For a moment, the three men who had received such an enormous boon did not know what to say. Faced with something like this, they simply could not politely decline, yet they felt a casual word of thanks would hardly suffice. That would be far too ungrateful. Had they not seen the looks everyone else was giving them?
"This incense is truly precious. Unless you have absolutely no choice, I suggest you don't bring it out lightly. Whether you give it to your sects now or wait until the Divine Fire Domain opens again in two or three hundred years, it won't really affect what your sects stand to gain.
"The biggest difference between giving it now and giving it later may be what happens to you yourselves. If someone in your sect truly resents you for stealing too much of the limelight and moves against you, and you can't withstand it, this might give you room to maneuver. If you empty out all your reserves now, I'm afraid..."
By this point, everyone understood what the Chief meant. Once they had no value left to exploit, someone might slaughter the donkey as soon as the millstone was unhitched.
"Of course, I may be overthinking it. But I still urge you to be cautious. Even if you can't bear to keep anything from your sects, I suggest you test the waters. Once you're outside, if your sects really do find you and ask you to return, you might tell them you never absorbed any Divine Fire at all and see how they react.
"Don't worry. The sect disciples who know you absorbed Divine Fire have either already been dealt with by me or harbor private motives and won't readily spread the news. At least, they won't readily disclose it for the