Way of the Knights

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There was a bit of a commotion today.

Rumor has it, that the Pill Saint Pavilion is hosting what probably their last sale before they step down the ranks. People were shocked about this news, it seems that from tomorrow onwards, there will be no longer a Big Five, only Big Four. But that is actually debatable, maybe it won't take too long before a different organization charge through the ranks and replace them.Meanwhile, the Pill Saint Pavilion is currently packed with people. The halls are decorated fairly well, there are sets of tables and chairs prepared for everyone invited. The previously bleak and somewhat depressing atmosphere of the pavilion during these past few days seemingly disappeared like thin smoke and was replaced by a festive mood. The people who arrived talked to each other creating a very active scene.

Influential people flocked the place. Jackson, the Lair Hunter was here. Korra the Director of the Ritual Water Keepers were here. Maddock the Director of the Beast Domestication Center was also here as well.

There's also Bradley, current Clan Head of the Vermillion Sky Clan and father of Ellen. Of course, the little lass was accompanying him as well. The Fiore Family were here as well, clearly looking forward to Anne's performance later. Current Headmaster of Heavenly Cloud Institute Ian, along with the rascal Paul were present. Mark's father Leon as well as some of the clan guards were here as well. Even the current Crown Prince Balmung was present surrounded by his faithful knights, not too far away from him was the silent Luna being accompanied by Magnum Lee, both are wearing a disguise to not cause ruckus.And of course, how could Luis be absent in this? The Hawk Forces were deployed beforehand in order to witness this event. It was Balmung who asked him to attend this event, even though he was only here because of Luna's request, he didn't want the previous event repeating itself and let the culprits get away with it. With this preparations of his, he'd like to see if someone will have even thoughts of creating trouble.

It wasn't just them who were present. Some of the rich merchants and nobles were gathered as well, they were just here for the sake of mingling since an event where almost all of the heavy weights of the kingdom are present doen't happen everyday. Their goal is to widen their network and forge partnerships and other things.

The chatter of the crowd were interrupted by a sudden sound. Everyone turned their heads to see the door to the main office of the pavilion opened, revealing a bunch of people.

These people were Richard, the current Main Director of the Pill Saint Pavilion. Walking behind him is Jacob who's the only alchemist left in this organization, and Anne who's wearing a slightly mature outfit. They're also being surrounded with guards along with some people who were transferring stacks of crate towards the stage.

Richard may appear as calm as a placid lake but inwardly he was feeling tons of emotion. Excitement, fear, jitters, anticipation, and many more. All of this tried to mess with his thoughts, thankfully he managed to calm himself down. This was it, this gathering is the most important event that will ever happen in his entire life. He can't afford to mess up now.

They walked along and stood on top of the stage. The whole pavilion was silent, countless of eyes were staring at him, clearly expecting him to say anything and start the event. He sharply inhaled and exhaled slowly, he flashed a kind smile and said:

"With all the sentiments from the bottom this Old Man's heart, I thank you for making some time for my selfish request." He paused after saying this, letting the crowd digest his heartfelt gratitude.

"Welcome everyone! To the final sale of the Pill Saint Pavilion!" Richard raised his hand and the audience gave him a round of applause. With his cue, the people behind him started moving. Each of them took out a silver platter and placed a couple of beverages as well as glasses filled with what looks like a sparkling water. The servants then walked to the crowd and carefully placed handed each of with a glass and a bottle. Richard patiently waited until everyone has a drink before continuing his speech.

"Please, allow this Old Man to offer you a toast." He raised his own glass and downed it in one go, he didn't even realized that no one picked up their glass and shared a toast with him. All of them were highly skeptical about this drink and since they didn't see many people picking their glasses up, they didn't either. Well except for a couple of people.

"Whoo!" An excited shout briefly startled the crowd, everyone turned their heads curiously towards the person who let out the cry.It was Paul.

"This is some good stuff!" He said after looking at his empty glass reluctantly. Even though tons of eyes were focused on him, that wasn't enough to faze the young man. In fact, for some he was totally aware that he's being stared at and could almost feel their penetrating gaze at him, like he sensitivity was raised by a notch.

Ian was dumbfounded, if it wasn't for the fact that he was in a very public place he would've already cursed Paul at least 10 times. He raised his fist and knocked on Paul's head but he was surprised that his son caught it without even looking at him.

"Seriously Dad! It's some good stuff, I encourage you to try it." Paul said with a straight face, he even picked up Ian's glass and handed it to him.

Ian was still doubtful about the sparkling water that was given to them, but faced with the serious encouragement of his son he sighed before taking the glass and similarly downing it in one go. He decided that whatever happens after he drink this is irrelevant, it was not an everyday's matter when his youngest son places on a serious face. As the water rushed down to his throat, a fantastic feeling immediately flooded every single pore of his body. He felt slightly lightheaded but in good way, like a sensation of riding a cloud. He opened his eyes only to notice that the world seemed to be more colorful than before. He also discovered that his senses were even more sharpened, he could feel even the tiniest breeze that grazes his body. He could also hear his heartbeat loud and clear, and his thoughts were crystal clear. Following that up, the solutions to the troublesome problems that he encountered started dawning on him, making him enlightened about many things.

"Whoo!" As a result, he too let out that same surprised sound like what Paul did earlier. His gaze instantly shifted to Paul only to see him grinning at him like a fool. 'So that's how it is, you brat! Well done!' He turned his gaze to the stunned crowd and said: "It really is some good stuff. I encourage everyone to try it."

Majority of the crowd became curious. Some even directly picked up their glasses and inspected it's contents. In fact, it wasn't only Paul who drank the glass at the same when Richard did, Luna, Mark, Ellen and even Anne who's at the stage drank theirs as well. When they heard Ian's encouragement, they too passed a glass to the people around them. After that, some people decided to try it.

They were silent for a while but when they opened their eyes, a surprised sound involuntarily came out of their mouths, similar to what Paul and Ian experienced. Some people had their mouths wide open, seemingly unable to believe the sensation they are currently experiencing. Others were immediately hooked, they started looking around them in order to take a look at the world in a different perspective. Their thoughts might be awry because of the current changes brought by the sparkling water, they could all agree on one thing. "It really is some good stuff!"

This sentence permeated in every direction, more and more people started giving in and taking a sip of their glass. No matter who it is, Royalty or common noble, all of them were immediately hooked onto the feeling that the sparkling water gave. It didn't take long before everyone in this hall tried the sparkling water, all had mixed reactions but in a good way. Unknowingly, all of them stared in front, precisely locking gazes with Richard who only stood their with a gratified smile in his face.No one said anything, but Richard knew that they only wanted to know one thing. He smiled and started speaking.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. What you just drank is the newest creation that we made. It is called Moonshine. Drinking a glass of Moonshine allows one to enter a state of enhanced sensitivity and perception, about 50% increase that will last for four hours based on my judgements.. This product is this Old Man's little gift for you for attending our last sale."

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