Lia

"That's all right. Are you with the Whaling Group?"

Ian straightened his expression and stopped letting his gaze linger on her figure and scars. That would have been far too disrespectful.

"Yes. My name is Lia. I'm a director of the Whaling Group's Paradise Port branch, and I also handle the operations of the Breath of the Ocean."

Lia habitually lifted the corners of her lips when she spoke, as if she were smiling. She appeared composed. Although her Common Tongue was not very standard and carried a distinctive, soft accent, her bearing revealed a bold and magnanimous air.

Her voice was very pleasant, and Ian liked it a little.

"Hello, Ms. Lia. My name is Trist. I came from Storm Cape. I heard that a New Continent had been discovered to the south, so I was planning to take a look."

Ian smiled as he looked at her sparkling eyes and casually made up an excuse. In any case, he really would be going there in the future.

"A New Continent was indeed discovered to the south, but the latest news is that the Empire of Divine Grace on the Western Continent dispatched a joint fleet of new-model Steam Battleships to attack the New Continent.

"For now, it would be best to postpone entering the waters south of Devil Island, lest you be caught up in the war."

To show her goodwill, Lia offered him some new information.

The Empire of Divine Grace was the most powerful empire on the Western Continent. Formerly known as the Atlantia Empire, it claimed to be the people of the God of the Sea and held a fervent reverence for the ocean.

After the sea fog dispersed, Atlantia's strength, which had originally ranked last among the three major powers of the Western Continent, expanded rapidly. The Atlantian Emperor believed all of this to be a blessing from the God of the Sea, and thus renamed the country the Empire of Divine Grace.

The God of the Sea was one of the Seven True Gods and also controlled the divine authority of storms. The fishermen of the Eastern Continent generally called him the God of Storms.

The information put Ian in an excellent mood, and the smile at the corners of his mouth widened before he realized it.

No wonder the Second Prince had hurried south as soon as he acquired Storm Cape. He was afraid someone else would get there first, leaving him unable to even drink the leftovers.

"Thank you for the news, Ms. Lia. This is very useful to me."

Ian decided to return the favor.

"I'm an Alchemist. I just finished refining a jar of Enchanted Weapon Oil, and I think we may have an opportunity to work together."

Enchanted Weapon Oil was a consumable that ordinary adventurers could use as well—wealthy adventurers, of course. Ian felt that it would definitely sell well. After all, not everyone had a Magic Weapon.

He could sell it to anyone, and their exchange just now had left him in a good mood, at least.

Ian raised a hand, and Mana gently carried the jar of Enchanted Weapon Oil over to Lia.

Lia looked surprised. Enchanted Weapon Oil was the Alchemists' Association's latest creation, and it had become hugely popular across the Sea of Miracles over the past two years.

This was because refining it consumed a considerable amount of spirituality. Even after exhausting their spirituality, low-Sequence Alchemists could only produce one to five pounds, and the quality usually hovered around the middle to lower grades. Recovering their spirituality required meditating for an entire day.

As a result, there were not many Alchemists who specialized in refining it. After all, Alchemists specializing in Potionology and Magic Equipment were the mainstream.

Consequently, Enchanted Weapon Oil, a rapidly consumed product, had always been in short supply. If its quality was not too poor, she would certainly be delighted to have it.

Lia reached out and caught the jar, then forcefully pried it open. Her eyes immediately lit up, and even the way she held the jar became careful.

Damir, who had remained silent behind Lia, saw her reaction and immediately craned his neck to look. He was soon wearing an expression of astonishment as well.

Afraid that he had seen incorrectly, he took another step to Lia's side, narrowed his eyes slightly, and carefully sensed it with his spirituality.

Ian secretly watched their reactions, his heart blooming with joy. His instincts had been right—his skill really was impressive!

Alchemy was a complicated field of knowledge. Many high-level Alchemists could refine potions of acceptable quality, yet could not produce low-level medicines of the highest quality.

The root of the problem lay in spirituality. Spirituality was innate. An Extraordinary Sequence could strengthen its quality and quantity and influence its elemental inclination, but its characteristics were difficult to change significantly.

Only by precisely controlling and guiding the entire alchemical process on a microscopic level, bringing out the properties of every material to the fullest, could one refine the most potent medicines of the highest quality.

With this kind of spiritual characteristic, one could do it if one possessed it, and could not if one did not. Of course, some rare witchcrafts could substitute for certain characteristics of special spirituality.

Ian had discovered that his spirituality had become increasingly refined and stable with his constant meditation. He did not know whether this was due to his transmigration or the effect of the Fate Card.

In any case, it was ultimately a good thing. He only needed to enjoy it secretly.

"Mr. Trist, is this Formula II? May I try it?"

Lia came back to herself, composed her expression, and asked Ian softly.

She actually knew about Formula II. It seemed she had used it before, which saved Ian even more time explaining it.

"Go ahead."

Ian waved his hand to indicate that she could do as she pleased.

Lia gave Damir a slight signal. A flash of sword light appeared as Damir picked out a thumb-sized piece of oil, used his spirituality to gently spread it over one side of the blade, and then softly waved the weapon. He closed his eyes to sense it, then guided Battle Aura into the weapon.

Several minutes later, the side coated with oil still emitted a faint, delicate Shimmer, without the slightest sign of weakening.

"Please forgive us for making a spectacle of ourselves, Mr. Trist. This is the first time we've seen such high-quality Enchanted Weapon Oil."

Lia smiled brightly and gently replaced the lid.

She felt a surge of relief. Fortunately, she had not left with the group leader and the others at noon, instead staying behind because she had been uneasy.

"Mr. Trist, our Whaling Group has sufficient strength, and we sincerely wish to work with you. There's a reception room upstairs. Would you be willing to come sit with me?"

"Of course. I'd be delighted."

Ian closed the door and followed Lia up to the sixth floor.

The sixth floor opened directly into a small lounge with a bar. A few people sat scattered around it. They were all Extraordinary, drinking and chatting at the same time.

Three corridors extended from the lounge. Several rooms lined both sides of each corridor, and every one of them was quite spacious.

Lia led Ian through the lounge toward the corridor directly opposite the stairs. Several people they passed whistled.

"Yo, has Lia finally come to her senses? She found herself a little lover..."

"He's really handsome. You have good taste. I approve..."

"..."

Ian could tell that they were mostly teasing her without any malice, and none of them had said anything vulgar. The atmosphere within the Whaling Group seemed quite good.

"Shut up, all of you. He's an honored guest. Keep talking nonsense and I'll throw you out!"

Lia glanced back at Ian apologetically. Only after seeing him smile and show that he did not mind did she let out a sigh of relief.

In the small reception room at the end of the corridor, Ian and Lia sat facing each other across a long table. The jar of Enchanted Weapon Oil sat between them. Damir remained in the lounge and had not followed them.

"Mr. Trist, how would you like to work together?"

"Don't use honorifics. Just call me Trist, and I'll call you Lia. Whether we end up working together or not, let's consider this a chance to make friends."

Ian spoke with a solemn expression.

Lia covered her lips and smiled. The way this man spoke was truly interesting.

He was quite special as well. Lia's spirituality was highly perceptive, and she could sense that he treated her with respect and equality.

Even among the Whaling Group, where everyone was familiar with one another and the atmosphere was relatively harmonious, most people could not do that.