Lupe's Deal

"Add a little poisonous mushroom, then an old piece of shoe heel..."

In the village, Yuan Chen stood by a large pot, stirring the bright red dragon blood. With Nedeli's help from the sidelines, he kept tossing in the ingredients he had prepared.

Frost Mushrooms could reduce the heat of Fire Dragon Blood. Shoe Heel Grass was poisonous, but it could counteract the Frost Mushrooms' toxicity and boost the medicine's potency...

As he added the ingredients, Yuan Chen kept Nedeli's instructions in mind. With Scout Skill and Wilderness Blessing, it was easy for him to tell which plants were medicinal and which were poisonous. But learning more about how they worked together was a little harder.

Still, for Yuan Chen, it was enough to know which foods were safe to eat and which were poisonous... If all else failed, he could always call someone over for help.

Across all of Runeterra, Nedeli might well have been the only person with such a high level in the Life Profession of herbalism.

The villagers had been packing for three days, but this was an entire village on the move. On top of that, Lupe's Family had been exiled, so before setting out, they had to apply to the nearest county for permission.

The village lay near the Miasma Jungle, far from civilization. Audan, who had gone to the county to file the application, had yet to return. With nothing else to do, Yuan Chen joined the Meat-toothed Beasts in refining the dragon blood, and put the scraps they had cleaned away—bits of meat and Scale Fragments—to good use.

More than a dozen large pots simmered in the village square. Depending on the concentration, weight, and quality of the dragon blood in each pot, Yuan Chen added varying amounts of ingredients.

The Fire Dragon Blood contained a rich concentration of fire elements, so simply heating it over a fire couldn't bring it to a high enough temperature. The village's Element Apprentices and blacksmiths had joined the refining effort, using the Fire Axiom to heat the blood with bursts of flame.

"Teacher! I finished what you asked me to do!"

As Yuan Chen watched the dragon blood simmering in the pots, Milio's voice rang out nearby.

He turned toward the sound. The boy looked thrilled, a small bottle of pills in his hand.

After awakening, Milio had grown at an astonishing rate. In just a few days, he had gone from a level-two Elemental Mage to level four. That might have seemed like only a two-level increase, but it meant Milio was now qualified to serve as an Elemental Mentor.

Of course, a level only guaranteed a certain minimum combat ability. What made Milio truly valuable was that, building on the Yuan Chu Axiom, he had opened up an entirely new path.

The pills in Milio's hand were a special medicine combining Elemental Drake materials, Nedeli's herbalism, and Milio's Gentle Flame.

Name: Ming Zhu Blood Secret Medicine.

Quality: Excellent

Effect: A special medicine made from the flesh and blood of a Flame Drake, high-quality herbs from the Miasma Jungle, and Ming Zhu Flame. It can restore a large amount of blood and vitality in a short time, while enhancing physical attributes, magic damage, and magic resistance. During its duration, the user's stamina and mana Recovery Speed increase significantly.

Seeing the effects of the Dragon Blood Secret Medicine, Yuan Chen nodded with satisfaction.

In a game, a large health potion cost five hundred gold. This potion boosted everything across the board, so there was no way it should cost less than a thousand.

No wonder dragons were treasures from head to toe. Even the scraps of their flesh could be put to great use if properly processed.

Thinking about it, those powerful potions in the game, like Rage Elixir and Iron Elixir, might only be of Excellent quality in Runeterra...

As he thought, Yuan Chen patted Milio on the head. Well done! Your grandmother would be proud of you!

Milio nodded excitedly at Yuan Chen's praise. Yuan Chen checked the dragon blood in the pots again, and, once he was sure there were no problems, took the bottle of medicine and headed for the large house in the center of the village.

The door wasn't closed—and there was no need to close it. The whole village was caught up in the joy of their successful Dragon Hunt and their impending journey to the county. Every household was busy packing up its valuables and necessities, loading them onto carts. Once Audan returned with the Road Protectors, they would be able to set out for the county at once.

Lupe was dozing on a long bench by the entrance to the large house.

She looked to be in good spirits, but Yuan Chen knew all too well that she didn't have many days left.

The debuff of old age was constantly limiting Lupe's condition. During the Dragon Hunt, after exhausting herself, she had forced herself to fight by drawing on what little life force she had left.

Even though they were both human, the vitality of the young and old couldn't be compared.

Take Yuan Chen, for example. If he kept fighting after exhausting himself, he would use up his stamina. But as long as he had enough medicine and was properly prepared, he could recover even after suffering harm to his vital essence through supplements and rest.

Ionia's land and waters were especially nourishing. Combined with its customs and reverence for nature, the people of Ionia outdid every other region of Runeterra when it came to health and longevity.

But Lupe was different... Simply put, when Yuan Chen fought by expending his life force, he used up health points without affecting his maximum health. For Lupe, every two points of health she lost also cost her one point of maximum health.

Old age, death, illness... Even a Great Elementalist like Lupe, who had once commanded respect and stood above her peers, could only endure them in silence.

She seemed to be in good spirits, but Yuan Chen estimated that she had only two or three months left to live.

Or perhaps... the only reason Lupe was still alive and in such good spirits was that her powerful magic was keeping her going.

That was also one of the traits of mages in this world. Setting aside geniuses with special traits, those of the same level were often stronger the older they were.

Even so, Lupe was quite content.

Her family had hunted a dragon... Even across all of Runeterra, more than a hundred years had passed since the last great feat of slaying a dragon. Offering such a dragon as a gift would be enough to persuade King Yuen to pardon the family's past crimes.

After all, it was her younger sister, Lunye, who had committed the grave crime of treason. Lupe's branch had mostly been punished because of their blood ties; they hadn't been the masterminds.

If Lupe had been a mastermind—or even one of the conspirators—she would have been executed long ago.

Milio's awakened talent had also filled Lupe with excitement. The Yuan Chu Axiom kept evolving, but every new development built on what already existed.

Milio's flame was completely different. It was an entirely new path. Unlike the precise, rigorous, cold Yuan Chu Axiom of the past, the fire on this path brimmed with emotion. It had a soul, and the power of feelings unique to living beings.

An element with a soul, capable of joy and sorrow, was completely different from a pure element!

This wasn't a new axiom developed from the foundations and achievements of the existing Yuan Chu Axiom. It was a new Fundamental Axiom!

If Lupe's Earth Axiom was like adding another floor to an existing tower, then Milio had laid a new foundation!

And it was a new foundation that encompassed every existing Yuan Chu Axiom! Now that fire with a soul had appeared, what about water, earth, wood, wind, and more?

If Lupe weren't already old, she would be working on a transformation of the Earth Axiom to give it a soul.

But regardless, this discovery was enough to make Milio an Elemental Master revered by all in the central tower of Yishuaoken—and he wasn't even twenty!

How old had she been when she became an Elemental Master? Fifty-something, if she remembered right.

Thinking about it, Lupe nearly laughed aloud.

With talent like his, what did the crimes of a rebellious branch matter? In Yishuaoken, where the Yuan Chu Axiom was revered, Lupe had no doubt that Milio's talent alone would be enough to move King Yuen—

And even if King Yuen still held a grudge, the scholars of the Elder Council of Yuentar wouldn't tolerate a young Elemental Master being buried like this...

"Looking pretty comfortable there, lying around." Yuan Chen walked over and spoke casually to Lupe, who was dozing in her lounge chair.

"In a good mood? Everyone else is busy packing, and you're here enjoying life."

Lupe didn't mind Yuan Chen's teasing. She replied in a relaxed tone, "I'm nearly dead. What do I have to enjoy... But I am relaxed, at least."

Lupe opened her eyes. "Three... no, two months. That should be enough time for me to get back to Yishuaoken."

Her voice brimmed with excitement.

"The achievement of hunting a dragon, and Milio's talent... Yuan Chen, you know that my family will take pride in Milio. Every noble will reach out to us again, just to share in this wisdom and prestige!"

Family honor had become an obsession, a burden for Lupe. Milio had once shown tremendous talent, but his inability to control the Axiom Constraint had left Lupe deeply disappointed.

Now, Milio's true talent had finally been uncovered. This elemental power of fire, which Yuan Chen called Gentle Flame—or, more simply, "Healing Fire"—had given Lupe hope of restoring her family's fortunes.

It was true that when her family had been exiled, the nobles who had once been their friends had cut off all contact.

But nobles were like that. Once Milio revealed his talent, they would be quick to reconnect and actively help the Lupe Family reclaim its former glory!

"And maybe even more than that, right?" Yuan Chen said with a knowing shrug. "But compared to your status as an Elemental Mage, you've become more of a political creature...

"I have to say, it's a shame to see an Elemental Master reduced to this."

"This is the path I chose." Lupe shook her head at Yuan Chen's words.

"You've never experienced what we've endured... We went from the bustling central tower of Yishuaoken to a wilderness village deep in the mountains. We went from being the noble people of Yuentar to becoming savages who weren't even allowed to leave the mountains."

"Our family members went through untold hardships to learn how to survive in this land... Many couldn't bear the fall and chose to take their own lives."

"Milio was lucky. By the time he was born, we had already grown accustomed to these mountains... But that doesn't mean we've forgotten the past. We've just grown numb."

Perhaps it was because she was close to death, or perhaps there was some other reason, but Lupe had become much more talkative.

She was still the political creature Yuan Chen disliked, but at least her past helped him understand how she had changed.

After a long silence, Lupe said, "I've spoken to my successor. From now on, Milio will lead the family. Until he's fully grown, the family will follow your lead."

Hearing this, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow. "What, are you trying to tie me to your family's chariot?"

"I don't think a family like ours could force the hand of a prophet." Lupe shook her head without hesitation and answered calmly.

"You're Milio's teacher, and a prophet... But even a prophet needs strong support."

"Yishuaoken may be far from the Outside World, but it's never been short on conflict. I promise you, my family will always stand behind you... I know the Lupe Family, as it stands now, isn't worthy of being your ally."

"But all the resources of the families in the Lupe Lineage are at your disposal, with me at their head. That includes our former connections and favors."

Yuan Chen nodded thoughtfully.

The Lupe Lineage might have fallen on hard times, but it hadn't lost its connections. They had been exiled because rebellion was an unforgivable crime in Ixialia. Even people who hadn't been involved, but were related by blood, were punished.

Because of that, other families wouldn't risk being dragged into the rebellion by association. But once the crime of rebellion was pardoned...

All their favors and connections would quickly be restored...

Well, a pardon alone wouldn't be enough to reclaim their former glory. But what was that saying? Even a rich man deep in the mountains had distant relatives.

With Milio's talent, restoring ties with an old ally would be an investment in the future for the Lupe Family's former allies.

No one would pass up the chance to build a relationship with a future Elemental Master.

And not just any Elemental Master, but one who was under twenty and had independently opened up a new Fundamental Axiom!

It was easy to imagine that as long as nothing went wrong, Milio would become one of the most powerful members of the Elder Council of Yuentar...

No, considering that this was an entirely new Fundamental Axiom, even King Yuen would have to show Milio respect in the future!

In Ixialia, the royal family and Yuentar ruled together. The Fundamental Axiom Milio had opened up was enough to make King Yuen treat him with respect and deference.

"So what's the price?" Yuan Chen lifted his chin. "You've promised so much and even put your whole family on the line... What do you want from me?"

"All the resources, connections, and relationships of the families in the Lupe Lineage will be at your disposal. What we want is simple, and to you, it's almost nothing—"

Lupe spoke with near deference.

"Friendship, and a good relationship."