„Any questions?” Bruno asked, standing behind one of the tables holding quite a bit of alchemical equipment.

Ahead of him, split into two groups, were the young men whom he was teaching, also standing behind tables, where they could practice what he was teaching them.

Rex’s hand shot into the air. Bruno’s gaze shifted to him, and he nodded, signaling to his student that his request to speak had been granted.

„What’s the next step?” the Zoulanian young man asked with a smile on his face, erecting chuckles from his fellow students.

„Next step? The performance formula still needs further development, so I’m going to worry about the next step when I finish this. As you saw,” he pointed at the cages with rats, „the current recipe has some unwanted side effects which I need to erase.”

„Will we be able to learn it then?” Rex asked.

„Maybe,” Bruno shrugged.

He was about to add more to his words, but the door to his workshop opened, and Bahir entered, rendering the teacher and everybody else silent.

„Excuse us. Let me speak with Sir Bahir alone,” said the young alchemist, prompting the boys to leave.

They moved quickly, briefly surrounding the old man as they passed by him, but soon it was just the two of them – the king’s official and Bruno.

„You came to check on the progress? The teaching goes smoothly, and as you saw the formula is perfected, so soon we will be able to implement it in other regions. We should easily seize most of the summer,” the young alchemist informed.

„Yes,” Bahir smiled. „It’s quite remarkable. I guess I’ve grown used to your rapid progress,” he pointed out as he began moving closer. His gaze drifted to the side, scanning through the whole interior but briefly pausing at the desk, where Bruno’s book lay. „I’ve noticed your companions are away,” he pointed out.

„Javohir and Raul are helping to fend off the rats from Ankhelis in the southern fort, and Viki is running some errands for me. I needed ingredients I didn’t have.”

„I see…”

„Yes… We are busy, sometimes too busy,” he smiled. „And that’s why taking a day off has been on my mind for a while now. I think I will take it today. After all, it’s a good opportunity to celebrate what we achieved so far,” Bruno pointed out as he moved toward the pile of ingredients. From there he brought a single bottle of wine, which he brought to the desk, where he had two mugs prepared. „Maybe it’s not the fancy stuff you drink in the capital, but the inn didn’t have anything else. It doesn’t taste that great, but it’s all we have,” he added pouring the wine into both containers, then he brought them to the old man.

Bahir watched with raised eyebrows, still, he didn't complain. "I don't drink," he said when Bruno extended a hand toward him with one of the mugs.

"Oh please… Isn't what we achieved here worth celebrating? It's a miracle of sorts."

The old man sighed and reached for the mug, but didn't take a sip. Instead, he carefully observed the young alchemist. Bruno immediately saw through him, so to ease his suspicion, he drank some of the wine. This was enough for Bahir to give his drink a try.

"To success," the old man smiled.

"To success," Bruno responded in the same manner.

"Unfortunately, I can't afford myself a free day. Since things are working well in here, I'm going to return to the capital to take care of other matters," Bahir informed, then stepped closer to one of the tables and put away his mug before leaving the laboratory.

"Fuck," Bruno whispered the moment the door closed.

The old man emerged on the street, where the cart that brought him to Zor awaited. The driver was a burly bald man, with many scars marking the skin on the top of his head. He waited patiently for Bahir to enter the carriage before whipping the reins, forcing the black horse, which was harnessed to the vehicle, to move. They turned around on the street, making the passersby move out of their way to avoid getting run over, and headed toward the capital.

As soon as they left the last line of the houses, the voice of the old man reached his driver.

"Wait for the return of his companions, and catch them all. The girl might not come back. I've heard she headed toward the port, so she might stay with the pirates. The other could return wounded from the fort, so make sure they will be alive when you deliver them to the capital."

"Are you sure we should move now, sir?"

"Yes. We have everything we need. The boys learned the recipe of the growth elixir and have a decent understanding of alchemy now. They even have a copy of some of the notes. All they need is to snatch the rest. We could grab Bruno now, but he is certainly aware we can't risk getting into a conflict with the pirates, so we can't hurt him. But we can hurt his companions, and that will squeeze out of him everything else."

"Yes sir," the bald man responded.

His words ended the conversation. The cart continued to go further on the path to Razun in the accompaniment of the creaking wood and the stomping of the horse's shod hooves.

The lovely late spring weather showed the obliviousness of the world to the schemes going on the surface and the lives of those who played the dangerous game.

One of those people was Bruno, sitting by his desk, and staring at the mug with wine in his hands, thinking about the next move he had to make in order to succeed.

‘The pieces are there, but they just don't want to move the way I want them to,’ he sighed, then poured the wine from the mug on the wooden floor. ‘If they don't want to move, then I guess I will have to make them,’ he concluded as he got up.

Bruno entered the inn in the middle of the night. The bartender was sleeping behind the counter, just like two drunks who dozed off with their heads lying on the tables, one was quite a familiar gentleman whom the young alchemist already had the un-pleasure of getting to know.

The bald head and short beard were the two most eye-catching traits of the bartender, to whom the young alchemist went. He woke the man up by knocking on the counter.

He immediately straightened his back, blinking several times as he attempted to figure out what just happened. Then his eyes darted to the patron who had just awoken him. "How can I help you, sir?" he asked, while his eyes discreetly scanned for possible eavesdroppers.

"I’m hungry. Can you make me some scrambled eggs?"

"At this… Yes, sir. Of course," he said, forcing himself to smile while getting up. Then he marched to the kitchen.

Bruno followed him.

The space was quite small, with one large stove that had a massive cauldron hanging above, perfect for cooking a large portion of food. Next to it was a smaller one, both connected to the same chimney, and both holding slowly dying flames, which desperately needed more fuel located in the corner of the space in the form of some firewood.

The middle of the kitchen was taken by a large table, while the walls were covered by cabinets holding kitchen utensils and dishes, such as mugs, bowls, and plates.

By the right wall was a short staircase with a door, leading to the underground food storage.

The bartender began by adding some wood to the fire.

"I need to know more about Bahir," the young alchemist whispered. "In the meantime, let’s pretend like I’m annoying you."

"What do you need to know?"

"Why the hell didn’t he take over the kingdom yet? How loyal exactly is he?"

The answer didn’t come immediately, as the bald man headed to the basement, shortly returning with some eggs and a frying pan. He put it on the stove, cracked the eggs, then began stirring them.

"That is a hard question. I guess only the old fart can answer it. He was part of a minor noble family. They were dirt poor. As far as I’m aware, his father was a drunk, but Bahir was quite smart. Good with numbers. He tried to save the family's wealth but was heavily undermined by his old man. Fortunately for him, Zevan, Katyan’s father, noticed him and took him under his wing, giving him work in the capital. From there he climbed his way to the position of treasurer," the man whispered. „Sir, please leave the kitchen,” he added louder.

"I see… This is all I needed," Bruno smiled as he quietly responded, only to add much louder, "Stir them more... I want them well-cooked," then he left to take a seat in the main hall.