"Don't rush me, there's nothing good to see there anyway! Old Short Legs, have you been here too long and picked up those bad habits of humans? When did us Ishurians ever care about all that fancy stuff? We only care about alchemy."

Standing in front of the counter was 'Fancy Stuff,' a human named Fang Hong, observing the old Dwarfs chattering nonstop and intently fiddling with a Projection Crystal.

They argued so fiercely that they completely ignored him, treating him as if he were thin air.

Fang Hong, having no choice, had to knock on the counter forcefully and raised his voice, "I am a registered Alchemist from Kapuka, hoping to apply here to complete the official craftsman's assessment!"

The room suddenly fell silent.

Only then did the Dwarfs turn around and size him up from head to toe.

"Where did this little one come from?"

"Can't you see we're busy?"

"Did you say you're an Apprentice Alchemist?"

"Where is your guiding star?"

The Dwarfs spoke over each other.

Fang Hong, somewhat helpless, knew the Dwarfs of Ishurian were notoriously stubborn and didn't bother to argue further. He pointed to the Projection Crystal behind the Dwarfs, "I truly am an Alchemist, and maybe I can even fix that thing for you."

"You, fix this thing?" The Dwarfs all stared with wide eyes.

Especially one among them — Fang Hong recognized him as the Dwarf who was previously fixing the crystal. He puffed his beard and glared at him while shouting loudly, "Young fella, what big talk! Do you even know what's wrong with this thing? It's even giving me a hard time, you — even if what you say is true, you are just an Apprentice Alchemist, an Apprentice, a greenhorn kid, what can you possibly do?"

"Aquitez is right," some Dwarfs echoed.

But before he could finish, an old white-bearded Dwarf pulled him back and called out loudly, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, why not let him give it a try? Since Aquitez has already proven he's useless, why not let this young fellow try?"

"What did you say, who are you calling useless?" The hot-tempered Dwarf jumped three feet high, his beard almost bristling with anger.

However, the others nodded in agreement, "Aquitez is right," they said, "You have to admit you've grown old, your eyes aren't what they used to be, you've wasted far too much of our time, too much, you wouldn't want to miss the most thrilling competition, would you? Why not let this young guy try, perhaps what he says is true?"

"That's impossible!"

Aquitez said loudly, but he couldn't defy everyone else. The stubbornness of the Dwarfs was not just an individual trait but a collective one. Finally, he could only snort and move aside, watching Fang Hong askew as if waiting to see others make a fool of himself.

Meanwhile, Fang Hong was still curious about what competition they were talking about, but this time he was determined not to crowd around anymore — the lessons from Traveler's Rest had been too profound.

And the Dwarfs had already opened the doors for him, allowing him to go behind the counter to examine the Projection Crystal further.

Fang Hong, out of curiosity, walked up to the crystal — he placed his hand on the surface of the crystal, inspecting it carefully. Arkent watching his movements couldn't help but snort from his nose — amateur.

"Aquitez, shut up!" The white-bearded Dwarf said aloud, supporting Fang Hong more to spite his old friend than anything else.

Aquitez rolled his eyes.

And Fang Hong didn't take it to heart; being a Crystal Craftsman was a specialty among Alchemists, known as Crystal Architects by the Invokers. He was indeed a novice in this field — but then, he had an incredible teacher.

The designer of the Zero-Type and Type-One Crystals, Hain Famm, was definitely a Master Level figure in this domain.

Fang Hong had been reading the former's designs and insights these past days, had replicated the α Crystal, and participated in the β Crystal modification. He had some insights of his own. Hearing the Dwarfs talk about replacing parts earlier, he couldn't help but guess if there was some connection to a problem he had encountered.

He was a man of action, doing as he said, and also itchy to use his skills, which was why he made such a request. But now, as Fang Hong placed his hand on the crystal, he was certain, thinking it was indeed as he suspected.

It was the same issue he had encountered not too long ago.

...

The arena was filled with a dreary atmosphere.

Even the roaming horses in the stands couldn't help but feel a bit nervous influenced by such an atmosphere.

After the main competition started, seven teams had already completed their entries. Currently, the team from Iron Oak Duchy was ranked first in total Points, with the Colin Ishurian Artisan Association trailing closely at second; both teams had basically secured their advancement.

From third to fifth, however, was a fierce contention — virtually every team with a potential to enter the top five refreshed the ranks after their performance.

However, what made the Colin Ishurian audience feel pressured was that their high hopes were placed on the Elpaxin Artisan Association, which had made a critical mistake in such a crucial segment of the competition.

Their performance plummeted dramatically, virtually eliminating any chance of entering the top five.

For this reason, the stands were enveloped in silence, the oppressive atmosphere of it being the home ground of the Elpaxin Artisan Association could only be imagined.

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