"Twenty-five mid-grade crystals," he repeated. "Take it, or...we leave." Saying this, Emperal narrowed his eyes.

In an instant, an invisible but overbearing pressure fell on both the middle-aged material manager and his servant, who had been smugly standing there a few moments ago.

The moment Emperal’s pressure descended, it was like intense heat was nearing and cornering their souls. Their faces paled as the manager snapped his head towards Emperal in horror.

He was merely a Stage Two Verth Seeker, and that too through expensive pills. In front of a seasoned veteran like Emperal...he was nothing but a pitiful lamb.

They dropped to their knees. "Sir, we didn’t recognize such an important guest! Please let us make amends!"

"Your arm." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"...Huh?"

"Break one of your arms, that will be my compensation."

His voice was flat, leaving no room for negotiation. People like these need to be taught some lessons, else they would walk over everyone else.

"S-Sir, th–this..." the manager stammered. His business would suffer a massive loss if he got injured, and there was even his son and his team who had gone to hunt beasts.

Thinking of all that, the manager gritted his teeth. A mistake. He had made a terrible mistake today.

Seeing this, the corner of Emperal’s mouth curved lightly.

"75 mid-grade crystals, and this matter is dropped."

He once again dropped another bomb. At this, even Calder’s mouth widened in shock. He snapped his head towards Emperal.

A chill ran down the manager’s spine when he heard that. "W-What!? That’s almost my monthly earnings!"

"Look at my eyes, does it look like I care? Now, it’s either your hands or the seventy-five mid-grade Verth crystals. And be quick, I don’t have all day."

Saying that, he retracted his aura. Years of constant training and fighting have shaped his will and aura in many ways.

He had everything—the mindset, the will, the hard work, and the talent. But unfortunately, due to his bodily limitations...he was suppressed.

The manager gritted his teeth and waved his hand towards his servant, who, upon seeing the gesture, hurried inside and returned with a heavy box.

The manager reluctantly handed the crystals into Calder’s hands, who accepted the box happily and even waved some crystals in front of him.

"Let’s go."

Turning back, Emperal stepped towards the door, leaving a rageful middle-aged man behind.

"...BASTARDS!!"

...

"Damn, you really robbed him in broad daylight! Maybe I was working under the wrong boss all this time!" Calder said, his eyes shining as he looked at the bag Emperal was holding.

"Good thing this box suppresses the Verth from radiating out. Or else, I would have been swarmed by robbers."

Ignoring Calder’s antics, Emperal muttered under his breath. He, too, had worn a mask. Looking around, aside from the occasional strange gazes, there was no real danger. He relaxed slightly.

"But boss, why did you extort such a huge sum from that manager?" Calder couldn’t help but ask. Though at some level, even fifty mid-grade crystals were fine. But this guy went even further and asked for seventy! Triple the amount!

Emperal didn’t answer for a few seconds. Looking ahead, he sighed.

"We would need this fund in the Alchemy Guild’s branch here."

Calder sucked in a cold breath when he heard that, a drop of sweat dripping down his chin.

"T-This man! What a...cunning bastard! He really planned all of that!"

"Enough of that, now let’s go." Emperal waved his hand and sped up.

The Alchemy Guild’s branch in Greenvale was exactly three streets east of the Beast Material selling shop. It was close enough that Emperal suspected the proximity was intentional.

Hunters who sold beast materials nearby immediately needed cultivation supplies to replace what they had spent acquiring them.

It wasn’t just this; there were a few more variables. The guild understood economics better than anyone.

Arriving at the particular block, Emperal noticed that this branch had the nicest building on the block. Shining stone walls with proper, even slightly stylish roofing. The guild’s insignia above the door—a stylized mortar with a beautiful cauldron and a Verth crystal at its center.

As they stepped inside the building, a sweet aroma hit them first. Refined compounds, dried herbs, and the particular type of pills that carry the clean scent of Verth-saturated materials that had been processed excellently.

Looking around, Emperal spotted a middle-aged man sitting at the desk with a clear certification badge on his lapel.

Tilting his head, he saw the two walk inside slowly. Without hesitation, Emperal approached the man.

"What can I do to help the young man?" the middle-aged man asked curiously. He had the blood of dragons in him, evident by his muscles and the light scales on his arm.

"I need a pill, more specifically a consultation," Emperal said, making the man raise his brows.

"The standard stock is on shelves over there," the man said, pointing towards a certain block. "From common tier to refined tier, we have everything."

"I need an appearance modification pill," Emperal said. "It should last at least seventy-two hours. With hair alteration, it should be the real deal and not a surface application."

The man stopped mid-sentence, looking at Emperal, then Calder. He ran some calculations in his head...at least that was what Calder felt.

"Young man, I’m afraid this falls outside the standard guild production...guidelines," he said, his voice careful.

"I know," Emperal replied before the man could open his mouth. He placed five mid-grade crystals on the counter. It was...two crystals above the pill’s street value.

"I think you understand this better than anyone—the difference between guild guidelines and personal...capability is purely administrative."

The man didn’t say anything. He just looked at Emperal for a few seconds before nodding.

"Five hours."

"Way too long, make it two and a half hours." Emperal immediately shook his head. The man’s brow twitched at his shamelessness, but he controlled himself.

"Alright, I’ll try to finish as soon as possible. Come three and a half hours later."

"Thank you."

Saying that, Emperal walked out of the building alongside Calder. Before he could step out, the man threw something towards Emperal.

"Come to this address tonight...alone."