Eagle Henry was no longer young. His silver-white hair shimmered with a gentle luster under the candlelight, and his face was etched with the marks of time, wrinkles that bore witness to his honor and vicissitudes.
His frame was hunched, yet he still tried to stand straight, as if that were the only way to maintain his former dignity.
But he was old now. So old that he wouldn't even retort when mocked.
By his side was the lavishly dressed Yas.
In contrast to his father's composure and calm, Yas's eyes flickered occasionally as he glanced incessantly toward the door.
"They're here," Henry murmured, his ears twitching slightly. He stepped toward the door to meet them, a smile appearing on his face before he even spoke. "Mr. Karl, welcome!"
"Mr. Karl." Yas bowed respectfully from behind.
"Yas, my friend," Karl said, extending his hand to help Yas up. "No need for such formality."
"Old Mr. Henry, we meet again."
Karl's demeanor eased the tension in both men; it seemed the "apologies" of the past few days had worked.
Henry gestured. "Please, sit! Have a seat."
"I have always disagreed with Baird's decisions. It's just that, as you know, Karl, I have less and less of a say in the Scythe Brotherhood." He sighed helplessly. "Ah! Not everyone respects the elderly, especially in Freedom Port, where the powerless old are seen as deserving to be discarded." Get full chapters from novel※fire.net
Seeing no response from Karl, Henry shook his head and took out a wooden box.
The lid of the box opened.
Inside were four Great Divine Graces.
"Four." Karl took the wooden box, his expression unchanged, though ripples had begun to stir in his heart. "Only four?"
"A few years ago, the Brotherhood used all its savings to trade for a supreme Dharma Seal from the Duke's envoy," Henry said. "So this is all we have for now. As you know, it takes one hundred Great Divine Graces to trade for one supreme Dharma Seal. The Brotherhood saved for many years to gather one hundred."
One hundred! Karl's fingers trembled slightly, his emotions in turmoil. If he had been given one hundred Great Divine Graces, he would have long since become an Official Wizard or a Legendary Knight. A supreme Dharma Seal was good, but it definitely wasn't worth one hundred Great Divine Graces—at least not to him. But what did Duke Ferdinand want with Great Divine Graces? Could it be that he, like Karl, could extract Source Material from Great Divine Graces and convert it into his own power?
"Actually..." Yas's eyes flickered, and he spoke in a low voice, "there might be more. The Great Divine Graces are collected by Second Elder Baird, and he claims there are only these four. As for how many he truly has, only he knows."
Hmm? Karl raised an eyebrow.
"Yas!" Henry frowned slightly, displeased. Although he also disdained Baird, he didn't want any more conflict between the Scythe Brotherhood and Karl. "Karl." Turning back to Karl, Henry softened his voice. "Besides the Great Divine Graces, there's also half a corpse of a Legendary Creature, which I've already had sent to the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce. I heard you were collecting such things. Please consider it an apology from our Brotherhood."
"Mm," Karl nodded. "My thanks for your trouble. The Frost Woman is in the Flame Tavern's kitchen. If she's treated promptly, she should only be missing a leg."
"Yas," Henry said hurriedly, "you go!"
"Yes." Yas stood up. He was about to leave when he remembered something. He stopped and asked, "Mr. Karl, the last time we met, you said if I wanted to become a Great Knight... Do you have a way?"
Karl paused for a moment. "Hmm... I did have a Potion on hand at the time that could increase a Peak Knight's chances of breaking through to Great Knight."
Hearing this, both Yas and Henry's expressions changed drastically.
"Really?" Yas's body trembled. "Mr. Karl, are you serious?" He had once dreamed of becoming a Great Knight, but after several failed attempts, he had lost all hope. Now, hearing there was still a chance, he was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
Henry, however, was thinking more deeply. No wonder! No wonder Lula and Audis of the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce suddenly became Great Knights and completely turned the situation around! So that was the reason! He didn't think Karl was lying; after all, the appearance of additional Great Knights couldn't be faked. But... this matter was vitally important to the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce, concerning their future development. Logically, it should have been kept absolutely secret.
Karl saw the doubt in Henry's eyes and chuckled. "I had a few Potions at the time, but now they're all gone."
So that's how it is! Henry suddenly understood. With no Potions left, secrecy naturally didn't matter anymore.
"Ah!" Yas, on the other hand, looked utterly dejected. Thinking of what he had missed, he couldn't help feeling annoyed with himself. If only he had asked a few more questions back then... If only he could have gotten a Potion... Sigh! He looked completely crestfallen, as if he had lost his soul.
"Mr. Karl," Henry asked tentatively, "can that Potion be made again?"
Yes! Yas's eyes lit up, and he stared intently at Karl, desperately hoping to hear an affirmative answer from him.
"Well..." Karl hesitated. "Currently, it's not possible. However, if there's ever a chance to make it again in the future, I will definitely notify you both first."
"Good!" Before Henry could speak, Yas exclaimed, "Mr. Karl, please, you absolutely must not forget to notify me!"
"Certainly," Karl replied, nodding with a smile.
He didn't mind doing business with the Scythe Brotherhood or the Sea God's Assembly; in fact, he had already planned to. His true goal was to use the 'Berserk Potion' to gather all the Great Divine Graces from throughout Freedom Port. As for the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce... as long as he could become an Official Wizard or a Legendary Knight, the opinions of others would be completely irrelevant.