Chapter 609: Blood of the Primordial God-Demon
Just imagining the effects was enough to make Reid Watson's eyes glaze over, his mind buzzing so loudly he couldn't even hear what Leon was saying.
"Lord Reid..."
Leon had to call out twice before Reid Watson snapped out of his trance, realizing his own lapse and forcing a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Archmage Leon, I was a little distracted just now."
"Heh..." Leon chuckled softly and pointed at the alchemical materials on the ground. "Your Watson Family gets a share, too. You can take one bottle of bile, three fangs, and seven scales..."
"What?" Reid Watson was completely stunned by Leon's words. The Watson Family had barely contributed to the Mountain Serpent affair; they'd come to negotiate more out of wishful thinking than any real leverage. Even if the Merlin Family refused, there was nothing the Watsons could do about it.
But what Reid Watson hadn't expected was that Leon would offer up the materials before he even opened his mouth. No strings attached—just handing over these precious alchemical ingredients to the Watson Family for free.
For a moment, Reid Watson truly had no idea how to react. It was like a pie had just fallen from the sky.
Even after the division was settled, Reid Watson remained in a daze. Staring at the young mage, he couldn't even describe how he felt. The whole thing felt unreal—he hadn't even used his carefully prepared negotiation tactics, and yet he ended up with all these rare alchemical materials...
"Th-thank you, Archmage Leon." Only now did Reid Watson finally come to his senses, his face flushing with gratitude.
He couldn't help it—he was just too excited.
A windfall, an absolute windfall—the Watson Family had stumbled into a fortune this time. Not only did they receive so many alchemical materials, but there was even a bottle of Mountain Serpent Bile among them. Just thinking about it made Reid Watson so emotional he nearly burst into tears.
No, no, no—since the Merlin Family was so courteous, the Watson Family couldn't afford to look petty. They had to show a little gratitude, at least.
With this in mind, Reid Watson put on his warmest smile: "Archmage Leon, is there anything else you need?"
"Oh... if you're asking, there actually is one thing..."
"Really?" Reid Watson's smile froze. He hadn't expected his polite inquiry to actually lead to a request. "Archmage Leon, whatever it is... whatever you need, just say the word. If the Watson Family can do it, we'll do our best..."
"I'm sure you can." Leon pointed at the massive corpse of the Mountain Serpent. "Here's the thing—we're about to climb this mountain..."
"Oh..." Reid Watson visibly relaxed. It was just mountain climbing, nothing serious. "If that's your decision, Archmage Leon, I'm sure Lord Seth will agree as well."
"No, no, that's not what I meant. We're not just climbing Frostpeak—during the climb, whatever we find, the Merlin Family gets exclusive rights to distribute. Of course, you don't have to answer right away; you can consult Lord Seth if you like..."
"No need to trouble Lord Seth—I can agree to that right now!" Reid Watson replied decisively. As far as he was concerned, Frostpeak was a barren wasteland. Aside from the Mountain Serpent's corpse, it had no value whatsoever.
If the Merlin Family wanted it, then let them have it...
"Excellent..." Leon smiled, surprised by Reid Watson's decisiveness, but added, "Lord Reid, are you sure you don't want to consult Lord Seth first?"
"No need, really..."
"Alright, got it. Heh..."
Once Leon confirmed there was nothing else, Reid Watson gathered up the allocated materials and returned to Cyrus Watson's side.
All the way back, Reid Watson couldn't stop smiling. In this negotiation, the Watson Family had come out way ahead. If Lord Seth found out, he'd be thrilled.
In fact, Cyrus Watson was genuinely pleased at first...
But as everyone climbed step by step toward the summit of Frostpeak, Cyrus Watson's expression gradually began to change...
Finally, after a furious roar, he stopped in his tracks!
"Damn it, we've been duped!"
"Lord Seth, what... what's wrong?" Reid Watson stared at Cyrus Watson's furious face, completely bewildered. Why? He'd fought so hard to secure benefits for the family...
"You fool, we've been duped!"
"Huh?"
"We've all fallen for Leon's trick. He gave up some of the Mountain Serpent's materials, but he's taking the most important thing for himself!"
"What most important material? Isn't this bottle of Mountain Serpent Bile the best we could hope for?" Reid Watson's face twisted in despair as he reached out with trembling fingers to pick up the Mountain Serpent Bile.
Cyrus Watson looked at Reid Watson like he wanted to smash his head in, then nearly shouted, "Wrong, wrong, we're all wrong! The most important thing is still up on Frostpeak!"
"Huh?" Cyrus Watson had barely finished speaking when Reid Watson's eyes went wide with disbelief. He couldn't understand—what could possibly be more valuable than Mountain Serpent Bile in this barren wasteland?
"Didn't you notice? Throughout the entire battle, the Mountain Serpent never left Frostpeak. Even when it was dying, its body was tightly wrapped around the mountain. What does that mean? It means there's something up there—even the Mountain Serpent couldn't bear to abandon it!"
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~. Click next page to continue reading!)
"Damn!" By now, Reid Watson finally understood. Even Anthus, who'd been quietly recovering, was stunned—the look on his face shifting rapidly from blank to grim...
Besides, the Mountain Serpent slept nine times in the frozen world and woke nine times—are you telling me it never needed to eat to replenish its energy?
Reid Watson was left speechless, then finally snapped to attention.
That's right...
The Mountain Serpent needed food...
And a lot of it...
Which means the only possibility is that the Mountain Serpent could find food at the summit—and whatever that food was, it had to provide far more energy than a whole city of humans.
And now, he'd just handed it over...
"Now... now... what do we do?" Reid Watson was on the verge of tears, but he didn't have the guts to go back and renegotiate.
"Heh..." Cyrus Watson couldn't help but give a bitter laugh. There was nothing to be done—absolutely nothing. He knew exactly what kind of person that young mage was. Once he sank his teeth into something, he'd never let go. Expecting him to back out of the deal now...
Forget it. Best not to even think about it...
The Watson Family had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill...
Not long after Leon and Cyrus Watson reached an agreement, everyone flew toward the summit of Frostpeak.
Reid Watson stuck close to Anthus, mumbling prayers under his breath, hoping nothing would turn up on Frostpeak.
Even before they set out, Reid Watson still couldn't figure out how he'd been so foolish—how he could have agreed to Leon's proposal and handed exclusive control over to the Merlin Family.
If only he'd been quicker on his feet back then...
But it was too late for regrets now; his stupidity had already let things slip out of the Watson Family's hands.
Reid Watson was sure that if anything was discovered at the summit, it would only fuel Lord Seth's rage—and after returning to the Watson Family, he might even face judgment from the Ancestral Grounds. Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
At that thought, Reid Watson glanced at Leon flying in front, his gaze unusually complicated.
Still, no matter how unwilling he was, when they reached the summit, everyone stopped in their tracks—because there, atop Frostpeak, was a gigantic pool...
The pool was at least four meters across, almost perfectly spherical. Inside, a meter-deep layer of golden liquid shimmered and flowed.
It looked like molten gold, bubbling and steaming, with heat radiating from it as it boiled in the pool.
And, of course, there was that unmistakable magical aura...
As the pool's powerful magical aura spread, a wild wind howled across the summit, magic currents swirling chaotically. Even without any movement, the Primordial Deity Blood radiated such overwhelming pressure that even Cyrus Watson had to raise a shield to protect everyone.
"Wait, what's going on?" Leon had just ended his levitation spell when he was stunned—because the magical aura felt eerily familiar. After a few seconds of thought, his face changed completely.
It was the aura of a Primordial Deity...
Leon possessed a Primordial Deity Soul Fragment in his Natural Semi-Plane, so he was intimately familiar with that aura. He could immediately tell that the energy radiating from the golden liquid was the aura of a Primordial Deity!
This discovery truly shocked Leon—there was only one explanation: the liquid was connected to a Primordial Deity...
Meanwhile, Cyrus Watson had already pulled out a thick gray tome and was frantically flipping through it. When he reached page eight, his wrinkled face turned even uglier.
"Damn, it's Primordial Deity Blood!"
Cyrus Watson cried out in alarm, his already grim face turning even paler...