"This… this…" Miralen trembled as he held the delicate herb in his hand.
[Ding! Verdant Heartroot]
His high-level inspection skill immediately told him what it was. However, even without that how could the fairy miss the golden aura that an S-Ranked herb carried?
Just the mere presence of the herb caused a medicinal aroma to erupt in the vicinity and he could feel his tired and feeble body slowly being revitalized.
His will which had withered and died thanks to being in a state akin to a slave was now slowly rekindled, nourished by the aura emanating from the Verdant Heartroot.
Such an herb was exceedingly rare, even in the annals of the Elven Empire. Its properties were said to boost vitality, enhance mana, and even lengthen one's lifespan if prepared correctly.
Heck, he did not even know all the properties. This was a supreme treasure. In other words, it was the stuff of legends and dreams.
And here it was, held within his palm, as real as the despair he had felt for so many years.
"Where did you get this?" Miralen asked, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked up at Elira.
"My Master sent it. He thought it would be a good token of our potential partnership. He is very much interested in our smooth collaboration and believes the Verdant Heartroot would be of particular interest to you. Of course, we expect proper payment." Elira explained.
Miralen was speechless. This wasn't just a token; it was a treasure beyond measure. A herb could single-handedly turn his shop's fortunes around.
And more importantly, a human being who could possess such a treasure was capable of laying waste to the elven empire that had been tormenting him for decades after decades.
The apocalypse that Miralen had been hoping for and praying for had finally arrived and it came in the form of a human being!
"Tell me! Tell me what you want! I will give you everything!" The fairy looked at Elira with eyes burning from excitement and hunger. Everything was going to change!
A few of the elven guards frowned as they turned repeatedly to watch the entrance of the system shop.
"The new recruit has been inside for a while." One of them grumbled.
"Yes, but it's normal. The first time one visits the blessed space, they are always shocked. I remember when I became a recruit a long time ago, I didn't step out of the shop for the whole day."
"Mmm… Same here. What to do? We are only allowed to enter once in a while and that too we need to fight for that chance tooth and nail. How could we not maximize the use for it? Just reading some of the skill books available gave me many hints on how to develop my Dao seed."
"Hmmm… You sound like you are complaining? Should I say something to the General?"
The elf who spoke earlier immediately became quiet, clearly angered and irritated by the remark.
"What is your problem asshole? I was just making a comment. If you think that I am complaining, it means you want to complain. That's why everyone else's comment sounds like a complaint to you!"
"That is enough. Both of you stop bickering. Look there. That beauty is coming out!"
The elven royal guards instantly stopped chatting and every single one looked towards the system shop's entrance to see the stunning elf emerging.
"Looks like her visit was fruitful," one of the guards mumbled, but no one paid him much attention. All eyes were fixed on Elira, many thinking where this beautiful newly minted royal guard would be stationed.
Elira, however, walked past the guards, not giving them a second glance, her eyes focused on the horizon, a small smile forming on her lips.
She had a message to deliver and the anticipation of what was to come filled her with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
Miralen, still in his shop, couldn't contain his exhilaration. He too was watching the entrance of the shop with great interest.
He had already done his part and now everything depended on fate. He silently prayed to his God as he clenched his heart and waited. He hoped that the Gods wouldn't be so cruel to finally give him a thread of hope, only to take everything away.
But things were no longer in his hands. All he could do was wait and watch. Any time now…
Observing his strange behavior, the other fairies in the shop also became curious. Their manager was smiling. No one could believe what they were seeing.
Everyone knew that Miralen was simply a dead fairy walking, but right now he seemed to be very much alive and excited for some reason?
The fairies couldn't help but peek outside their counters to check out what was happening. What was special about today? Was something big going down?
And right at this moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Elira walked out of the shop with a nervous smile on her face. She then took a deep breath. It was about to begin.
Without wasting any time, Elira immediately used two of the skills that she had bought from the shop in the past hour.
Her figure became invisible and before anyone could wonder what was happening, she activated the second skill [Blink].
It was a very expensive short-range teleportation skill sold in the system shop but why would she care? She was not footing the bill for any of it.
In the blink of an eye, she used the skill ten times, emptying her mana reserves and completely disappearing from the area.
She also did not stop there. She used another mana orb to quickly refill her reserves and continued casting the skill without stopping until she reached the outskirts of the city.
She was panting from exhaustion and the continued teleportation that she was not used to, make her head dizzy and her vision blur, but she did not care because…
She had done it! She reached where she was supposed to arrive!
"MASTER!" Elira shouted as she looked at Liam's blurry figure standing in front of her. Still out of breath, she extended her hand groggily, handing out a small pouch.
The size of the pouch might be small but inside it, there were about a dozen spatial rings!
But Elira knew very well that this was not what her Master wanted the most. These things were all priceless. However, the one that he yearned for the most was…
"Master! Your world!" Elira gasped.
"Planet 2343AS3u45i of the Milky Way Galaxy is still intact. It is currently undergoing a complete awakening and integration and is sealed from the myriad realms for the next ten years."