Rise of the Alchemy God

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Hearing this, Ethan couldn't help but smile and say:

"Oh? It seems that things between you are progressing better than I expected.

Are you even sharing information on what missions you're taking on?"

Da Shu didn't blush or react otherwise to this remark.

In fact, he had a proud look on his face as he said:

"Well, of course, I've already said that sooner or later, it will fall to me.

It's just a matter of time.

If you want, I can give you some advice on how to court someone.

With that handsome face of yours, it won't be hard to find a girl or a boy.

I don't know what your preferences are."

He said it as if he were a senior giving life advice to his juniors.

Ethan, who was thinking of teasing him a bit, had to back down.

'Nevermind; it's better if we return to the main topic.'

And as if he had read Ethan's mind, Da Shu changed his expression to a more serious one.

"Listen, I know you're right.

I wouldn't get there before the rescue team, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't be much help.

But that's not the point.

I don't know why, but I have a feeling that things aren't going to end well."

Hearing this, Ethan also became a bit serious.

Normally, he wouldn't take things like a bad feeling seriously, but after spending so much time in this world, he discovered that what people called the sixth sense or feelings weren't necessarily vague and imaginary, as they were thought to be in his world.

In this world, even small things had a reason behind them.

Concepts like karma or divine punishment existed in this world, especially in the Celestial Realm.

In the few times he had conversed with Bai Yu about her origins, he had learned about these facts as well.

He wasn't yet sure how it all worked, but if even a being like her thought such things shouldn't be taken lightly, who was he to contradict?

Ethan initially didn't want to come and was thinking of knocking Da Shu out with a sneak attack and dragging him back.

But then, who was he to decide what was best for him?

Da Shu was already 20, in other words, an adult.

He didn't need Ethan to babysit him.

Ethan was always used to thinking rationally and tried to avoid unnecessary trouble.

That said, he considered Da Shu a real friend, and as much as he wanted to ignore the issue, he couldn't, so he decided at least to confirm his friend's plans.

And as the older person, even if only by two years, he would have felt responsible if something happened to him.

In a way, it was his way of soothing his concern.

But now, with this new information, he wasn't so sure about acting as he had planned.

In the end, he sighed in defeat and said,

"Haa, fine, but I'll come with you."

In the end, Da Shu accepted Ethan's participation, and they both set off.

As they descended the mountain at a moderate pace, Ethan couldn't help but ask about the incident's location.

He discovered that the escort mission involved accompanying a wealthy merchant on a business trip to Goldstone, a mining city north of the Phoenix Kingdom.

The city's name was mainly due to its proximity to rich gold mines, but the city didn't only extract gold.

From iron to copper, many other metals and precious stones were mined in the area around the city.

It was also one of the major producers of spiritual stones in the Phoenix Kingdom.

The merchant could certainly afford some mercenaries or a better escort than a few disciples at the first stage of cultivation.

Ethan wondered why he hadn't done so.

According to Da Shu, the route from the Sun City to Goldstone was relatively safe and mostly free of danger.

His family had also done business with the mining city, so he knew a thing or two about it.

It was precisely for this reason that he had a feeling something was off.

If a route that normally posed no dangers was the one the disciples were on, how could they have been forced to send not a regular help request but a red talisman?

Even Ethan, hearing this new information, felt there was something decidedly wrong with the situation.

But he still believed it should be okay; after all, an elder from the sect at the fourth stage of cultivation had been sent.

An existence of that level was considered nearly a superpower in any realm.

With their speed, they would likely reach the incident site in less than half a day, meaning they should almost be there.

He and Da Shu would probably take at least another 5 hours.

He wouldn't have been surprised if, upon arrival, everything had already been resolved.

That was if the disciples were still alive.

The exact location from where the signal talisman had been sent was an area of the path to Goldstone that passed through the Spirit Forest.

The part he and Da Shu had visited some time ago was only the outer area, and it was in that same area that he had his incident with that beast at the mid-stage of Level 1.

The path had been built on the east side of the Spirit Forest, where the forest was less dense, and being near a lake, the view was better, reducing the risk of encountering a powerful beast.

Ethan really hoped that upon their arrival, they wouldn't find anything unpleasant.

At his current level, he was more than capable of rivaling someone at the same stage of cultivation, regardless of whether they were at the peak or not.

After training for a long time with Bai Yu, Ethan felt at least confident enough to face enemies of this level.

Beyond that, it was simply still too much for him.

'I hope I don't regret this decision later.'

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FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR:

Here's today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

As usual, if you have any comments, suggestions, or errors to report, don't hesitate to do so below.

See you tomorrow with another chapter.