Thinking of the two people he had seen at Ero last time, several thoughts flashed through Morris’s mind.
Watching Philip turn to leave, he couldn’t help but call out,
"Wait, I still have something to say!"
Philip stopped in his tracks and turned around somewhat impatiently, his tone quite displeased,
Morris seemed somewhat nervous, his gaze inadvertently flicking to the door behind the other man, before he continued,
"Philip, we’ve gathered enough points, we want to exchange them for a bottle of Sun Essence!"
No sooner had he spoken than all those present turned their gazes toward them, and suddenly the surroundings fell silent.
Philip’s initially impatient expression gradually turned to one of astonishment.
He hadn’t expected anyone to gather the necessary points for the exchange so quickly.
But after a moment’s thought, he came to terms with it.
If it were any other Hunter Team, indeed, there wouldn’t be many who could rise to the challenge, but Morris and his team were different.
They were already somewhat famous hunters in their circle, and they had been catching rats consistently of late, so it was not surprising that they had accomplished this.
After all, the nickname "Rat Extermination Team" wasn’t for nothing.
Philip stood still and sized them up for a moment, his eyes shifting from surprise to thick jealousy.
"Heh heh, I must say, you’re lucky. This Potion is usually out of stock on ordinary days, but today is an exception..."
He made a wait-a-moment gesture and then turned and went into that room.
Morris and his companions looked at each other and were quite nervous.
Especially Morris himself, he was the most excited.
It couldn’t be helped, after all, the Potion was to be drunk by him once exchanged.
Philip went inside the room and, not long after, reappeared.
He waved them over, the envy and jealousy on his face intensifying.
"Hey, you’re in luck. The lord allows you to enter, come on over."
Morris’s team members, upon hearing this, prepared to follow, but Philip stopped them.
"Stop, stop, stop! Who told you to come along as well? The lord will only see one person; what kind of manners would it be for so many of you to swarm in!"
At his rebuke, the men’s faces showed displeasure.
Although they looked upset, they didn’t dare to barge in and could only stand there, fuming silently.
It couldn’t be helped; the consequences of causing trouble at Wildfire Tavern were something they definitely couldn’t afford.
Meanwhile, in the room.
Following Philip’s indication, Morris walked into the room.
To his surprise, there was only one person sitting there, not a young man, but rather a man who looked to be in his late thirties to forties.
The man wore a green robe with gold trim, his body muscular.
Sitting there, he seemed like a tiger, emanating an astonishing aura that even Morris, a veteran hunter, couldn’t help but feel a palpable intimidation.
the man said, pointing to the sofa in front of him, uttering two simple words.
In an instant, Morris felt the pressure on him lift, as if he had shed a burden he had been carrying, and he relaxed entirely.
He took a seat as directed, eyeing the man warily.
To make Philip act so reverently and to exert such pressure, the man before him was certainly a warrior with Extraordinary Power.
Morris’s mind conjured up the scenes he had witnessed on the beach, and compared to the young individuals he’d seen there, this middle-aged man seemed even more unfathomable.
Feeling somewhat awkward seated, the man across from him simply observed Morris in silence.
"Um, how... how should I address you...?"
At last, unable to bear the oppressive silence, Morris was the first to speak up.
The man didn’t leave him hanging and slowly uttered a few words,
"You can call me ’Taotie’."
Morris repeated, but because of the pronunciation, he stumbled over the words, not comprehending their meaning.
The man didn’t seem inclined to explain further; instead, he took a golden Potion from an inner pocket of his clothing and gently placed it on the table.
"It seems you want to exchange for Sun Essence. Do you know the rules already?"
Morris looked bewildered, clearly not understanding the rules he referred to.
The man pushed the small bottle forward until it slid in front of him and then began to state the specific rules.
"Whoever exchanges for Sun Essence must not take the Potion away but is required to consume it here on the spot."
"Consume it on the spot...?"
Morris was taken aback but then grasped the implication.
If it were indeed a Potion that could transform a person into a Transcendent being, putting such a restriction in place when someone exchanges for it makes sense.
Naturally, such a Potion would be incredibly precious and scarce, and if it fell into the hands of those with malicious intent, there’s no telling what they might do with it.
Should someone manage to decipher its secrets, that would be an unimaginable loss for Wildfire Tavern.
But in truth, he was worrying needlessly; the Star Alliance wasn’t afraid of anyone replicating the Sun Essence formula.
Because there was no formula to speak of for this medicine; it was purely the Essence of the Sun Flower, extracted and bottled.