As soon as we were under the pavilion we noticed the large crowd that was mingling at one side of the area, the hushed conversation and looks of curiosity, fear and hope making it rather clear that the Alchemist was already here.
I was very curious about what a proper Alchemist was going to be like since the 'Alchemist' that we had down here in this town was an eccentric, elderly and very reclusive old man that talked to his plants more than he ever talked to us.
He could treat most illnesses and deal with most injuries pretty easily though, so I never really minded how he compared me to one of his plants whenever I went to visit him, nor did any of us really care about how callous he could be since he got things done and he did them well.
He had also made it abundantly clear to us all that he wasn't even technically an Alchemist since he never got the approval of the continent spanning Alchemy Association that ratified any hopeful practitioners and gave them a little bit of backing.
The old man was just a talented - but not talented enough - enthusiast for herbs and healing that wanted to help people anyways, and for that we were all immensely thankful since he kept all of us alive and well... for the most part, anyways.
This woman though was supposed to be a ratified Alchemist who was affiliated with the Sect as well, which would mean she had a large swathe of resources, protection and influence that could take Leo from a country bumpkin and turn him into a respected individual that could eat meat every single day of the week... for multiple meals, maybe...
Thinking that, I crept closer to my younger brother and tapped his shoulder before whispering "Don't mess this up, Leo... just think about all those steaks you'll be able to eat if you pass her test!", which made him roll his eyes at me before he took a long breath.
"You'll do well, Leo."
Giovanni's reassurance was better than my own, and although I was happy that we were all supporting him and believing in him, I felt that mine was actually the 'better' one since it took a little pressure off of him, though maybe he worked better under pressure..?
Walking right behind him and stepping through the crowd, I looked around for this Alchemist before laying eyes on her since she wasn't really hiding her identity whatsoever; a tall, lithe woman in pristine black robes stood against the wall, her sharp azure eyes seemingly alight with power while her black and blue hair framed her handsome features perfectly.
She was one of the most gorgeous people I had ever laid my eyes on, and when those azure orbs were turned towards me I almost forgot how to breath, especially when her thin lips curled into a mischievous smile the moment she saw me.
"Well well~! Perhaps this town isn't as helpless after all~! You must be this 'Isabella' that Madame Po was telling me about. Blood like that... makes me wonder..."
Blinking a few times and finally remembering that breathing was a thing people were meant to do, I licked my lips and swallowed down my embarrassment as I instead said "Many thanks, esteemed Alchemist, but um... I believe you'd be more interested in my brother here.", causing her to tilt her head slightly as she looked to Leo.
"Ah, you were the one that the old man told me about? Skilled with plants? Hmm..."
Stepping forwards - and immediately causing most of the crowd to take a step back - the Alchemist stared straight at Leo and studied his face before grabbing his hand, her movement coming so suddenly that he let out a gasp and almost stepped back.
"A fair amount of herbal residue lingers still; impossible to fake even if you were aware I was coming. Fingers seem limber, nails have that lingering stain of dirt that will never get washed away...
Hmm... and you're... Fourth Foundation? Yes, almost Fifth Foundation too! Decent talent there, though that's not what I care about... Tell me, 'brother', what is... Tell me the visual difference between a Rainvine Bean and Serpentpod."
Rubbing her thumb over the back of Leo's palm, the Alchemist stared at his face with a grin - a grin that I recognized all too well since it was similar to the grin I made whenever I saw a woman I fancied - and asked him that question.
I felt the urge to grab her and shove her away since she was looking at my brother like that - and that wasn't something I wanted to tolerate - but seeing that Leo had furrowed his brow and wasn't thinking about this at all made me drop it.
Plus I still had Amy on my shoulders, and with the little girl sheltering atop me I couldn't really do much besides just stand here... least of all when this Alchemist was clearly a Cultivator of some renown, if the pressure she naturally radiated was anything to go by.
"Rainvine Beans are teal and slender with roughly eight seeds, Serpentpod is greener and typically has two or three seeds. Um... Serpentpod also emits a distinct sweet scent that attracts all sorts of serpents, giving it its name. Both are edible, but Serpentpod can also be ground into a paste that has some healing properties..?"
"Knowledgeable too. You use Serpentpod paste before? Not many actually know about that... Come, let me see some practical skills. That's what I need you for anyways."
Pulling my brother back towards the wall and showing him some pots, the Alchemist had him do something or other that I wasn't really able to follow, and since he seemed to be doing well enough - I think - I shuffled closer to Giovanni and murmured "Lookin' good so far..."
He nodded, watching closely and waiting, so I just stood beside him and prayed that Leo was as skilled as we believed, and even as I got bored of seeing him put soil into a pot for the hundredth time or whatever I just kept watching.
Amy rested her chin atop my head and watched as well, though she eventually just asked to be put down so that she could go play, freeing me up and allowing me to watch the Alchemist even closer... because I really didn't like the way she was looking at Leo right now... though admittedly she was just being appreciative... I think...
I had heard some bad things about Cultivators before, but in a place like this most of those stories were blown out of proportion for dramatic effect, something that the old man guarding our town told me many a time whenever I asked him about it.
So I wasn't that worried... kinda...