Ceila retracted her hands, revealing the pill for Iris and Murai. Between her thumb and pointing finger was a glistering pill of colorful shine even though it was crimson in nature. The shine was a bit metallic—probably because of the Loch's blood, or Life Force of many fused ingredients—and was rainbow-colored at some angles.

Other than that, the pill was letting off quite powerful mana fluctuation and an even crazier flow of vitality.

“This will be your new dawn, as well as my price for something. Do you dare to take it, Murai?” Ceila said, changing the gentle gaze within her eyes into a ferocious look: a look that gazed into Murai with seriousness befitting such a high-level being, but her words were like sharp sticks, craftily penetrating and seeking advantages.

Murai found her words more than crafty. By this point, he retrieved his Mana Detection and curiosity over the disappeared cocoon, and the pill itself. Her gaze upon him was something else though. Something with the way she was looking at him terrified him.

Was it her offer or the offer was what Vermillion envisioned? He couldn't answer either, which frustrated him because of his inability to seek her soul with his Soul Read. Emoties tidied up a person and made a lot of things easier to feel. For him to not feel a thing, it was like reading a paper but the paper was blurry, or unreadable.

Seeing her unwavering face, Murai unhappily Shaped his Mana forward, grabbed the quill, put it into an ink bottle, and stated his intent.

Though, it wasn't much in Ceila's book, since she already predicted all of the possibilities of what would happen next. It was her forte, making people do what she or Vermillion wanted.

Yet, the few words left in the book left her kind of speechless.

Fuck off and get this shitty pill out of my sight. Agreeing on something stupid like this is beyond me.

RIGH! Do you hear me? This trade is stupid!

I ain't even asking for a lot. My body is broken, but nothing that those 10 potions from before wouldn't solve.

Do you take me for a fool? No? Yes? Don't care.

Do you think I will take something that is probably something that you, yourself, wish to use? This bribe isn't something I will take at this point at all.

Fuck off, sincerely.

Ceila frowned, her brows twitched a little, and even Iris curiously looked behind her back to see what he wrote.

“Listen...” Ceila said, her voice skipping a beat and becoming hoarser. “It's true that this is a precious gift to almost anybody. That is undeniable, but I did take this pill once before. It's something you can take only once, so...”

Quill moved again.

Tell it to someone who cares.

“Fine... Since you insist.” she sighed, grabbing her lacking patience with Murai instead. Murai's body was jolted from the bucket by her free hand, and she picked him up into the air under her more than firm grasp.

Murai scowled, squeaking like a toy, and looking at her close face as she held his neck. “I am offering you something really good, so why are you like this?” Ceila asked, sounding somewhat angry, but restrained at the same time. Weirdly enough, she didn't ask but put her Will directly into Murai by the use of her Inner Voice that shouted to him by her demand.

Murai realized her anger, knowing very well that this was basically what any religion or assholes do. Forcing their own view onto others, while anyone powerful enough would seek out the benefits no matter what.

Such people were plentiful in the universe, and those were the kinds Murai disliked even amongst the god themselves. Greedy, selfish, unrelenting, and among other things, uncaring for others.

Those were the powerful people who grew up with a golden spoon sticking out of their mouths, or in places opposite to that, but it didn't matter. When one was an unreasonable asshole, expecting heaven from them wasn't fitting.

Murai watched her with unblinking eyes and decided to do what he can do, and not what he should. Sending his own Will to her, now they talked like he did with Rain—forcefully, and steading one Will against the other.

“Businesses are two-way things. I want my health back and talk. This sort of Pill has no place in our discussion. It's too big, and Vermillion's offer is something I declined myself. You think I am stupid or what?” Murai said giving her quite a smug look of a winner. He was basically declining the feeding hand while being hungry and asking for something else. It wasn't the right attitude to have either, but it was his Will.

Sighting, Ceila shook her head and had every inclination to shove this pill into his beak. Could she do that? Sure. It would be one of the easiest things she could do at the moment.

Alas, as this thought appeared in her mind, an outburst of force appeared around Murai since he could tell from her face alone, she had a bothersome idea.

He activated Robust Defense and went hand to hand against the present nasty situation. He didn't need to feel her soul, since the matter of telling was no longer important. He could see it as clearly as feeling the pain in his legs and wings. Ceila wanted to force the situation which had, in his opinion, a 99% chance of happening.

Robust Defense was a powerful force that traveled from his head, but Murai had no idea about its power level or how strong it actually was. Forcing it against level 74 priestess? That was... not enough, but enough at the same time.

Ceila was still grabbing Murai by his neck, and the swirling barrier of the unknown matter was only irritating her forearm by destroying a little of her robe and twisting her skin. She appeared focused as if hearing, or pondering over something.

Her gaze was fixated upon Murai's gaze, as they stared at each other for upcoming seconds.

Murai was unyielding and so was she, yet a solution to this matter must happen no matter what.

Ceila was the first to acknowledge the situation.

“I thought differently of you... My Lady too.” She sighed, tossing Murai back to the bucket. “Maybe I was mistaken with the present situation, as I had no idea what m Lady wanted from you. But it is too late for me to do anything apart from helping how I could. I acknowledge this Pill is too much. A wave of Life was given and shall be given under different circumstances or different times. Perhaps then, you will see its sincerity, or ours. I will give you 1 week to heal yourself in a different way, then we will talk again and reach our full trade. Remember that, while I will remember your words. Business is a two-way thing, so we will heal you, while I will see in a week what will happen next.” she Willed and upon finishing that, she gestured to Iris to deal with the rest.

Iris wasn't really bothered by that but watching Ceila's silenced sight put things in a new perspective. It seems the situation changed again because of Murai's refusal, which may be her fault, caused by their previous conversation.

It seemed Ceila's plot failed miserably, or something of that kind. It was Iris's guess, which wasn't far from the truth.

It was true, that the offering of the Wave of Life was a lot to take. It was one of the keen treasures to maximize one's potential above level 70, but it can be taken way below that lever because of its intricate properties.

If Lisa would be present, she would think of an excellent example to tell. It was as if Ceila was presenting him with a core reward from the main parts of the Somalis Dungeon. That was how ridiculous it was since the main parts included dangers, unlike anything before. Of course, the rewards would also be wonderful in return, but here?

There were almost no clear dangers, and glaring at a gift wasn't what Murai wanted. Not when a Vermillion was right there, hovering around his interest like a fool.

Murai wasn't stupid as he stated. He had no intention of taking more than he desired. Yet, considering Vermillion's offer, he went against his will.

It was true that his health was important, but his freedom was equal to that. That was his common sense and no rule per se.

After briefly talking with Iris, and giving her last instruction, Ceila left the room after making sure she said everything that she wanted.

This Pill Conduction didn't take that long, yet Iris was glad for it to be over.

Sighting as if she was an old man, she reached Murai's bucket and collapsed to the chair. She took him between her arms, putting him high in the air while he struggled a little. But it was a futile attempt, as his body wasn't listening to him all that well. He long stopped his Robust Defense which he used for 4 seconds.

It was little, and it posed no danger to use it. It formed no underlying qualities over the rest of the body. All it included was the power of the Will and his soul, so it was quite a nice ability indeed. He could use it even when his physical body is so destroyed so this was the power of his Robust Spirit.

“You are really something...” Iris mumbled, watching Murai alone as she could. “I swear if I won't talk to you like my master did, I will regret that. Promise me one day that we will talk. I am so interested in the life of the Blessed, but from the little glances I managed in the past, they are all individuals of lofty stature. Proud, hectic, and worrisome. Those 3 words are what I told myself when I saw a few of them in the past.” She said and unwrapped the bandages around Murai's legs and both wings.

His left one which Regator destroyed, wasn't in too bad of a shape regarding the bones, but some were indeed broken. The swiping motion of its jaw led to some unpleasant damage, leading to quite some loss of blood, and a severe cut across Murai's wing.

As for the other, it was broken in a similar state to his leg, but not that severe. After all, Razmund was quite savage with his legs much more than with his wing which were more flexible and softer.

Iris placed him on the table, beside the bowl-like furnace called cauldron.

She had her instruction from Ceila, and acting according to them shouldn't be a problem. Well, partly. Ceila made a remark about Murai's unwillingness to take the Wave of Life even though she made it for him. and that she should reconsider it, and force him to swallow it.

That put Iris in a certain understanding of the situation. Working without Wave of Life made things a bit harder, but it was nothing that she couldn't do.

After all, Ceila addressed his unwillingness and gave Iris a mission for the following week. If he doesn't want the pill, then regular painful healing will have to do instead.

For now, Iris will act as his caretaker, catering to his wounds during his stay in the church or at her home. That included making a few additional medicines, which would then be enchanted by the residual tonic from the Wave of Life. In the cauldron, beside the pill itself, were leftover liquified essences from the conducting. There were always some residuals from the Conducting, and it usually ranged from 10 to 30%.

They weren't enough to fuse into the pill, as they were residuals when the last two stages—Crystallization and Compression— happen. Even high-level mages will inevitably leave some leftovers. It would usually leave second-rate valuables, but in the case of Wave of Life, they were worth like high-grade materials.

Vitality Paste and Medicine Bandages filled with Rejuvenating Potions would become better after absorbing these effects. Though, if he consumed the Wave of Life, it would be better without any doubts. For now, the residuals appeared like liquid, and tiny dropped of crystallized pils.

Though Iris didn't question either of their decision, Murai had his own view, and so did Ceila.

Sure, she may feel a bit at fault, but only a little.

Regular healing would take a week, or more, depending on her work. Overall, Murai's legs had the biggest issues, but that would not be her problem any longer.

“Alright... sir Murai. The thing is, making the bones straight is hard, and painful. A Wave of Life would help with that... It's what my Master said... But...”

Murai sneered inside and put forth a message not so far away.

Don't care.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Don't mind.

Do what I need, and care about the consequences later.

A Wave of Life? Forget it. We talked about it and came to a resolution. Simple as that.

“How direct...” Iris sighed. “I won't be polite with the help, nor your body. What was said is simple. I will have to buy a series of 14 or so healing pills. They will soak in the residual tonic alongside the bandages and so on for half a day, making them more efficient in the art of bone healing. Is that good enough, even if Wave of Life is included?”

Murai nodded and let this be over with.

Iris had no other toughs, so she retrieved everything that she could and walked out of the room with Murai in her bucket.

Her current goal was simple. She will go to the Phenix Pagoda, which was a special public space for mages around this region. It was outside of the Vermillion Church, right beside its plot. It wasn't part of the church. Albeit with quite a bit of Vermillion's influence.

Phenix Pagoda wasn't under the influence of any force in particular. Not even the Centralis Kingdom had any say in the running of this place which was run by the Association of the Mages from countless organizations.

Hence, it was quite an influential place with monthly auctions and yearly grand auctions that pulled unimaginable wealth and materials to this place.

Its principle was to provide information and a trading hub for those interested in the Pathway of Magic. Anyone could enter, as long as they could afford it, or have some standing on their own.

Iris was an insignificant member of this pagoda, which was one gargantuan building, not one big resembling a tower. In the middle, beyond the door were huge bird, feathery, and phoenix-like engravings. Some artists must have worked a long time for them to be so lifelike. It was as if dragon heads were right there.

Phoenix Pagoda was a wide, and massive building, with many people coming in and out of the entrances. Architecture resembled a flat stone wall, but the front was nothing like that. It had dozens of tall pillars along the entrances with many gates to walk inside. Some pillars even resembled the tails or necks of the phoenix. It almost resembled a temple of some sort.

Iris wasn't nervous about having Murai in the bucket. Ceila assured her it was fine as long as no Blessed or mage under the Centralis Kingdom will take notice of Murai's strange demeanor, while him, actually retreating his aura worked better than she expected.

But... Tell it to a girl who was keeping a demonic beast in the bucket, next to dozens of Healing Potions. Which was stranger or out of space? The answer was easy.

Walking inside, Iris kept Murai hidden by shoving a cloth above his head., but it didn't stop him from peeping a little underneath it.

It was a regular-looking entrance to the magic shop, and it didn't need to be extravagant. As for what will be inside, it was a good question. There was some incentive to think of a mage trading hub when seeing this place from the outside, but inside?

“Greetings, young priest. May I see a token?” A young guard asked upon noticing her arrival at a gate. Every mage or associate of this trading hub had to be examined and own a token to do business in this place. Either to buy or sell, it didn't matter. One needed the token no matter what.

There was a small fee put forth in every transaction, which made the running of this place much smoother, and possible in the first place.

Iris put forth a palm-sized piece of metallic plate from her pocket. It was a simple information token with an engraved name and level of her clearance for this building. She was the lowest member of the bronze tier, which made her unable to purchase a lot of valuable things, but not as if a bronze mage could even afford them.

“You may come in.” the young guard gestured her towards a door, letting her walk in.

Behind the door was a much brighter place than the shady entrance because of the thick pillars. There were no windows, apart from the open gates, but there was similar light as outside.

Iris looked at the huge hall, with many vendor streets visible from the entrance. It was a huge building without floors. A single one was enough, while massive windows on the ceiling provided the necessary sunlight. One would even think, why it's not outside, to begin with?

Well, it was a good question with a simple answer.

Mages were extravagant and why not form an inside hub on their own inside place? This was no food or grain trading hub. This was a lofty place for mages who were better than some farmers or merchants.

The building was at least a 2 dozen meters tall hall, with 45 meters in each direction from the middle entrance Iris walked through. It was an open place, with many buildings and private shops and a couple of open floors were built around some sections on the walls. It made the place unique enough and Iris liked it.

One would notice all kinds of mages in this place, and everyone was chatting, or haggling over some goods, or between each other on some occasions.

Iris knew what to look for, so she went directly to the acquaintance who ran one particular popular shop under the Vermillion Church's influence.

It was a good idea for any priest or mage to have some sources of goods, and they were always in need of money in all regards. While Vermilion Church had its own shops, this one was providing the same thing for the public or those who wouldn't walk to the church themselves. Many other forces did have their official shops in this Phoenix Pagoda.

In fact, all kinds of transactions went behind the scenes in this place. There were occasional auctions, and all kinds of important guests would come here from time to time.

Iris's destination was a sizable open shop with many shelves and materials for eyes to see.

Behind the open vendor shop, was an old man, with a long white beard and equally white, receding hair. He wasn't bald, but he was quite close to that. Maybe out of spite, he let the remaining hair do its work while its remaining hope was to remind him of his former self.

At that moment, he was looking forwards with lost light in his eyes and mind. He was bored since not many people were visiting his shop.

“Greatings, mister Rizlek.” Iris said as she came right in front of the vendor. Then, Rizlek's eyes changed to a much livelier light.

“Oh! Finally someone and it's little Iris? What can I do for you? We have fresh stock of quite some materials for your taking.” Rizlek said with a face full of smiles.

“I came for selling, as well as... to buy some knowledge or ingredients.”

“Oh?” Rizlek's face turned serious. “What kind?”

“First things first. Here is my fresh stock of Healing Potion. My master said to sell it here. It would make more profit, she said.” Iris said, taking the bucket to the ground, while carefully taking one bottle from it to the counter.

Each potion was its own thing with important worth and future value. Before it could sell it was important to be careful.

Soon enough, before Rizlek were around 26 individual Healing Potions. Few looked special, which he noticed by the glistering mana coming off of them, and his own feelings.

Examining each of them carefully, he hummed and mumbled under his beard from time to time.

“How much?” Iris asked, hoping that her efforts would be greater than she hoped for.

“Lesser ones don't sell that much, but many merchants buy their stocks regardless of Grade. Most are of normal value, which amounts to 2 gold each. 40 gold in total, while the rest is significantly better. They should be 50 gold in total. Especially those enchanted kinds. I wonder why 2nd Sun wanted to sell these here? Had she some ideas?”

“What?” Iris opened her eyes wide after hearing those prices. They were much better than she expected. “I... I made them myself, mister Rizlek. Why is there such a jump in price? It's the same potion, forgetting the enhancement.”