Wolf's Den, Maxen Stoneheart's office.
Mike pushed the door open, and Maxen Stoneheart, looking out from his desk, asked with a puzzled expression, "Is someone treating everyone again outside?"
Mike closed the door firmly and said seriously, "Let's talk business, stop thinking about drinking all the time."
"Burp—"
Sitting across from Maxen Stoneheart, Mike spoke casually, "Before I came here, I had a little encounter with the fourth demon god, just a mutual acknowledgment."
Maxen Stoneheart: ?!
Surviving an encounter with the fourth demon god, no wonder he's Thor!
Maxen Stoneheart remarked, "Impressive, the fourth demon god, also known as the Wrathful God of Extinction. Few know that his true form is actually a demonic eye. Even a Battle Lord would perish from just one glance!"
A demonic eye?!
Hearing this, Mike's eyelids twitched. Could this be related to him?
Mike's awakened SSS-level talent [Eye of Truth] also involved an eye!
If he stretched out the timeline and re-examined all the clues...
Thor's emergence.
That very night, human powerhouses forcefully attacked the headquarters of the fourth demon cult, 'severely injuring' Terenas Bloodscribe.
From what Mike now understood, the overall strength of humanity might still be inferior to the Abyss. However, killing a Battle Lord, especially one on Earth, would be a relatively easy task!
Maxen Stoneheart could be killed by Shadow Nine in one strike, so killing a leader of the fourth demon cult should be straightforward, right? This meant that Shadow Nine letting Terenas Bloodscribe live was probably to lure out the fourth demon god!
Following this line of thought, the manifestation of the fourth demon god this time was also part of the plan. Whatever the Supreme Beings were scheming, it would ultimately point to one target—the fourth demon god! And the true form of the fourth demon god was a demonic eye!
"Is this to eliminate a threat for me?"
Mike had too few clues involving demon gods and Supreme Beings, and even his SSS-level talent Eye of Truth couldn't reveal much.
Regardless, everything that happened tonight could at best be considered a prelude to a new storm.
Mike had a feeling that he might soon face the threat of the fourth demon god directly! Thus, he needed to become stronger as quickly as possible!
Maxen Stoneheart, sensing the heavy atmosphere, changed the subject, "Did you know, after the reset of levels 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the Tower of Truth, the previous background stories were removed. Now, participants even get help from miners before setting off, and the difficulty has been greatly reduced with markers along the way."
"That's good."
Mike nodded, calculating the time; Cain and Jessica should be on the third level today. The reduced difficulty was definitely good news for Cain.
"By the way, you mentioned on the message board about [Water, the Source of Life]. A participant accidentally discovered that the pure water taken from the third level before has turned into a real [source of life] with powerful healing effects. This news has gone viral."
"Oh... what did you say?!"
Maxen Stoneheart repeated his earlier words and shook his head, "Unfortunately, it had to be water taken out before yesterday. Today's mine doesn't have this benefit anymore. After the news was released, nearly 1 gallon of [source of life] appeared on the market, probably not more than 2 gallons in all of humanity, as no one would specifically save this stuff."
Mike calculated on his fingers, "1 ounce is 600 drops, 1 gallon equals 128 ounces, that's 1,152,000 drops of source of life. It's good stuff, but too little."
Compared to all of humanity, 1,152,000 is indeed a very small number. Such a healing artifact is naturally better the more there is.
After centuries of the Blood War, countless humans have been disabled or retired due to injuries, and there's even a specific department to help these people find new jobs. Some injuries, even for a Battle Lord level Priest, are very tricky. Although they can save lives and ensure a normal life, the combat effectiveness is greatly reduced, with no chance of returning to the battlefield.
[source of life], however, perfectly solves this problem; it can heal chronic diseases, remove Abyssal contamination, and even purify the soul.
"Oh, you mean the source of life?"
Mike casually mentioned, "I have just under 15 gallons of it, I think."
"That's not much... what did you say?!"
Maxen Stoneheart stood up quickly, his eyes suddenly reddening like a hungry wolf spotting a piece of fat meat, his whole being extremely excited.
"Man, name your price, Wolf's Den will take it all."
[source of life],
1 drop can completely heal injuries for anyone below level 200.
5 drops can cure chronic diseases for a Battle General!
100 drops can add another Battle Chief to humanity!
Aside from curing the old generation with chronic diseases, [source of life] is also a weapon on the battlefield!
Imagine, a human Battle Chief and a demon race Battle Chief locked in a fierce battle, both sides exhausted. The human Battle Chief pulls out a bottle of [source of life], returns to full health, and counterattacks!
The value of this item far exceeds ordinary healing items.
"This..."
Mike thought it over; [source of life] is indeed powerful, and he couldn't possibly drink so much by himself.
"How about selling 60 million gold worth?"
Mike's idea was simple, to pay off his debts first.
"The latest price for [source of life] is 200,000 gold per drop."
Maxen Stoneheart pulled out the trading records from the Trade Secret Realm and placed them in front of Mike.
200,000 gold per drop, that's $2 million per drop.
This price was already not low. Normally, for injuries below level 200, even if treated by a Battle Chief, it wouldn't cost this much!
To cure a Battle Chief, at least 100 drops of [source of life] are needed, that's 20 million gold, or $2 billion. If the injuries are more severe, using 300 or 500 drops is also normal.
A peak Battle Chief might not even have that much cash in a lifetime.
To use [source of life] for treatment, ordinary Battle Chiefs might have to empty their entire savings. Even so, they would be willing because before the appearance of [source of life], they didn't even have this slim chance!
Maxen Stoneheart immediately decided, "I'll give you 250,000 gold per drop, we'll take as much as you're willing to sell!"
250,000 gold per drop, Mike only needed to sell 240 drops to clear his debts!
"240 drops, deal."
A small test tube of [source of life], handed over to Maxen Stoneheart.
After receiving it, he immediately lit up the screen, and an introduction image appeared.
"These are the Abyssal demon creatures that can produce SSS-grade materials, Frost Gargoyle, Battle Lord level..."
Maxen Stoneheart introduced several demon creatures in succession.
"Take a look at which ones you need, I'll arrange for someone to kill them."
Thor lacks SSS-grade materials, humanity lacks [source of life], both sides get what they need.
This deal hurt no one.
[Abyssal demon creatures: Have you considered my feelings?]
"I'll take them all."
Mike ordered materials from 15 different types of Abyssal demon creatures in one breath.
If these aren't enough to repair Nightmare's Breeze, he'll add more later!
"15 Abyssal demon creatures, one billion gold each, that's 400 drops of [source of life], totaling 6,000 drops."
6,000 drops, just 10 ounces.
Mike paid in full, and Maxen Stoneheart immediately slapped his chest and promised, "After today, I'll personally take to the field and gather these materials for you!"
Mike smiled.
[source of life] is effective for Battle Chiefs.
As for Battle Lords... ordinary Battle Lords, if seriously injured, humanity would spare no expense to treat them, and if they couldn't be cured, [source of life] would be useless.
Battle Lord level combat power is incredibly precious.
At the level of Battle Lords and Ultimate Battle Lords, the effect of [source of life] is very weak.
Mike traded a total of 6,240 drops of [source of life], potentially restoring the combat power of 62 Battle Chiefs for humanity!
This number is quite significant.
Moreover, Mike still had nearly 15 gallons of [source of life] in his hands!
"I have an idea."
Mike spoke slowly, sharing his thoughts, "For our predecessors who were injured on the Abyssal battlefield or while hunting demon cult followers, the price could be a bit lower, and I'll cover that part of the cost."
Maxen Stoneheart was slightly stunned, not expecting Thor to voluntarily suggest such a thing.
Mike continued, "To put it bluntly, their restored strength, returning to the front lines, is also a form of protection for me. Until I have the strength of a Battle Lord, I really need this protection, it's kind of an investment. If one more Battle Lord emerges from these veterans, I'll sleep more soundly, won't I?"
Maxen Stoneheart was silent for a moment.
In reality, both men present knew that what Thor said was just an excuse.
With Shadow Nine guarding Thor, one more or one less Battle Chief made no difference to him.
Maxen Stoneheart spoke again, "It's possible, but how much of a discount are you thinking?"
Maxen Stoneheart tentatively threw out a number, "Fifty percent?"
Knowing the amount of [source of life] Thor had, selling at a 50% discount would mean Thor's losses would be astronomical!
Fifty percent was already a significant concession.
Mike shook his head.
Maxen Stoneheart's breathing became heavier, "Seventy percent?"
At 70%, those former Battle Chiefs wanting to regain their strength wouldn't have to pay too much, and they could still keep some good equipment for themselves.
Mike shook his head again.
Maxen Stoneheart took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly,
"Ninety percent?"
This was the limit Maxen Stoneheart could imagine!
Mike revealed his true plan,
"Let's do this, 90% for those injured in the line of duty. For those who have been listed on the Monument of Faith and survived, it's free."
He had been to the depths of the Forest of Truth and seen the Monument of Faith.
Mike knew very well what the ancestors had sacrificed for this peace and tranquility.
Heroes shouldn't have to bleed and cry.
Many people head to the front lines to kill enemies without asking for anything in return.
But that doesn't mean they shouldn't receive anything!
Hearing Mike's final plan, Maxen Stoneheart fell silent again.
After a long while, he pressed a button on his desk, and a microphone slowly rose up. Maxen Stoneheart's voice was slightly hoarse, even choked up.
He tried to control his tone, speaking as calmly as possible,
"Bring out Wolf's Den's wine cellar."
"Tonight, I'm treating."