Chapter 286: Spring Of Life.

Kael stared at the item on the screen for a while.

After his regression, before he even knew what was wrong with his mother, the Elixir had been one of the few things he’d placed his hopes in. There had always been rumors surrounding it, some claiming it could cure almost any illness, no matter how severe. Back then, he’d desperately wanted to believe those rumors were true.

But now, things were different.

He knew his mother’s condition wasn’t an ordinary illness. Her vitality had been drained from her body, leaving her barely able to sustain herself.

So with that in mind, would the Elixir even work on something like this?

His brows slowly furrowed as he continued staring at the item.

Aurelius noticed his expression.

"What’s with the long face, brat?"

Kael’s eyes shifted toward him.

Aurelius glanced at the screen before looking back at Kael.

"You seem rather interested in the Elixir. Mind if I ask why?"

Kael remained silent for a moment.

His first instinct was to avoid answering. He wasn’t someone who casually revealed information about himself, especially information concerning his family. But after thinking about it for a few seconds, he realized there was little reason to hide this particular detail from Aurelius.

If anyone in the Tower knew about rare items, it would be someone like him.

"My mother is sick."

Kael paused before continuing.

"Her Vitality was drained because of some kind of illness. She’s been unconscious for a long time."

He didn’t explain what had really happened or reveal any details about the circumstances surrounding her condition. That was enough.

Aurelius listened quietly.

His expression remained calm as he considered Kael’s words.

"Well, if that’s the case, then as an honorable merchant, I might suggest that you don’t go for the Elixir."

Kael’s brows immediately furrowed.

"Why?"

Aurelius gave a small smile.

"Because what you call the Elixir is, quite frankly, an overpriced healing potion."

Kael stared at him.

Aurelius continued before he could say anything.

"It’s mostly made for people who want to show off their wealth rather than people who actually care about optimizing its effects. The Elixir is powerful, yes, but its reputation makes it far more valuable than what it actually provides."

Kael’s confusion deepened.

"What do you mean?"

"The key ingredient that gave the Elixir its fame is something called the Water of Life."

Aurelius raised one finger.

"Or the Spring of Life. Some call it the Spring of Youth. There are plenty of names for it depending on where you come from, but that’s beside the point."

He lowered his finger.

"The important thing is that the substance itself is incredibly rare and valuable. Anyone who actually possesses it wouldn’t want to waste it by turning it into something like the Elixir."

Kael listened carefully.

"Then why make the Elixir at all?"

"Because some people have more wealth than sense." Aurelius shrugged. "They make it because they can. Wealthy people love things that let them prove just how wealthy they are."

He glanced toward the displayed item.

"So while the Elixir is certainly a powerful healing potion, it isn’t optimized for what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s basically a better-performing healing potion made with an ingredient far more valuable than necessary."

Kael’s brows remained furrowed as he thought about it.

It made sense.

If the most valuable part of the Elixir was the Water of Life itself, then using it to create a generalized healing potion was indeed wasteful if his only goal was restoring Vitality.

"So what do you suggest?"

Aurelius’s smile widened.

"Now that’s a much better question."

He waved his hand.

Two objects suddenly appeared in his grasp.

The first was a transparent vial roughly the size of a fist. At first glance, it looked as though it contained nothing more than ordinary water. But the liquid inside possessed a faint magical radiance, shimmering with a soft light that made it immediately obvious that this was anything but normal water.

The second object looked like a simple twig.

Except it wasn’t.

The branch was covered in faint green energy that slowly leaked from its surface, almost like mist. Even without using his abilities, Kael could feel the dense vitality contained within it.

Aurelius lifted the vial slightly.

"These two would be your best options."

Kael’s eyes immediately focused on it.

"This is the Spring of Life I just mentioned."

The magical liquid inside the vial gently shifted as Aurelius moved it.

"It contains an extremely high concentration of life force, making it perfect for restoring Vitality. Drinking this amount should restore roughly one hundred years’ worth of Vitality to the person who consumes it."

Kael’s eyes widened.

"One hundred years?"

His heart skipped a beat.

A hundred years worth of Vitality.

That was far more than he had expected.

If his mother’s condition really was caused by her Vitality being drained, then something like this could potentially wake her almost immediately.

Aurelius lowered the vial and picked up the other object.

"And this is a branch from a matured Life Tree."

Kael looked at the branch carefully.

"The effect is slower than the Spring of Life, but it’s just as powerful in its own way."

Aurelius held the branch out slightly.

"Simply keeping this within a confined space will gradually fill the surrounding area with dense, vibrant life energy. Anyone within its vicinity will slowly have their body nourished by that energy. Over time, it can mend the body and restore Vitality."

Kael’s gaze moved between the branch and the vial.

"How long would it take?"

"That depends on the condition of the people exposed to it."

Aurelius shrugged.

"But compared to drinking the Spring of Life directly, the process is considerably slower."

He paused.

"Of course, you could boil the branch and extract its life essence if you wanted the effect to happen faster."

Kael looked at him.

"But?"

"But that would be a waste."

Aurelius gave him a look as though the answer should have been obvious.

"The entire point of a matured Life Tree branch is that it can continuously release its life force. Destroying it just to extract the energy faster would be an incredibly inefficient way to use it."

Kael nodded.

His gaze returned to the two items.

The Spring of Life was obviously the more appealing option.

If he bought it and gave it to his mother, he might be able to restore a massive amount of her lost Vitality immediately. Depending on the extent of her condition, it might even be enough to wake her up.

But the Life Tree branch was tempting for an entirely different reason.

If he placed it inside their home, the life energy it released would benefit everyone living there. His mother would slowly recover from the constant effects of her weakened condition, while he and Lyra would also benefit from the environment it created.

Kael stared at the two items for a few seconds.

Then a thought crossed his mind.

Why not buy both?

He had already come this far. If he could afford them, there was little reason to choose only one.

Kael turned toward Aurelius.

"How much for the two?"

Aurelius smiled.

He waved his hand, and the shop interface in front of Kael changed.

The previous display vanished, replaced by two items, the Spring of Life and the Life Tree branch, their prices listed beside them.

Kael’s eyes moved to the numbers, and his expression tightened immediately.

Expensive. Very expensive.

His teeth gritted slightly as he stared at the prices.

For a moment, Kael considered whether he should really spend that much.

Then he thought about his mother.

There was nothing left to consider.

No matter how expensive they were, this wasn’t something he could afford to hesitate over. Tower Coins could be earned again. His mother’s health was far more important.

Kael took a slow breath before looking at Aurelius.

"I’ll take the two."