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Chapter 233 - Swelling Reunion
🕑 Added 2025-02-03 07:01:01 +0000 UTC"Let's head to the Alchemy Association's headquarters," Anda said, her tone brisk and businesslike. "We still have a few days before departing for the Central Region, so they should have prepared temporary accommodations for us."
"Alright, let's go," Leyvi replied with a nod.
Without delay, the group took to the skies, flying swiftly toward the city center.
As they entered the bustling heart of the city, they marveled at the transformation. It was as if the previous disaster had never happened—everything had been meticulously rebuilt. Yet, many of the buildings bore new designs or seemed to house entirely different occupants. The city felt familiar and strange all at once.
"Yo, they actually rebuilt the Land Before Time Museum," Leyvi said, pointing toward the familiar structure below. His tone was a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Do they still have anything to display in there?"
The museum, infamous for being the source of the resurrected demonic beasts that had plagued the city last time, had been the first place destroyed during the chaos. He'd assumed it was gone for good.
"You're such an idiot," Ava replied with a mocking smirk. "Of course, they still have things to display. The museum's collection is priceless. They probably had layers of protection and countermeasures to save them from harm."
Leyvi chuckled, unbothered by her jab. "Yeah, you're right. I forgot how advanced the arrays and formations are here compared to back home."
Leyvi, however, thought to himself that if Mr. Bison or Dorin had called him stupid, he might have felt the need to defend his honor.
Leyvi extended his spiritual sense, letting it encompass the entire museum. Now that he could pass his awareness through solid walls, he no longer needed to rely on openings to perceive the interior.
As his spiritual sense swept through the museum, familiar sights emerged. Everything he had explored with Layla in the past was still there—except for the demonic beasts' skeletons. While skeletons were indeed on display, they were now replicas rather than the originals.
At first glance, the replicas were indistinguishable from the real ones. Their intricate structure matched his memory perfectly. But his spiritual sense quickly noticed the difference. Unlike the originals, the replicas were devoid of any energy. The power he felt back then wasn't there anymore.
He turned his attention to the ancient steles containing the priceless Ancient Alchemy Formulas. To his relief, they were untouched, their presence as ancient as ever. It was clear now that the museum's safety measures were far more robust than he had imagined. Despite the catastrophic events that had unfolded here, the priceless artifacts had been safeguarded, ensuring their survival for future generations.
Soon, they arrived and landed at the entrance of the Alchemy Association's headquarters building.
Leyvi looked up at the tall building. He remembered the last time he came here.
"I was here last with Selene to attend the auction they organized. That fancy outfit was really uncomfortable, not compatible with me at all. Oh, I remember your brother was there as well Ava. He won the bidding for an ingredient."
"Hmph, don't mention his name! If I see him, I'll punch his face." Ava was still holding a grudge against her brother for selling her out.
As if summoned by the mention of his name, a familiar voice echoed across the entrance.
"Hahaha, what a coincidence. My cute sister, you are here as well. It's been seven years!"
The voice was none other than Vitali Clover. He came over to where Leyvi's group was leading two other Clover Family members. Leyvi guessed they must be the family's representatives for the Mystic Realm expedition. As usual, the members of the Clover Family wore a clover-shaped hat that everyone could recognize at first glance.
Leyvi glanced at Ava, only to find she had disappeared from his side.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of rapid punches snapped Leyvi's attention back to Vitali—now taking a beating from Ava. Her fists blurred with speed as she vented her frustration on her older brother.
Leyvi blinked in disbelief. Ava's fists flew relentlessly, landing one solid blow after another, while Vitali made no effort to defend himself. Passersby began to glance their way, some chuckling at the sight while others gave the scene a wide berth.
This shameless guy really just let his sister beat him up without any defensive Qi. He only used his Qi to make sure he stood still on the ground. They must've done this many times in the past. Leyvi thought.
A few seconds later, Ava returned to Leyvi's side, brushing her hands together as if shaking off imaginary dust.
"Hmph. Now I feel better," she said with a satisfied nod.
"Hyahyahya! Byother-in-yaw Yeyvi, hyow are yew? Ish my syister going to the Mystic Reyem tyoo?" Vitali picked up his fallen clover hat and approached them casually, acting as though he hadn't just been on the receiving end of Ava's fists. His swollen face made it difficult to talk. The redness of his cheeks, coupled with his exaggerated slur, gave him a comical appearance.
Leyvi's mouth twitched. It still felt incredibly odd being addressed as "brother-in-law" by someone over 400 years old when he was barely 30. And honestly, could this guy wait until his face healed before starting a conversation? Even my Universal Language ability had to activate just to make sense of him.
Although his inner thoughts were filled with criticism, Leyvi maintained a polite demeanor. Smiling, he replied, "Brother Vitali, one of my ladies was supposed to go, but we found out she was pregnant a few weeks ago. So, we had no choice but to replace her with Ava."
Vitali was stunned. His swollen face showed a painful expression as he processed the news. His previously jovial demeanor faltered, and his shoulders sagged slightly.
"Eh? What's wrong, Brother Vitali? Did Ava's punches finally catch up with you?" Leyvi asked.
Ava shot a sideward glance at her brother, knowing very well what caused it, and muttered without pity, "He deserved it."
Vitali's expression grew even more agonized at her words, and he clutched his chest dramatically, as if struck by a sudden, intense pain.
"Eh? Is your pain caused by a heart attack?" Leyvi inquired, before pausing in thought. Wait a minute. Can a Nascent Soul cultivator even have a heart attack?
Meanwhile, Vitali also was having an internal monologue.
Heart attack my butt! You are still very young but one of your women got pregnant already? How is this fair? I've been trying for hundreds of years and no baby popped out for me. I got no heir!
His anger boiled as memories of taunts from the Goldstone and Homun families resurfaced. They've been calling me impotent my whole life because of this. Damn it, I'm taking more concubines when I get back! I don't care how many! I don't believe I can't impregnate any of my women.
Vitali took a deep breath, and his pained expression quickly faded. Even the swelling on his face seemed to be healing at a rapid pace.
"Hahaha, congratulations, Brother-in-law Leyvi! You're very lucky," Vitali exclaimed, his speech returning to normal as his swelling reduced and his mouth shrank back to its usual size.
Leyvi smiled, nodding in acknowledgment. Nala is indeed lucky, remembering the luck talent he had given her. Had she not been pregnant, it was almost certain she would have seized the greatest opportunities in the Mystic Realm.
But then, a thought struck him. Wait a minute... if she missed all the lucky chances by not going, doesn't that make her... unlucky? Uh... Is this a paradox? Leyvi became confused all of a sudden.
After exchanging a few more words, the group entered the Alchemy Association building and made their way to the reception counter.
The two Core Formation cultivators that came together with Vitali were Jodi Clover and Romali Clover. They were the two strongest Core Formation experts currently in the Clover Family. Both of them were already at the peak of the Core Formation realm.
Leyvi wondered if everyone was going to send peak Core Formation experts to the Mystic Realm. Their family might be at a disadvantage because all of them were only in the early Core Formation realm.
He was confident that he could fight above his level, but if there were many of them, he wasn't sure if he could win. Hopefully, everyone would be reasonable, just mind their own business and find treasures separately. There should be enough treasures for everyone, right? So there was no need to fight. Just enjoy the adventure!
Leyvi tried to convince himself, though deep down, he knew the Mystic Realm was unlikely to be that harmonious.
"Alchemist Anda, Patriarch Vitali, you are here. Alchemy Association has prepared accommodations for your group to stay. In three days, President Albert will bring everyone to the Central Region. Please wait a minute, I'll prepare the keys," a receptionist said when the group approached the counter.
The receptionist's voice brought Leyvi back to reality.
Leyvi looked at her and realized that she was the same receptionist that received Anda the first time they were here.
"President Albert? Wasn't he the infamous crazy president who stirred quite a few troubles with his weird personality? So we can meet him personally soon?" Leyvi said. He had heard many stories about him during the Alchemy Competition. Although they hadn't seen him yet, they did hear him talk once and he did sound like a weirdo.
The receptionist felt troubled when she heard Leyvi. My precious guest, can you not talk openly about our boss like that in this building? What if he was here?
