Seeing that Leo had no intention of withdrawing his hand, Arthur quickly explained, “Leo, the Spirit Herbs listed on the purchase list don’t require this many Spirit Stones. Moreover, I’m asking you to find an alchemist to refine the Ascension Pill. All necessary expenses should naturally be covered by my family, the Watts family.”
Leo smiled and said, “Arthur, the reason I’m giving you so many Spirit Stones is that you should buy as many of the Spirit Herbs listed as possible. Ideally, you should spend all 200, 000 Spirit Stones.”
“I currently have thirty Thunderfruits. Without considering the failure rate of refining the Ascension Pill, I need at least thirty sets of the Spirit Herbs listed.”
Leo’s plan was to refine all thirty Thunderfruits at once and see how many Ascension Pills he could successfully produce.
Hearing that thirty sets were needed, Arthur couldn’t help but look astonished.
Thirty sets of Spirit Herbs and 200, 000 Low-Quality Spirit Stones were about right.
No one knew how many Ascension Pills could be refined from thirty sets of Spirit Herbs and thirty Thunderfruits.
Even if only one Ascension Pill appeared in Zratol, it would likely cause various factions to fight over it.
Leo continued, “Once we go out, we’ll split up. It’s okay if we can’t buy all thirty sets; just do your best.”
“Alright, but Leo, you’ve already done a lot for me. My family can’t keep taking advantage of you. You should keep these 200, 000 Low-Quality Spirit Stones. I’ll figure out how to get the Spirit Stones needed to purchase the Spirit Herbs…”
“Arthur, how many Spirit Stones can you come up with?” Leo asked.
“I have some savings myself. I can borrow some from Amber and ask my father for some more. I think I can gather around 100, 000 to 150, 000,” Arthur thought for a moment and said.
“Borrowing takes too much time. How about this: take my 200, 000 Low-Quality Spirit Stones to buy the Spirit Herbs first. Once the Ascension Pills are successfully refined, you can repay me the 200, 000 Low-Quality Spirit Stones. How does that sound?” Leo suggested.
“Alright, thank you very much,” Arthur said gratefully.
Arthur knew that as long as they could refine the Ascension Pills, his family would definitely buy them from Leo at a high price without him needing to spend any Spirit Stones.
With the matter settled, Leo and Arthur left Watts Mansion and went their separate ways.
They split up to increase efficiency because there were too many shops selling Spirit Herbs in the vast city of Zratol.
Leo first found a secluded alley and took out a black cloak from his Storage Sack.
This black cloak was something from Dorian’s Storage Sack. It was a low-grade spiritual weapon that could shield one’s aura and consciousness.
Leo used this cloak to avoid unnecessary trouble since the Spirit Herbs he wanted to buy were not ordinary.
After leaving the alley, Leo headed towards the central area of Zratol.
The central area was the most prosperous part of Zratol, where the Everlasting Trade Association was located.
Additionally, the Marquis Manor that governed Zratol was also here.
Soon, Leo stopped in front of a five-story building.
The building was grand and imposing, like a small palace.
The plaque on the building read “Everlasting Trade Association.”
A stone staircase with more than ten steps led to the main entrance of the building, with many cultivators coming and going.
Leo looked away and walked up the stairs into the Everlasting Trade Association building.
The hall on the first floor was even larger than Leo had imagined.
There were over a dozen wide white jade counters in the hall, each like a small shop.
Each counter had several staff members serving customers, selling and buying various items such as Spirit Herbs, Talismans, ores, clothing, magical tools, spiritual weapons, and Spirit Treasures.
Leo glanced around. Besides the staff, there were at least several hundred cultivators coming and going in the hall.
The prosperity of this place was evident.
Leo, wearing a black cloak, stood out quite a bit. As soon as he entered, a pretty maid in white approached him.
The maid first sized up Leo without showing any surprise or curiosity because many guests here wore masks or cloaks to hide their identities.
“May I help you with anything? Are you here to buy or sell items?” the maid asked politely.
In a low voice, Leo said, “I want to buy some fourth-grade Spirit Herbs.”
“Fourth-grade Spirit Herbs?” The maid’s expression froze for a moment but quickly returned to normal. “Please follow me; the fourth-grade Spirit Herbs are on the third floor.”
Leo nodded slightly, and the maid led him to the third floor.
On the third floor, there were far fewer cultivators than in the hall on the first floor-less than ten-and each had a strong aura.
Unlike the sales counters on the first floor, the third floor had individual rooms.
In front of a room labeled “Spirit Herb Room,” the maid stopped.
Looking into the room, she respectfully said, “Master Rodrigo, a guest wishes to purchase some fourth-grade Spirit Herbs.”
“Please let the guest in,” came a voice from inside after a few seconds-a woman’s voice.
Hearing the woman’s voice, the maid showed a surprised expression and replied respectfully, “Yes.”
“Please come in,” she gestured to Leo.
Leo nodded and stepped inside.
As soon as he entered, he felt a cold aura envelop him and smelled a faint fragrance.
The room was spacious with several shelves that seemed to be carved from jade stone.
The cold aura emanated from these shelves.
On the shelves were neatly placed white jade cold boxes.
Clearly, these boxes contained rare and precious Spirit Herbs.
At the front of the shelves was a white jade counter.
Behind the counter stood a woman in a light red dress.
She had been sitting behind the counter reading a jade slip but stood up when Leo entered.
The woman was extremely beautiful with clear eyes and white teeth. Her demeanor was like an orchid in an empty valley.
In terms of appearance and temperament alone, she was on par with Amber Watts.
“What kind of fourth-grade Spirit Herbs do you wish to purchase?” she asked in a clear and pleasant voice after glancing at Leo twice.
In a low and slightly hoarse voice, Leo replied, “Bloodwort, Moonpetal Fruit, Inferno Reishi, Eightpetal Lotus, Starbloom.”
After hearing Leo list the names of the Spirit Herbs, her eyes flickered twice.
Seeing her remain silent for a moment, Leo asked again, “Do you have these Spirit Herbs?”