Chapter Thirty-Nine: Fireworks

The day after returning from the Liberty, Gong Hao went to find Andrew.

“Lord Andrew.”

“Hey, Huey, why aren’t you keeping our little princess company? What brings you to my room?” Andrew greeted Gong Hao with a smile.

“It’s like this, my lord. A few days ago, I overheard Lancelot mention something about spirit seeds and a spatial gate, and I found it very peculiar. In my work, I’ve never come across any records about such things. So I wished to ask you about them.”

Andrew’s brow furrowed. “Why do you want to know about spirit seeds?”

“You know that alchemy never exists in isolation. Even if there are different branches, they all influence one another. I’ve hit a dead end in my research into the flesh puppets, so I hoped to explore other areas and perhaps find a breakthrough.”

“No, you don’t need to know anything about that.” Andrew refused him flatly. This was the first time he had so resolutely denied one of Gong Hao’s requests.

Perhaps seeing the disappointment on Gong Hao’s face, Andrew tried to reassure him. “Trust me, Huey, this is for your own good.”

“Yes, my lord. If that’s the case, I’ll take my leave now.”

Gong Hao left Andrew’s room.

Afterwards, Gong Hao made his way to Pierre’s room.

“Lord Pierre.”

“What is it, Grier?”

“It’s like this—you know when Lord Lancelot returned a few days ago, he was injured and took his anger out on you. I don’t think that’s fair.”

“That’s my business. No need for you to worry about it.” Pierre seemed unmoved by Gong Hao’s concern.

“Yes, my lord.” Gong Hao repeated what he had said to Andrew.

Then he added, “Lord Andrew refused to let me study spirit seeds and told me not to ask about it again. But my curiosity remains, so I’ve come to ask you instead, without his knowledge.”

Pierre considered this for a moment, then nodded. “I heard from my mentor that he once told you about the dimensional gate.”

“Yes. I suspect the Hell’s Gate Lord Lancelot mentioned is that very thing, but I never imagined there was one here on Purgatory Island as well.”

“That’s not surprising. There are many such places, but they’re riddled with energy storms—no one can enter or leave easily. Spirit seeds come from another world. Strictly speaking, they don’t belong to the realm of alchemy; it’s only because they’re on Purgatory Island that we’re responsible for cultivating them.”

“Cultivating?”

“Yes, cultivating. Spirit seeds must be implanted in the body of a magical beast to grow. They thrive as parasites, and when mature become a formidable weapon. Since they’re living beings and not strictly alchemical in nature, we didn’t inform you, nor would they aid you in your work. But if you’re interested, I wouldn’t mind giving you a spirit seed for research.”

“I see. I understand now. But since Lord Andrew doesn’t want me involved, perhaps I should reconsider. I’ll take my leave.”

Pierre shot Gong Hao a meaningful glance but said nothing.

After leaving Pierre’s room, Gong Hao went to see Heinz.

He raised the same question once more. “Master Heinz, I think I’ve made a mistake. Lord Andrew refused to let me study the spirit seeds, but Lord Pierre was willing to give me one and explained a little about them. Now I don’t know what to do. Maybe I shouldn’t have persisted after Lord Andrew’s refusal. I’m troubled, because I don’t wish to upset any of the lords, nor make them dissatisfied with me. But now my words can’t be taken back, so I’ve come to ask your advice.”

“I see,” Heinz said after a pause.

He thought for a long time before speaking. “Andrew is right. He’s only looking out for you by forbidding you to study them. You’d better not pursue it. Bringing the same request to two different lords was inappropriate, but at least you realize your error and have reported it to me. Let’s leave it at that. Go tell Pierre you’ve decided to obey Andrew’s orders and not research the spirit seeds. Then the matter will be over.”

“Yes, Master.”

Leaving Heinz’s room, Gong Hao let out a long sigh of relief.

It was only Pierre—only Pierre who suspected him.

That was his conclusion.

It was a natural line of reasoning. Because Andrew trusted him, he would never allow him near the spirit seeds, preventing him from uncovering any possible secrets.

By the same logic, it was Pierre’s suspicion that led him to toss out a small bait to test Gong Hao’s reaction.

Heinz was similar—he seemed even more cautious than Andrew, not granting unconditional trust, but on the whole, he appreciated Gong Hao and wanted to protect him. So he, too, had refused to let Gong Hao study the spirit seeds.

Because they believed the secret was safe, they refused him, which brought Gong Hao great relief.

Both Heinz and Andrew believed Gong Hao’s talent lay in his focus, and that same focus meant he would never notice anything unrelated to his work.

As for Bailey, his understanding likely stemmed from their secret dealings. Heinz and Andrew only saw Gong Hao’s dedication to his work; Bailey saw much more, and so could easily judge that Gong Hao had already uncovered Purgatory Island’s secrets. Yet, because the stakes were so high, none of them would ever speak the truth aloud.

Pierre’s suspicion, on the other hand, was less about logic and more about his inherently distrustful nature.

Even so, that made Pierre a threat to Gong Hao.

There would always be a way to deal with Pierre, Gong Hao mused quietly.

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To deal with a person, one must first understand them.

Gong Hao returned to his room and opened the file on Pierre.

Bailey had spent nearly half a year gathering this information.

Pierre was forty-six this year. Twenty years ago, he was a magic teacher at Wellington School of Magic, assisting the great alchemist Heinz and teaching students alchemy. Before that, he had merely been an ordinary apprentice—by contrast with Andrew’s noble lineage, Pierre’s background was far more humble.

But Pierre was not content with his lot. He worked twice as hard and in the end won Heinz’s recognition. At twenty, he had already made a major breakthrough in potion making, and was considered the most promising successor to Heinz.

At only twenty-six, Pierre was young and successful, riding high after years of hard work and finally achieving greatness.

Why would a man like that abandon a brilliant future to follow Heinz to this little island and bury his life here?

Was it truly out of love for alchemy? Gong Hao did not believe it.

He, too, loved scholarly research. But to be confined for a lifetime—he doubted he would accept such a fate.

Heinz was different—a true alchemical fanatic, with no family or attachments, at least according to the records. Andrew had been forced to sacrifice himself for his family’s needs. But what about Pierre? What had brought him to Purgatory Island?

Perhaps a clue could be found in the next section of the file.

At age twenty-five, when Heinz decided to withdraw from his official duties to devote himself to research, the position of head mentor of the alchemy department was left vacant. At the time, Pierre was the most likely successor.

Yet that year, Pierre did not become head mentor. Quite the opposite—he even lost his teaching position and could only remain as Heinz’s assistant.

What had happened to prevent Pierre from becoming head mentor, and soon after, to make him follow Heinz to Purgatory Island?

Of interest, Bailey had appended several incidents that occurred at the academy during Pierre’s tenure.

Reading Bailey’s descriptions of those incidents, Gong Hao’s eyes narrowed.

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“Avril, are you happy?”

In the forest, Gong Hao asked his little princess.

It was the first time he’d shown such concern for her happiness, and Avril seemed almost overwhelmed by the attention.

“Of course, Huey. You know I love being with you—hearing your stories, about princesses and princes, about magical beasts in the forest… So many tales, and I love them all.” The girl’s expression was blissful.

“But you’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”

Avril’s face fell. “That old scoundrel Heinz told me yesterday that I must leave Purgatory Island within three days. He said I was stealing his most talented apprentice.”

She looked at Gong Hao with pleading eyes. “Huey, if only you weren’t so talented.”

“If that were true, perhaps you wouldn’t enjoy being with me so much.”

“But I don’t want to leave you.”

“Maybe I can talk to him for you?”

“How?”

“I could tell Master Heinz that I’ll continue my work every day and only come to see you after I’m done. That way, you won’t interfere with my duties. Perhaps he’ll agree to let you stay longer. After all, you are a princess—he can’t be too harsh.”

“But if that’s the case, I’ll be lonely during the day.” Avril pouted.

“Maybe I can help you with that loneliness.”

“Do you have another fun idea?” Avril grew excited.

Gong Hao smiled and nodded. “Yes, Avril. I’ve spent a lot of effort on this, just for you. Look.”

He produced a small, slender tube and handed it to Avril.

“What is this?”

“A firework. Just a little trinket, nothing grand, but I thought you’d like it.”

Gong Hao gently removed the cap and used a tiny magical flame to light the end.

A burst of red fire shot from the tube skyward, exploding with a crack into countless sparkling lights—like a fountain of fire cascading through the night.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Avril cried in delight.

More red and blue flames followed, blossoming like enormous fiery flowers, scattering the mist and illuminating the darkness with a breathtaking, romantic spectacle.

The sight was so stunning that even those in the castle were captivated, unable to fathom who could weave such beauty in the sky.

But after a moment, the fireworks were spent, the brilliance fading as quickly as it had come, leaving only wistful sighs behind.

“There’s no more, Huey?” Avril asked, reluctant to let go.

“No, that’s all. Fireworks are like shooting stars—flashing their most beautiful moment, then vanishing in an instant,” Gong Hao said wistfully. “Their lives are brief, but so beautiful… There are many feelings in this world that are the same. I made this especially for you. It took me a lot of effort.”

“You’re a genius, Huey. You always have been,” Avril gazed at Gong Hao in adoration.

“If you’d like, I can make you more. When I’m working, you can set off fireworks and think of me, and wait for me to come find you. I’m sure Master Heinz will allow you to stay longer, as long as you don’t disturb my work.”

Avril nodded eagerly, overjoyed.

“You must make me lots and lots of fireworks,” she told Gong Hao. “That way, when you’re not with me, when I’m lonely, the fireworks will keep me company. And the stories, the wonderful stories you tell me—they’ll always be with me.”

She spoke like a wife awaiting her husband’s return each night.

Gong Hao was momentarily stunned, realizing the princess’s feelings for him were growing at a startling pace, while he desperately tried to avoid them—or even take advantage of her.

Suppressing a wave of guilt, he said, “To make enough fireworks, I’ll need materials. Many of them are in Lord Pierre’s laboratory. You know if he discovers I used his supplies for something so frivolous, he’ll be very unhappy.”

“We can sneak them out without him knowing,” the princess replied carelessly.

“Yes, Avril, that’s just what I was thinking. But if he notices something’s missing…”

“Then just say it was me. I’m a princess—I don’t care what he thinks.”

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, when Lord Pierre isn’t around, you’ll come with me to steal supplies. I need your help, Avril.”