Chapter 566: Fire-Apricot Wine and Blood-Root Pills
Don’t blame Marcus for being cautious. In this world, survival belonged to those who looked after themselves first. If you couldn’t protect your own interests, someone else would happily take advantage of you. Besides, who would casually hand priceless secrets to complete strangers?
Crossing the central plaza, they soon arrived at the town council hall.
"Guardian, please come in."
The Town Lord personally ushered Marcus inside. After everyone had taken their seats, the topic of the Storm Seal naturally came to an end, and the conversation shifted back to the Iceflame Black Serpent Men.
The Town Lord carefully explained everything he knew about the Black Ice Cave, the Iceflame Black Serpent Man’s abilities, and its usual attack patterns. Nearly five minutes passed before he finally finished sharing every useful piece of information.
Just then, several townspeople entered carrying large jars of wine. Following behind them was an elderly man with a full head of snow-white hair.
"Guardian, these are the supplies we’ve prepared for you," the Town Lord said with a smile.
Marcus couldn’t hide a flicker of disappointment; he had been hoping for powerful weapons or rare equipment, but instead... they had brought wine. Still, his eyes soon shifted to the elderly man; someone the Town Lord had personally invited probably wasn’t here empty-handed.
The Town Lord lifted one of the wine jars and handed it over.
"Guardian, this is Millennium Fire-Apricot Wine. It is brewed from the Fire-Apricot fruits that grow only among Dragon’s Roar Isle’s volcanic mountains, then buried beneath the snow on the highest peak for a thousand years before it is ready. Over that time, it develops powerful fire-attribute properties that can greatly weaken, or even completely negate, the slowing and freezing effects caused by the Iceflame Black Serpent Man."
Marcus raised an eyebrow in surprise; the Town Lord had already warned him that the creature’s freezing attacks were its greatest strength. Once slowed or frozen, even getting close enough to attack became nearly impossible.
If this wine really countered those effects... then it was worth far more than any ordinary piece of equipment.
He immediately examined its attributes.
—
Millennium Fire-Apricot Wine: Special item. Brewed from Dragon’s Roar Isle’s Fire-Apricot fruits and aged beneath mountain snow for a thousand years. Rich in fire-element energy with an exceptional taste.
Effects: Drinking one portion increases Fire Attack by 20% and Fire Resistance by 20%, while providing minor resistance to cold.
Drinking five portions surrounds the user with a crimson aura, increasing Fire Attack by 30% and Fire Resistance by 30%. It also grants powerful resistance against water-element attacks while greatly weakening, or even completely negating, slowing and freezing effects.
Duration: 1 day.
Drinking more than eight portions will cause the user to lose consciousness.
—
’Not bad at all.’
It wasn’t a weapon or a suit of armor, but against the Iceflame Black Serpent Man, it was arguably even more valuable. With this alone, his chances of victory had risen dramatically.
The Town Lord continued, "Guardian, our eighty-eight soldiers have almost certainly been frozen inside the Black Ice Cave. Once you’ve slain the Iceflame Black Serpent Man, simply pour one portion of this wine over each of them, and the fire energy within it will melt the ice imprisoning their bodies. We’ve prepared twelve jars, each containing ten portions. There will be more than enough."
"I understand."
Marcus nodded before taking a sip; the item description had already tempted him with its claim of an "exceptional taste."
The moment the wine touched his tongue, his eyes lit up. It was incredible: rich, smooth, and unbelievably potent. An intense fragrance burst across his palate before a wave of warmth spread through his entire body. It carried the same fiery strength as Firewater, yet instead of burning harshly, it flowed down his throat with remarkable smoothness, leaving behind an unforgettable aftertaste.
Without question, it was the finest strong liquor Marcus had ever tasted.
Compared to this, the aged wine he had discovered inside the Whirlpool Stone chamber seemed almost mild.
As the wine’s crimson aura gradually enveloped him, Marcus unknowingly drank seven portions.
For a brief moment, he was genuinely tempted to drink the eighth portion and simply pass out from sheer satisfaction.
It really was that good. Once this quest was over, he’d shamelessly ask the Town Lord for a few more jars, no... a lot more jars.’
Seeing Marcus’s obvious appreciation for the wine, the Town Lord smiled before gesturing toward the elderly man.
"Guardian, this elder is the father of our town herbalist and our most skilled physician. Last year, he discovered three millennium-old Blood-Root Herbs on a nearby island and refined them into Blood-Root Pills. We wish to present them to you in the hope that they will help you defeat the Iceflame Black Serpent Man."
The white-haired elder stepped forward with visible excitement. "Guardian... please save our soldiers."
His weathered hands trembled slightly as he carefully passed a pouch of pills to Marcus.
"My son was among those captured as well. I’ve brought every Blood-Root Pill I managed to refine. There are twenty-five in total. Please... use them without hesitation."
Marcus accepted the pouch, his curiosity piqued. What kind of medicine could make the townspeople place such high hopes on it? He checked the item’s description.
—
Blood-Root Pills: High-grade medicinal pill. Refined from three millennium-old Blood-Root Herbs together with numerous rare medicinal ingredients. Extremely rare.
Effects: Restores 1,000 to 1,500 HP per second for ten seconds after consumption.
—
Marcus was momentarily speechless; his mind immediately began calculating. With his current attributes, his natural health regeneration had already reached 951 HP per second. After obtaining the Jade Purification Vase, that figure had increased by another 500 HP every second, bringing his passive regeneration to 1,451.
If he added a Blood-Root Pill on top of that, his regeneration would soar to well over 2,450 HP per second. Good grief. That was ridiculous.
At that level of regeneration, he could probably stand in front of the Iceflame Black Serpent Man, ignore most of its attacks, and leisurely carve snake patterns into its face with the Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword.
His confidence rose instantly.
Looking at the hopeful faces gathered inside the council hall, Marcus spoke with complete certainty.
"Don’t worry. I’ll kill the Iceflame Black Serpent Man and bring every one of your soldiers home."
The sincerity in his voice eased the tension in the room, and many of the townspeople visibly relaxed.
After discussing a few final details, everyone accompanied him outside to see him off.
"Guardian, would you like a guide?" the Town Lord asked. "We can send someone riding one of our Three-Tailed Patterned Doves to lead you safely to Black Serpent Islet."
Marcus politely declined; the Three-Tailed Patterned Doves were impressive flying mounts, but they were slower than Blackie, and with Silas’s treasure map already showing the route, bringing along a guide would only complicate things.
"Marcus, be careful."
The girls looked at him with reluctant expressions.
They had wanted to accompany him, but Marcus had convinced them to remain behind. None of them cared about competing on the level rankings, and they didn’t need the experience from this fight. More importantly, the Iceflame Black Serpent Man specialized in devastating large-scale magic attacks. If they came along, he would have to divide his attention protecting them.
Fighting alone would let him move freely and unleash his full strength without holding anything back.
Marcus smiled reassuringly. "Relax. I’ve got this."
He switched to the guild’s private voice channel and quietly reassured the girls again. They already knew what he was capable of, and now that he possessed both the Millennium Fire-Apricot Wine and the Blood-Root Pills, he had effective counters against nearly every advantage the Iceflame Black Serpent Man possessed.
Waving one last time, he grinned. "Enjoy the island while I’m gone. And when I get back, I expect to find grilled fish waiting for me on the beach."
The girls laughed despite themselves. "Deal!"
"Let’s go."
At Marcus’s command, Blackie shot into the sky, carrying him straight toward Black Serpent Islet.