Chapter 277 Lao Wang’s Tears

Soraka finally opened his eyes slowly: "Your Highness, at my level, I can maintain it for about five minutes."

He suppressed the excitement on his face and knelt on one knee before Clara: "Congratulations, Your Highness! May you be blessed!"

A flash of surprise crossed Clara's eyes.

She knew Soraka's strength; for someone of his caliber, five minutes was already enough to accomplish much, especially since this was just their first attempt.

The hardest part is always the beginning. Once the breakthrough is made, there’s a possibility that this duration could be extended to ten minutes, an hour, or even half a day...

Clara was deeply moved. She took a deep breath, struggling to calm her excitement before turning to look at Wang Feng.

To be honest, in the face of this magic potion, money had lost its meaning. She didn't even care to haggle with Wang Feng like a merchant: "Wang Feng, two bottles are far too few. Don’t try to fool me; I know you have more than just two! I don’t care about the price; you must get me at least two more bottles. Thirty million euros, no negotiation!"

"Really, I’m out. I told my master it was my fault for accidentally breaking them." Old Wang spread his hands helplessly: "Not only do I not have any left, but neither does my master. When he crafted these potions, he put a lot of effort into it, using all sorts of precious materials from all over. It’s not like making low-grade potions where you can just churn out a bunch easily. Speaking of which, I feel like I’m losing out here. My master spent so much on those materials... the cost is really high."

One of the main ingredients is the core of giant algae. Old Wang managed to get over a thousand cores, but only managed to refine ten bottles in total. If we calculate based on the auction prices of giant algae cores in Aurora City, the cost of just the algae cores alone would be nearly twenty million... Of course, the remaining three bottles were kept for future use, naturally not to be revealed to lower their value. As for the other main ingredient, it was Old Wang’s blood, a truly priceless treasure, unique to the continent, with no substitutes.

After the soul of the Insect God Seed fused with his body, although his combat power hadn’t increased much yet, his physical body had undergone various subtle changes. The last time, when Old Wang bled in Ice Spirit, it spawned an ice queen bee. This time, it was used to refine Frodo’s Tears. Honestly, if the name had to be changed, it should be called Old Wang’s Tears, because every time he bled himself, it was so sad that tears almost fell.

"If I can return alive, I will continue to find ways for you. After all, my master only has me as his disciple, and perhaps one day, Sister Da and I will be family."

If it were before, Clara might have teased Wang Feng, but now, facing the centuries-old dilemma of the sea race, she had no interest in jesting. With such a breakthrough, the value was beyond measure, no matter how much it cost.

Since the potion is real, it’s not just fifty million, even five hundred million, she would pay.

"The materials and gold barriers are manageable," Clara said slowly. "But Thunder Bombs are extremely rare on the market. I can’t guarantee two hundred, but I’ll do my best to get as many as possible."

"You can’t be so perfunctory..." Old Wang could tell she was being sincere, but he still wanted her to put in more effort: "For my sake, you need to buy more. If I come back alive, we have a future, don’t we?"

Clara smiled faintly.

This was not just to placate him. The reason Thunderclap Bombs were rare was not entirely due to their controlled status; mainly, there wasn't much of a market for them. Their construction was complex and expensive, and skilled practitioners looked down on using them, while ordinary people couldn't afford them.

Two hundred... Is this guy planning to blow up half of Dragon City?

"Rest assured," Clara said. "I never take my promises lightly!"

...

Another fortnight dragged on.

A minor incident occurred in the Soul Void Illusion of Dragon City, involving the three major royal families of the Sea Race.

In the Soul Void Illusion, the curses of the Sea Race were ineffective, meaning they could also use arcane energy within it. This was why the Sea Race had always been enthusiastic about the Soul Void Illusions on land. Wang Meng's runes were comprehended within the Soul Void Illusion, and the Sea Race believed they could also gain insights or find ways to break their curses there. Whenever a Soul Void Illusion appeared on the continent, the Sea Race would either pay or use personal connections to secure entry, and this time was no exception.

They approached both the Blade and the Nine Gods, requesting a spot for a fifty-person team, but were rejected by both sides. Both parties were determined to settle their dispute this time and would not allow an unpredictable third party to interfere.

This was a natural development, but the pro-Blade and conservative factions of the Nine Gods used it as a pretext to make a big deal out of it, claiming it was a rare moment of unity between the Blade and the Nine Gods, a historically significant joint effort.

However, to those with clear eyes, such claims were little more than a joke.

The number of War Academies in the Nine Gods Empire far exceeded that of the Holy Sanctuary. This time, the empire mobilized all its resources, and the instigator was the Fifth Prince, but the most active figure now was the First Prince, Long Zhen.

He could see through the Fifth Prince's calculations, but with the situation already set, he had no choice but to act. Moreover, in times of crisis, opportunities often coexist with danger. As the direct leader of the War Academy, he would bear full responsibility for any failure, but also reap all the credit for success.

So, he not only had to win, but win beautifully, using this opportunity to showcase his governance skills.

The opportunities in the Soul Void Illusion were numerous and varied, but often one supreme treasure would emerge. The Nine Gods were determined to obtain it, which would almost certainly be the decisive factor in determining the winner of the conflict.

Long Zhen spoke, and the disciples of the War Academy who could complete the task would directly receive the title of "First Tiger General," which meant becoming the true top figure among the younger generation. This was something only the strongest could possess, and it was recognized by the empire. For any strong individual from the War Academy, this was the greatest dream.

Top experts from various War Academies joined in one after another. To be honest, compared to the Blade, the young generation of the Nine Gods was more eager to establish their achievements; it was something that had been ingrained in them since childhood.

In Dragon City, everything followed rules. Even in previous Hero Tournaments, although there were casualties, they were always kept to a minimum. But once entering the Soul Void Realm, all rules vanished, and everyone understood the unspoken implications.

This was a release, where the strong remained strong.

The accumulated emotions of both sides over decades would be unleashed in Dragon City...

During this period, most of the Holy Sanctuary disciples who had already been confirmed began to gather in Dragon City one after another. The Judgment had set out five days ago, and even some places closer to Dragon City than Aurora City, the Holy Sanctuary disciples had already departed. Only Rose was still dragging her feet.

Damn it, he didn’t want to drag his feet, but the preparations weren’t finished yet!

For his trip to Dragon City, he needed at least three major treasures for protection: bodyguards and equipment. He hadn’t even gathered these two major treasures yet.

Clara was indeed impressive; she managed to secure the materials and the Golden Body for Wang Feng, showing that she really didn’t want him to die. The Thunderclap Bombs were also being delivered gradually. By the time the last batch arrived yesterday, there were a total of 125. Soraka mentioned that this was the result of scouring dozens of nearby cities. There were stocks on many free islands in the Abyssal Sea, but the distance was too great. Even the closest, the Croat Archipelago, would take at least a month round trip, which was definitely too late.

125, far fewer than he had expected, but it would suffice if used sparingly.

Old Wang organized his belongings: a fully charged Golden Barrier, 125 Thunderclap Bombs, 50 Wolf-level Ice Bees, and a Tiger-level Snow Wolf King named Er Tong, who had already signed a contract and was stored in a soul beast card. All of these were stuffed into the oil lamp. Surprisingly, the oil lamp itself was a treasure, with limited capacity, but spatial artifacts were extremely rare on the Nine Heavens Continent, all being natural treasures that couldn’t be manufactured.

Additionally, there were items crafted from the materials, which constituted Old Wang’s third major treasure, his 'secret weapon'!

What he created were two masks, one resembling Old Wang’s face and the other resembling Hei Wukai’s face. Strategy, deception.

There were also ten bottles of dark magic potions, the Soul Gathering Elixir, specifically for his 'Black Hole Syndrome.' While it didn’t cure the condition, it could alleviate the symptoms when an episode occurred. In a life-and-death battlefield, not using soul power was impossible, so having a means of self-rescue was necessary, even if it came with some side effects.