Chapter 1245: Head of the Duvelle Family

"As I have already said before, I am not interested. The Mystical Realm Palace is my home. I have no intention of leaving it to join others." Worldly Skies stated firmly.

"I will go wherever big sis L-, I mean, big sis Worldly Skies goes." Celia stated without hesitation.

"But, we can offer-!" One of the recruiters started; however, they felt a sharp and chilling gaze from close by.

When he glanced back and saw the look in Varuu’s eyes and remembered her words, the recruiter swallowed his words and let out a helpless sigh of defeat. And, he was not the only one.

The other recruits could only shake their heads with a look of regret in their eyes. None of them wanted to give up this opportunity to recruit two promising talents; however, they could not afford offending the Head of the Apothecary Guild. Therefore, they had no choice but to try again after they left the vicinity of the main Apothecary Guild building.

Most of the recruiters went over to the next few promising talents in order to recruit them. In truth, the majority of the participants who passed were already part of a family or organization. Or, they had been secretly recruited beforehand and the entire recruitment process was just a way to spread their name a little more in front of others. Of course, it also helped the ones who recruited them gain some face.

As for Izroth, he bluntly turned the recruitment attempts made toward him. If he were just another player, their offers could be seen as incredibly generous for someone in his position. However, he planned to bring the Mystical Realm Palace to new heights—not abandon it to join some other organization or family.

More importantly, Izroth could see through the true intentions of those present. They offers they made were far from genuine. Nor was it because of their interest in him. Their plan was to use him to get closer to Worldly Skies and Celia.

In the eyes of the recruiters, no matter how much talent Izroth held, he was doomed to fail because of the Natural Energy of Lightning.

While Izroth never planned on joining anyone else in the first place, he was not against building solid connections. But, he would not even entertain the idea of building such connections with those who inherently looked down on him or simply tried to use him.

"I heard there were some interesting results for the promotion test this time around. I have come to see it with my own eyes." A voice echoed throughout the room.

When this voice sounded, the atmosphere seemed to shift as everyone turned their gazes toward the room’s entrance.

At the same time, a small smile appeared on Pierce’s face.

Varuu had a look of indifference, while Rozomius maintained a calm expression. However, Koralena and Po seemed visibly annoyed.

Not long after, man who appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties walked through the entrance of the promotion test room. This man bore a striking resemblance to Pierce. But, there was a more mature and refined aura about him as he carried himself with a certain air of authority.

The man was accompanied by two others. One his left was an old hunched over woman with light gray hair, closed eyes and a mole under the right side of her mouth. She propped herself up on a cane as she walked forward. She wore the robes of the Apothecary Guild and on her shoulder displayed a badge that gave away her status as a grade eight Apothecary. Not only that, but it also showed that she was an Elder of the Apothecary Guild!

On the man’s right side was a rough faced middle aged man who had an haughty aura about him. He had deep black hair with traces of gray running through them and a pair of red eyes. He walked with his nose slightly in the air as if everything was beneath him. More importantly, he also donned the robes of the Apothecary Guild. And, this man was another grade eight Apothecary and Elder of the Apothecary Guild.

"I thought you were busy crafting the Cosmic Trinity Pill. To have time to come to this place—does that mean you have failed, Shateur. I suppose since it is a more formal settings, I should refer to you as the Head of the Duvelle family. However, as you know, I find formalities to be tiresome. Surely, you do not mind." Varuu said casually.

She then continued, "I see you have brought some company along with you. First Elder Brukan, Fourth Elder Juria—you two returned earlier than I anticipated. How was your trip to the frontlines?"

"Hmph, I see that even after all these years, your arrogance remains unchanged." The man who led the group, Shateur, spoke.

Shateur Duvelle—this man was the current Head of the Duvelle family and Pierce’s father. He belonged to one of the most powerful and influential families in Danaharpe. And, there were even rumors going around that he had recently stepped into the realm of a grade nine Apothecary.

The only other grade nine Apothecary in Danaharpe was the Head of the Apothecary Guild. Therefore, if Shateur truly did become a grade nine Apothecary, there was a good chance that the power dynamics of Danaharpe could shift drastically.

On Shateur’s left was the Fourth Elder of the Apothecary Guild, Juria Duvelle. And, on his right was the First Elder of the Apothecary Guild, Brukan Duvelle.

As for why the two chose to accompany Shateur, it was no secret as both were a part of the Duvelle family.

’So, he’s the one rumored to be the second grade nine Apothecary in Danaharpe. The Head of the Duvelle family... I don’t sense anything off about him like I did when I first encountered Pierce. But, I still shouldn’t let my guard down.’

Until Azalea’s Phantom of Harmony, Yi Ying, reported back to Izroth, he would hold off on any big moves.

Pierce immediately walked over to greet his father and the two elders as well as stand behind them. Though, before doing so, he seemed to whisper something to his father, whose gaze traveled toward Izroth, Worldly Skies and Celia before it returned to Varuu.

"Thanks to our Head’s generosity and thoughtfulness, we were able to serve the war efforts well." Juria said as she clenched the cane in her hand.

"That’s right. Our Head is very considerate when it comes to the well being of others. As members of the Apothecary Guild, we should lead and set the right example for others to follow." Brukan stated with a calm smile.

Despite their seemingly pleasant exchange of words, the atmosphere seemed even heavier than before.

’It’s no secret that there is a power struggle going on in the Apothecary Guild. But, no one has made any major moves yet. One side because they are wary of the other side. And, the other side because no lines have been crossed.’

Shateur and the Duvelle family had been building up their influence in Danaharpe for generations.

As a result, while Varuu may be the Head of the Apothecary Guild, she could not do as she pleased to those backed by the noble families of Danaharpe unless they went too far. However, that did not mean Varuu merely sat back and allowed them to do whatever they wished under her nose.

The frontlines requested more high grade Apothecaries to support the war efforts against Tempest and those other forces who sided with the shadahi. As such, Varuu decided to send Brukan and Juria—both of which had their claws of influence buried deep into the Apothecary Guild.

Under normal circumstances, Varuu would have met with more resistance attempting to send two Elders to the frontlines. However, not that long ago, the two Elders failed a five star request on the Wall of Pills.

Varuu was able to use that as justification and labeled it as a form of punishment for their failure. After all, just losing some resources was not enough to cause the two Elders to bat an eye, especially with the Duvelle family backing them.

"I hope this journey has taught the two of you a valuable lesson. Even as grade eight Apothecaries and Elders of my Apothecary Guild, you must think twice before taking on more than you can bear. Otherwise, you will end up having to face the consequences of your actions. Be grateful that the Order of a Thousand Blossoms and its Holy Maiden have decided not to find fault with the Apothecary Guild due to your consecutive failures." Varuu stated.

Brukan and Juria trembled as they listened to Varuu. The two of them wanted to retort, but they had nothing to say for their failures.

"Head Apothecary Varuu, your words are too harsh. The Holy Maiden’s situation—I have heard the rough details from Elder Brukan and Elder Juria. Their treatment methods were flawless. It is just that the Holy Maiden’s issue is too unique. Even someone of your esteemed standing and caliber may not necessarily be able to resolve it." Shateur said with a meaningful gaze.

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