Chapter 69: A Perfect Combination

Kael suddenly smiled. "Looks like you didn’t last very long."

Gareth nodded reluctantly.

"Anyway, that’s not what concerns me." Kael’s smile disappeared as he turned toward Ethan. "What happened in the Verdant Alchemy Secret Realm is what I want to talk about."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Still thinking about that?"

"We eventually found another herb that could replace the Thornheart Flower." Kael’s voice remained calm, but there was still some irritation behind it. "But that doesn’t change the fact that I had to return to the guild empty-handed and explain why the mission failed."

Liana immediately nodded.

"And we had to explain all the missing resources too."

Kael ignored her and kept his eyes on Ethan.

"As the Young Guild Leader, I don’t exactly enjoy having to explain to the guild why someone walked into a secret realm, took everything we were looking for, and left us with nothing."

Ethan smiled faintly.

"Then perhaps you should’ve gotten there first."

Kael’s expression tightened.

"You really don’t feel guilty at all?"

"Why would I?"

Ethan shrugged.

"The Verdant Alchemy Secret Realm isn’t your guild’s property."

Kael stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.

"You really are impossible to reason with."

Ethan shrugged.

"Then there’s nothing left to discuss."

He turned toward the exit.

"I have something to take care of, and I don’t intend to waste the rest of my day arguing about something that happened in the secret realm."

Kael watched him turn away.

"Wait."

Ethan stopped but didn’t turn around.

"What?"

"And if we meet again, don’t expect me to let you walk away with what belongs to Silvercrest Guild."

Ethan stopped and turned back.

"If you find something first, you can keep it. But if I get there first, it’ll be mine."

He turned and continued toward the exit.

Aria stopped beside Liana.

"I’ll see you later."

"Sure," Liana replied. "We’ll talk again."

Aria caught up with Ethan before he reached the doorway, leaving Kael, Gareth and Liana behind.

Kael’s expression tightened as Ethan walked away.

Liana watched Ethan disappear through the doorway.

"He really didn’t care about any of that."

Kael clicked his tongue. "Apparently not."

Gareth picked up his weapon and turned toward the opposite exit.

"I don’t care about the Thornheart Flower."

Kael turned toward him. "Then what do you care about?"

Gareth stopped at the doorway.

"Beating him."

Gareth turned to Kael.

"I’ll settle the score the next time we meet."

With that, Gareth walked out of the Combat Simulation Area.

Liana watched Gareth leave before turning back toward Kael.

"Are you really going to fight him again?"

Kael ignored the question.

"Never mind that. Have you finished refining the Instant Recovery Pill?"

Liana smiled slightly.

"Yes. The Second Order Instant Recovery Pill is finally finished."

Kael’s expression eased.

"How many?"

"Twenty pills."

"That should be enough for now."

Liana nodded. "They weren’t easy to refine. The materials needed for a Second Order Instant Recovery Pill are much harder to process."

She paused before adding, "I’ve also finished the other consumables you asked for. The recovery potions and a few resistance potions are ready too."

Kael nodded.

"Keep the remaining materials. We might need another batch soon."

He looked toward the entrance where Gareth had disappeared.

"There are too many strong people showing up lately. I don’t want to be caught unprepared when the real competitions begin."

Liana smiled. "So you’re worried?"

"Worried?" Kael scoffed. "No. I’m just making sure I have everything I need to win."

"With these, at least I won’t have to worry about running out of recovery items."

His expression became more confident.

"Whatever comes next, I’ll be ready."

Meanwhile, Ethan and Aria had already left the Combat Simulation Area.

Aria walked beside him for a while before finally speaking.

"What’s this Verdant Alchemy Secret Realm they were talking about?"

Ethan glanced at her.

"You heard all of that?"

"Of course I did. They were practically arguing about it right in front of us."

Aria frowned slightly.

"But something doesn’t add up. From the way they were talking, that happened recently. How did I not hear anything about it?"

She turned toward Ethan.

"And you’ve practically been in Blackstone City this whole time. How did you manage to get involved in something that big without me hearing about it?"

Ethan gave her a faint smile.

"It wasn’t exactly something I planned to tell people about."

"That much I figured."

Aria crossed her arms.

"But a secret realm connected to the Verdant Alchemy Hall? A rare Thornheart Flower? More than two hundred thousand coins’ worth of herbs and resources?"

She shook her head.

"And somehow you were right in the middle of all of it."

"I just happened to find a way inside."

"You just happened to find a way inside?"

"That’s what I said."

"You really know how to make suspicious things sound completely normal."

"You’ll get yourself into trouble if you’re this curious."

"Now I’m even more curious."

Ethan turned the question around.

"What about you? I didn’t know you were friends with Liana."

"Oh, her?"

Aria’s expression relaxed.

"We met yesterday in the girls’ dormitory. We started talking, and somehow we just hit it off."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"That quickly?"

"Why not?"

Aria shrugged.

"She’s an alchemist, and I’m a treasure hunter. It’s not exactly a bad combination."

"How so?"

Aria smiled.

"I find rare herbs, ores, monster materials, and all kinds of strange things while exploring. She can actually make use of them."

She paused before adding, "And if she needs some rare material for her alchemy, she can always tell me what she’s looking for. If I happen to find it during one of my explorations, I can sell it to her."

Ethan nodded.

"That does make sense."

"Exactly. I find treasures, she turns them into useful things. It’s a pretty good arrangement."

Aria suddenly gave him a suspicious look.

"Although, after hearing what happened in the Verdant Alchemy Secret Realm, I think you might be better suited to being a treasure hunter than I am."

Ethan smiled faintly.

"I’ve never claimed otherwise."