Headmaster Blake stood up at the sight of Number One and gestured with a smile at the three empty seats by the table, "Come seat down. The food is still fresh so you appeared at the perfect time."
"We would arrive earlier but we had to deal with some issues on the way," Number One commented calmly while holding Nami and Luna's waists. He walked them towards their seats and pulled their chairs one by one without hurrying one bit.
Number One expected the gathering to consist of only three or four people but there were ten experts seated comfortably as they watched them closely. Most of them were near Headmaster Blake's age and they didn't seem to be satisfied with the youngster's presence.
'They must be thinking how come we deserve to dine with them,' Number One pointed out in his mind and sat down while nodding at the mature lady next to him. Even though they didn't think too much of them, Number One treated himself equally no matter if they wanted it or not.
The lady was taken aback by Number One's approach and she joined the rest who were gazing at Headmaster Blake for an explanation. Number One was tempted to take over the lead right away and direct the tone of the evening but they were guests too. It was just a matter of respect to let the host speak first.
"Everyone, you were questioning me earlier about the empty seats and I can finally introduce you to the newest stars of my Academy. Even though they only just came with me today from one of our Selection Academies, their potential for growth is endless," Headmaster Blake spoke excitedly. "I'm confident they will seize the Legacy Student title without a problem and they will shine during the Dragon Summit."
Those words caused the experts to raise their eyebrows but that was it. There was no excitement on their faces but Headmaster Blake wasn't a bit worried. He gestured at Nami and introduced, "Miss Nami has unlimited potential with her Black Talent and her background is just as impressive. She is Miss Black's sister who is a potential candidate to join the Council in the future."
Nami stood up gracefully and bowed ever so slightly to show her respect. The experts immediately changed their expressions and they immediately acknowledged the bow with a nod. They seemed to relax as if they finally understood why the youngsters had a place by the table.
Just the fact that Nami had an Inner World Soul Artist in the family was enough to give her access to the top social circles. Although the Black Feather Family had a bad reputation lately, it didn't change their history of originating from the Inner World. The power it gave could be proven by the expert's reaction.
"The Winged Soul Academy finally secured a student with a Black Talent and before the Dragon Summit at that. I'm really looking forward to seeing your performance." An old man seating the nearest to Headmaster Blake's side stroked his beard while nodding at Nami and withdrew a gold metal token. "I'm an owner of the White Lotus Auction Houses which are the biggest and most resourceful in the Capital. If you need to buy anything, just use this token and you will be treated like a V.I.P client at any of my locations."
The other experts rolled their eyes and the lady by Number One's side rolled her eyes. "Biggest and most resourceful? Don't make us laugh. I had a client who wanted to buy a Jade Thunder Root from you and you failed to deliver. He only managed to get it after coming over to my Silver Spring House. You might have the largest number of stores but your connections with the Inner World can't compare to us. It's quality over quantity old man."
The old man squinted his eyes but the lady ignored his tantrum as she took out her own token and placed it in front of Number One. "Please keep this token for Miss Nami. I will personally provide the service when you visit my Silver Spring House during the Dragon Summit. Although we are small, there is nothing we can't do."
Number One pursed his lips as he already noticed the lady staring at his Heavenly Feather Tattoo. She was one of the younger-looking guests but one could tell she went through a lot to get to sit by the table with all those influential figures. Being a businesswoman was tough knowing how male-dominated it was.
'Does it always happen whenever people find out about your background?' Number One wondered as he collected the token.
'Yes, but I don't mind it. If we can enjoy special benefits for free then why shouldn't we?' Nami replied casually and Number One couldn't agree more. As long as they didn't need to give anything in return, it didn't hurt to take advantage of such gifts.
"As you probably noticed, I'm Nami's partner so wherever I go, she will follow as well," Number One spoke calmly while displaying his tattoo in the open. "We will naturally need a lot of rare resources in the future so if any of you welcome high volume business, you can leave your V.I.P tokens with me. We will for sure choose your locations over others."
Number One couldn't present them with a more obvious green light and it didn't take long to receive six more tokens from the rest. It didn't cost them anything and they could not only bring business to their company but also befriend a potential powerhouse in the future.
The experts were naturally trying to sell their own services to the best of their ability but Headmaster Blake broke their sudden discussions. "Are you going to let me finish the introduction so I can finally sit down?"
Everyone was interested in Nami but they quietened down to gaze at Luna who was sitting next to her. "The next of my top students is Luna who is an exceptional swordsman with a Red Talent. Her ability to master Soul Arts is one of a kind as she only needed less than a minute to master the Edged Soul Wings. I know her parents very well and both of them already decided to Ascend."
Everyone nodded in approval but they clearly weren't as impressed compared to Nami. All the guests could already Ascend to the Inner World if they wanted to but they just chose not to. They preferred to stay at the top of the food chain in the Outer World instead of starting over from the bottom.
As soon as Luna stood up to greet the guests, one of the three middle-aged men who were silent this whole time spoke out, "Your students are all impressive but when are we going to talk about the Legendary Alchemist? You told us you will give us more information today."
Headmaster Blake gazed at the three men in black leather gear and introduced them to Number One, "Those three gentlemen are the members of an elite Hunting Guild in the Inner World. They came to the Academy after hearing about our cooperation with the Legendary Alchemist. They want to ask him to craft their pills since only he can do it."
Every guest was taken aback by Headmaster Blake's words and especially the three members of the Hunting Guild. "Why are you explaining our matters to your student?"
"Because he is one who will provide you more information today," Headmaster Blake replied simply and Number One finally stood up to take over the lead.
"I guess you all thought of me as nothing else than Nami's partner but I'm here to surprise you," Number One announced while taking out a vial of ten pills with a blue glow. "I'm Number One, the person you all gathered here for. Legendary Alchemist was never in the picture, to begin with."
"What you mean?" the Hunting Guild members questioned with a frown but Number One only passed the vial to the Silver Spring lady.
"Take one pill for yourself and pass the vial over to the next person. That's a supreme tier Heaven Rank pill that I made and it will help you cross your bottleneck," Number One instructed calmly. "You can consider this a gift from me for the confusion we caused."
Everyone took the pill one by one as it was too irresistible to reject a supreme tier pill but they were still unclear on what was going on. Headmaster Blake was also surprised at the scene but he seemed to understand Number One's motives as he added, "I already received a similar pill and it helped me break through today. I'm officially Soul Saint rank thanks to it so you don't need to worry if you want it for yourself."
Number One created a total of twelve pills when crafting one for Headmaster Blake so he didn't mind gifting the rest of them over. It would definitely ease the uproar he was about cause ever so slightly.
"You are saying you made those pills?" the Hunter Guild member questioned in disbelief while standing up. "What games are you playing? Are you saying you faked working with the Legendary Alchemist to bring us here and it was this kid all along?"
Number One didn't get mad at all and simply took out a golden mask before placing it on the table. "The kid you are talking to was once Legendary Alchemist's disciple. I already surpassed his skills and since there is nothing he can teach me anymore, I decided to leave and work on my own. I'm the only person in the world who can make your pills and if you don't want to work with me, you can wait forever until the Legendary Alchemist appears. The choice is yours."