Rise of the Alchemy God

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The Beast Continent was divided into five kingdoms, three of which were similar to the Human Continent, not in terms of race, but in name.

In fact, three of the five kingdoms were the Kingdom of the Dragon, the Kingdom of the Phoenix, and the Kingdom of the Qilin.

To these were added the fourth and fifth kingdoms: the Kingdom of the Tortoise and the Kingdom of the Wolf.

Ethan wasn't certain why this similarity existed, but from the little he had learned, not all the inhabitants of these kingdoms necessarily belonged to the main race of the kingdom.

This wasn't due to a diverse population, but because the original citizens of the kingdoms didn't have a completely pure bloodline.

Only the royal family of each kingdom possessed such a lineage and, as a result, could exercise dominance over their people.

Guo Tao had mentioned that, although he was originally from this city, his parents were not.

They came from the Kingdom of the Wolf, which bordered the Kingdom of the Dragon, the kingdom they were currently in.

The city of Tiān Shù was a large city spanning dozens of miles.

It was the capital of the Kingdom of the Dragon.

Thanks to the presence of the Celestial Tree at the center of the city, it had become the most prosperous city on the continent.

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Consequently, it had also been the cause of various conflicts in the past, all of which ended with the Kingdom of the Dragon proving its supremacy over the others.

Of course, if the other kingdoms were to unite, defeating the Kingdom of the Dragon wouldn't be impossible.

but the various divergences between the kingdoms made this almost impossible.

That said, despite being prosperous, the great city had its darker sides.

Some areas on the outskirts of the city, over time, filled up with all kinds of people, from those who were running away from the law to those who could not afford to live in the city, and therefore took refuge there and lived each day as if it were their last.

Near one of these areas was Guo Tao's home.

He was fortunate that his parents had managed to secure a small house near the city's outskirts, a buffer zone between the city and the slums.

The house itself was nothing special and lacked many daily necessities, but for Guo Tao and his younger sister, Guo Lan, it was more than enough.

Given the distance to his workplace, Guo Tao spent at least half an hour commuting back and forth every day.

Currently, within Guo Tao's modest home, a small girl with white wolf ears lay on a thin mattress, covered by a blanket barely warm enough to keep her comfortable.

She wasn't older than ten, but malnutrition and her worsening physical condition due to illness made her look far less healthy than a girl her age should.

From the moment she was born, she had been lovingly cared for, first by her parents, then by her older brother.

The death of her parents had brought her immense pain, but it had also been a heavy blow to her brother, who always tried to hide his pain and remain strong in front of her.

She had always been a perceptive child, so she understood their situation and tried her best not to be a burden on him.

Even though she was too young to work, she had always tried to be helpful at home.

But after turning eight, even the small contributions she could make to ease her brother's burden vanished.

Now, her days were spent battling an unknown illness that made even small movements a challenge.

She had gone from feeling unwell and constantly fatigued to being almost entirely immobile. Now, apart from slight movements, she could do little else.

'Hm?'

It was nearly midnight, and her brother, who usually returned in the evening, was nowhere to be seen. This made her a bit anxious.

Although it wasn't the first time he had been late, he usually informed her in advance or was at most an hour or two late. Yet now, it was nearly midnight.

Despite her anxiety, she tried to remain optimistic as she struggled to open her eyes.

She hadn't yet told her brother that her condition, which had seemed stable, was beginning to worsen again.

Even opening her eyes was becoming a challenge.

Still, no matter how hard it was, she kept trying, fearing that if she gave up, she might never open them again.

As she tried once more, she heard the sound of the door opening and footsteps entering her home.

Normally, she would assume it was her brother, but this time, it didn't sound like just one person, it sounded like several, though she couldn't tell how many.

'Is someone breaking in?' she thought nervously, struggling harder to open her eyes.

'No, not now... please, open!' She tried forcing her eyes open, but they felt heavier, as if someone had placed weights on her eyelids.

The footsteps drew closer, and with them, she heard faint voices.

'That voice... is it big brother?' she thought, barely able to recognize her brother's voice.

The illness hadn't just affected her body but also dulled her senses, from her sight to her hearing, everything was growing weaker.

Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Even the voices had stopped in the meantime.

This only made her more anxious. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but at that very moment, a strange sensation washed over her body.

Like water flowing through a dry riverbed, something hit her body, immersing her in a comfortable sensation.

'What's happening to me?'

The more she felt this strange sensation spreading through her body, the more she got used to it.

She wasn't sure what it was, but it was comforting.

It gave her the same warm, relaxing feeling she remembered from her mother's hug.

Slowly, without realizing it, she gave in to the sensation and let herself drift away.

As she did, her pale complexion began to regain its healthy color.

Her emaciated features gradually returned to normal as she was surrounded by a faint greenish light.

She was healing.