243 Decorations

"Floor 18, this is our floor. Everyone listen up. There are about 12 rooms on this floor. That will be enough for the 23 of us. Get a partner and get yourself a room," Ma Rong said.

"Also, if you want to go outside, visit the shops, you are free to do so. However, do not cause any commotion or problems. If you want something, get it, if you can't leave. Also, don't leave the city, and be here by 6 pm in the evening. Dismissed."

She handed 1 key to the 2nd elder, kept 1 for herself, and handed the other 10 for the elders to distribute.

"Yu Ming, You will stay with Wan Li," She said and went to a room that the key belonged to. Alex took a key from the elders and walked to the room.

He opened the door and —

"Woah," he said in surprise at the somehow traditional and yet somehow modern-looking room. The floor was all marble and yet the beds and closets had no designs on them, making them look simple. There was a window to the side, showing an amazing view of the city.

Alex walked up to the room and opened the window. The room was facing south and he saw the tall trees of the southern forest far away from the wall.

The door opened once more.

"Oh h-hey Yu Ming, we are together for a while now, huh?" Wan Li tried to make some small talk.

"Yes. I see that is the case," Alex said. Wan Li looked around and saw the two beds and asked, "Which one do you want?"

"I'm fine with either. You can choose one," Alex said.

"Really? Ok then, I will take this," Wan Li said and took the bed that was left of the door. "By the way, are you excited about the competitions?" Wan Li asked.

"Kind of, yes. I actually don't really know what to expect so I can't get more excited," Alex said.

"Oh. I wish I could get excited. Instead, all I feel is nervousness. I- I have never done alchemy in front of many other people. Oh god, what if I fail?" he started worrying.

"Hey hey hey, you'll do fine. You are the best disciple of our sect. What are you worrying about?" Alex asked.

"But I've never made pills in front of others. It feels a little scary. I think I might mess up," Wan Li said.

"Didn't you make pills to pass the core exam in front of everyone?" Alex asked. For his turn, there were nearly a hundred people there, so he assumed the same would have been true for everyone.

"Y-yeah, but those were elders and a few other disciples. Not the thousands of people that are going to be there tomorrow. Just the different sects alone would reach a thousand members. Add onto that the competition staff and the audience— Oh god I'm getting nervous again," Wan Li said.

Alex was a little surprised. He hadn't really thought of how many people were going to be there. 'Sh*t. Thousands of people is a lot. Now I'm getting a little nervous,' he chuckled as he thought that.

"Don't worry. It will be fine. Besides, it won't be only you who takes part in the competition, it will be all of us. Have some faith in your teammates," Alex said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Wan Li calmed down a bit.

"Arghh, I'm quite tired. I think I will go sleep for a while. What will you do, Brother Wan?" Alex asked.

"Hmm, I think I will study for a while. Need to prepare for the competition the following days," Wan Li said. Alex smiled and went to lay down on his bed.

He laid down in a sleeping position and logged out.

Alex got up from his bed and checked the time. "Quite close to 8 huh, I guess I have some time. Although, when is the party happening?" he wondered and quickly freshened up before walking to the living room.

What was waiting for him there was a surprise.

"Woah," he said as he looked at the different decorations his cousin had put up on the house. To him, the amount of work that had to be put into this was beyond ridiculous.

He quickly found his cousin in the kitchen.

"Sister, you did all of this?" he asked with a look of disbelief. The decorations were truly a sight to behold for him.

"Oh hey, you are awake quite late," she said. "So… you like this right? I don't really know about designing myself, but… I think it looks good."

Alex looked at the decorations once again and said, "I am going, to be honest… I don't really know what is good and what is not. Now that I think about it, I don't even know what city parties are like. However, this does all look brilliant, so you can be proud of yourself, Sister."

Hannah smiled after hearing the compliments. "Alright sit, I will put on some breakfast for you," Hannah said, but Alex cut her off.

"Just sit and eat. I will get my own; you've already done too much today," Alex said and walked up to the counter. He put himself some milk and cereals and started eating.

He looked around the kitchen while eating and asked, "So, when are the guests coming? It should be early now that there is no shopping involved, right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, they will come over for lunch. So we have…. About 3 hours or so. Enough time to cook. I've already put the turkey in the oven for a roast. As for the other things, we can cook an hour later," Hannah said.

"Alright, I will help you. I don't have anything to do today in-game, so I'm pretty free," Alex said.

"Okay, I will need your help anyway," Hannah said with a smile.

Alex soon finished his breakfast and started helping his cousin with the preparation of the different dishes for the party.