"Desolate lands legacy event? Elder Tristan, what do you think about this?" Liam frowned slightly as he grabbed the token and examined it in his hands. Clearly, he had no intentions of returning the token but at the same time, he did not look satisfied with it.
Tristan laughed and Engo gritted his teeth. He quickly offered a few more rare herbs, beast bones, and blood and excused himself, literally running out of the grand chamber and the eternal sword palace main hall. The others slowly dispersed too, all offering a small greeting to Liam. No one dared to linger considering that Liam was currently a guest of Tristan. Soon only the three of them, Liam, Trista,n and Seraphine were left in the grand hall.
"We should go someplace private." Seraphine smiled and led the way personally. Liam nodded and followed her along with Tristan. The young sword palace elder was now much calmer than the last two times he had seen him. If it was not for the same appearance one wouldn't even believe that he was the same person.
The three of them arrived at a private chamber overlooking the palace gardens. The room was elegantly furnished, with plush seating and a low table set for tea. Seraphine gestured for them to sit, and a servant quietly entered to pour steaming cups of fragrant herbal brew before discreetly exiting.
Tristan took a sip of his tea and looked at Liam. "I apologize for my behavior at our previous meeting. Cough. Cough. I was on the verge of a breakthrough." He awkwardly tried to explain with Seraphine letting out a helpless sigh nearby.
"Don't worry about it." Liam smiled, not wanting to prolong his misery.
Tristan laughed, running a hand through his long black hair. "Your medicinal pill was fantastic. Just a single pill was enough to crush the bottleneck I had been stuck at for the last few weeks."
Last few weeks? Liam was amused. After the earth's evolution and mana it was rare to see someone talk about time in months, let alone in weeks and yet the person in front of him talking about being stuck for weeks. "I'm glad the pill was effective."
Seraphine coughed, clearly a signal between the two of them. Immediately Tristan straightened up. "Right, I still need to compensate you." With a nod, he started staring into the air in front of him making Liam aware that he was fiddling with the system screen. Well, it could also be that he had once again zoned out. One could never tell which is what with this person.
A few seconds later Tristan beamed in delight. "All done. You are now an auxiliary elder of the Eternal Sword Palace. The position offers you a whole slew of advantages, the best of which is the free access you now have to the sword manual repository."
Liam raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. "That's quite an honor. I appreciate it."
Tristan waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense! With your skills and the help you've provided, it's the least we can do. Besides, I have a feeling you'll make good use of the resources."
Seraphine smiled warmly. "You'll find the repository holds centuries of knowledge—not just sword techniques, but also insights into cultivation and even alchemical practices that could complement your own."
"Then I look forward to exploring it," Liam replied. "Thank you both for this opportunity."
"Think nothing of it," Tristan said, taking another sip of his tea. "Your pill is worth more than that. Let me tell you about my bottleneck and how I struggled for days before finally cracking the blockage. I-"
Cough. Cough. Seraphine once again intervened. "Elder Tristan, perhaps you are forgetting something important here."
"Hmmm? What are you talking about?"
Seraphine's face twitched and she awkwardly turned to address Liam. "About that… Grandmaster Dante… What are your plans regarding the second pill you concocted during the challenge with Grandmaster Engo… the pill with the spirit."
Oh? Tristan nodded in understanding. "Yes, I am very interested in that but I don't mind if you are not planning to part with it. A pill born from alchemical enlightenment is after all extremely precious. By the way, when you handled the dark energy during the pill concoction-"
Seeing that the conversation was once again going on a tangent, Seraphine helplessly coughed again. "Grandmaster Dante, I agree with elder Tristan. While the pill might be significant for you, I am sure there are other resources you are currently lacking." "It will be our pleasure to provide whatever you need in exchange for the pill. The terms will definitely not be lacking. Even if you compare with the Akashic auction house, our compensation will be a lot more generous."
"Seraphine, that's enough." Tristan frowned. His casual demeanor changed in an instant and that caused the woman to immediately shut up. "Please forgive me, Grandmaster Dante."
Liam quickly interrupted before any further misunderstandings could occur. "No need. I did indeed plan on giving the second pill to you." Mainly because he knew he could make a better version of it but he did not add that. He was currently not in a position to forge the superior pill he had in his mind so there was no point in talking about it. "Though it is born of alchemical enlightenment, the pill is not particularly useful to me." Liam shrugged.
Tristan's gaze turned cold. "Is there any particular reason you are being so generous? What do you want from me?" He asked, his sword aura bursting forth from within him.
"Tristan?" Seraphine became anxious.
Liam slightly flinched in pain, unable to bear the brunt of the aura but he did not shy away from the sharp cutting gaze that was locked onto him. "I do indeed have a favor to ask from you. What do you know about the Primeval Armament realm?" This was the moment he was waiting for and he explained about what happened to Derek, leaving out some details. The more he explained, the man in front of him widened his eyes in shock.