Chapter 453: Golden Mana Liquid [ 1 ]

"Ladies and gentlemen," Master Orwin Pell said, his voice carrying through the Grand Auction House as the final crystal container was placed upon the black pedestal, "we have one final item."

Nobody laughed this time.

The container was small enough to fit comfortably inside a man’s palm. Within it floated a single viscous golden drop, surrounded by thin strands of mist-like mana that continuously escaped its surface before curling inward again.

There was no magnificent sword, no towering suit of armor, no ancient Skill Stone radiating enough power to immediately reveal its Rank. There was only one drop of liquid, yet the moment the attendants stepped away from the pedestal, several of the most experienced Warriors in the hall visibly stiffened.

Leon Drakar stopped moving.

Iris Dawncaster’s quill froze halfway across her page.

Edmund Krail leaned forward for the first time since purchasing the Phoenix Vein Rebirth Elixir, while the representatives from Iron Fang and Black Banner stared at the container with expressions that had lost every trace of casual interest.

Even Garen Holtweiss, who had spent most of the auction joking about money, slowly lowered the cup he had been holding.

Lucan’s expression changed as well. He knew what he was looking at. Most people in the hall did. They had simply never expected to see one.

A murmur moved through the audience, quiet at first, then spreading from seat to seat as the same name appeared repeatedly.

"Golden Mana Liquid..."

"Impossible."

"That’s actually Golden Mana Liquid?"

"A whole drop?"

Master Orwin didn’t interrupt them. He allowed the recognition to travel through the chamber until nearly everyone understood what had just appeared on the stage. Only then did he rest one hand upon the podium.

"I can see that an introduction is largely unnecessary," Orwin said, his expression far more restrained than during the previous treasures. "But for the sake of the Guild’s records and tonight’s auction, I will confirm what many of you have already recognized."

He turned slightly toward the pedestal. "Golden Mana Liquid."

The room became completely silent.

"What you are looking at is not the Mana Liquid currently being sold by the Adventurer Guild," Orwin continued. "It is what Mana Liquid can become after remaining undisturbed beneath extraordinary conditions for approximately three hundred years."

That confirmation hit harder than the reveal itself.

Iris slowly placed her quill down. She knew the theory. Every sufficiently educated Mage knew some version of it.

Mana Liquid could continue accumulating and compressing mana if trapped within an environment possessing extraordinary natural density, but the conditions required were so rare and so difficult to preserve that Golden Mana Liquid was normally discussed in the same books that recorded extinct magical plants and ancient cultivation grounds.

Some Mage organizations possessed written records of it. Old noble families had accounts of ancestors using it. There were even stories of wars being fought over places capable of producing it.

Actually seeing a drop was another matter entirely.

Iris stared at the golden liquid and murmured, almost to herself, "Three centuries of uninterrupted condensation."

Sage heard her from the stage.

There was no question in her voice.

Only disbelief.

Leon was reacting differently. His eyes remained fixed upon the container while his expression grew increasingly serious. As a 6-Star Grandmaster Knight and Captain of the Ardent Sun Knight Order, he didn’t need Orwin to explain what an environment created from Golden Mana Liquid could do for a Warrior with the right foundation.

Leon had probably read the same old accounts that other powerful Warriors had. Perhaps his Knight Order even possessed records concerning its use.

The representative beside him whispered, "Captain..."

Leon lifted one hand without looking away. "I know."

Orwin continued once the audience had settled enough to listen. "The Adventurer Guild’s appraisal confirms an estimated formation period of approximately three hundred years for this drop. The exact period can vary depending upon the mana environment in which condensation occurs, but there should be no misunderstanding concerning what is being offered tonight."

He gestured toward the container. "One complete drop of naturally condensed Golden Mana Liquid."

Another wave of whispers followed.

This time they were about money.

Boren noticed immediately. He leaned toward Irene and whispered, "They’re already calculating how much they have."

Irene watched several noble representatives quietly speaking to their attendants. "Some are calculating how much they have. Others are calculating how much they can borrow before Orwin opens the bidding."

Boren looked around the hall.

Three servants were already moving toward the doors.

"That’s worse."

"Much worse," Irene agreed.

Orwin waited before addressing the most important warning. "Everyone here with sufficient knowledge of Golden Mana Liquid should already understand this, but the Adventurer Guild will state it formally regardless. Golden Mana Liquid must never be consumed directly."

Nobody looked surprised.

Several Knights actually nodded.

"A Warrior attempting to swallow this drop would not gain three hundred years of cultivation," Orwin continued. "They would force centuries of accumulated mana to release inside a body incapable of containing it. Even a Grandmaster Warrior could suffer catastrophic destruction of the mana pathways and internal organs almost immediately."

A grey-haired Knight near the center grimaced and muttered to his companion, "You would burst before absorbing a tenth of it."

His companion nodded. "If you’re fortunate enough to die that quickly."

Boren heard them and immediately decided he preferred not to imagine it.

Orwin continued, "Proper usage requires a sufficiently reinforced and completely sealed Cultivation Chamber. The Golden Mana Liquid is released inside the chamber, after which its accumulated mana is allowed to disperse gradually throughout the enclosed space."

Every Mage was listening closely despite already understanding the principle.

"As the drop disperses," Orwin explained, "the mana density within the chamber rises until the surrounding energy becomes nearly tangible. The Warrior then cultivates within that environment, absorbing the released mana gradually rather than forcing the entire concentration into the body at once."

Leon finally leaned back. His expression remained grave.

One of the Ardent Sun Knights beside him quietly said, "A young Knight with a stable foundation could remain inside until the chamber’s mana returned to ordinary levels."

Leon nodded. "Provided his cultivation method can handle it."

"How far could someone advance?"

Leon glanced toward his subordinate. "There is no single answer. Rank matters. Talent matters. Foundation matters. A poorly prepared Warrior could waste half the opportunity. Someone exceptional could accomplish years of cultivation."

Orwin was already making the same limitation clear from the stage. "The Adventurer Guild guarantees no fixed number of breakthroughs. Golden Mana Liquid provides an extraordinary cultivation environment, not guaranteed advancement. The result depends upon the user’s current Warrior Rank, foundation, talent, cultivation method and ability to absorb mana efficiently."

That distinction did nothing to reduce the hunger in the room. If anything, it made the treasure more desirable.

The people attending tonight understood cultivation too well to expect miracles without effort. What frightened them was precisely how useful the Golden Mana Liquid could be when placed in the hands of someone who already possessed everything else.

A talented heir, a Knight standing near a major breakthrough, a Mage genius whose only limitation was the time required to accumulate enough mana. A young Warrior whom an organization intended to raise into one of its future pillars.

Leon understood that immediately. He wasn’t imagining himself entering the chamber. At his current strength, even Golden Mana Liquid couldn’t casually push him through advancement after advancement.

He was thinking about the younger Knights beneath him, the talented ones with excellent foundations who still needed years of cultivation before reaching their potential.

The noble representatives were thinking the same thing. So were the mercenaries. So were the Mages.

Iris’s attention remained locked upon the drop, but her interest had moved beyond simply using it.

The existence of a naturally condensed three-hundred-year drop meant that somewhere, at some point, an environment had remained stable enough for Mana Liquid to survive centuries without being consumed, contaminated or dispersed. For a researcher, that fact alone was maddening.

Lucan turned toward the two Auremont representatives sitting behind him. The older man’s face had become exceptionally serious.

Lucan lowered his voice. "How much authority did my father give you tonight?"

The representative looked toward the Golden Mana Liquid before answering, "Enough for anything we reasonably expected the Guild to sell."

Lucan glanced back toward the stage. "This wasn’t reasonable."

"No," the representative agreed. "It wasn’t."

Lucan’s usual smile disappeared. "Use my personal authority as well."

The man looked at him sharply. "Young Master Lucan, once the bidding reaches the level I expect, this stops being a personal purchase."

"I know," Lucan replied, his gaze remaining on the stage. "I’m not trying to put it in my bedroom. If House Auremont obtains it, Father can decide who uses it."

The representative studied him for a moment before nodding.

Below them, Garen remained strangely silent.

Boren eventually looked toward him. "You’re not going to say anything about buying it?"

Garen didn’t smile. "No."