22. Auctioning the Elixirs (Part One)

Early the next morning, Mo Fei’s door was knocked loudly, accompanied by the scolding voices of Vivian, Kroll, and the others.

When the door opened, Vivian didn’t even look to see who it was before launching into a tirade. “Mo Fei, how could you come back to the academy without telling us first? If I hadn’t heard yesterday that our goddess Mona kissed a mysterious man, we would still be in the dark! Come on, how are you going to make it up to us?” Vivian and Kroll teased him for a good while, but seeing Mo Fei unmoved, they finally glanced up to see who had opened the door.

Vivian was surprised to find a Minotaur warrior standing there. She immediately asked, “Who are you? Why are you here? Where’s Mo Fei?”

“My name is Cain, I’m the young master’s attendant. You must be his friends, right? The young master cultivated late into the night and hasn’t gotten up yet!” Cain explained to them.

But Mo Fei hadn’t really been cultivating; he’d been too excited to sleep, thinking about the beautiful ladies who might throw themselves into his arms after receiving his gifts.

“‘Young master’? As far as we know, Mo Fei isn’t from any noble family. Why do you call him that?” Vivian was full of curiosity about this Minotaur warrior’s identity.

“Because the young master has shown great kindness to me and my people. I swore to follow and serve him with my life!” Cain said with earnest devotion.

Just as Vivian was about to ask what great favor Mo Fei had done for the Minotaurs, Mo Fei emerged from the room, looking exhausted—clearly he hadn’t rested well.

“You ask why we’re here? If we hadn’t come looking for you, would you have come to find us at all?” Vivian had wanted to seek out Mo Fei as soon as she’d heard about Mona and him yesterday.

Vivian herself couldn’t understand what she was feeling. Normally, hearing that her best friend had found someone she liked would make her happy. But when the man turned out to be Mo Fei, she just couldn’t feel any joy.

She didn’t even know when she’d started liking Mo Fei. Maybe it was curiosity, wanting to know more about him. Or perhaps it was his extraordinary magical talent that had drawn her in.

After a night of inner turmoil, Vivian couldn’t resist coming to see Mo Fei. To avoid embarrassment, she’d called Kroll and the others along.

Mo Fei protested, “How could I not come to find you? I was just busy yesterday after returning and didn’t have time. I was planning to visit the Warrior Academy today, but you beat me to it!”

“Busy? You mean busy giving gifts to Mona? We heard about it—a mysterious man gave Mona, the goddess of the Magic Division, a precious magic staff, and she kissed him in front of everyone!” Vivian teased, though there was a hint of jealousy in her tone.

Seeing Vivian’s half-smiling, half-serious gaze, Mo Fei dared not respond.

“It wasn’t just that! You saw Cain with me; he’s a warrior, so he can’t stay in the Magic Academy all day. Yesterday, I went to see Dean Mars to arrange for Cain to study at the Warrior Academy and find him a place to stay. By the time I finished, it was late, and giving Mona her gift was just on the way. Of course, I’ve brought gifts for you all as well; I was planning to give them to you today,” Mo Fei said, a bit sheepishly.

Originally, Mo Fei had only prepared gifts for the two ladies; seeing Kroll and the others’ eager faces, he knew he couldn’t get away without giving everyone something today.

Kroll and the others had heard about the top-tier staff Mo Fei gave Mona. Surely the gifts for themselves wouldn’t be inferior.

Indeed, Mo Fei’s storage bag was full of treasures, including many recently refined elixirs.

“This longsword was forged by a master dwarven blacksmith. It’s beautifully crafted, the blade is hard and sharp, and it greatly enhances battle energy. The moment I saw it, I knew it was perfect for you, so I bought it especially for you!” Mo Fei handed Vivian the sword he’d acquired at the auction.

As a princess of the Dragonrock Empire, Vivian had seen her share of fine weapons. But knowing that Mo Fei had bought this one especially for her, she was delighted, taking the sword and turning it over in her hands.

“This sword can’t be cheap. Where did you get so much money to buy all these gifts?” The items Mo Fei gave to Mona and herself were worth at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Before meeting Mo Fei, he’d been penniless, yet now he could afford to purchase such things at auction, and all just to give away. Vivian couldn’t help but wonder where his wealth came from.

“I used rare herbs to refine a kind of elixir that quickly restores battle energy and heals internal injuries. The manager of the Moko Auction House happened to need it, so he bought my elixirs at a high price. That’s how I got the money,” Mo Fei explained.

“Elixirs? What are those? Can they really restore battle energy and heal internal injuries?” Vivian and the others asked in confusion.

“Of course. Even the dwarven miners’ persistent cough—something even wood element healers can’t cure—can be healed with these herbal medicines.” To convince Vivian and the others, Mo Fei told them about curing the dwarves’ cough.

On this continent, warriors could only restore battle energy by resting or practicing their techniques. Internal injuries could only be healed slowly over time. The idea that herbal elixirs could restore and heal was unheard of. If it was truly this miraculous, it was no wonder they were bought at a high price.

Mo Fei needed a large amount of gold to buy the Misty Mountains as his own territory, and selling elixirs was the only way he could think of to raise funds.

Vivian and her companions, being nobles of the imperial capital, would surely be interested in such wondrous elixirs.

“I’ve specially refined a batch for you. These elixirs can strengthen your bodies and internal channels, achieving a cleansing effect,” Mo Fei said, taking a small porcelain bottle from his storage bag and pouring out several dark red pills.

These were the “Essence Cleansing Pills,” the most common in the cultivation world. There, they were of little value, as any decent sect could provide them regularly to disciples. But in this foreign land, they were exceedingly precious. Mo Fei gave each person one, and Kroll and the others were deeply grateful.

“Don’t rush to take them. It’s best to find a quiet place without interruption, and follow your battle energy cultivation route after taking it. Absolutely don’t let anyone disturb you,” Mo Fei quickly stopped them as they prepared to swallow the pills on the spot.

“In fact, I came back to the academy to ask for your help with something! Since you’re all here today, I’ll just say it—let’s see if you can help.” Seeing everyone happy, Mo Fei seized the chance to bring up his request.

“What is it? If we can help, we will,” Kroll said, pounding his chest in a hearty manner.

“I traveled recently and passed through the Misty Mountains. The environment there is excellent, and I want to buy it as my own territory. Do you have any ideas?” Mo Fei asked directly.

“The Misty Mountains are nice, but there are many magical beasts living there. It won’t be easy to establish a territory,” Kroll, who was familiar with famous places, replied.

“No need to worry about that, I have my own methods. What I need is for you to help negotiate with the authorities when purchasing. As for funds, I want to auction some elixirs and need you to help stir up interest among the nobles,” Mo Fei explained.

“If you’ve got everything else covered, leave the rest to us. The empire encourages the development of new territories—it increases land use and tax revenue. The authorities will definitely support it. And you’ve got the princess herself standing right here; how could such a matter stump her?” Kroll joked, looking at Vivian and Mo Fei.

Vivian, for once, didn’t show her usual boisterous manner, but glanced shyly at Mo Fei.

After entrusting Kroll and the others with elixirs for auction and explaining their uses and effects, Mo Fei took Cain and bid farewell to his friends, leaving the academy to visit his nominal elder brother, Count Caesar. He would need Caesar’s help with buying the territory and auctioning the elixirs.

Vivian watched Mo Fei’s departing figure until he disappeared from sight, then finally came back to herself. Hugging the sword Mo Fei had given her, she wore a rare, shy smile.

Kroll and his companions, raised from childhood as candidates for the princess’s knightly guard, couldn’t help but admire Vivian. But they understood their duty. Now that the princess had found someone she liked, they sincerely wished her happiness.

Vivian, with Kroll and the others, carrying the elixirs for auction, headed toward the royal palace. No matter how wealthy the nobles of the imperial capital were, they could not compare to the royal family that ruled the entire empire.