"I understand," Murphy said, his voice calm and unreadable. "Then, Laval Knight, with your status and achievements, has the Church Court truly never granted you a Holy Medicine like Starlight Healing?"

The corner of Knight Armand’s mouth twitched, revealing a bitter smile mixed with self-mockery and deep regret.

"They have, precious items of the same tier... more than one." He shook his head slightly, his gaze drifting into the distance as if recalling a long-past decision. "Back then, I chose the Heart of the Fierce Sun."

He paused, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. "Because... the Heart of the Fierce Sun was a Secret Medicine prepared for Knights who had already stepped into the Legendary Realm. The explosive power it offered... was too great a temptation for me at the time."

His fingers unconsciously caressed the ancient patterns on his sword hilt, his knuckles whitening from the pressure. "It was a... much more violent Secret Medicine, designed to brutally wring out a person’s potential in a short amount of time, forcibly boosting their total Life Energy and its explosive output. The Church Court only grants it to those who have performed exceptional deeds, to quickly forge a peak combatant. Back then... I relied on it to rush to the Peak of Mortality in an incredibly short time." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He sighed heavily. "The price was a damaged foundation. It left a hidden, irreparable injury to my Origin. It gave me power, but it also all but severed any possibility of advancing further. Looking back now, if I had chosen Starlight Healing, with its gentle, nourishing properties that repair one’s Origin and loosen bottlenecks... perhaps..."

He didn’t finish, but his deep regret and bitter frustration were palpable.

Murphy listened quietly, rapidly weighing the options in his mind.

After a moment, he spoke again, his calm gaze resting on the other man’s face. "Your candor is admirable, Sir Knight. However, the Starlight Healing is also important to me. I wonder, do you happen to have a finished dose of the Heart of the Fierce Sun? Or something of comparable value?"

A sharp glint flashed in Knight Armand’s eyes; he knew the negotiation had reached the crucial stage.

He leaned forward slightly, a look of desperate resolve on his face. "The Heart of the Fierce Sun... I took one dose back then. After succeeding, as is customary, I was granted a second dose for emergencies. That one... has never been touched."

He didn’t care why Murphy, who had already reached such a high level, would need a medicine that so brutally exploited one’s potential; all he knew was his own desperate need for the Starlight Healing.

"This medicine is incredibly potent and violent. Even a physique at the Peak of Mortality cannot withstand it lightly; one needs an exceptionally strong physical foundation to bear it. But if you’re fortunate enough to endure it, you can indeed gain a massive increase in strength in a short time." He stared intently at Murphy, adding, "What’s more, not even a figure like Duke Temeris could easily obtain it. It is an item under the strict control of the Church Court. Its value is in no way inferior to Starlight Healing; it just... serves a different purpose."

Murphy thought of his own Essence score of 3.0—a physique that far surpassed that of an ordinary Great Knight.

For him, with such a powerful physique, this violent Secret Medicine intended for Legendary Knights might just be bearable.

If used properly, it could perhaps boost his strength even further.

Finally, he gave a slow nod. His voice was level but clear. "Agreed. But I must inspect the medicine on the spot to ensure there are no issues. I will provide the Starlight Healing after my confirmation."

At his words, the tense muscles in Knight Armand’s face finally relaxed slightly, his eyes lighting up with a mixture of hope and immense relief.

He nodded heavily, placing his right hand over his chest. "As it should be! I will go retrieve the medicine at once!"

...

The transaction went so smoothly it was almost uneventful.

Knight Armand hurried away and returned a moment later to Murphy’s stone house. In his hand was a small, square box sealed with dark silver metal, its surface engraved with the emblem of the Church Court’s Eye of Truth.

He opened it right there. Inside the box, nestled on a soft velvet lining, was a crystal tube. The tube contained a viscous, golden-red liquid filled to a height of about two knuckles, like a molten sun. Even through the crystal, one could feel the extremely unstable and violent Energy Fluctuations it contained.

"The Heart of the Fierce Sun, the genuine article," Knight Armand said in a deep voice, carefully holding out the metal box, his gaze locked on Murphy’s face.

Murphy took it but didn’t inspect it immediately. He simply held it in his palm, closed his eyes slightly, and a wisp of pure Qi silently extended out. Like the most nimble of fingers, it passed through the metal and crystal to gently touch the golden-red liquid.

Instantly, a scorching, violent, and domineering will that seemed to want to burn away all life force surged back along the Qi connection!

It also carried an extremely ancient aura, one that was both wildly frenetic and yet constrained by a sacred brand.

He had sensed this kind of aura from the Starlight Healing before.

This couldn’t be a fake, and it certainly wasn’t something an ordinary Wizard could replicate.

Murphy opened his eyes, a flash of understanding in their depths as he nodded.

He took from his coat the Glazed Bottle he had already prepared, containing a one-third dose of the silvery-blue Starlight Healing that shimmered with a gentle stellar glow, and handed it over.

Knight Armand’s hands trembled as he took the small bottle.

He raised the vial to his eyes, holding it up to the torchlight, and stared obsessively at the potion flowing inside, which seemed to hold a small, tranquil, starry sky. His Adam’s apple bobbed violently a few times.

Then, he suddenly clutched the vial tightly in his hand, pressing it to his chest as if it were the sole hope for the rest of his life.

"Thank you... Governor." He took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice steady, but he couldn’t completely hide the excitement in his eyes. "May... may Oriane bless your journey tomorrow."