All Things Are Contracts

Just as people were getting excited about the Bai family’s notice, a man in red clothes immediately posted another notice on the other side of the city wall.

People quickly gathered around it.

“What… what’s going on? The Zhu family is also recruiting Alchemists above third grade? And their conditions seem even more generous than the Bai family’s.” People immediately started discussing.

After the Zhu family member posted the notice, a person in yellow clothes and another in blue clothes came over one after another, posting new notices on the left and right of the city wall.

“The Huang family and the Lan family have made their moves too? What’s going on? Why are all four great families taking action at once? Did they all receive large orders and lack manpower? Wow, the Lan family truly deserves to be the top family. Their conditions are much better than the other three families,” people remarked.

“Hehe, you people naturally don’t know, but this news will spread in a day or two at most. My buddy works at the City Lord’s mansion, so I have more inside information. Let me tell you, the Family Ranking Battle that happens every twenty years is about to begin!” a middle-aged man said proudly.

“Brother, don’t leave us hanging. What’s this Family Ranking Battle?” someone asked.

The middle-aged man laughed and generously explained, “Do you know how many pill-making families there are in Alchemy Capital? Four? Or ten? Wrong! There are sixty certified pill-making families in Alchemy Capital! This Family Ranking Battle is to rank these families. The four great families that have long occupied the top four positions are the Lan, Huang, Zhu, and Bai families we’re familiar with. Currently, Lan family is first, Huang family second, Zhu family third, and Bai family fourth. This ranking was set twenty years ago. Now that the ranking battle is starting again, the family rankings might be reshuffled.”

“I see, but what does this Family Ranking Battle have to do with recruitment? Are outside helpers allowed?” someone else asked.

“Of course. In the Family Ranking Battle, a family’s connections are also an important factor. As long as the pills come from your household, it counts, regardless of whether the person is from your family or not, including guest elders. Do you know how this Family Ranking Battle is conducted?” The man looked at the curious eyes around him.

“Come on, brother, stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us quickly,” someone said impatiently. Zhanyue, standing nearby, was also waiting for the explanation.

“Why the rush? Let me wet my whistle first.” The man took out a wine gourd and took a sip, then continued, “Every twenty years, Night Capital sends a request to our Alchemy Capital to purchase pills. The quality ranges from third to seventh grade. No one knows what pills Night Capital needs, so they can’t be prepared in advance. Of course, if you guess correctly, that’s your good luck. The City Lords of our Alchemy Capital have inherited the same rule for generations, passing this order down to all the pill-making families in Alchemy Capital, while simultaneously conducting the family ranking. All families refine pills according to the order’s requirements. Once refined, they submit them to the City Lord’s mansion. Different grades of pills are worth different points. When the order is fulfilled, the ranking ends.”

“At that time, points are calculated based on the grade and quantity of pills submitted by each family, determining the family ranking. At the same time, Night Capital buys these pills. This strategy of the City Lord ensures that Night Capital has never defaulted on an order,” the man added.

“But… but what’s the use of this family ranking?” someone else asked.

The man looked at that person with disdain and explained, “Not to mention that both Night Capital and the City Lord’s mansion offer good rewards for the top three. Just the title of the top family carries enormous weight. Apart from the four Pill Dao Grandmasters, the top family is the best brand. Twenty years ago, the Lan family narrowly beat the Huang family by a small margin of points to take first place. Who knows how much more money this title has earned the Lan family over these twenty years? Moreover, the four great families have long histories, and none submit to the others. The Family Ranking Battle is the best opportunity to prove oneself.”

“I see. Thank you for the explanation, brother. But I heard that both the Lan and Huang families have two seventh-grade alchemists, while the Zhu and Bai families only have one each. It seems this year’s top family title will again go to either the Lan or Huang family,” someone said.

“Having an extra seventh-grade alchemist indeed gives a huge advantage, but other core alchemists are also indispensable. After all, the order also requires a large number of third and fourth-grade pills. That’s why all four great families are so eager to recruit people, hoping to gain as many points as possible,” someone explained.

“Also, I heard that the Bai family has been getting close to that Golden Pill Cultivator recently. Maybe the Golden Pill Cultivator will join the Bai family as a guest elder. That way, the Bai family would have two seventh-grade alchemists and might not end up at the bottom.”

Zhanyue, standing not far away, frowned upon hearing this. “It seems besides the eighth-grade pill formula, the Bai family has another reason to marry Baizhi to the Golden Pill Cultivator. No wonder they’re so eager for Baizhi to return. The title of top family is indeed very attractive.”

“Are you talking about that Golden Pill Cultivator with the terrible reputation? Are families willing to cooperate with him?” someone questioned.

“Bad reputation, bad character, what does it matter? The Golden Pill Cultivator is still a seventh-grade alchemist, on par with the heads of the four great families. Speaking of which, the Bai family has been quite unlucky. When the previous Bai family head was a seventh-grade alchemist, the current head was only sixth grade. By the time he advanced to seventh grade, the previous head had disappeared, still unheard of to this day. The Bai family has never had two seventh-grade masters at the same time to show their strength.”

“Why haven’t any of these families produced an eighth-grade alchemist in all these years? And why don’t those eighth-grade Pill Dao Grandmasters have their own families?” an old man with white hair asked.

“Breakthrough to eighth-grade Alchemist is incredibly difficult. Family experience and inheritance work well up to the seventh grade, which is why seventh-grade alchemists keep appearing. But when it comes to the eighth grade, everyone’s just groping in the dark. As for why those Pill Dao Grandmasters don’t have their own families, that’s nonsense. Eighth-grade Alchemists can establish Pill Dao Sects, a level above families. They look down on the family title. For example, our Alchemy Capital’s City Lord is Changqing, one of the four grandmasters. Although he has a nominal position in Alchemy Capital, he rarely appears here. Most administrative affairs are handled by the Deputy City Lord. Changqing’s Changtian Medicine Sect is in a secret location, rarely seen in the world. There are too many people seeking help from eighth-grade Alchemists, so these grandmasters are all annoyed and hide far away,” someone well-versed in this history explained.

Zhanyue, standing nearby, learned a lot of pill-making secrets just from these conversations, thinking to himself that Alchemy Capital truly deserved its name. He asked someone for directions and headed towards the Bai family mansion. At the back door of the Bai family, many people were lined up, all applying for the pill-refining assistant positions. Third and fourth-grade Alchemists, rarely seen elsewhere, now formed long queues, quite a spectacular sight. Although the Bai family’s conditions weren’t as good as the wealthiest Lan family, their requirements were relatively lower. Moreover, everyone understood the principle of helping those in need rather than adding flowers to brocade. If they bet on the Bai family’s success, the Bai family would naturally be more grateful to them in the end. They were also taking a gamble.

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