"God-given Potion!"
When Elder Shield-Bearer spoke these four words in a tone that was almost pleading and suppressed with infinite longing, the air outside the entire fortress seemed to freeze in an instant.
The Brown Bear People elders and warriors accompanying him all held their breath, their eyes radiating the same fanatical glow.
Their gazes were locked tightly onto Colin, as if he were not a lord of flesh and blood, but a living deity capable of listening to the prayers of believers.
Legends, spread by the mouths of the warriors who had accompanied Boulder to provide support, had traveled throughout the southern mountains.
Blackwood Fortress not only possessed the mysterious technique of forging fine ironware as if turning stone into gold.
Their lord, that excessively young Lord Colin, also held in his hands a miracle that could reverse life and death, one that truly belonged to the realm of the gods!
A kind that could allow the dying to be reborn, that could instantly heal broken bones... the God-given Potion!
For these demi-human groups who fought against harsh environments year-round and for whom death was a daily occurrence, the temptation of this potion far exceeded even the ironware that could give them an advantage in battle.
Ironware could only increase your chances of surviving in battle.
But the God-given Potion was a second life, one that could forcibly pull you back when you had already failed and one foot was already in the abyss of death!
The smile on Colin's face did not change in the slightest.
Elder Shield-Bearer's request was entirely within his expectations.
In fact, from the moment he decided to bring out the "God-given Potion" as a strategic resource, he had foreseen this scene today.
He did not answer immediately, but slowly turned around, gazing up at the heavens with a look that carried a hint of nostalgia and reverence.
He was silent for a moment, as if organizing his words, or perhaps weighing some pros and cons from the gods that mortals could not understand.
This perfectly timed silence made the atmosphere on the scene become even more solemn and sacred.
Elder Shield-Bearer's heart rose to his throat.
Finally, Colin turned back around, a look of apologetic and troubled bitter smile appearing on his face.
"Elder... your request puts me... in a very difficult position."
He sighed, his voice filled with helplessness.
"You only know the miraculous nature of the 'God-given Potion', but you do not know how difficult the production process of such a heaven-defying item is."
He held up a finger and said in a slow, heavy tone: "Every prayer to the Wolf God requires a great deal of my energy and effort."
"And the materials needed to make the potion are precious to the extreme."
"Most of them grow on cliffs that mortals cannot tread upon, or in lands of death guarded by powerful magical beasts."
"Every time we harvest them, it means excellent warriors must pay the price with their lives."
He shook his head, and the bitterness on his face deepened.
"Most importantly, even if all the materials are gathered, under the gaze of the Wolf God, only one or two out of ten can successfully condense divine power in the end."
"Behind every successful bottle of potion, there are nine bottles of failed, ash-turned ordinary water piled up."
These words, half-true and half-false, were filled with convincing details.
It instantly elevated the value of the "God-given Potion" to a whole new peak, bordering on a "luxury item" and an "art piece."
The color drained from Elder Shield-Bearer's face, leaving it pale.
He understood Colin's subtext: this thing was very expensive, so expensive that you might not be able to afford it.
But he could not give up.
"Lord Colin!" He stepped forward eagerly, his voice already carrying a hint of pleading. "We understand! Of course we understand! Such a divine object naturally cannot be measured by ordinary goods."
"But... we, the Brown Bear Tribe, are willing to pay any price!"
Colin looked at his old face, which was filled with longing, and pretended to ponder for a long time.
He seemed to be engaged in an intense internal struggle.
After a long while, he seemed to have made up his mind and let out a long sigh.
"Sigh... fine."
He looked at Elder Shield-Bearer and said solemnly, "The Brown Bear Tribe is our most solid, and our first, ally."
"This friendship is worth more than a thousand gold pieces."
"To consolidate the friendship between our two sides, I can... make an exception and take out a very small amount of potion to trade with you."
"That's great!" Elder Shield-Bearer was almost moved to tears of joy.
"However..." Colin's tone shifted abruptly, and his eyes became sharp. "Ordinary supplies can no longer measure its value."
"Our trade must use a more valuable... equivalent."
His gaze passed over Elder Shield-Bearer and landed on the Mountain Bison that were lowering their heads, flicking their tails, and breathing heavily.
"This kind of trade mle curled up at the corner of his mouth.
Everything was proceeding steadily according to the blueprint he had planned.