Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

With the end of an official event, and the next official event still a while away, the stage in the stadium was taken up by many entertainers who either wished to simply showcase their talents or advertise something specific.

Not everyone wanted to see this, so many returned. And yet not everyone had anything else to do either. For these cultivators, a mere two weeks was something they could spend away in the stadium, watching these shows.

The gods were less intent on staying around. Nearly all of them left, with the exception of two. The Alchemy God stayed behind because he had to for a while longer.

And the Puppet God remained behind because she didn't really have any intention to move around. She was quite interested in the plays on stage, so she wasn't entirely bored either.

The Alchemy God talked to the Puppet God, trying to see if she needed anything. Orangeruby could be a handful sometimes.

"I am fine here on my own, Alchemy God. You do not need to wait on me," the Puppet God said before turning around to the rest of the people in the room. "None of you have to. You have my permission to leave."

Many of the people who hadn't left earlier, for fear of offending her, finally departed.

"Then I shall be away for a bit. I will return in some time," the Alchemy God said, ready to leave.

"Wait, I have a question," the Puppet God said, making the Alchemy God stop and turn around.

"Yes?"

"This interview for the alchemists, do you know who will be the interviewer?" the Puppet God asked.

The Alchemy God raised an eyebrow. "I do have an idea," he said. "I think it would be wise that a Fatekeeper do it since they have the wisdom and experience. So I have invited—"

"Starsight, is it?" the Puppet God asked. "I did hear the old woman was here. Why is she not here with us?"

"I'm afraid senior Starsight likes to stay in other VIP rooms by herself. She says it makes it easier for her job."

The Puppet God raised an eyebrow. "You have her divining something, do you?"

The Alchemy God could only put on a smile as a response. "The tournament is unpredictable, so I must have someone on hand to keep major issues from becoming a problem. That is why senior Starsight is here. I'm merely wondering if she may be bored staying in rooms all day and may want to talk to others."

"Having the leader of the Fatekeepers interview mere immortals is certainly a choice though."

The Alchemy God paused for a long moment. "I thought it would be a good idea. Do you suggest otherwise, Puppet God?"

"I never said it was bad. I merely commented on your boldness in this matter," the Puppet God said. "But, if you wish to be bolder, I wouldn't mind questioning these children either. It would be a good use of my time here. And I could know them better and understand who I must root for."

The Alchemy God was quite shocked by the proposition. Throughout this conversation, he hadn't thought this was where it was heading. If a god were to hold the interviews, then...

"My apologies, but I already chose senior Starsight. If things fall through, I will accept your assistance, if your offer still stands by then."

The Puppet God mused on the question for a few moments before nodding. "My offer stands."

The Alchemy God smiled. "Thank you. Now I must leave."

He finally left the chamber, still surprised that he could've had the Puppet God interview his candidates. However, he needed Starsight for this, so he had to reject that offer.

Whitesong made his way to the VIP room where Starsight was staying. He entered and found her in the front row of a mostly empty room, along with a few other Divinities who were simply there to keep her safe while she divined.

The Alchemy God made a gesture, and the Divinities quickly rushed out of the room on his command. The doors were then shut completely, leaving the two in private.

"You have a big issue, Your Majesty," the old woman said, turning to look toward him.

"A big issue?" he asked, scoffing. "I have many issues all the time. It's just one more."

"Well, this one is a little more immediate," the old woman said.

"Okay... we can talk about it afterward. For now, I have some information," the Alchemy God said. "I have found the perfect way to get you close to the participants. I have set up interviews with them, and I want you to interview them. That way, we can once and for all figure out who is causing all these divination issues."

The Alchemy God was pretty excited about his plan. After much thought, he had come up with this decision during the competition and only now had the chance to tell Starsight about it.

However, Starsight seemed unimpressed by the idea, and it showed on her face.

"What? You don't think it's a good idea?" the Alchemy God asked.

The woman grimaced a little. "It's a good idea," she said. "But the issue I'm talking about invalidates all the reasons you're putting me on this task."

"What issue?" the Alchemy God asked, now frowning. "What is possibly going on that you can't do this interview?"

"I cannot divine," the woman said. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire

The Alchemy God paused for a moment. "So? Wasn't that always the issue? That's why I'm getting you close to them."

The old woman quickly shook her head. "No, you don't understand. I cannot divine. I cannot even begin to divine. Something has happened in the past few weeks that I cannot make sense of. Divination was difficult for me throughout this tournament, yes, but now it has gotten way worse.

"If I was looking through a shattered mirror before, trying to find the true reflection, now the mirror has shattered to a point that all I'm left with is powder. My ability to divine hasn't been taken away, and yet I cannot divine anything at all."

The Alchemy God was stunned for a long while, unable to put his thoughts into words.

"I had my difficulties before the competition, but I simply thought it was normal. Now, I'm certain I cannot divine at all. This is a much bigger block than the previous ones."

Whitesong finally nodded. "I see. When did it start?" he asked.

"Before the competition, so... it must be around the time everything was starting to be set up. When the guests began arriving," Starsight said.

"So, when the gods arrived," the Alchemy God asked.

Starsight frowned for a moment. "Could be. But I wouldn't accuse anyone. It could be a Reverend or a Sage as well. We can't just go claiming it was them."

"I know," the Alchemy God said. "And I won't." He sat down on the seat next to him, understanding that he possibly couldn't find any information until most people were gone after the tournament.

"I can still hold this interview for you," Starsight said.

The Alchemy God thought for a moment and shook his head. "If you won't be divining anything, then I have much better candidates in mind for that task."