Feicui Long returned to his "house" after picking up the twins. There was still time in the day, but he decided to spend some time with them and also tend to his alchemy stall, which he hadn't had time for these past few days.
When he opened the stall, almost as if by magic, in just a few minutes, around 30 to 50 people appeared. Many of them were locals from this area of the city, while others were adventurers, hunters, and mercenaries.
Fortunately, the twins were quite well-behaved and obedient, which helped speed up the delivery of products. This continued until nightfall, when all his products were sold out. In just that day, Feicui Long made 75 silver coins.
Happy, he proceeded to prepare dinner for the twins and himself. Tonight, he would make his specialty: a mountain stew. Although he didn't use the same ingredients as in his past life, almost everything in this world has a solution. He simply replaced the ingredients he couldn't find with similar ones. The stew had potatoes, carrots, yuca, beef, and venison, along with mushrooms, a bit of cream, salt, pepper, and paprika. It was perfect as a meal before going to sleep.
When the twins ate it, they looked truly happy, even asking for several more servings. Once they were full, they went to sleep, and so did Feicui Long.
…
The days continued to pass peacefully until three years had gone by. During these three years, Feicui Long accompanied Reiko in learning the evaluation skill and also taught her about the dangers of people, helping her develop a healthy level of distrust. He also taught her the basics of beast taming, and from time to time, they would gather at his house for intense study sessions.
Likewise, he educated the twins in the world of cultivation and even taught them to cultivate using the technique their father had left them, all while tending to his alchemy stall. Interestingly, although he wanted to teach them basic self-care skills such as cleaning and organization, it turned out to be unnecessary since they were already well-trained in taking care of themselves. The only thing they didn't know was how to cook, but watching Feicui Long cook daily gradually taught them. Besides that, he taught them manners and etiquette.
During this time, he also took in new tenants. About a year and a half ago, a little 10-year-old girl came looking for work due to the rumors circulating about Feicui Long. When he accepted the twins as his nieces, many rumors arose, ranging from bad ones meant to damage his reputation, to neutral ones, to good ones. Among the worst rumors was the claim that he had bought two girls as slaves to work for him. Another insinuated that he had brought them for "indecent" purposes. Others speculated that they were his daughters with a noblewoman and that these illegitimate daughters had been left in their father's care.
But thanks to Feicui Long having built a good reputation throughout this area and among almost everyone, these malicious rumors did not prosper.
They were especially overshadowed by the neutral and good ones, which were somewhat curious. One of the neutral rumors said that they were his daughters, that their mother, who had been taking care of them, had died, and they had come looking for their father, who worked elsewhere. Meanwhile, the good rumors almost sanctified him. Some claimed he had adopted them from poverty and, to avoid making them feel bad, said they were his nieces. Another was that they had come knocking on his door, and out of pity, he had given them work and simply asked them to call him uncle so it wouldn't seem strange.
It was because of this last rumor that the 10-year-old girl came looking for him. She had heard somewhere that he was some kind of living saint and would give her work so she could live and eat. Feicui Long hesitated about accepting her, but her determined expression reminded him of a woman, although much younger, who looked very much like her. He could still remember how she had stood before him, looking at him defiantly, despite him being much older. The two of them had had a good relationship, until the accid... Feicui Long shook his head at that moment. Sighing, he decided to take her in. It seemed that fate wanted him to be the father of girls, as the same had happened in his first life and all the lives between that one and this.
What he didn't expect was that this girl had four younger sisters, one a year younger, two aged six and seven, and one just five years old. He had no choice but to adopt them as well. He wasn't so cruel as to throw them out onto the streets, nor did he like breaking his promises or oaths. In fact, he despised it.
Of course, this only further cemented his image as some kind of saintly doctor/alchemist. But thanks to that, his business grew tremendously. By that time, he had already built his house. He had once been an engineer in one of his past lives, specifically in a life within a techno-energy society. With that knowledge, he designed the blueprints. Though he had to admit, he knew absolutely nothing about construction. At his peak, he could cut entire planets and turn them into palaces, but now he had to rely on the knowledge of an old man and his sons, with whom he had a good relationship. The old man was a veteran master builder who taught him how to construct and even gave him several of his journals and books. The house turned out beautiful, with more than enough space to shelter the girls.
During the year and a half that followed, up until the present, he taught them a great deal. He had to educate them in reading and writing, which was a difficult task, but he was already used to it. He had raised 33 Supreme Gods, Mariane, several dragons and dragonesses, and five mortal girls. This was nothing new to him. What was difficult, however, was stopping them from fighting over the projection artifact of the guilds union, as the younger ones particularly enjoyed watching it.
Despite all that, Feicui Long felt a bit hopeless, as he had no means to return to the central continent, let alone go to the main temple to obtain his drop of blood. So he had been looking for alternatives, but there was really no news that could help him nor any information about what he was looking for. He was almost resigning himself to living his life this way...
...That same day, someone knocked on the door of Feicui Long's house, which also functioned as an alchemical workshop and clinic. He went to open it, surprised, as he had put up a sign stating that there would be no service today, and therefore, no one should be here. After all, this was his only day off.
Feicui Long reached the door and slowly opened it, seeing several individuals standing around his shop. With a single glance, he could tell they were nothing more than thugs. In front of him stood a fat man with a golden cane, accompanied by a thug taller than the rest, measuring about 1.85 meters.
Feicui Long asked in a cold voice, "What do you want?"
The fat man spoke, "So you're the so-called saintly doctor who makes alchemy for the poor, huh?"
Feicui Long raised an eyebrow and said, "And what if I am? Is there a problem with that?"
The fat man replied, "Of course there is. I want you to stop doing that and sell me this property. Also, I want you to get out of this city. This territory belongs to Clayman's alchemy workshop, so if you don't comply, we might have to use something a little rougher than a simple 'contract.' I hope you understand what I mean."
Feicui Long looked at him with disdain and said, "So you're Clayman's fat bastard? Pff, I thought you'd be someone important. Listen to me, fatso, I'm not afraid of you. I think it's best if you leave, because you're not getting anything from me."
The thug beside Clayman stepped forward and said, "Kid, there are times when it's better to drop the arrogance when someone above you tells you to. Don't be stupid and ruin your future over this."
The fat man nodded and said with a chuckle, "Doctor, he's right. You're too young to not understand that every action has a consequence, and sometimes that consequence is more than what one can afford."
Feicui Long then let out a loud laugh, 'HAHAHAHA.' He grabbed something from his waist and lifted it, looking at him as he said, "Fat Clayman, you're just a beginner alchemist, a member of UMIARH. I already knew you for your bad reputation, but it seems you not only like to intimidate the weak, but you're also stupid enough to not even recognize what's in front of you. Look at this carefully."
In his raised hand was a shining membership card identifying him as a beginner alchemist. When the fat man and the thug saw it, their eyes widened in shock.
Feicui Long, who was not in the mood, spoke with disdain and an unusual politeness he had not used with him before, "You know the union's rules, don't you? Intimidation, physical threats, attacks, or even eliminating an opponent who is a member of UMIARH or close to them is not allowed. Do you not know what happened to Count Gottfried Pappenheim?"
The fat man began trembling upon hearing this, while the thug looked at his boss in confusion.
Feicui Long continued speaking, "Oh, Count Gottfried Pappenheim, a great general who had served the Habsburg Empire and whose viscount house, loyal to the royal family, had ascended to the rank of a count's house due to his contributions. He was granted the city of Prague to govern, one of the 21 great cities. It seemed his rise would never stop, and his retirement at 40 was only the beginning—he would never fall."
Feicui Long paused for a moment, pretending not to notice that Clayman had begun sweating profusely. "But his 30-year-old brother, Karl Pappenheim, an intermediate alchemist frustrated because his greatest rival, Alexander von Ansbach, had progressed to a 9-star intermediate alchemist and was close to becoming an advanced alchemist while he was stuck, unable to obtain even his eighth star, decided it was a good idea to create a plot to 'remove' him from the competition. Who would have thought that Alexander's suspicious death would lead the union to investigate, capturing all the hired assassins? Under some rather effective information extraction methods, they revealed that Karl was the one who hired them. His brother tried to defend him, but that nearly led to him and his family being executed. He was only spared because he begged the emperor for help. The emperor mediated with the union, allowing him and his family to live in exchange for stripping them of all their titles and lands, while Karl was ultimately executed along with his wife and children."
The thug, now understanding everything, took several steps back, positioning himself behind his boss, who was clearly worried.
Feicui Long looked at him and offered a piece of advice that was not really advice, "I'm sure Mr. Clayman doesn't want anything to happen to his beloved eldest son, his other children, or his wife… or am I mistaken?"
The sweaty fat man stammered, "N-no, of course not, young doctor. I was just joking…" After saying this, the fat man proceeded to leave.
As Feicui Long watched him go, a brilliant idea suddenly came to his mind. "Hey, Mr. Clayman, now that I think about it, I believe we can come to an agreement."
The fat man turned around, a little surprised but at the same time happy, thinking he had just secured a golden opportunity with this naïve doctor. What did it matter if he couldn't use violence? As long as he could scam him with a ridiculous price. He was completely unaware of the cold smile Feicui Long hid behind his cordiality.
When Clayman returned to the front of the house, Feicui Long proposed something to him, "I'll sell you the house at a reasonable price, 25 platinum coins. I also want 100 energy stones, 10 energy crystals, this list of alchemy materials, and one specific plant, an astral fruit."
The fat man frowned and said, "That's too expensive…"
Feicui Long looked at him and thought to himself, This fat bastard is playing dumb. He's been bleeding the poorest areas dry for so long that his wealth must be counted in the thousands. Just look at that solid 24-karat gold cane. Then he replied, "Expensive? Are you crazy? You're buying a three-story house that also happens to be a renowned alchemy workshop. This is a minimum price."
The fat man hesitated and said, "But how do I know you'll actually leave?"
Feicui Long, who had already led him too deep into his trap, said, "We can sign a contract at the union of summoners, tamers, necromancers, and golem and puppet creators. That way, we can ensure total impartiality. After signing, I will have seven days to vacate the house and will also leave the city."
The fat man reluctantly accepted and said, "So, when are we signing it?"
Feicui Long looked at him and said, "We can do it right now."
…
In the end, both Feicui Long and the fat man Clayman went that same day to the UIDNCGM. Upon arrival, they were received by very polite staff members and were taken to a private room. Before entering, Feicui Long whispered in the ear of a male staff member in charge of handling such matters, telling him the contract's contents and what he needed to do. The staff member, who knew Feicui Long and was one of the loyalists to Reiko's father, carried out his request without hesitation.
Then Feicui Long entered alongside the fat man and waited until the staff member came in. Feicui Long explained certain details, and the fat man added others. The staff pretended to create the contract from scratch and handed it to them. Clayman read through it a bit, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him. The only thing that annoyed him was that it forbade him from harming Feicui Long or anyone close to him after he left the city. Whether it was a family member, an employee, or anyone related to him, harming them would result in death in both body and soul. Still, trusting the impartiality of the UIDNCGM, Clayman placed his drop of blood without hesitation, his name appearing on the contract line: "Guzmán Clayman." Feicui Long followed suit.
With that, both of them left, each going their own way. The delivery of everything Clayman owed to Feicui Long was to be completed within three days. Feicui Long had to leave the city in seven days, but even so, he was pleased because he had secured an excellent deal.
…
As he returned home, he thought about how easily he had deceived Clayman. The contract he signed not only guaranteed his safety and that of those close to him, but it also forced Clayman to pay him an outrageous amount. While Feicui Long had asked for little in terms of the sale price, the alchemy materials list was extremely expensive, especially including the astral fruit. But now that he had signed it, he couldn't avoid buying them.
As for leaving the city, it was unfortunate, but he would have had to do it sooner or later. He needed to expand his possibilities of breaking the curse of the Superior God of Curses, and with everything he had tried, he believed he had nearly exhausted all his options in Vienna.
On his way back, he decided to stop by the market to buy a few ingredients. He wasn't worried about leaving the girls at home, especially since the formation had been improved. Besides that, there were also the rock and earth golems he had recently created, as well as some undead made from the bones of monsters and beasts. If that wasn't enough, there was Surinbit, his rainbow slime leader-type, which was at elemental realm grade 5, and Kagetsume, his steel-feathered crow.
Not to mention the twins, who had just turned 13. He had guided them using their father's technique, though he had also helped them adapt it individually by modifying the technique. Thanks to that, they had now reached elemental realm grade 3 – initial stage. However, it was a shame. He didn't believe their slow progress was due to poor talent. While his third eye hadn't developed enough to evaluate talent, he could tell from experience and from their lineage. The only reason for their slow advancement was the curse they bore, which he had already confirmed also came from the God of Curses, they had told him so themselves.
…
Feicui Long then returned with the ingredients. He hadn't planned on working today, but since he was going to leave, he intended to make use of his time to do a few things before departing, including preparing some gifts for the people who had helped him. He knew he wasn't a good person—he was well aware of that, unlike his reputation, but he also didn't consider himself a bad person. For that very reason, he wanted to give back a little of what he had received.
The first preparation he was going to make today was a recovery potion and longevity-enhancing pills. A rather advanced one was called Vigorous Vitality Recovery. Besides restoring vitality, it could regenerate important body parts, such as damaged nerves or neurons. However, this required using half of the fragment of the powerful vitality tree crystal he had obtained from the leader of the adventurers' guilds union. But he didn't mind, because the person he intended to give it to had helped him a lot.
She was an elderly woman named María Gonzales, along with her eldest daughter. They came from the peninsular part of the empire. She was very kind and would sometimes bring him food or things she had made and had leftovers of. Besides that, every time he treated her, even though he told her she didn't have to pay him, the elderly woman and her daughter insisted on helping him clean his house. From time to time, they also looked after the girls and fixed their clothes, even though that wasn't necessary given Feicui Long's wealth.
She had helped him a lot over the past three years, and he felt it was time to return the favor now that he was leaving. And what better way to do so than by restoring her vitality, healing the damage to her old body, and helping regenerate the nerves of her beloved daughter? Her daughter had been María's support for a long time, but at some point, she had fallen ill at the end of last year. Feicui Long examined her, and whatever had caused her illness had inflicted irreversible damage to her nerves and motor neurons, damage that normal medicine couldn't cure. Because of this, she now lived in constant pain and struggled to move on her own. To make matters worse, poor María's situation deteriorated even further when her other children abandoned her, as her daughter could no longer support them all.
This motivated him to put in the effort to create this potion. With that in mind, he went through all the preparation processes. The potion was the most difficult to make and required a lot of time, so he began preparing some of the ingredients while the twins helped by handing them to him one by one. He cut them into strips or cubes, ground them, and applied other methods. When everything was nearly ready, he split the fragment in half and tossed it into a special cauldron designed for alchemy. He activated the formation beneath it and left it alone for a while.
This potion would take a few hours to be ready, so he immediately started working on the longevity pills. These pills could increase a person's lifespan by up to 25 years, although the effect was only that strong for mortals. For cultivators, the increase was slightly reduced. Regardless, it was still quite valuable. Furthermore, if combined with various versions of the pill, life could be extended even further, as the 25-year version could only be taken once.
Feicui Long carried out the same preparations and directly threw the ingredients into the alchemy furnace. He then proceeded to cast inscriptions at a rapid pace, all while keeping an eye on the pot that was boiling the potion. Afterward, he signaled Callista to stir the cauldron.
After an hour and a half had passed, Feicui Long had finally completed the pills. He had created three 25-year longevity pills, five 10-year pills, ten 5-year pills, and twenty 1-year pills. After placing them in a preservation box, one of those given to him by Allearys which he had modified with better formations to ensure that only the owner could open it, he went to check on the cauldron and began the same process with the inscriptions.
...
By the time three hours had passed, everything was ready. From the cauldron, he had created 15 potions. The damage to both the mother and the daughter was severe, but more importantly, his cultivation restrained him from improving the quality of the potions any further. Additionally, since they were mortals, they wouldn't be able to absorb all the medicinal power, meaning each of them would have to take three potions. He set aside six potions for them, keeping the rest for himself and the girls.
With that done, he headed to the living room, where María and her daughter were already waiting. He had asked Melina to bring them.
Once they arrived, Feicui Long showed them the box and explained how it worked:
"Madam María, as a token of gratitude for everything you have done for me, I am giving you this. These are six Vigorous Vitality Recovery potions. In addition to restoring lost vitality, they also have strong regenerative properties. They will heal all of your daughter's damaged neurons and your old wounds. Meanwhile, the longevity pills will extend your lifespan. You must take the vitality restoration potion first, as the longevity pills further increase lifespan based on the person's remaining vitality.
Furthermore, I recommend that you first take the 25-year pill, then the 10-year one, and eventually the 1-year pills. As I mentioned, these pills increase lifespan in relation to vitality, and each one also enhances vitality. This effect is actually much more noticeable with the 1-year pills than with the 25-year ones."
Feicui Long took a deep breath and said, "Lastly, you will notice that there are some left over. The 1-year pill is limited to one per person, the 10-year ones are two per person, the 5-year ones are five per person, and the 1-year ones are seven per person. The extras are for you to sell at UMIARH. They will give you a good price there, especially with this paper if you ask for a person named Allearys. The boxes have been configured with each of your blood, so only you can open them."
Madam María, trembling, said, "No, young doctor, I cannot pay you for all of this. I…"
Feicui Long looked at her and shook his head, saying, "No, madam, you don't have to pay me. This is a gift from me as a token of gratitude and farewell. Perhaps we will never meet again, and that is why I have decided to give you this gift."
Madam María looked at him in shock and asked, "You… you're leaving? But… all the people in this small neighborhood won't be able to continue without you."
Feicui Long smiled bitterly, never having expected to become a central figure for an entire neighborhood. "Yes, I have to. The whims of time sometimes force us to move forward. I can't stay here any longer, but for that very reason, I plan to create plenty of medicine so that people can stock up during these seven days before I leave."
Madam María looked at him sadly, but she knew she could not stop him. He was a young man with great talent and a promising future ahead of him. This poor neighborhood had been stuck in stagnation for a long time. It would be unfair to hold someone like him back, forcing him to bear the weight of something that was not his responsibility. So, she simply decided to express her gratitude. "Thank you very much, young doctor Feicui Long. My daughter and I will always be grateful to you."
Her daughter also gave a slight bow, enduring her pain. After that, the two of them left.
With that, rumors about his departure began to spread, but he paid them no attention and continued working.
...
For five days, he had prepared a large quantity of medicine. He had given gifts to the people who had helped him the most, such as the old master builder and his sons, to whom he gave several longevity and healing pills to ease their ailments. Also during this time Fat Clayman had come to pay him, looking as if he was about to break into tears. All the ingredients he had requested ended up costing him a total of 75 platinum coins and 50 energy crystals. Feicui Long looked at him with a mocking smile.
During these five days, people had been very busy. His small business had sold extreme amounts of products, so much that in just these five days, he had made 75 gold coins. But in return, Feicui Long had not had much rest and was already feeling a bit tired from working more than 12 hours just to have everything ready.
This last batch, he took the opportunity to make as much as possible. He planned to leave it with Hilda to ensure it would last for at least a few months. As for the money, he would let Hilda keep it. It wasn't a big deal anyway, since the products he had been making in large quantities were common things like Qi recovery pills, healing potions, and others. Besides, that money was the fair price to thank Hilda, along with the gift he had prepared for her.
When he finished the batch, he left with the twins and the girls to see Hilda and said, "Miss Hilda, I'm leaving this medicine with you. Sell it at the price I have listed here. The money is yours. You don't need to save it for me. I don't know when I might return. Also, these pills are for you and your daughters. It's not much, but they will help improve your talent on your cultivation path. It was a bit difficult to find the ingredients."
Hilda looked at him with a faint, almost imperceptible expression of bitter sadness and said, "So it's true that you're really leaving. I thought they were just rumors. Alright, I will accept this, but I would like you to accept something from me as well."
Feicui Long wanted to refuse, but he knew she would not give up as easily as the others, so he said, "Alright. In exchange, I would like you to give me some of your maps of this area and the Habsburg Empire, as well as some books and journals. They would be very helpful to me."
Hilda nodded and quickly went into her house, bringing everything Feicui Long had suggested. She handed them to him, and then something happened that took Feicui Long by surprise. Hilda kissed his cheek and quickly turned her head, her face flushed, saying, "Thank you for everything. I hope we meet again someday."
Feicui Long, a little shocked by this unexpected turn of events, could only smile and say, "I'm sure it will happen. That's how time works, after all…"
…
On the sixth day, Feicui Long finally took a break from working and went to spend time with Reiko to say goodbye to her. He had already told her everything, and she had asked him to spend one last day with her. That was why today, Feicui Long wore the best suit he had bought in a long time. He spent a total of 35 gold coins on this suit. It was a custom-made outfit in emerald green and gold, woven with silk threads from an energy beast and gold threads.
When he arrived at Reiko's house, she was also elegantly dressed, looking like the princess of a distant kingdom, wearing an elegant pink kimono adorned with beautiful cherry blossoms. This time, they would go out alone, riding in an incredibly eye-catching carriage.
The carriage took them to a high-class restaurant in the city's elite districts. It was a wonderful dinner, with grand meals. She enjoyed every moment and laughed with Feicui Long. After that, they went to see a magnificent play performed by great actors, and later that night, they dined at another restaurant with outstanding musicians.
It had been a beautiful day for both of them, but it was impossible for Reiko to hold back forever with her personality. When they entered her house, Reiko could not stop herself from breaking into tears. Feicui Long knew the best thing to do was to let her vent, so he stayed with her, holding her the whole time.
When she finally calmed down, they talked for a while that night about what the future would be like, about when Feicui Long would return for her. Feicui Long answered all her questions, making sure to make one thing clear. Once she became his woman, she would always be his. Feicui Long would never back down. He had not done so when the enemy forces of the Feilou clan outnumbered his, nor when his own brothers surrounded him.
After that, the two spent one last night of passion. It was an incredibly intense passion, the most intense they had ever shared.
…
On the seventh day, he was accompanied by the twins to the market. He bought a carriage with two mares, tamed them, and established a contract with them. He also bought various other things, such as large quantities of food, some useful items like utensil sets, and more.
He also purchased a new image projection artifact. It was better than the one he had before and had a much more refined design. He bought several new educational books to teach the girls later, along with some extra things specifically for them.
Lastly, he bought materials that could be useful for alchemy, refinement, and even inscriptions, as well as some practical items like tracking stones and sound transmission stones. He selected everything in a way that would be useful for various purposes.
…
Finally, when he returned home, everything was already packed inside the spatial bags and two spatial backpacks. There were a total of 10 spatial bags: the 5 he had bought when he first regained his memories, two he had purchased for the twins, two he had obtained by joining the unions, and the one Eltein had given him. He had bought the backpacks from the old man who sold him the spatial bags. Almost everything fit inside, and what was left over, he placed in his collar or in bags inside the carriage.
He helped the girls into the carriage and hurriedly began dismantling everything, from the formations to the furnace and other belongings. He gathered the slimes, golems, and undead, then stepped outside to see that the fat man was already waiting for him. He handed him the keys and the property documents.
He climbed into the carriage along with the twins, who sat on either side of him, and then set the carriage in motion. Along the way, he could see people watching him as they waved goodbye. Many looked at him with sadness. He even spotted the guard commander and a beautiful woman with fiery red hair, tears slightly welling in her eyes as they bid him farewell. He responded by waving his hand, which the twins quickly imitated, and thus they said their goodbyes to this neighborhood and its people.
…
As they were leaving Vienna, Feicui Long turned his head, thinking that whether he had wanted it or not, their destinies were intertwined. This was where Feicui Long had spent 13 years of his life, where his memories awakened, and where his journey began. That was why he made a promise to himself that he would return, sooner or later, no matter the cost, whether as a friend, an ally, or an enemy. Only time could tell... NO, only he could decide.
Because he was the one who ruled over time, space, and dragons. No one else could do it. He was Feicui Long, the Supreme Dragon Sovereign, God of Dragons, Sovereign of the Supreme Time Clan, God of Time and the Time Race, Sovereign of the Supreme Space Clan, God of Space and the Space Race, and he intended to take what was rightfully his.