Chapter Fifteen: The Potion Turmoil (Part Two)

Nearby, Xuanxuan, having been sent back to her own room, immediately busied herself with her own affairs. The starship was brimming with elemental energy, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of this opportunity to absorb as much as possible. It seemed they still had about ten days before reaching the Imperial Capital, and she now held hope of becoming a first-level mage within this time.

Strength was what mattered most, and the current stir over the potion was no longer important to her.

What Wan Qi Lianhao and his son did not know was that someone else had also taken an interest in the potion—none other than the Emperor of Light, the man Xuanxuan had encountered before and recognized. When Zhan Yu met the veiled Xuanxuan and heard her immediately diagnose his ailment as a chill invasion, he had been greatly surprised. After being afflicted with the chill, he hadn’t suffered much in the Star Network—within five or six hours, all effects would fade. Still, he disliked being out of control and not at his peak. He knew the fire-dragon flower could counteract the chill with its intense heat, though it was rather violent, could cause side effects, and would make one’s mental energy fluctuate. He had always possessed strong mental power and was not troubled by minor aftereffects. Compared to the rigidity brought on by the chill, it was a much better option.

However, the fire-dragon flower was rare, and plants were not considered significant on the Star Network. Such rare flowers were mainly for ornamental purposes, rarely used by anyone, making them even harder to find. He was lucky to discover that Green World had a specimen. Yet, upon arriving, he found someone had beaten him to it. The person was wrapped up tightly, but those delicate, crystalline hands and clear blue eyes had left a deep impression on him. Her earnest, cutting words had also stuck with him. Not adept at conversation, he had intended to give up after their fruitless exchange. Unexpectedly, she surprised him with a suggestion. He didn’t know why he had purchased the pot of grass she mentioned, perhaps on a whim, and even used it—astonishingly, it worked extremely well, with no side effects.

Just after finishing the soak, the Flame Emperor—his friend Kuang Shao—reminded him that today was the monthly silver-tier auction at the Zhujilou. He hadn’t attended in three years and was intrigued to see what had changed. They agreed to meet and go together. To his surprise, he spotted that same tightly wrapped figure again, dressed in white, standing out even among the crowd. It seemed she was headed to the second-floor online auction. He thought he should thank her, but she disappeared before he had the chance, leaving him with a faint sense of regret. She clearly knew a great deal about plants.

“What are you looking at?” Zhan Yu didn’t have to turn to know it was Kuang Shao. Growing up together, their friendship was extraordinary—they were best partners, best rivals. Only in the past three years had they been apart: Zhan Yu joined the military, Kuang Shao became a freelance mercenary. Their first reunion in three years had been a fierce duel in the arena.

“Hey, you really weren’t affected by the chill? Impossible!” Kuang Shao was confident his attack had landed. His recent increase in explosive power was the only reason he had lost that round, but now, seeing Zhan Yu unaffected by any chill, he was truly shocked.

After searching in vain for the white figure, Zhan Yu turned to his friend. They hadn’t spoken at the arena due to the crowd. Now, seeing him unchanged from three years ago—still as provoking as ever—he replied, “It’s been dealt with.”

“Dealt with? I knew it, I was sure my shot hit you. Wait, what did you say—dealt with?” Kuang Shao moved closer, grabbing Zhan Yu’s wrist. There was no coolness or heat; his mech had been modified, and his weaponry was the best and newest available, far more powerful than the average. As far as he knew, only the fire-dragon flower could counteract the effect, but it left the user overheated and mentally unstable for a time. Zhan Yu showed none of these symptoms. Eyes bright, Kuang Shao pressed, “How did you get rid of it?”

Zhan Yu shook off Kuang Shao’s hand. “I have no strange hobbies.”

Kuang Shao was unfazed by Zhan Yu’s sharp tongue; he was used to it. What he really wanted was the method for neutralizing the frost attack, something that left no side effects. Eyes alight with excitement, he said, “There’s some good stuff at tonight’s auction. Everything’s on me tonight—what do you say?”

Zhan Yu ignored him, for he had just noticed an item listed on the second-floor online auction board: “Volcanic Potion.” This?

Kuang Shao kept pestering Zhan Yu, ignoring his silence. “What are you looking at? Who’s so bold? Thirty thousand starcoins for a single potion? That’s hilarious—claims to double D-rank mental power? Are they afraid of breaking someone’s back?”

Zhan Yu paid no heed. Intuition told him this was related to the veiled girl, for reasons he couldn’t explain. Staring at the thirty-thousand starcoin listing, he remembered he’d be gone in eight hours, so he simply raised the bid to one hundred thousand starcoins.

“Who’s the idiot who jumped straight to a hundred thousand? At least get a decent shill; this is just handing money to Zhujilou!” Kuang Shao’s jaw dropped at the sudden surge. This wasn’t just spending money—it was burning it. “Just tell me already, how did you neutralize the frost effect?”

Zhan Yu shot him a warning look.

Kuang Shao was baffled—how had he offended him now? He was the one seeking advice, not the other way around. Glancing at where Zhan Yu was looking, his mouth fell open. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re the one who raised the bid?”

Zhan Yu gave him another look. “I’ll be busy in eight hours. Watch the auction for me. If someone outbids me, make sure to buy it.”

“Are you crazy? You actually believe in this stuff? Who else but you would…” Seeing Zhan Yu’s increasingly dark expression, Kuang Shao swallowed the rest of his words. “You’re serious?”

Zhan Yu stayed silent, eyes fixed on the auction. Others were questioning the item’s authenticity, some calling the high bidder a fool. He felt reassured—no one would believe it enough to buy. He didn’t know why he trusted it would work, but perhaps more than trusting the potion, he trusted the girl. “Win the auction for me, and I’ll tell you how to counteract the frost.”

“Really?” Kuang Shao didn’t care if the stuff worked. He only cared about Zhan Yu’s method.

Zhan Yu nodded. He’d tell him the method, just not what the item was—just say soak for an hour, and if Kuang Shao couldn’t figure out what to soak in, that was his own problem.

As Kuang Shao happily agreed, Wan Houyi also received word from the Star Network’s administrators: someone had bid a hundred thousand for the potion. Could it be that someone had already used the type of potion Xuanxuan had tried, or had the volcanic potion truly been tested and proven effective? The attention on the potion grew, with strict orders to secure it. All data on the Star Network was controlled by the main intelligence, and viewing or altering it required approval from at least five Federation members—only seven people in total had such clearance, and Wan Houyi was just one of them. So, the only chance to outbid would be at the very end of the auction, not now. At present, raising the bid was out of the question.