Dustin felt excited. He had been searching for the thousand-year green lotus. He only needed a Cherusia to produce the nine-fold Longevitum if he got it.
“It is wonderful, Mr. Rhys, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t be easy to get it.” Roderick’s comment lowered Dustin’s spirits.
“I’ll buy this precious herb no matter how much it costs!” Dustin had an unwavering determination to get his hands on it.
“It isn’t about money, Mr. Rhys. The Stoneray Order does not lack money.” Roderick shook his head.
“Well, what do they want if not money?” Dustin wondered.
“The Stoneray Order likes collecting rare and precious objects. The rarer, the better. Whether you are seeking medical help or special herbs, they only want rare items as payment,” Roderick explained.
“Where would I be able to get rare objects so suddenly?” Dustin frowned. Things would be much easier for them if they could pay them off. But it would be tricky if the Stoneray Order did not accept money.
“Mr. Rhys, I’ve prepared some rare objects. But I’m not sure if Dr. Watkins will accept them.” Roderick had his doubts.
“We have to give it a try no matter what. Please come with me, Mr. Brook,” Dustin invited.
“My pleasure.” Roderick nodded.
The three of them then drove to Stoneray Valley.
Stoneray Valley, as the name suggested, was a huge valley tucked away in a mountain range.
Mountains surrounded it on three sides, and there was only one entrance. It had a strategic location where a large river separated it from the outside world. There was only one way to get into Stoneray Valley, which was by boat.
After a two-hour drive, Dustin, Abigail, and Roderick finally arrived near Stoneray Valley. However, when they made their way to the entrance, they were shocked by what they saw.
A little way off, the place was packed with people. The queue stretched a long way out, and they could not begin to imagine the number of people there.
“Mr. Brooks, is Stoneray Valley usually so crowded?” Dustin was shocked by the sight before him.
“There is usually quite a crowd here to seek medical help, but it was never so packed. It is quite weird.” Roderick didn’t understand why there were so many people there either.
“With the amount of people here, we’d have to wait until tomorrow before we can get in. “Abigail sighed. Had their two-hours journey been a wasted effort?
“Hey, excuse me, buddy.” Roderick approached a man in front of him and asked politely, “May I know what’s going on here today? Why is there such a huge crowd?”
“Don’t you know? Today is the day Dr. Watkins will take a new student. Whoever passes his
examination and gets first place will be accepted into Stoneray Order and granted a wish,” the man informed them.
“A wish?” Roderick turned to look at Dustin. “What do you think, Mr. Rhys?”
“Of course, we can’t miss out on such a great deal!” Dustin smiled. It’d be perfect if they could get the thousand-year green lotus without having to give anything in return.
“But Sir, look at the line! How long are we going to have to stand in line for?” Abigail crouched on the ground, resting her chin on her palms with a look of defeat.
“Who said anything about standing in line? Watch and learn.” Dustin walked up to the few people at the front of the line and whispered something in their ears. Once they reached a deal, he
returned and said, “Alright, that’s settled. They’ve agreed to swap places with us. Go on over.”
“Swap places?” Abigail was stunned. “They’re at the front of the line! Why would they agree to do
that?”
“Why not? I gave them one million each. They’re more than happy to swap places with us,” Dustin said casually.
“A million?” Abigail could not believe her ears.
“What? Is there a problem?” Dustin asked calmly.
“Well…” Abigail was stunned. There wasn’t much she could say at this point.
Was this the power of money? It was amazing!
