Kiaria looked at their faces.
Excitement flickered in their eyes – but beneath it, tension lingered. The transformation had strengthened them, yet the weight of expectation had settled just as quickly.
"Cheer up," Kiaria said.
The words were simple.
But to them, it sounded less like comfort and more like a reminder.
Kiaria himself had not fully understood why the pavilion chambers were empty, nor the exact structure of responsibility that awaited them. Yet when the Golden Willow embraced him earlier, fragments of understanding had flowed quietly into his consciousness.
He watched their eagerness carefully before speaking again.
"Geng," he began, "you must learn alchemy well."
Geng straightened instinctively.
"Alchemy exists in three forms – pill, concoction, and essence. The books I gave you contain knowledge of medicinal plants and their properties. Study them thoroughly."
He paused briefly.
