Chapter 700 641: Facts Speak Louder Than Words, Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau

These arrangements were in service to the Pill Pavilion, not to bog down its own people with work in the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau.

Only a special place like Yang Chan's Spirit Medicine Tower would require its staff to come exclusively from the Pill Pavilion. Besides, the number of people needed for the Spirit Medicine Tower was not that large compared to the entire Pill Pavilion.

Matters like the preservation and distribution of Spirit Medicines would never be entrusted to outsiders. After all, it was the Pavilion's lifeblood; if another power got ahold of it, the Pill Pavilion would be at their mercy.

This was a scenario that neither the Pill Pavilion's Pavilion Master, Bai Keyi, nor the Vice Pavilion Masters wished to see.

When everyone's interests were at stake, they would all stand united against any external threats.

After all, none of them wanted a day to come when, upon trying to collect their Spirit Medicines, they were suddenly blocked by another faction within the Merak Sacred Land, or forced to accept a slew of harsh conditions just to get what was theirs.

The chances of this happening were slim, but it was a line they could not allow to be crossed. That was why Bai Keyi had brought it up when he discussed the Spirit Medicine Tower with Yang Chan.

Of course, Yang Chan had no objections to this arrangement.

The fewer factions involved with the Spirit Medicine Tower, the less complicated any potential conflicts would be. Everything would be out in the open, clear at a glance.

This suited Yang Chan just fine. After all, overly complicated affairs inevitably involved too many people, and trouble would come flooding in from all directions, making things extremely difficult to handle.

As things stood, once he cleared out the people Zhu Feiyu had installed—those loyal to the Quasi-Saint Son—the few remaining factions within the Spirit Medicine Tower would be perfectly clear. If a conflict arose, he would know exactly who was causing trouble, making it much easier to defend against.

Otherwise, with too many hidden connections, he'd have to sort through them one by one, which would be a colossal waste of time.

Yang Chan strode forward. He had already familiarized himself with the general layout of the Pill Pavilion over the past few days. He had seen a general map of the Merak Sacred Land, which included a simple diagram of the Pill Pavilion, so he knew the approximate location of everything.

The Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau he was heading to was not too far from the Spirit Medicine Tower.

The staff at the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau worked in shifts that ran late into the night. There were even people on duty after midnight, though the numbers dwindled significantly after dark.

This arrangement was in place in case any urgent internal matters suddenly arose.

Though Yang Chan walked along an unfamiliar path, his sense of direction was crystal clear. Before long, he arrived beside a row of interconnected pavilions. This was the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau, a complex composed of rows of pavilions that dwarfed his Spirit Medicine Tower in scale.

The Spirit Medicine Tower was essentially a storage facility for Spirit Medicines, though it also held some Elixirs. Nothing else was kept within its walls.

Most of the Pill Pavilion's other assets were stored here at the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau.

For instance, most of the refined Elixirs were stored here as well.

The Pill Masters of the Pill Pavilion accepted Alchemy tasks from the Internal Affairs Bureau and turned in the final products here as well. Consequently, the bureau stored far more Elixirs than the Spirit Medicine Tower.

Within the Pill Pavilion, every position came with its own set of assigned tasks and responsibilities. The division of labor was quite clear.

When Yang Chan arrived at the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau, the crowds had thinned considerably. It was getting late; though not yet dark, dusk was fast approaching.

But there was an advantage to arriving late: no lines. The number of people conducting business at the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau each day far exceeded that of the Spirit Medicine Tower, and despite the large staff, long queues were a daily occurrence.

Yang Chan had learned this from the Pharmacists on Chiyu Peak, which was why he had chosen to come to the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau to collect his things at this time, after finishing his duties at the Spirit Medicine Tower.

"Are you a newly promoted Basic Level Pharmacist?"

As Yang Chan approached an empty service counter in the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau, a sweet-looking female disciple came over, greeting him with an enthusiastic smile.

"No. I passed the Third Level Alchemist assessment a while ago. I'm here now to collect my things from the Internal Affairs Bureau!"

Yang Chan shook his head slightly, then stated his identity directly.

As he spoke, he presented a purple Identity Token—proof of his status as a Third Level Alchemist, complete with his personal information.

"Oh, you're not...? Ah... Oh! So it's Pharmacist Yang!"

When the female disciple at the bureau counter heard his denial, her smile vanished. Besides Pharmacists, the Pill Pavilion also had people like Pharmacist's Assistants.

However, just as her smile vanished, she processed the rest of his words. A look of astonishment flashed across her face, quickly replaced by another smile—this time, one of reverence.

In the span of that short exchange, the woman performed a complete "face change" right before him. 'Her acting isn't very good, though,' he thought. 'The transition was unnatural, and that professional smile is completely forced. It's amateur-level at best.'

He could see through such a fake smile in an instant.

However, he hadn't come to the Pill Pavilion Internal Affairs Bureau to critique someone's acting. It was of no importance to him.

"Pharmacist Yang, I don't have the authority to handle the items you're here to collect. This requires a Steward from the Internal Affairs Bureau."

"Please wait a moment, Pharmacist Yang. I'll notify a Steward to come and handle it immediately!"

As the clerk regained her composure, a look of regret flickered across her respectful expression.

'My authority is too limited to handle his request,' she thought, lamenting the missed opportunity. 'This would have been a perfect chance to get closer to a Third Level Alchemist. And he's not just a Third Level Alchemist, he's the Steward of the Spirit Medicine Tower! So young, with boundless potential... I'd never normally get to interact with someone like him. To have the chance right here and not have the authority... what a pity.'

However, she wouldn't dare force the issue and handle Yang Chan's business herself. If the Internal Affairs Bureau discovered her acting beyond her authority, the consequences would be dire.

There was a cautionary tale, after all. Someone had tried it before, and they'd had their cultivation crippled and been expelled from the Merak Sacred Land. It was a truly miserable end, and she had no desire to follow in their footsteps!