well, and he had long since discovered his sister’s special feelings for Luo Lin.

Because of this, Dorm 2015 held several "seminars" to discuss whether Victoria was interested in Luo Lin. Malle and Gebaz would often weep and complain about how they went out of their way to serve Victoria at every dinner, only for the "wooden" Luo Lin to have a higher chance of success.

Later, Malle, Gebaz, and Bill "interrogated" Luo Lin, focusing on whether he had any dark secrets with Victoria back in the Maya Mountains. They reasoned that since both were dedicated to cultivation, that was the only time they could have possibly spent significant time together.

Faced with this, the guilty Luo Lin gritted his teeth and remained tight-lipped. Seeing he wouldn't budge, the three eventually gave up and let things be.

At the table, the group chatted about the visiting alchemists and the rumors surrounding the convention. Just as the conversation was in full swing, a frantic knocking echoed at the door. When Luo Lin opened it, he found Simone standing there, drenched in sweat.

"Simone, come in and sit," Luo Lin said politely, though he was surprised.

"Luo Lin, I won't come in. You—you need to come with me immediately!" Simone gasped for air.

Malle and the others walked to the door. Gebaz handed Simone a glass of fruit wine and asked, "What’s wrong? You’re out of breath, Simone. What happened?"

Simone took the glass, downed the wine in one gulp, nodded in thanks, and said, "On the training grounds, alchemists from the Dark Alliance are challenging our Light Alliance. We couldn't tolerate such arrogance on our own turf, so several of us, including myself, went to compete. We were all soundly defeated, which only made them more arrogant. No one else there knows what to do, so I thought of you!"