Chapter 301: Chapter 301 - Alchemy Challenge
She simply pressed her hand to her lips and laughed softly, "Dear Lainey, you’ve got it wrong. Someone like me isn’t swayed that easily. I simply believe Mason Raymond might still prove useful."
"Ha." Lainey let out a bitter laugh.
"Zendaya, listen to me. It wasn’t just the humiliation of kneeling before everyone because of Mason Raymond—because of him, my entire family nearly got wiped out!" Lainey spoke with clenched jaw.
Zendaya looked startled and questioned, "What are you talking about?"
Lainey replied icily, "The Sergio Family from the Capital City almost destroyed me completely. If my father hadn’t worked desperately to fix things, I’d be dead by now!"
"You think I can just let that brat walk away?" Lainey stared coldly at Zendaya.
Zendaya sat there stunned, clearly confused.
Back then, the Sergio family had dispatched assassins to eliminate everyone who had entered the Divine Medicine Space.
However, Zendaya alone had managed to get away.
Lainey had barely made it out alive, but lacking any power to challenge the Sergio family, he could only pin the blame on Mason Raymond.
——
Meanwhile, I couldn’t care less about Lainey.
I was actually hoping he’d stir up trouble so I could use the Heaven Swallowing Skill to drain him dry.
"Come on." I gestured to Victor Green and started exploring the Herbs Convention.
Within just over an hour, I had collected several century-old herbs.
I never thought getting hundred-year-old herbs would be this simple at the Herbs Convention.
"If even Peach Blossom City has such incredible resources, imagine what the Capital City must be like?" A deep sense of urgency filled my chest.
When I compared my resources to Vance Johansson’s, I was seriously lacking.
The main difference between major cities and smaller ones comes down to available resources.
That’s exactly why so many people desperately try to make it in the big cities.
"I have to figure out how to narrow the gap between Vance Johansson and me, and fast," I thought.
I stored all the herbs in my Spatial Magic Artifact and kept searching with Victor Green.
The Herbs Convention sprawled across a huge area—practically the whole village had been taken over for it.
But after walking around for ages, we still hadn’t spotted any alchemists from the Divine Alchemist Pavilion.
"Mr. Raymond, there’s quite a crowd over there." Victor Green pointed toward a distant booth.
Looking where he indicated, I saw he was right—tons of people had gathered around that stall.
"Let’s check it out." I led Victor Green toward the booth.
I extended my divine sense to scan the people at the Herbs Convention.
Pretty quickly, I picked up on several powerful groups in the area.
There had to be at least dozens of Grandmasters just standing around!
This kind of terrifying strength was nothing like what you’d find in Chuzzle.
"Mr. Raymond, look at this." Victor Green pointed to what looked like a gauze garment on the stall.
The clothing gleamed golden and felt incredibly thin.
Plus, there was this weird energy radiating from it.
"What’s that?" I asked.
The stall owner glanced my way and said, "That’s called Best Thin Armor—wearing it gives you an extra layer of protection."
My eyes immediately lit up when I heard that.
An extra layer of protection?
My greatest strength was my physical power.
If I added this Best Thin Armor to my body, what would my physical abilities become?
"Can I get a closer look at this Best Thin Armor?" I asked politely.
The stall owner smirked, "Go right ahead—you can even test it with a blade."
I picked up the Best Thin Armor without hesitation.
Then I pulled a bronze sword from my Spatial Magic Artifact, channeled my Inner Strength, and struck at the armor.
But the sharp bronze sword didn’t even make a mark!
Most amazingly, when force hit it, the Best Thin Armor instantly turned rock-hard!
"Incredible stuff!" I couldn’t contain my excitement!
"How much for this Best Thin Armor?" I asked eagerly.
The stall owner looked me over and said, "Show me what you’ve got."
I thought for a second, pulled out a Foundation Establishment Pill, and said, "This pill’s called a Foundation Establishment Pill—it can boost someone one level in the Master Realm. Wonder if it interests you."
The moment I said that, everyone nearby turned to stare at the Foundation Establishment Pill in my hand.
The stall owner took one look at the pill and laughed, "Boost one level in the Master Realm? Who’d want something like that?"
"Fair point." I scratched my chin. Inner Strength Masters were pretty much worthless to these people.
I considered for a moment and said, "I’ve also got a Fasting Pill—it can raise someone one level in the Grandmaster Realm."
"Raise one level in the Grandmaster Realm?" When they heard this, everyone around suddenly looked at me with excitement.
"Young man, do you really have a Fasting Pill?"
"If you actually have one, I’ll pay top dollar for it."
"I can trade century-old medicinal herbs for it."
Seeing the excited crowd, I nodded slightly and said, "I do have a Fasting Pill, but I can’t show it right now."
"You lying to us?" someone nearby sneered.
"Trying to get something for nothing? You think we’re all idiots?"
"Exactly—what’s this nonsense about raising levels? Complete garbage!"
I didn’t get mad at their attitude.
I looked at the stall owner and said, "If you don’t trust me, you can set this armor aside for now. In three days, I’ll bring the Fasting Pill to trade."
The stall owner looked hesitant. He thought it over and said, "Alright, but you’ll need to bring me ten Fasting Pills."
"Ten?" My eyebrows drew together slightly.
That price was higher than I’d expected.
"Deal! Ten it is!" I nodded and agreed.
Hearing this, the stall owner was about to put the armor away.
"Wait."
Right then, a young man walked over from nearby.
He picked up the armor and examined it briefly, then said, "I’m interested in this armor too. How about selling it to me instead?"
"Hey, we spotted this armor first!" Victor Green shouted angrily.
I waved my hand to stop him, "Whoever pays more gets it—nothing wrong with that."
The young man nodded slightly and looked at the stall owner.
The stall owner said, "As long as you offer a better price, this armor is yours."
The young man smiled calmly and said, "I can trade it for a Recovery Pill."
"Recovery Pill?" The stall owner frowned.
He knew about Recovery Pills—they were supposed to quickly restore Inner Strength in a short time, and they were rare items.
But compared to the Fasting Pill, it seemed less appealing.
Seeing the stall owner’s uncertainty, the young man smiled calmly and said, "I can produce the Recovery Pill right now. Compared to this gentleman’s promise of three days from now, I think you should make the smart choice."
The stall owner immediately furrowed his brow.
He glanced at me and said, "If you can give me the Fasting Pill now, this armor is yours. But if you can’t, I’m afraid I can only sell this armor to this gentleman."
My expression shifted slightly, and I pondered for a moment. "How about this—wait one hour for me, and I can give you one Fasting Pill right now."
"Wait one hour for you?" The stall owner seemed confused.
I smiled calmly, "I’ll refine the Fasting Pill for you right here on the spot."
Hearing this, everyone was immediately shocked!
Refining pills on the spot? Could this young man actually refine pills?
The young man sneered, "Sir, aren’t you talking a bit big? Refining pills on the spot? Who’d believe that?"
I smiled calmly, "Believe it or not—the truth will be obvious in an hour."
The young man snorted and suddenly pulled out a token from his pocket, saying, "I’m an alchemist from the Divine Alchemist Pavilion. Stall owner, the choice is yours."
