Chapter 189: Debt of Gratitude
"Elixir Master Benjamin, please don't speak in that way, you did your best and there's no need to blame yourself. My mother already suffered from a heart problem when my father was alive and it worsened when the day he died. If you weren't here at that time then mother wouldn't have survived till now. Fiorin representing the entire Azur once again thanks Elixir master benjamin for this kindness." Fiorin hurriedly said her heartfelt feeling when she saw Elixir Master Benjamin blaming himself. She didn't want him to feel bad for being unable to help her recover as he had helped them a lot already.
'Since she had said so, this old mister medical and elixir expertise must be really strong,' Whittaker thought while staring at the elixir master. Because of his great mental fortitude, he was able to keep calm in this depressing situation and according to his thought process, silence was the best action for him currently.
"This..." Hearing her words, Elixir Master Benjamin felt his heart warming up. For a while, he didn't know how to reply.
"It's as sister said, our family is eternally grateful to you for the favor you bestowed us," Jin added. He will be the next lord if their mother passes away. In that scenario, he will become the next lord as the only son. As the potential next lord of the city, his words carried more weight than Fiorin.
"Thanks for always being there for us when our family needed you," Butler Azan also thanked him.
"Please don't praise Old Benjamin so much, I was just returning the favor lord Azur bestowed me with. Since Princess and young lord says so, these old bones won't blame himself anymore." Elixir Master Benjamin replied, and he continued by saying, "Your highnesses, I beg your pardon. Let's talk after I finish treating City master,"
His entire attention focused on treating Aliyah.
"Please," they replied and then silence took over. They all calmly looked on as he used needles to pierce various acupoints of their mother, treating her and reliving her from stress and pain. While his assistants handed over needles and some type of healing white powder to him.
Elixir Master Benjamin didn't became a successful healer and an elixir master by himself or his talent. Actually, only 1% of the total population has a chance to become an Elixir master by solely depending on their talent. Becoming an elixir master does not come by through talent but through the use of many cauldrons and magical herbs.
There's a high chance of cauldrons to explode upon failure. Similarly, all the magical herbs used in the process will also be waster, turning into ashes that no sane man will eat.
To increase the chance of successful refinement of an elixir, a person must increase his proficiency in creating an elixir. That can only happen by refining the same elixir by using the same material and process hundreds of times. However, there was a large cost that comes with that and a normal person can't hope to afford it. Plus, a person also needs to buy the recipe for an elixir. The cost to become an elixir master was too great, thus leading many to give up on this dream.
Benjamin was able to become a successful one because of the Azur family. To be more specific, Lord Azur sponsored and paid for the old man to become an elixir master. He also paid entirely for all the expenses needed for his growth as an elixir master. Therefore, he was able to use his numerous failures as a stepping stone to becoming a successful elixir master that could create various elixirs with a 100% success rate.
Due to the favor, Benjamin has sworn enteral loyalty to Azur. Although Azur had died, Benjamin decided to repay the debt of gratitude by serving his family with everything he can.
In the entire RedCliff City, only the ruling family and the Grand Retired General family were able to give rise to an elixir master, which was mostly because of the fact that they were blessed with riches.
Furthermore, many know it, that most of the so-called Elixir master can only create health recovery, mana recover snd battle energy recovery potions and nothing else. They aren't elixir masters just "Potioneer" advertising themselves as "Elixir Master".
In five minutes, he finished the treatment. Without giving a second thought, he called for his assistant to clean the sweat off his face. The assistants gently dabbed a clean piece of cloth over his face and wiped the sweat off his face.
"Phew, it's done. City master will wake near 5 tomorrow. Please be with her in her last moments," Benjamin said to them.
As none of them said anything about obtaining desert heart mystic lotus, Master Benjamin was in the belief that they have failed to locate it in the Scorpion-Kin and acquire it. He was not one who blames. It was a life-threatening task with little chance of success, after all. He was just glad that they have safely returned home.
The clever Fiorin instantly understood what he thought. "Elixir Master Benjamin, you're misunderstood. We didn't fail but were successful. The Desert Heart Mystic Lotus is with me," she said while taking out a jade box that contained the mystic lotus from her spatial ring and showing it to the old man.
She continued by handing over the item to him. "You're our last hope. I hope you will be successful in refining the elixir. Even if Master fails, there's no need to blame yourself."
"I have the same thought as my sister. In these couple of years, my mother's illness has been treated by you. It's only because you were here that mom has been able to live without pain until now. I won't blame you even if you fail." Young Jin said and handed the rest of the material necessary for the heart rejuvenating elixir to Master Benjamin.
"Your highnesses, please be at ease, this old one will definitely do his best to create the elixir," Benjamin said as he carefully stored the three stalks of Silver Moon Grass, Vitality Grass, Flame Glassy flower, and Desert Heart Mystic Lotus in his spatial pouch.
"As for the payment, this is all we could gather," Butler Azan said while offering a spatial pouch filled with a lot of stuff to Elixir Master Benjamin but he rejected it
"Don't worry about the payment. I am not even willing to accept anything unless I succeed. There's only a 20% chance for me to refine the elixir and only three tries but Benjamin will do his best."
The old man didn't treat his benefactor family as strangers. He didn't chase after wealth. He wasn't helping them for such a reason. He was helping because of loyalty and that's the only reason.
If there's an afterlife and heaven exist, then Lord Azur would be surely happy to know that his investment and good intention didn't go to waste.
"Not to be rude, I wanna ask who this young one is," he said gazing at Whittaker.
Fiorin explained, "We were being chased by the King of Sand and this expert saved us from death jaws. He beat it back and even tamed it. Life Taker is also a talisman master and formation master,"
"You praise me too much," Whittaker said with a smile.
A wisdom glint flashed by the old man's eyes as he internally thought, 'He must be scion if an S-ranker!'
"Thanks, young hero, if you're interested then I won't giving some elixir refining lesson to you," he said to Whittaker, and he then turned to Fiorin and Jin, "Your highnesses, this old one shall take his leave."
"Take care, Master Benjamin. We hope you'll succeed," they said.
The old man left the chambers with his attendants. They followed him with their eyes until he left. From their actions of following etiquette to the point, one could see the respect they had towards Master Benjamin person. It was only when the elderly man was very far away did their gaze landed back on Whittaker.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," they said.
"No problem," Whittaker replied. He was sensible enough to understand the situation was necessary.
"You must be famished. Let's have a meal first," Fiorin said. Since she was feeling hungry and they haven't eaten anything, she believed that everyone share the same thought as her.
GURUUUU!
Just like she thought, at the mention of food, the stomach of the men in the room grumbled.
"Life Taker, I would like to formally thank you with a reward, please don't decline," Fiorin handed over the Heart Rejuvenating and Heart Cleansing recipe to Whittaker.
«Heart Rejuvenating Recipe»
‹Description: Lists the material necessary to create Heart Rejuvenating Elixir. Explain the necessary steps needed to be taken to creat the said elixir during the brewing process›
«Heart Cleansing Recipe»
‹Description: Description: Lists the material necessary to create Heart Cleansing Elixir. Explain the necessary steps needed to be taken to creat the said elixir during the brewing process›
These two recipes were their family secret treasures. Only they had the recipe to make this two elixir and now it has been handed over to Whittaker.
'Good is always rewarded! This is the reward I got from saving their life.' Whittaker thought while accepting the two recipes and storing them in his rankless ring of genesis.
Then they split up. A beautiful maid took him to his lodging. It was a big room with various pieces of artistic treasures. He couldn't help but admire them. As he was feeling sleeping, he laid down on the bed after admiring the paintings for a while.
"I hope that Master Benjamin will be successful in creating the miracle elixir and the City Master will recover," he thought while looking out the open window and gazing at the barely visible lonely moon.
On seeing their youthful bedridden mother with barely any vitality, Whittaker felt a little sad for them and hoped that Elixir Master Benjamin will succeed in refining the heart rejuvenating elixir and help City Master Aliyah recover.
"He won't succeed in making the heart rejuvenating elixir. You'll have to help her out yourself if you want to save her!"
Suddenly, just when he closed his eyes, the voice of Lord Dark Spirit rang beside his ear. Thus, his eyes snapped open in confusion and happiness.