Legendary Soul Art

Miss Black didn't know how much did her words affect Number One. Was this a coincidence that his self-proclaimed Master stopped making pills the moment Number One stole the golden crystal?

Knowing that the golden cauldron was only making supreme tier pills, it was clear that his Master was actively using it. Number One couldn't help but recall the scenes from his past and suddenly question his miraculous finding. How come a legendary treasure of this caliber was placed in the treasury room completely unprotected?

'Was I tricked…?' Number One wondered with his whole worldview collapsing. He thought his Master was still unaware of his possession of the golden crystal but it seemed impossible to stay oblivious.

His younger self didn't think too much about the situation as Number One only wanted to survive but now it all made sense. The treasury room in his Master's mansion wasn't even locked and no guards were present either. It seemed like his Master knew everything this whole time and wanted him to steal the crystal.

'What happened?' Nami questioned curiously after noticing his expression change multiple times. 'Did you figure out something about your Master?'

Only Nami knew the truth so she was able to deduct some information from his messy thoughts.

'I feel like my whole world has been flipped upside down,' Number One replied as he tried to calm down. 'My Master has been behind everything that happened in my life. Everything makes sense now. The escape, the training, and all the challenges. It was all him.'

'Huh? What do you mean?' Nami questioned while reaching out to caress Number One's face. 'Are you saying your Master knows that you took his treasure?'

'Not only does he know about it, but he must have also planted it himself so I can take it,' Number One explained with mixed emotions. 'I must have been delusional to think that I'm this lucky. Everything in my life is actually planned by that man. All the opponents I faced were just strong enough to push me to my limits and never enough to completely crush me.'

Nami only stared at Number One in disbelief. 'You really believe one man could direct every choice in your life? What about me then? Am I also planted into your life?'

Number One opened his eyes wide as he glanced between Miss Black and Nami. That small grain of doubt she planned quickly bloomed into another suspicion. 'I don't really know anymore. Did anyone in the main Academy tell you to meet me here? It's too big of a coincidence that you appeared with your sister right at the start of the selection.'

'Baby, no one told us to do anythin—' Nami tried to assure Number One but she stopped herself halfway while looking up at her sister. 'Wait for a second… I remember my sister talking to this Academy Official before we left for the Selection Academy…'

They both gazed at Miss Black who finally realized they had been talking behind her back. "What? Why are you both staring at me? We still have a few mountains to cross."

"Sis, do you remember this Academy Official you talked to in the main Academy? What did she tell you?" Nami questioned innocently without revealing the problem.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Miss Black asked back while squinting her eyes. "She noticed we were struggling in finding your partner so she just suggested we visit the Selection Academy. I originally rejected her idea but she said they discovered a handsome teen who is already at the Soul Grandmaster rank. I decided to take this chance and here we are now."

'See?' Number One pointed out as if that proved everything. 'My Master is pulling strings from the shadows like it's a game. It just happened that I needed someone like you to pass the Final Test so he led you to me.'

'Even if that was true, how can he possibly know that I will end up liking you? He can't just predict the future,' Nami wondered in confusion.

'Maybe he just leads people in my direction with various tips and then leaves it all to fate. When his plan fails, he can always think of something else,' Number One guessed as he started to believe his theory more and more. 'I wouldn't be surprised if this whole special training was also orchestrated by him.'

'Now you are stretching it…' Nami muttered in worry but Number One was fully serious.

'Look, your sister has been collecting Soul Herbs for years so it's not a secret that she plans to make a Soul Shattering Pill. If my Master knew she was searching for the Emerald Milk, he could tip both the hunting team and your sister. This way we were bound to clash again and I could potentially strike a deal with her,' Number One explained with his eyes brightening. 'It's so easy to prove too. We just need to ask them how they found out about this location.'

Nami started to slowly get anxious about the whole situation while Miss Black scolded them for staying silent. "Are you talking to each other with your connection? Why did you question me all of a sudden? Is there a problem?"

"We were just wondering what led to our first meeting. I suddenly thought that my Master might be secretly helping me from the shadows by sending Nami to me," Number One revealed honestly. He was so confident in his conspiracy theory that he was willing to share some details to prove his point.

"How did you come to that conclusion? You think the Academy Official is working for your Master?" Miss Black questioned with a chuckle. "Are you high from high altitude?"

"He might even know about our cooperation already. He might be watching us right now too," Number One doubled down. "Just recall how you learned about this location. How did you know you can find Emerald Milk here?"

Miss Black opened her mouth but she didn't reply right away. She paused while thinking for a moment and her eyes opened wide. "Now that I think about it, that's indeed strange. I found out about it by visiting the Auction House. They initially didn't know anything, only to call me thirty minutes later saying that someone just sold their information about Emerald Milk."

"That's what I'm talking about. You can ask Captain Jack about it and I'm sure he would have a similar story," Number One said confidently. "It seems like my master wanted us to cooperate which is why he informed both parties about it."

That conclusion caused Miss Black to smile happily. "Isn't that perfect? If it's true, it means that he already agreed to make the pill for me. Let's question Captain Jack to confirm it!"

Miss Black didn't wait for their response and suddenly launched forward excitedly. They quickly disappeared from the view of the lake which caused a sudden movement in the water. If only they returned back, they would notice a slim figure resurface from the bottom of the lake.

"So you finally discovered it…" A soft female voice came out from behind a golden mask. The lady gazed in Number One's direction through the hole for her right eye and a pair of golden wings spread from her back.

"Your fate is already sealed Number One. You can't stop your destiny…"