Mino, despite her shyness, mustered the courage to ask the innkeeper for a pot of hot water.

She carefully took out a wooden box from her pack, revealing tea leaves, a tea bowl, and two small cups.

With practiced elegance, she placed the tea, poured the hot water, and gracefully filled the cups.

The bunny-eared girl kept her head lowered the whole time, her blue eyes focused on the teacups. Her quiet concentration gave the act an almost sacred ritual-like feeling.

"Please, try the Starlight Tea." Luciel gestured politely.

"Alright." Yue Feiyan lifted the cup, studying the pale green liquid before taking a sip.

The taste was bitter at first, but before she could frown, a wave of sweetness bloomed across her tongue, making her narrow her eyes in delight. At the same time, a refreshing coolness surged through her head, followed by a soothing warmth in her stomach.

Three distinct sensations—bitterness, sweetness, and refreshing warmth—layered together in an unforgettable experience.

"Ahh~~" Yue Feiyan sighed softly, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Is it really that good?" Lu Chuan was dumbfounded. Weren't Starlight Tea leaves supposed to be extremely rare? How did they suddenly appear here? And could the rumors about them extending one's lifespan possibly be true?

A storm of questions filled his heart as he watched Yue Feiyan's expression.

"Tsk~ Every time I drink this, I can't help but feel intoxicated," Luciel murmured, taking a sip of tea, while pointedly ignoring Lu Chuan's eager gaze.

"This tea… it's amazing. Truly the best I've ever had." Yue Feiyan quickly finished her cup, her crimson eyes still locked longingly on the empty porcelain.

If she could drink this every day, life would be bliss.

"How does it feel?" Luciel poured her another cup and smiled. "I wasn't lying, was I?"

Yue Feiyan blurted out, "If you could drink this every day, you'd definitely live longer."

The thought alone made her giddy. She downed the second cup and, unable to restrain herself, asked, "Could you sell me some Starlight Tea leaves?"

Luciel shook his head. "No. I don't need to trade them for anything else."

"You don't need anything? Impossible." Yue Feiyan glanced at the bunny-eared girl's small pack and chuckled. "You'll be traveling far—you should take more supplies with you."

Luciel frowned, then turned to ask, "Liyue, how many beast crystals do we still have?"

"My lord, most of them were already used up in the last tribe." Liyue lowered her voice with a practiced chill. "Besides, finding that young lady required some payment."

Her words were clearly meant for Yue Feiyan to overhear. And of course, the red-haired girl caught it. She immediately seized the chance.

"Then why not trade me some tea for beast crystals?"

Luciel sighed. "A box of Starlight Tea… how many beast crystals would you offer?"

He honestly had no idea how much they were worth, so he threw the question back to her.

"Ten high-grade elementary beast crystals," Yue Feiyan offered after some thought.

"No, far too little." Luciel shook his head firmly. "At least one hundred."

He was no longer a clueless outsider. After talking with the white-haired girl, he had picked up some basic common sense about trade. Beast crystals were divided into three levels—elementary, intermediate, and advanced—with each further split into low, middle, and high grades.

So, he simply multiplied her offer by ten.

"Deal." Yue Feiyan agreed instantly.

"???" Luciel froze, stunned. Shouldn't she have bargained? Did I… underquote?

For once, the usually composed Luciel was caught off guard by her decisiveness.

"Can you give me a little tea now? I'll bring the beast crystals tonight," Yue Feiyan added.

She wanted her mother to try the tea first to confirm its value.

"…Alright." Luciel nodded with a complicated expression.

"Then I'll head back first. Expect me tonight." Yue Feiyan carefully wrapped a small portion of tea in cloth and left quickly with her maid, though not before paying for lunch.

As soon as she was gone, Lu Chuan hurried up. "Um… could I also buy some Starlight Tea?"

Luciel glanced at him coolly. "One box for 150 high-grade elementary beast crystals."

"What?! Wasn't it a hundred just now?" Lu Chuan exclaimed.

"I only have one box left." Luciel's voice was calm, but firm. "Do you want it or not? If not, I'll keep it for myself."

"Of course I want it." Lu Chuan gritted his teeth. "I'll fetch the crystals." With a dark scowl, he turned and left.

Luciel still couldn't make sense of what had just happened. He turned to Liyue and asked, "Do you think I quoted too low?"

"The price you gave shocked me." Liyue rolled her silver eyes.

She wasn't exaggerating. A hundred high-grade beast crystals could buy ten thousand catties of dried meat in a large city. Even in smaller places where beast crystals weren't in demand, they were still highly valued, used in crafting strengthening medicines.

"So, it's not that I underquoted…" Luciel muttered, dazed. "It's just that Miss Yue is ridiculously rich."

Never had he imagined meeting such a generous spender. For a brief moment, he felt the strange urge to stop working altogether.

"What should we do now?" Mino asked timidly.

"Of course—we sit down and eat lunch," Luciel replied with a smile. "After that, we'll find a place to stay for the night."

Tonight, he'd finally gain enough evolution points to strengthen and domesticate again. The fifth-tier beast was close at hand.

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