'Virtue + 120.'
'Current Virtue: 10524.'
As his Virtue increased, Winnie couldn't help but marvel, this was the largest Virtue boost Isatia had ever given him. Although such a value was nothing compared to top donor Mirexia, it was more than enough to thoroughly outshine that elven brat Milian.
“Sorry, Isatia, I don't have a supply source for this potion either,” Winnie said with a helpless shrug.
Come on, nobody was at fault for being ordinary, but possessing a treasure brought its own dangers. If word spread about this mysterious, powerful elixir, especially that he alone possessed the source, what then?
And worse, if it became too widespread and attracted the attention of the Church of Radiance? If the Church launched a full investigation and discovered these potions contained traces of a Saintess's blood, wouldn't his source be instantly exposed?
Far too dangerous. Winnie wasn't willing to take that risk.
“If you need more, I do have a few bottles left. Here, take all of these,” Winnie said, pulling every green vial from his pocket and handing them to Isatia.
“May I ask where you got these medicines?” Isatia persisted. This was, after all, the only known cure she'd found for her “Collapse of Divine Blessing”, something she couldn't possibly abandon.
“This? It's a long story,” Winnie replied, pulling out his pre-prepared explanation.
“I went back to my hometown during the long holiday break, and accidentally found these vials while rummaging through an underground storeroom. No idea who left them behind, no labels, no indication of their effects. To avoid side effects or expired contents, I personally tested one. After drinking it, I felt incredibly revitalized, so I guessed it must be some kind of stamina-recovery potion.” Winnie explained.
“Just these few bottles?” Isatia asked.
“Yes, that's all I saw,” Winnie nodded.
“Even if there were more stored underground back then, they're probably gone by now. My family suffered a massive rodent infestation a long time ago, countless precious artifacts and treasures were completely plundered by rats. It's possible many rare potions, no longer available in the market, were among them.”
Isatia glanced at Winnie, remaining silent.
She fully understood what he meant by “rodent infestation.”
After the fall of the Varelis family, the Church of Radiance expelled the Varelis from the Church and initiated a “Sacred Relic Recovery” operation, claiming that since the Goddess had withdrawn Her Grace, the sacred relics should naturally return to the Church to continue blessing future generations.
This was common knowledge among the upper echelons of every nation on the Terraria Continent.
Classic bandit logic, but relations between countries, or between Church and state, couldn't be judged in such black-and-white terms. The situation was far too complicated.
Thus, every nation could only tacitly accept such actions. Besides, the Church of Radiance's moves carried at least a veneer of legitimacy; after the Varelis bloodline's divine connection faded, no one had a stronger claim to those relics than the Church itself.
"If you want them, these bottles are probably the last remaining unique specimens. Whether new ones can be replicated? I can't say for sure. You know, Isatia, even though I study alchemy, I personally have little talent for it," Winnie scratched his head.
“Then... are you willing to sell?” Isatia asked.
“Ah, I don't need them anyway. Since you clearly need them, just take them, pay whatever you feel is fair,” Winnie smiled.
He had two options here: demand high coin for the rarity of the remaining elixirs, or go for the Virtue boost.
Winnie chose the latter.
Thank you.
'Virtue + 60.'
'Current Virtue: 10584.'
‘Huh? That's all the Virtue I got?’
‘I felt a bit disappointed.’
He'd hoped to test Isatia's generosity regarding Virtue.
Tch, not even as good as that silver-haired dwarf nut.
Before Winnie could dwell on it, a stone shimmering with prismatic hues in the sunlight was tossed towards him.
He quickly caught it, holding it up to the light, and realized Isatia had thrown him a sapphire the size of half his palm.
Woah?!
Winnie was stunned. Under sunlight, it refracted different glitters and colors from every angle.
Wait, this was a naturally-formed sapphire this big?!
He'd never seen one this large in his entire life, not even if he lived two lifetimes combined.
This was insane!
He'd long heard that the Tyrell Empire abounded in luxury goods, being the largest exporter of gemstones and agates, its mineral wealth exceptionally rich.
No wonder the Galactus family's main house was located in the Empire, their fashion designs were often adorned with these precious jewels, and their exported luxury goods, paired with imperial gemstones, were sold far and wide, coveted by nobles across nations.
He was rich, truly rich now!
Winnie was ecstatic. Selling this single gem could set him up for life, no more need to struggle.
Why work so hard anymore? This one natural sapphire was worth more than his entire existence.
It was truly something to marvel and sighed over, while he toiled endlessly, a mere royal princess casually tossed him a discarded trinket that surpassed everything he'd ever dreamed of achieving.
He retracted his previous thought. Despite both being of Carillian blood, the eldest princess Isatia was clearly superior to that Silver-haired dwarf nut, at least she knew how to show gratitude!
Excellent. From this moment onward, in Winnie's eyes, the Tyrell Empire was the true successor of the ancient Carillian Empire!
Isatia looked at the vials in her hand, then pulled out a sealed black pouch, carefully placing all the potions inside and tucking it into her skirt pocket.
“Um, Isatia, I always see you reading history books, do you especially like that subject?” Winnie figured it looked bad to keep staring at the reward she'd given him, so after pocketing the sapphire, he changed the topic.
“Winnie, do you know the origin of the potion you sold me?” Isatia didn't answer directly, instead posing a new question.
“Huh? No, I don't,” Winnie naturally played dumb.
“These green potions were likely made by one of your ancestors,” Isatia said calmly, gently stroking the book resting on her lap. “And very likely, they contain traces of a Saintess's blood.”
“Huh?! R-really? How do you know that?” Winnie feigned shock, mouth agape as if he could swallow an egg.
Isatia offered no explanation.
Winnie, of course, understood why she wouldn't explain.
After all, one's illness was best kept secret, the fewer people who knew, the better. Especially since Isatia's illness seemed far from ordinary.
What kind of disease could even the greatest alchemists and physicians across the Terraria Continent not cure, yet could be healed by derivatives of Saintess blood?
Aside from curses tied to the Demon God Pillars, the only other possibility was illness caused by divine blood backlash.
For Winnie, who knew the truth, this wasn't hard to guess.
“Winnie, do you know how the Carillian Empire fell?” Isatia ignored his previous question, calmly shifting her gaze to the thick history book in her hands.
“Well... I think it was due to the demon invasion?” Winnie replied with the textbook answer.
“The demons invaded during the ancient empire's decline, destroyed the imperial capital, slaughtered the royal family, burned down city-states, and then used it as a foothold to invade other human nations.”
The standard answer found in history books.
“I see. Your ancestors never told you this, then?” Isatia turned her gaze to Winnie, her violet eyes calmly observing him.
“Huh?!” Winnie was taken aback.
Could there be more to the story?
He genuinely didn't know.
But Aesphyra probably did. As the last legitimate descendant of the Carillian family, she had no reason not to know.
“Could it be... there's a hidden truth behind this?”
“Perhaps your ancestors never had the chance to pass on this secret before the family fell into ruin,” Isatia murmured softly.
"You may not know the state of the ancient empire back then. At its peak, the Carillian Empire was unstoppable, with a strong military, vast resources, and unwavering loyalty from every citizen. The mere presence of the Imperial Royal Knights disenchanted the demons. Even a single knightly retinue under their command could crush any regular demon army."
"History books mention the demons were united, but never explain why. You should know, demon infighting has always been far worse than that of humans. So what could have possibly united these fragmented, mutually hostile demon factions into a single force?"
“Could it be... an enemy so overwhelmingly powerful that a mere gesture from it could bring total annihilation? The ancient Carillian Empire.”
"At that time, whether it was Pavone's Wrathful Dragon King, the tribal kings of the grasslands, or even our own family, the Dukes of Lanteville, all were subjects of Emperor Carillian. Even the Saintess of the Church of Radiance, nominally equal in status to the imperial emperor, ultimately had to obey the Carillian Emperor's decisions."
“At its height, the ancient Carillian Empire could crush the demon race with a single hand. If the Emperor willed it, could such a mighty empire truly be destroyed overnight by demons?”
“Uh…” Winnie didn't know how to respond.
Come on, he hadn't even properly understood regular history books. Now all this explosive hidden truth was dumped on him? What was he supposed to do, stand and gawk?
“I suppose... that's impossible?” Winnie finally answered.
“Exactly. Yet the ancient empire still fell. Do you know why?”
“No,” Winnie pursed his lips. “But... I think a powerful empire rarely collapses from external forces. It usually perishes from within.”
“Correct. You're very perceptive,” Isatia nodded. “At that time, the Carillian Empire was no longer satisfied with this limited continent.”
“Their research into Divine Blessing, magic, and sacred authority had advanced too far. To them, conquering the continent and wiping out the demons was merely a trivial matter, no urgency needed. In their eyes, the demons weren't even worthy of being considered prey.”
“This unmatched advancement in Divine Blessing and magic brought the Carillian Empire to its peak, allowing it to dominate the continent. But consistently, it was also the cause of their downfall.”
“Huh? How so?” Winnie's curiosity was piqued.
“The imperial family of the Carillian Empire, the Carillian lineage, touched something they absolutely should not have touched,” Isatia explained.
“Something they absolutely shouldn't have touched?”
"Men should remain men. But they sought to create gods. Could such an act truly come without cost?"
“The magnificent capital, bustling city-states, and invincible armies, all disappeared overnight. This was no feat the demons could accomplish. It was self-inflicted destruction.”
“The backlash from that 'thing' spiraling out of control swept across nearly one-third of the ancient empire's territory, turning it into ruins. Human populations plummeted overnight, only then did the demons seize their chance to invade.”
“In truth, the destruction of the imperial capital and the annihilation of the armies had nothing to do with the demons. But afterwards, someone had to take the blame, so the demons were made the scapegoat.”
“That thing?” Winnie tilted his head, utterly confused. “What exactly are you referring to?”
Isatia didn't answer directly. Instead, she continued, “Carillian Academy was directly under the control of the ancient empire's emperor. Thus, it houses something identical to the 'thing' that caused the empire's downfall.”
“Wait, you mean...?”
“After the fall of the ancient empire, Carillian Academy realized just how terrifying the destructive power of that 'thing' truly was. Until they could fully control it, they decided to continue sealing it using ancient imperial technology.”
‘Ugh, my head itches, am I growing a brain or something?’
Hearing Isatia's words, something flashed through Winnie's mind.
He suddenly recalled the scene when the Alchemical Demon God Pillar, Erunes, invaded. Why had Erunes been so determined to destroy the 'Order Spire'?
And from what he'd learned from the fanatics, their target had also been the Order Spire within Carillian Academy.
Could it be... all of this was connected to the Order Spire?
“You don't mean... the Order Spire in Carillian Academy?” Winnie asked, giving her a strange look.
But in response to this question, Isatia remained silent. She closed her book and stood up.
“Good doing business with you, Winnie.” With that, she brushed past him and left the abandoned park.