The third way to lift the curse is to see that the curse absorbs the life force of the cursed. So, by significantly enhancing one’s own life force and accumulating a sufficient quantity, one can reverse the process and infuse life force into the curse.

After all, a curse is an inanimate object. Thus, if no proper solution is found, it might actually be better to brute-force it, try to exhaust the curse, or even if possible, to make it burst." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Hearing Yara’s explanation, Madeline couldn’t help but mutter, "There’s no need to beat around the bush with so much talk, just say what you need the placenta for."

Before Madeline could finish, Zachary immediately gave Madeline a smack on the head, then scolded her, "She has come all this way, can’t you let her finish speaking before you interrupt?"

Noticing both Zachary and Yara’s gazes turning towards her, Madeline felt confused about what she had said wrong. In the end, it was Zachary who pulled her aside, then delivered an even bigger and more beautiful smack to her head.

Feeling the pain in her head, Madeline grumbled, "If I can’t speak, I can’t speak, but is there a need for a deadly hand?"

With one sharp look from Zachary, Madeline made a zipping motion over her lips with her hand, then feigned being a quiet and pretty man.

After casting a glance at Madeline, Yara continued, "Using the placenta as the main ingredient, along with some other medicinal materials, one can concoct a potion that greatly replenishes life force in a short amount of time.

As long as we save up enough of this medicine to replenish life force, my friend can try to break the curse directly."

At this, Zachary suddenly asked the question that Yara had avoided, but it was crucial, "Do you have any idea how much medicine is needed to provide enough life force to satiate or even burst the curse?"

Hearing Zachary ask this, Yara shook her head in resignation.

With an incredulous expression on his face, Zachary asked doubtfully, "You don’t have any estimations at all?"

Upon Zachary’s repeated inquiry, Yara nodded with a sense of helplessness, "Several potions were made and tested. However, the life force provided by the potions was absorbed by the curse as if it were a bottomless pit, in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing behind.

And not only did it consume the life force from the potions entirely, but the curse also became stronger, and its speed of absorbing life force increased more."

After confirming this situation, we knew that we had to stuff it full or burst it at once, otherwise the difficulty to purify or break the curse would increase manifold."

Hearing Yara’s account, both Madeline and Zachary fell into deep thought.

Yara thought that the two were contemplating how to contact certain people to obtain enough medicinal materials.

However, what Madeline and Zachary were considering was how to handle the situation if they were afflicted by the curse.

Based solely on Yara’s account, they realized that, concerning this kind of curse, they lacked not just the method of lifting it but even preventative measures, which instantly led to a look of deep concern and consternation on their faces.

Observing their expressions, Yara thought they were worried about not being able to procure enough placenta, and was about to graciously console them, but to her surprise, Madeline suddenly asked, "Apart from deer, can the placenta from other animals be used?"

Hearing Madeline’s question left Yara somewhat hesitant; after all, before the calamity, both placenta and deer fetus were important, while the placenta from other animals were not documented in traditional Chinese medicine.

Thus, Yara was unsure whether the placenta of other animals could be used, but regardless of their effect, it was best to acquire them first. It wouldn’t do to wait until there’s nothing left, and find oneself unable to purchase the needed items later when they might have been sold to others.

After all, very few people nowadays knew the processing techniques for the placenta, and for the placentas of other animals, most treated them as a delicacy, braising them fresh, without using any medicinal processing techniques.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Yara ultimately decided that, regardless of whether it was useful or not, she would first purchase the item. If, upon returning and inspecting, she found none, getting credit for a bit of money actually wouldn’t have too much of an impact on her.

"Can you get placenta from other animals as well? Madeline, you can do it, just name your price, and if it’s reasonable, I might as well take it off your hands."

Hearing Yara say this, Ye Liuyun picked up the phone and began walking out, glancing back at Yara and saying, "I’ll make a call to check exactly what types of placenta they can get, the approximate quantity, and then I’ll get back to you with the details."

Seeing Ye Liuyun head for the door without looking back, Yara let out a wry chuckle and asked Dong Tianyu, "Is she always like this?"

Dong Tianyu nodded, "As long as there’s money to be made, she’s always like this."

"How much can you get?"

"What?" Dong Tianyu was momentarily caught off guard by Yara’s sudden question.

Perhaps guessing Dong Tianyu’s thoughts, Yara spoke up directly, "Don’t worry about whether I have the money or not. As long as it meets the requirements, I’ll take as much as you have, no upper limit.

When I came here, my friend had already made an offer. In order to gather enough raw materials, he’s laid out the terms: as long as the value is equivalent, he’ll take whatever in exchange."

Hearing Yara say this, Dong Tianyu quickly seized on the key words, "What counts as equivalent value?"

Yara, impressed that Dong Tianyu always managed to pinpoint the crux of the matter, said, "There’s a clear price list on his side. But the listed prices are not for the goods at the time of exchange. Instead, payment is made in proportion to the vitality provided after the placenta is made into pills."

Upon hearing Yara’s explanation, Dong Tianyu said with a hint of sarcasm, "On the brink of death, and yet still putting on airs of superiority while collecting stuff, I really don’t know what’s going through his head."

Hearing Dong Tianyu’s mockery, Yara suddenly realized what had been bothering her—why she always felt something was amiss. Hearing Dong Tianyu’s remark, it all became clear to her.

Her friend was probably fine; the so-called curse might just be a ruse. Their real target was likely the foal placenta, but as such objects were coveted by the common folk, production on a large scale was possible only by them.

Without a valid reason, collecting these things on a large scale would certainly catch the attention of observant individuals.

If it were merely competitors trying to probe, the problem wouldn’t be that big, but if it caught the attention of the Officials, they would have to either opt for a wild life in the forest, living day to day without certainty, or no matter which camp they stayed in, the Officials would be able to find them quite quickly.

That’s why they staged such a big act, using the supposed curse to disguise their true purpose.

How effective this cover really was remained to be seen, but after giving it a little thought, Yara understood the significance of their actions.

Just as Yara was about to say something, Ye Liuyun came walking in from the door with a look of joy and immediately asked Yara, "Do you want placenta from ancient creatures? Given their physical condition, they are far stronger than the deer before the disaster, so I think the medicinal effects are much stronger than that of the foal placenta."

Considering Ye Liuyun’s suggestion, Yara took a moment to think and decided to first inquire about the purchase price, so she pulled out her satellite phone and similarly stepped outside to contact someone.

Dong Tianyu, seeing Ye Liuyun standing at the entrance without sitting down, asked somewhat idly out of boredom, "How much can you get?"

Hearing Dong Tianyu doubting her capabilities, Ye Liuyun promptly responded, "...."