It was a boss drop he'd obtained after killing the Dogman Priest in the Redstone Town Mine.
He'd had this dark green stone for a while now but still didn't know what it was used for.
As it happened, a rather skilled Alchemist was standing right before him. It was a good chance to see if the man recognized it.
"I ca across an alchemical material by chance, but I'm not sure what it's for. Could you take a look and tell
what it is and what its use is?"
"If it can be crafted into alchemical equipnt, I'll pay extra for you to make it." He handed the dark green, diamond-shaped stone to the Alchemist.
The Alchemist, Anlong, took the stone. After examining it for a mont, he said, "I'm not completely certain, but I believe it looks like an Energy Storage Stone."
"This kind of alchemical material is very rare. It's difficult to find in nature, though so powerful creatures do produce them within their bodies."
"If it is an Energy Storage Stone, I'm not sure which type it is—whether it recharges naturally, can be infused with energy, or is for simple, one-ti storage."
"If it's one of the first two types, I can craft an offensive alchemical item. But if it's for simple storage, it can only be made into a one-ti-use alchemical consumable."
'He's got a good eye.' Fang Zhen gave the Alchemist, Anlong, a second glance.
The man was purely an Alchemist, not a Curse Sealer. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a thin, stooped fra, but his eyebrows were quite thick. He looked every bit the part of a senior technical specialist.
Anlong clearly knew his stuff. He'd been able to identify the stone as an Energy Storage Stone, which was similar to what Fang Zhen had guessed.
"Then please help
craft one of these Alchemy Items. I'll want it by the next ti I'm here. As for the money, anything reasonable is fine," said Fang Zhen.
"You're too kind. I greatly admire your bravery. The Whig Society will be your ally. I'll just charge for materials and labor and do my best to craft the most powerful piece of alchemical equipnt within my abilities," Anlong said.
"Alright."
Fang Zhen gave Anlong the Energy Storage Stone that had dropped from the Dogman Priest, arranging to pick up the finished piece of alchemical equipnt during his next visit.
He wasn't worried about Anlong stealing the materials. After all, he was a mber of the Whig Society, which had a certain reputation. Besides, he could run, but his society couldn't.
However, he didn't give Anlong the Blood-colored Crystals that had dropped from Ellick to appraise.
The Dogman Priest's drop was unrelated to the Whig Society's interests. But Ellick, the Vampire Count, was a mber of the Eternal Night Council. It was possible the Whig Society either coveted his drops or was opposed to them. Having Anlong appraise them might cause extra trouble.
Fang Zhen planned to see if he could access a new world, find a suitable appraiser, and figure out what the Blood-colored Crystals were.
'Ellick was no small fry, and this was a drop from a Hard-difficulty boss in a 'Normal' world. It had to be better than the Energy Storage Stone from the Dogman Priest, right?'
Anlong left, taking the Dogman Priest's Energy Storage Stone with him.
The courtyard gate closed, and Fang Zhen resud his discussion with Gwendolyn and the others.
While Fang Zhen had been dealing with the Feiyu Iron Wall Armor, Gwendolyn had also sorted out his thoughts.
Seeing Fang Zhen return, Gwendolyn said, "Fang Zhen, I've had ti to think as well. As you said, you want to kill high-level beings like Ellick to make a na for yourself, and I imagine you also seek power."
"How about this: next ti you visit, I'll arrange for you to et the Chairman. I'm starting to understand your character—you always require an exchange of so value."
"Within the Whig Society, there are two things that you might find very interesting."
"Oh? And what are they?" Hearing the hint of a potential transaction, Fang Zhen imdiately perked up.
'If *that's* what we're talking about, then I'm wide awake.'
Gwendolyn, having figured out Fang Zhen's character by now, said, "High-tier Curse Seals and Curse Sealer legacy equipnt."
"High-tier?" Fang Zhen raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, High-tier," Gwendolyn confird. "I never ntioned this before, but a Curse Sealer's Curse Seals are divided into tiers."
"The four basic Curse Seals I taught you are all Tier One Curse Seals. Above them, seal techniques like 'Scorching Surge' and 'Icy Surge' would be considered Tier Two Curse Seals."
"And above that, there are Tier Three Curse Seals."
"However, legends say that a thousand years ago there were many Tier Three Curse Seals, but now they are exceedingly rare. Within the entire Whig Society, very few mbers have reached that tier."
"Oh?" Fang Zhen's interest was piqued.
"Master, what tier of Curse Sealer are you?" he asked.
"I reached Tier Three in my pri. Now, I'm at Tier Two at best," Gwendolyn replied.
Laura, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "A Curse Sealer's power cos from Seal Power, and Seal Power originates from the dual strength of one's Spirit and physical body."
"And as they age, once they are past their pri, a Curse Sealer's tier may decline. After all, the body can no longer provide such potent life force, and the Spirit will also wane as the physical body weakens."
Jorent also spoke up. "Back in the day, Gwendolyn was one of the few Tier Three Curse Sealers in the Whig Society. His noble and upstanding character was widely admired. He was a contender for the chairmanship back then. If Master Gwendolyn had been willing, he'd have had a fifty-percent chance of succeeding. Even if he had failed, he would have beco Vice-Chairman of the Whig Society at minimum. But he didn't want to get embroiled in the power struggle at the ti, so he withdrew from the race."
"If it were , I couldn't have sacrificed my personal prospects for the greater good. That's one of the things I admire about him."
Gwendolyn smiled faintly. "That's all in the past. There's no need to bring it up."
Fang Zhen was sowhat surprised, and his respect for Gwendolyn's character deepened.
'To be able to step back from the temptation of power at the height of it all... Gwendolyn has incredible willpower.'
He had no doubt Gwendolyn could have beco Vice-Chairman. He could tell just by looking at Karen, who had remained silent and hadn't refuted a word.
Karen's father was a Vice-Chairman of the Whig Society, and he was likely a contemporary of Gwendolyn's.
If Gwendolyn hadn't genuinely earned that level of respect, soone with Karen's temperant would have already jumped in to object to what was said.
Karen's silence proved that the Gwendolyn of that era truly possessed that level of power.
Fang Zhen couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
'Gwendolyn was so powerful back then. Even in old age, his constitution is still strong, but the years have nonetheless left their mark. He no longer possesses the strength of his pri.'
'No matter how strong he was in his youth, he couldn't escape aging, illness, and death.'
Fang Zhen had, in fact, accepted the reality of aging, sickness, and death.
However, the appearance of this ga of dungeon-based lives had given him new expectations.
He wanted to challenge the very laws of life and death.
'What did it truly an to beco Extraordinary?'
'To beco Extraordinary was to escape such mortal laws, to set out on a grander journey where life would continuously ascend and evolve.'
In a way, Gwendolyn's story was an inspiration to Fang Zhen.
'Since I have the chance, I have to seize it and not let it slip away.'
After completing the 'Bloody Lord' dungeon, Fang Zhen had a premonition that he might be about to truly step onto the path to becoming Extraordinary.
At this mont, Gwendolyn said, "I suppose I'm sothing of an old-tir in the Whig Society."
"I don't say that to pull rank, but because there are things I know that soone of Karen's generation might not."
"For instance, Tier Three is not the limit for a Curse Sealer."
"The Whig Society possesses the legacy of a Tier Four Curse Sealer."
"What?" Karen looked astonished.
Laura and Pat also looked extrely shocked, as if they had never heard of such a thing.
Jorent froze for a mont as well, but his expression soon shifted to one of dawning realization, and he regained his composure.
Fang Zhen's eyes lit up.
"Master, are you saying the Whig Society is willing to trade the legacy of a Tier Four Curse Sealer for a mutually beneficial exchange?" he asked.
"That's the idea," Gwendolyn nodded.
"A Tier Four Curse Seal places imnse demands on a Curse Sealer's constitution. In all these years, very few people have ever reached the level required to train in them."
"Even our current Chairman is only at the peak of Tier Three. The gap between that and breaking through to Tier Four seems small, but it is, in fact, a vast chasm."
"Fang Zhen, you are exceptionally talented as a Curse Sealer. It's not out of the question for you to challenge the Tier Four Curse Seal."
"As long as you are willing to continue cooperating with the Whig Society and assist us in toppling the Eternal Night Council, I will convince the Chairman to hand over the complete legacy of the Tier Four Curse Seal to you," Gwendolyn said.
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