Charles thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. ’Why the hell is that author here??’

It wasn’t time for a meal yet. He hadn’t even messaged Sean to come over, had he?

It was all so unexpected that it took a few moments for Charles’s brain to catch up.

’Could this guy be the super-genius my Master was talking about? The one who advanced from Tier One to Tier Two within half a month?’

’Wait, when did Sean have his Breakthrough? How could I not have known??’

Charles’s eyes widened as he stared at Sean. "You..."

He had been about to say, "Why didn’t you tell me, again?" but he’d only gotten a single word out before Lante interrupted him with a frown.

"What do you mean, ’You’?"

"What do I normally teach you?"

"Where have your manners gone?"

This barrage of three soul-searching questions left Charles speechless.

Lante was very perceptive. She could tell at a glance that her apprentice seemed to know Sean. That was a good thing. But knowing someone was one thing; this was a formal occasion, not a private get-together. Sean was her guest, which naturally made him Charles’s guest as well. What kind of attitude should one have toward a guest? What form of address should one use?

Watching Sean desperately trying to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up, Charles’s face flushed red. But with his Master watching him, there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to lower his head and say respectfully, "Mr. Sean."

"My apologies. I was out of line just now."

Sean said nonchalantly, "No matter. Find a place to sit."

He had the noble air of the master of the house.

Charles: "..."

’AAAAAHHH!’

’Damn it, he’s putting on an act!’

Charles was furious. No matter how he looked at it, Sean’s smug face was just begging to be punched. And yet, there was nothing Charles could do about him. He could only swallow his anger, shoot Sean a vicious glare, and then sit down obediently to one side. Taking a notebook from his bag, he prepared to observe his Master’s Alchemy.

With everyone present, Lante wasted no more time and took out the ingredients and the pot she had brought for the day.

Unlike the clay pot and rice cooker Charles had bought from a supermarket, Lante’s Alchemy tools were clearly a cut above—

It was a gorgeous, uniquely shaped, fully automatic rice cooker that could be powered by Magic Power.

Fully automatic "home appliances" were a rare sight in this day and age.

It was even inlaid with gems and Crystals, exuding an aristocratic aura. It must have cost at least several hundred thousand.

The entire Alchemy process went very smoothly. After all, she was a renowned Alchemy Master and Witch, so the much-anticipated spectacle of an exploding pot never occurred. The only issue was that the atmosphere in the room was a bit too quiet—disconcertingly so.

Lante had to focus on concocting the Magic Potion, so she naturally had no time for small talk.

And Charles, who was here to learn, had to appear sufficiently focused, lest he get an earful.

So it was normal for the two of them not to be speaking.

But for Sean and the other two to also be silent—that wasn’t normal at all.

The fireplace by the wall and the rice cooker sizzled quietly.

Sean and Elvire sat on the same sofa, one on the far left, the other on the far right, with a brown leather throw pillow between them.

He had just told Lante that Elvire wouldn’t be so petty, but the young woman immediately proved him wrong with her actions—a girl’s temper wasn’t so easy to predict.

When he turned his head to start a conversation with Elvire, she had already put on her headphones and was playing on her phone, as if nothing in the room had anything to do with her. She couldn’t care less what happened.

’I might not have the right to tell Sean what to do, but don’t I have the right to control myself?’

’If he wants to play with fire, let him. I’m not getting involved.’

Sean: "..."

He looked at the young woman, who was seemingly engrossed in her phone, and hesitated. He wanted to speak, then stopped himself, then wanted to speak again.

’On the one hand,’ he thought, ’I haven’t done anything wrong, have I? Why is she ignoring me?’

’On the other hand, as her brother-in-law, I should probably give in to my sister-in-law and try to cheer her up.’

’But if I actually do that, it’ll make me look like I’m the one in the wrong.’

’It’d be like admitting I was wrong.’

’I just made a choice most people would make. What’s there to be angry about?’

He was so conflicted.

Sean had a habit: when faced with two options he didn’t like, he created a third.

And so, he decided to stop caring, too.

’It’s just a little sulking, isn’t it?’

’As if anyone couldn’t do that.’

"Hmph."

Elvire: "?"

She gave Sean a baffled look. ’What are you hmphing about?’

Sean shot back a defiant look. ’What’s it to you?’

Elvire: "?"

’You stubborn jerk!’

And so, she also let out a "hmph," turned her head away, and resolved not to acknowledge him again until her anger had subsided!

Watching the two of them bicker from the sidelines, Elise couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. They reminded her of the squabbling young lovers in a teen romance film.

Elise completely understood why Elvire was angry. The young woman didn’t want Sean to risk his own well-being, as it could endanger his life.

In truth, Sean had done this kind of thing before. Or rather, it was his signature style to do things that seemed reckless.

That’s how it was in the Black Fruit Rainforest, and that’s how it was at the book signing.

Until they knew the final outcome, neither she nor Elvire could be sure whether Sean would overcome the challenges. Even though the man always managed to surprise them, they couldn’t help but worry when it was warranted.

Before, Elvire hadn’t gotten angry, because their relationship hadn’t reached that stage yet.

But it was different now.

As the saying goes, caring clouds one’s judgment.

If you weren’t close to someone, why would you care what they did?

Previously, Elise might have tried to mediate; she had always been a proponent of harmony and friendship. But now, their relationship was in a very delicate state—perhaps it was something more than just friendship. If she, a third party, were to rashly intervene, she would likely offend one of them, regardless of whose side she took. She might even get burned in the process. She wasn’t about to take on such a thankless task.

It wasn’t that she just wanted to sit back and watch the drama unfold.

Well, maybe just a little.

The main thing was that life is long, and there would be plenty of opportunities to torment each other in the future. If they couldn’t get past a small tiff like this, they might as well calm down and just be ordinary friends.

In any case, Elise didn’t try to intervene this time.

And without her there to act as a social lubricant, the strange atmosphere persisted for the entire day.

By the time Lante finished concocting the Magic Potions, Sean and Elvire were still giving each other the silent treatment.

"This bottle is the Dragon Flame Potion. It’s to test your heat resistance."

"This bottle is the Dragon Frost Potion, to test your cold resistance."

"This is Scorpion Poison Soup, to test your poison resistance."

"And there’s Evil Spirit Water, Bad Blood Wine, Rotting Spores..."

Lante pointed to the freshly made bottles and jars, introducing them to Sean one by one.

These were the preparations that had to be made before he could formally take the High-Potency Magic Potion.

If Sean could either be immune to or withstand all the negative effects of these Magic Potions, then the next step was a Breakthrough to Tier Three!

Today was the first Day of Abstinence.

Everyone was supposed to be doing whatever they liked, but for one reason or another, they were all busy with things related to Sean.

To help Sean better develop his potential, Elvire had invited Lante for him.

Lante, in turn, had put a great deal of effort into this set of Magic Potions and had summoned Charles to observe and learn.

Charles wasn’t sure if he had learned anything, only that Sean had thoroughly upstaged him. His mind was completely occupied with one thought: ’How did this guy suddenly reach Tier Two...?’

Elise was busy as well.

Sean was going to be staying in Alola Town for an extended period, and they couldn’t just let him keep sleeping in a patient room without any personal space. She had to find a proper residence for him.

Then there was Sopea, far away in Krim State, striving to have a Breakthrough to Tier Six just to give Sean a piece of her mind.

And in an undisclosed location...

Sean’s personal information was placed into a file folder.

With a gloomy expression, Zajik took this file and entered Elderidge Cathedral.

...