A/N: 5 hours had passed, not 3

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Chapter 504: Exceptionally Talented

[Ashvein Moss] - White - 1.4 Kg

- A dark grey moss threaded with glowing crimson veins, growing deep within cracks of volcanic stone. It constantly absorbs ambient heat and remains warm even on the coldest nights, making it highly sought after in the tundra.

It is usually dried and ground into powder before being mixed into medicinal pastes or cultivation pills. It can also be woven into fresh strands as armour linings, while fire beasts often consume it directly to strengthen their fire affinity.

This could be sold for around 5000 AC per 100g during the coming winter.

[Cinderfruit] - Peak Green Tier × 8

- A charcoal-black fruit streaked with glowing red veins, hanging from the branches of half-dead volcanic trees. Its flesh is dense and sweet, packed with concentrated fire-aspected nutrients gathered over many years.

The fruit can be eaten raw to restore stamina and fire energy, fermented into recovery tonics, or cooked into nutrient-rich meals. Beings with fire affinity consume it directly to accelerate their growth and supplement the resources needed to break through bottlenecks.

This could be sold for 80,000 AC per piece, with an additional 30,000 AC due to its enhanced fire affinity, making it a valuable treasure for Pyro mages.

[Ashglow Bud] - White × 18

- A pale orange flower bud hidden beneath layers of ash, faintly glowing in the darkness. It remains dormant for years and only fully matures after absorbing sufficient heat from nearby volcanic vents.

After carefully drying and crushing the petals into powder, they can be used in vision-enhancing potions and sensory medicines. The intact bud can also be burned when needed, releasing a soothing energy that sharpens perception.

This would go for 1500 AC per piece. As a raw material, it was still priced quite high for a low-quality whole-tier treasure because a single bud could be processed into multiple products.

[Magmaheart Fungus] - Mid Green Tier × 51

- A thick crimson fungus growing around geothermal vents, with a core that remains hot even after harvesting. The fungus stores thermal energy within its dense flesh, making it valuable despite its common appearance.

It can be sliced and boiled into medicinal brews that improve resistance to heat and fatigue. It can also be processed into fuel pellets, while fire beasts often consume it directly as a supplementary resource.

This would follow the standard price of 30,000 AC per piece since it was a raw material. The price would have been lower if not for the multiple products that could be made from a single piece.

[Obsidian Blood Reed] - Pseudo Blue Tier × 11

- A black reed with glossy stalks and dark red sap, found near hidden underground water channels beneath volcanic terrain. The sap contains an unusual mixture of mineral essence and life-attributed energy.

The stalks are pressed to extract their sap, which is then refined into vitality potions or blood-enhancing medicines. Some healers blend small amounts into recovery tonics used to aid injured companions.

This was a raw yet extremely important material for healing potions and tonics. Since healing potions were life-saving, they would sell for a higher price than the standard value of a Pseudo Blue Tier treasure—around 120,000 AC per piece.

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Leo had made more than 3.5 million AC, or over 1400 Gold coins, in just 5 hours of travel inside the Secret Realm.

But of course, out of these treasures, he would keep many for himself. This included the [Ashvein Moss], [Cinderfruit], and [Obsidian Blood Reed]. Even the [Ashglow Bud] could be kept because once Veronica made night vision potions from it, defending the territory at night would become easier, especially for elves who needed to shoot precise arrows.

Of course, since it was a White-quality treasure, at best, the potions made from it would enhance the vision of beings in the 2-star realm. However, now that a major part of the dependent force consisted of Gnomes, it would still be useful.

So, the only thing that would be sold was the [Magmaheart Fungus]. Thankfully, it alone accounted for nearly 1.5 million AC.

"I am tempted to keep even these, but I need to make money too," Leo muttered, as no treasure was truly useless.

After that, he called for Naelith.

"My Lord."

She arrived quickly, the water on her hands had not even fully dried yet, as she had rushed over in the middle of cooking after washing them.

"Take these and keep eating them whenever you find time while we travel," Leo said, handing over the Cinderfruits.

"These...?"

Naelith looked confused since she didn’t know what they were or what they did.

"They will help refine your fire affinity, but they are only Peak Green Tier treasures, so I don’t know how much they will help you. Still, anything is better than nothing."

Naelith’s eyes widened.

Peak Green!

This was something neither she nor the other elves had ever encountered within their Secret Realm, yet Leo was handing them out so casually.

"My Lord! These are far too valuable for me. Please take them back," she said, her voice making it clear that she genuinely believed they were far too precious for her.

"Too valuable? Eh? Why do you think so?" Leo asked, not quite understanding why Naelith felt that way.

When he had captured them, many elves had already been in the 3-star realm, while Sylrael and Naelith had even reached the 4-star realm. Since that was the case, Blue Tier treasures should have been common according to his reasoning, as treasures of a certain rank would be required to break through bottlenecks.

Naelith was slightly taken aback when she realized that Peak Green Tier treasures did not seem particularly valuable to Leo.

"Because they are?" she replied hesitantly. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Why? Don’t tell me you reached the Pseudo 4-star realm without any treasures."

Leo stared at her in disbelief.

"Y-yes... I mean, I had only consumed White-quality treasures, according to Sister Sylrael..."

"So you managed to reach Pseudo 4-star with just that?"

Leo was amazed.

"What about the other elves?"

"Our Secret Realm could only grow White-quality treasures, and even those were very rare. So most of us have only reached the strength we possess naturally. Only Sister consumed a High Green Tier treasure to break through to Low 4-star. It was acquired from a group of men who came to attack us inside the Secret Realm."

Leo nodded in understanding, but internally, he was left dumbfounded.

What the heck? Did I stumble upon some exceptionally talented group of elves?