Grace kissed Chirpy on the head, asked about its wishes, and then sent it back into her spirit space.
Quentin Qin officially recommended Grace as the next President of the Spirit Alliance, stamped the seal, and sent it to the Eastern Alliance.
After some time, the Eastern Alliance will send someone to conduct the final review of Grace.
...
Just as expected, Evan Xiao really brought two medicinal ingredients.
Grace handed them to her mentor, Jun Lionhead.
Jun Lionhead opened the bottle containing Heaven's Dew, sniffed it, and shook his head.
"Master, what's wrong? Isn't this Heaven's Dew?" Grace asked.
Jun Lionhead replied, "It is, but... it's not pure."
"It looks pretty clear to me?" Grace tiptoed to peek into the bottle.
The water in the bottle was even clearer and brighter than any spring she had ever seen.
Jun Lionhead shook his head and said, "Fortunately, there's plenty of Phoenix Essence, enough for several attempts. We can try refining with this Heaven's Dew. Hopefully, it will work."
...
In the pill refining room, Jun Lionhead took the lead while Grace assisted, working for a full three days and nights.
Finally, Jun Lionhead personally opened the lid of the furnace.
Inside was nothing but ashes.
A strange smell wafted out.
It was obvious—they had failed!
Grace slumped her shoulders, utterly exhausted.
"It's the Heaven's Dew that's the problem!" Jun Lionhead frowned. "It has to be collected in a jade bottle, right when it appears from the void! This one touched the ground, so it's useless."
"But I heard that the Heaven's Dew from Drake Abyss has dried up for more than a hundred years!"
Jun Lionhead nodded.
"So... there's no hope left?" Grace's eyes turned red, looking especially pitiful.
Jun Lionhead looked at her, paused for a moment, and said, "Not necessarily."
"But hasn't it dried up?" Grace asked.
"Someone might have stored Heaven's Dew in a jade bottle," Jun Lionhead said. "For example, Luke Kee."
Grace was stunned. "Him?"
"Back then, the place where he was ambushed was on the road from Drake Abyss to Cangwu," Jun Lionhead said. "It's highly likely he already obtained Heaven's Dew."
Grace's eyes widened. "I get it! Master, I have something to do, I'll come find you later!"
With that, she opened the door to the pill refining room and dashed out like the wind.
Jun Lionhead watched her back and shook his head, "By doing this, aren't you basically telling me that Luke Kee's legacy is with you?"
...
Grace stood on the second floor of the Sanctum Tower.
With the progress of her quest, she understood why there was no door to the third floor.
Because the second and third floors were actually one.
The herb vault on the third floor was just a part of the second floor's quest.
After obtaining the Frostbound Casket, she completed the second quest, and the ordinary herb vault on the third floor opened.
Quest three required the blood of Luke Kee's wife, Serena Xi, to obtain the next prize: the Rare Herb Vault.
Grace suspected that if Luke Kee really had obtained Heaven's Dew, he most likely stored it in the Rare Herb Vault.
Originally, opening the Rare Herb Vault should have been straightforward.
But apparently, even the Divine Apothecary hadn’t expected that his wife was no longer inside the Frostbound Casket.
Luckily, Luke Kee had mentioned his wife's name: Serena Xi.
So, Grace decided to use every resource she had to find this person.
She first went to the General’s Manor to find Shannon and asked her about the Frostbound Casket.
Coincidentally, Evan Xiao and Shannon were both there.
"...According to reliable sources, Luke Kee's wife was poisoned by Winterbane several centuries ago, and Luke Kee sealed her in the Frostbound Casket. Shannon, have you heard about this?"
Shannon thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up with sudden realization. "No wonder!"