The Silly Alchemist

“We’re talking about... Wait, who is this human? Is this...” They began to answer the question when the noticed the question came from a human teenager.

Yep, this was the legendary ‘Master’, proven by the three girls around him- Tigress, Athen and Taeya whom everyone knew.

“Taiya, you’ve finally made time to come!” sneered one of the people at the meeting.

Tigress shook her head. “Not really, but I have no choice.”

“...” The other person was speechless for a moment, not expecting this answer at all. She literally admitted to not wanting to come.

Ye Lang saw him too, though when his eyes landed on this important person, Ye Lang’s eyes never left.

“What are you looking at?!” huffed the important person. He had already disliked Ye Lang before this for distracting his daughter, now the kid is staring at him?!

“I’m looking at you...” Ye Lang replied honestly.

“What’s there to look at?”

This kid’s gotta stop whatever he’s doing.

Ye Lang smiled. “Your head’s what I’m looking at!”

“...”

Well, he was indeed looking at his tiger head.

The man couldn’t help but lift his chin a little higher, looking haughty for a moment... though his moment was about to be ruined.

“Are you wearing a mask?” Ye Lang asked.

“Eh?!” the important person gasped.

“Master...” Tigress subtly tugged at him. She knew what he was about to ask.

“Your tiger mask looks amazing, very realistic! Can you get me one too?”

“...”

“Mask?! This is my head, MY HEAD!” he roared... Then realised he had lost his composure and immediately rearranged himself.

Breathe... Breathe... How can I lose my cool over a human kid...

“Your head? Really?” Ye Lang asked.

“Yes, absolutely!” he was proud too. His head was the source of his pride. Them beastmen were not just magnificent, they were powerful!

“You look exactly like an animal from this angle, you don’t have any human traits at all!” Ye Lang blurted.

“...”

“Master, please be polite. He’s the chief of the tiger tribe and he’s also my father!” said Tigress gently, revealing this person’s identity and also her own.

“The chief? Your father? Tigress, aren’t you the princess then?” Ye Lang asked, stunned. He didn’t care about anything else other than Tigress.

As one of the largest tribes of the beastmen, the tiger tribe was as powerful as a large nation. This meant Tigress was from a very powerful background.

“I guess, though we’re different from humans. The chief’s daughter does not have any privileges, we all have to rely on our own strengths,” she nodded.

As per her words, the beastmen did not just look at bloodlines, an individual’s capabilities were more important!

Of course, being the chief’s daughter made things easier sometimes. It was easier for her to stand out from the crowd and would have more access to opportunities than other people.

Then again, she had the protection of her father if anything happened to her so it wasn’t true she didn’t have any privileges.

“Oh, I see! I have a question. Why do you both look so different? Is he really your father?” Ye Lang asked very directly. This was what he thought, something many people wondered too.

There were too many differences between them, from their looks to their animal characteristics. Other than her ears and tail, Tigress did not have any other outer, physical animal characteristics.

Her stature was far different from his too. Her father was tall and muscular, she was short and just adorable.

How could they be related at all?

“Master... You’ve read books about beastmen, you should know...” huffed Tigress. She didn’t scold him despite the idiotic remark he just made.

“I have! According to historical records, ancient beastmen didn’t just have tiger heads, they could literally be half an animal! However, most of the beastmen resembled humans now, and bear fewer animal features. Most only have the ears and the tail. Your father’s features are very rare! Also, if he’s the father, it’s also very rare for him to produce a child like you. You’re both too different...” Ye Lang was still very suspicious. For the first time in her life, Tigress wanted to smack him.

Only gently...

“...” The chief was silent. There was a flash of an odd expression but he immediately raged, “You, boy, who are you to question us? You’ve got to answer to me first, we’ve got unfinished business! You’ve got nerve questioning me, son!”

“Sorry, what?” Ye Lang didn’t understand. “I’m sure this is the first time I’ve met you, what do you mean unfinished business?”

“I’m talking about my daughter! What drug did you use on my daughter, I can’t believe she gave up this opportunity all for you!” roared the chief.

“??” Ye Lang was very confused, he didn’t know what the chief was talking about at all.

At this point, Tigress spoke up. “Father, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve never even wanted to go in the first place!”

“Tigress, what are you talking about?” asked Ye Lang.

“Kid, haven’t you figured it out already? This mock war was for us to pick a few people to send to the City of Beast Gods, for cultivation!” explained the chief.

“City of Beast Gods? The mysterious city that only appears once in a century?” asked Ye Lang.

“Indeed! This is the pride of the beastmen, a place everyone dreams of visiting. I have trained there myself, that place is... What I mean is, this place would be very useful for their life ahead!” said the chief.

Ye Lang finally understood what Athena was referring to when she said Tigress was giving up this opportunity. Tigress had given up the opportunity to enter the City of Beast Gods.

Every hundred years, the mysterious city would appear and open their gates to welcome the representatives of the beastmen. Other than high-level officials who participated in prayer rituals, a group of talented young adults would be sent into the city too. After the prayers were complete, they would stay to cultivate their inner strengths and capabilities.