Shade had known from the start that the four apples used as targets were not ordinary fruit. First, they were astonishingly hard; second, they carried the Whisper Element. This meant that these apples were also products of the "Darkmoon Circus."
With the "competition" over, the spectators beneath the stage dispersed. Lust Edwardz floated over to Shade and spun around him, praising his excellent performance. Tifa led the two maids onto the stage and explained quietly to Shade:
"The Darkmoon Circus produces many unique derivative goods. Event-type relics are always like this—dangerous, but also highly valuable. Take this, for example—the Golden Apple."
Shade picked up the apple and found that it had indeed become a heavy object made of pure gold. Yet when he sniffed it closely, it still carried the fresh fragrance of apples.
"When eaten whole, it can heal nearly any injury, including irreversible injuries caused by relics. It is a top-tier healing item. Furthermore, after being brewed into a potion through a specific method, it can temporarily increase Luck. However, that requires an Apothecary of master level to make."
Fortunately, although Priest Augustus was not yet truly a master potion-maker, Grandma Cassandra, Audrey, and Megan all qualified.
Thus, Shade temporarily put away the Golden Apple. After discussing it with Tifa, he first treated the target boy's injuries, but did not rashly remove him from the many nails. Those nails all carried elements and were very close to his vital points. A reckless rescue would make subsequent treatment difficult.
However, Shade promised the boy that he would return to save him after resolving the circus's troubles. He also removed the matchsticks from his eyes and the threads from his mouth. The boy had just endured a nightmare-like ordeal, and receiving that promise was already enough to satisfy him.
He