Fang Zhen's eyes lit up.

He really did need a High-tier Curse Seal.

He'd realized it back in the Bloody Lord instance when he fought Ellick: high-level skills were simply better and more effective.

His two high-level skills, Hyper-Sense and Mechanical Heart, were the key to suppressing Ellick.

Hyper-Sense, in particular, was widely applicable and useful in many situations. It was an incredibly effective god-tier skill.

Common sense dictated that a Tier Four Curse Seal should be equivalent to a tier-four skill. That was one tier higher than Hyper-Sense, which had evolved from Combat Intuition and Precision Intuition. Even if it was a specialized combat skill, it would still be extremely useful.

Although Fang Zhen could upgrade his skills directly after an instance, he could only raise them by a single level at a time, and it cost Merit Points.

Merit Points had too many uses; every point spent was a point lost. Besides, upgrading skills clearly required a huge amount of Merit Points. A Tier Two Skill already cost over a hundred points. 'Wouldn't a tier-four skill cost double that, and then double again?'

'If I can get a High-tier Curse Seal, I'll just train it myself.'

'Even if I hit a bottleneck, I can just use the Instance Life Game to break through.'

'That would be like saving up experience points, so breaking through would cost fewer Merit Points.'

Fang Zhen even thought of the optimal approach: spend time training personally until he hit a bottleneck, then use Merit Points to break through.

That way, he would save Merit Points without his training speed being held back by bottlenecks.

With this in mind, his expectations for the Tier Four Curse Seal inheritance suddenly soared.

'After all, this has to be a top-tier inheritance in the Curse Seal World, right? The cost is just a few hundred or a few thousand potassium permanganate tablets. All told, that's what, a thousand or two yuan? It's a total steal.'

"I'm very interested in the Tier Four Curse Seal. And, Master, you mentioned special equipment for Curse Sealers?" Fang Zhen asked.

Gwendolyn nodded. "The Curse Sealer legacy is ancient. Legend says that fifteen hundred to two thousand years ago was the Golden Age of Curse Sealers. Back then, even a Curse Sealer of average talent could reach the second tier. The third tier was as common as the second is today, and there were quite a few Tier Four Curse Sealers as well."

"Many legendary pieces of equipment were left behind from that era."

"But over time, much of that equipment has been destroyed, lost, or has lost its power."

"However, I know that a set of legendary equipment has been preserved at the Curse Sealer headquarters. It provides a massive boost to a Curse Sealer's power. If fully mastered, even the Chairman of the Eternal Night Council might not be its wielder's match."

"What? That can't be right, Master," Karen questioned. "If such equipment exists, why doesn't our chairman wear it and challenge the Chairman of the Eternal Night Council? Even if he doesn't challenge the Council Chairman, wouldn't it be great to just pick off heretical nobles like Ellick one by one?"

"You're right, and our chairman does have such a plan. The problem is, only a Tier Four Curse Sealer can wear this set of equipment. Curse Sealers below that tier cannot activate its power. Forcing it on would even cause them harm," Gwendolyn said.

Karen fell silent.

Fang Zhen's interest was piqued.

'This is a top-tier class set.'

'Usually, this kind of class-restricted, non-generic equipment has great stats. It probably even has bonuses to class-specific traits and skills.'

"Master, you certainly know how to make a compelling offer," Fang Zhen said. "I admit I'm tempted. What do you—or rather, the Whig Society—want me to do?"

"We need at least two thousand Alchemy Pills. We also need your promise to use your resources and power in the future to help the Whig Society fight the Eternal Night Council," Gwendolyn said. "I have a premonition that a crucial opportunity, one that could change the very era we live in, has arrived. And that opportunity may lie with you."

Fang Zhen chuckled softly.

'Why do I feel like I'm being treated as some kind of savior?'

After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Alright, I accept."

'It's only two thousand potassium permanganate tablets. I might draw some attention, but if I'm careful, it's not impossible to buy them.'

He had more than enough motivation to complete the deal. A Tier Four Curse Seal and a top-tier Curse Sealer class set were just too tempting. 'Even if it's impossible, I'll have to make it possible.'

"Then it's settled. I trust your character and reputation, so I won't set a strict deadline. As you said, you will come when the time is right," Gwendolyn said.

Fang Zhen nodded.

Gwendolyn stood up and took a rolled-up sheepskin scroll from her robes.

"This is a map of the Kingdom. If I'm not in Ellick Town when you come, find me in the Haggs Territory, which is marked on the map. I'm confident that with your abilities, you'll be able to find my location."

Fang Zhen's eyebrow twitched slightly.

'If my guess is correct, Haggs Territory is probably the location of the Whig Society's secret headquarters.'

"Alright." He took the map and put it away.

After a brief pause, he suddenly smiled faintly.

"Master, the deal just now was an agreement between me and the Whig Society. Now, how about we conduct some private business?"

"I was wondering, Master, and all you other members of the Whig Society—do you happen to have any useful Alchemy Ointments or other small alchemical gadgets on you?"

"I'm willing to pay a high price for them."

Fang Zhen grinned at them like the owner of a used-phone recycling shop.

…

In the end, for the price of forty-five Gold Ropes, Fang Zhen cleaned out Gwendolyn, Laura, Karen, and the others of all their various Alchemy Ointments and equipment, and on top of that, secured an inheritance that greatly excited him.

He used Gold Ropes because this was a private purchase. The potassium permanganate tablets were needed by the Whig Society, which was official business; they weren't for Gwendolyn and the others personally. Buying the Alchemy Ointments was a private transaction for their personal belongings, so it was naturally best to settle it privately with Gold Ropes.