Novel Full Chapter 190: Shock
Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Shock
Chapter 190: Shock
Liana followed in a complete trance.
When Rhain had mentioned knowing some people at the Pavilion, she had naturally assumed he meant a friendly attendant or perhaps a mid-level clerk who could help them bypass a minor queue.
But here they were, being personally escorted by the Manager of the Celestial Elixir Pavilion himself!
This was the same man whose authority in Stormveil City had grown so immense in the past few weeks that even half-step Domain Master Realm experts had taken formal appointments just to request a meeting with him!
She couldn’t understand it.
They had both arrived in the Inner Province barely a month ago.
How could Rhain already possess such impossibly high-profile connections?
Liana’s mind spun as they ascended the staircase, passing the bustling second floor where wealthy private clients conducted their purchases in soundproofed rooms.
When they reached the top-secret third floor, the corridor was silent and immaculate.
Vulcan pushed open the doors to an exquisite, soundproofed room that was used exclusively for their internal operations.
"Please, sit," Vulcan said, pulling back high backed chairs for Rhain, and Liana.
Liana sank into the seat mechanically, her silver eyes still wide with disbelief.
Vulcan personally lifted a teapot of rare Millennium Cloud Tea, the same variety that only the highest nobility in Stormveil City could afford, and poured two cups gracefully.
He set one before Rhain and one before Liana.
Liana stared at the porcelain cup.
She reached out, and lifted the porcelain cup with both hands, but they were trembling so visibly that the surface of the tea rippled.
She took a tiny sip, entirely unable to taste the rich spiritual essence because her heart was hammering so loudly in her ears.
"Is there anything specific I can assist with today, esteemed guest?" Vulcan asked, trying to sound as much formal as he could.
"My friend here, Liana, requires an Epic-Grade breakthrough pill," Rhain stated bluntly. "Furthermore, I want you to issue her a VIP membership card that will provide her with a generous discount on any future purchases."
Liana nearly choked on her tea.
Rhain just said that so casually and directly.
As far as she knew, the Celestial Elixir Pavilion had hardly given discounts to anyone.
Why would they, when the wealthy nobles and rogue cultivators outside were practically bleeding each other dry, ready to pay two or three times the asking price just to secure a single pill?
To walk into the manager’s office and openly demand an Epic-Grade pill and a discount card was practically an insult to this powerhouse of an establishment!.
But to her utter astonishment, Vulcan didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
"Of course," Vulcan replied without a single second of hesitation.
He reached into his robes and placed an exquisite jade bottle on the table.
Beside it, he laid down a gleaming golden card inscribed with intricate array formations.
"This is our finest Epic-Grade breakthrough pill," Vulcan explained smoothly, sliding the items toward her. "And this is a Golden VIP card. It grants a thirty percent discount on all future purchases."
This was the absolute highest discount that the Celestial Elixir Pavilion had provided thus far.
No one in the entire city had ever received a Golden VIP card!
At most, the Pavilion had handed out a few ten percent discount cards to its very highest-profile, multi-billionaire buyers.
Liana was the very first person in Stormveil City to receive a thirty percent Golden VIP card!
Liana was so stupefied that she couldn’t even form words to express her gratitude.
But then, Rhain’s calm voice echoed in the room again.
"Mr. Vulcan," Rhain said calmly. "Liana and I have known each other for a very long time. Surely you could offer something a bit more generous?"
Vulcan was genuinely surprised.
’Is a thirty percent discount not enough?’
He looked down at the 30% golden card. That was already the highest discount tier they had issued.
But one glance at Rhain’s calm, expectant expression told Vulcan everything he needed to know.
Without a word of protest, Vulcan picked up the golden card.
He channeled a thin thread of essence into the embossed surface, and the calligraphy shimmered, rearranging itself before their eyes.
The number changed from thirty to fifty.
"Fifty percent discount," Vulcan announced, setting the card back down with a respectful nod. "For a cherished friend of our esteemed guest, this is the least we can do."
Liana’s jaw dropped. "F-Fifty—"
Vulcan looked at Rhain, waiting for approval.
Rhain silently shook his head.
Vulcan’s eye twitched, but he dutifully picked the card up again.
The calligraphy shifted once more. Seventy percent.
Vulcan looked at Rhain again.
Rhain let out a quiet sigh. "Mr. Vulcan, you and I have been friends for such a long time..."
"I understand entirely!" Vulcan abruptly stopped Rhain mid-sentence, his eyes lighting up with a sudden, profound realization.
A knowing look crossed his scarred face as his gaze flickered briefly toward Liana, then back to Rhain. In that single glance, an entire unspoken conversation occurred.
So this is Master’s future second wife.
Vulcan cleared his throat and spoke with absolute sincerity. "For someone of such importance to our esteemed guest, we can certainly increase the discount further. In fact, we could offer up to ninety-nine percent—"
"NO!"
The shout erupted so suddenly and so loudly that both Rhain and Vulcan flinched.
Liana’s mind had almost gone completely crazy watching this logic-breaking scene unfold.
She was genuinely questioning whether she was hallucinating because of her severe lack of sleep from the extra forging shifts.
She shot up from her chair, waving her hands frantically.
"You can’t do that!" Liana looked at Rhain, her silver eyes filled with panic. "Rhain, we should not make it so difficult for Mr. Vulcan! If the actual owner of this Pavilion finds out that he was giving away a ninety-nine percent discount, the owner might get incredibly angry and punish him!"
Rhain looked at her panicked, concerned face with a gaze that clearly said, ’I have absolutely no problem with it.’
Vulcan also let out a booming laugh, waving his massive hand dismissively. "Do not worry, young lady! It won’t be a problem at all. The owner will definitely not mind!"
"I still refuse!" Liana insisted stubbornly. "A ninety-nine percent discount is practically giving it away for free! It will cause a loss to your pavilion! I simply cannot accept it!"
It was an entirely absurd scene.
Right outside the front doors, the wealthiest elites of Stormveil City were frantically making higher bids, practically begging to throw away their fortunes just to secure a single pill.
Meanwhile, inside the locked VIP room of the Pavilion, the manager and the owner were actively plotting on how to force a bigger discount onto a fiercely reluctant buyer.
Eventually, seeing that Liana was dead set against the ninety-nine percent absurdity, they compromised.
They agreed on a fifty percent discount.
Liana purchased the flawless Epic-Grade breakthrough pill for exactly one million Aetherium Crystals.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Vulcan!" Liana bowed repeatedly, clutching the jade bottle and the Golden VIP card to her chest as if they were her own life.
With the transaction complete, Rhain and Liana finally left the VIP room, escorted out through the private side entrance by an incredibly respectful Luka.
As they stepped back onto the bustling streets of the commercial district, Liana turned to Rhain.
Her silver eyes were completely misted with overwhelming gratitude.
"Rhain..." Liana spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly. "There are simply no words for me to express my gratitude. You have helped me more times than I can count."
"You don’t need to thank me," Rhain said casually. "You are my and Seris’s friend. If Seris knew you were in trouble and struggling to gather Aetherium Crystals for a breakthrough, she would not let me stand by and watch you suffer like this."
Liana’s footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second.
The bright, grateful smile on her flawless face dulled slightly.
’Because I am Seris’s friend.’
He had only helped her because he knew his wife would be upset if he didn’t.
It was never about her.
She forced the bitter ache in her heart down, masking it with a fragile smile.
’Even so, I owe you," Liana said softly.
They walked in silence for a while, crossing the academy, and approaching the boundary that separated the Outer Palace from the Inner Palace.
Liana stopped.
She looked at him, her hands nervously clutching the edge of her red silk dress.
"Tell Seris I miss her," Liana said softly, her smile warming as she looked up at him. "And when she comes out of seclusion, both of you should come visit me. I am just an Outer Palace disciple, so I cannot enter the Inner Palace on my own. But if you two come to the Outer Palace grounds, I can show you around."
Rhain paused mid-step, a faint frown crossing his face.
He hadn’t fully considered the rigid separation between the Inner and Outer Palaces from the perspective of the lower-ranked disciples.
For him, with his Gold Badge and Myrielle’s jade token, moving between the tiers was effortless. But for someone like Liana, the boundaries were unreachable walls.
"I will try to come when I have time," Rhain said with a nod. "And I will bring Seris."
A genuine smile returned to Liana’s face once again.
"I’ll hold you to that promise," she said quietly.
With a final, lingering glance at his handsome face, Liana turned around and walked away toward the Outer Palace dormitories, her red dress swaying gently in the evening wind.