Valentine explained. “A priestess’s body becomes extremely fragile and susceptible to illnesses like cold when they come down with a fever. So do not let her body stay sweaty for long; clean her every six hours. Otherwise, she will get a runny nose and might even start sneezing. This will worsen her already weakened body. Only feed her purified water above the 3rd level. Place a wet towel on her forehead and change it every ten to fifteen minutes. It should keep her fever from getting worse and also help her recover. And rub her feet for a while. The massage can stimulate certain pressure points, which will help in alleviating her symptoms.
“Moreover, if you make her feel loved, she should recover faster. Priestesses are more complex than normal people. They tend to fall ill if they are surrounded by negativity, and the opposite happens if they are loved. It is vital for her to feel positive emotions for her recovery. Most importantly, you need to keep her warm.”
“I will do everything I can to help her recover,” Val nodded.
Valentine looked at Val, her eyes filled with empathy. “You must love her very much.”
“She is my most prized possession,” Val confessed. “I would give up the world for her.”
There was something strange in his words, but Valentine took it as deep love for Eliana. She said, “She is truly lucky to have a man like you.”
Smirking, Val replied, “She is, but I am even luckier to have a graceful and loving woman like her.”
Valentine felt a wave of relief knowing Eliana was in a blessed relationship. A priestess deserved a man who would do anything for her, and it seemed she had found one in Val.
“There’s actually something else I need to discuss with you,” Val said, his smile taking on the slyness of a cunning merchant.
“Oh? What would that be?” Valentine asked, intrigued.
“I happen to have 300 liters of hallucination-causing Honey,” Val said.
Selling it in the open market wasn’t an option since he lacked the drug seller permit which could only be obtained for 1000 contribution points. Plus, with the permit, his sales would be tracked, and he would have to pay a hefty 40% of his revenue to the authorities of the Northern Frontier.
There were only two ways to mitigate this loss. The first was to sell it in the black market of the Northern frontier. The second way was to find a buyer who would be willing to buy the drug at market price and keep the transaction discreet. Valentine was such a person. As the owner of a clinic, she could legally sell drugs to the citizens of the Northern Frontier. And since selling drugs could prove beneficial to her business, she would most likely not hesitate to do business with him.
Val didn’t dare consider the first option. As he had lived a life of crimes in his previous life, he knew all too well the life-threatening dangers of getting entangled in a drug war with drug cartels. It was a brutal world of kill or be killed that didn’t end until one side was completely annihilated.
Hence, he chose the second option.
“You’ve my interest,” Valentine said.
“I propose a deal,” Val started, “I can supply you with this hallucination-causing Honey at market price, but you must never disclose that it was me who sold it to you.”
Valentine paused for a moment before replying, “May I test the product?”
“Of course,” Val replied, offering her a tiny bit of the Honey.
Valentine tasted it and instantly felt its effects.
“It’s quite effective and tastes delicious,” she noted. “This could be beneficial for my clinic.”
She could use it to stabilize patients in severe pain and make it easier for her healers to do their jobs. Plus, she could sell it to those whose pain cannot be healed by conventional means, people suffering from PTSD!
She continued, “So I’m interested in buying it at the market price of 50 contribution points per liter. How much do you have?”
“I have 300 liters,” Val replied.
“I’ll take all of it,” Valentine said, “But given the quantity, I’d like to ask for a discount of 1000 contribution points.”
“I don’t do discounts,” Val responded flatly.
Valentine blinked her pretty amethyst eyes at him, saying with a playful grin, “Not even for a beautiful woman like me?”
Val remained unaffected by her charm. After all, the inevitable fate of any beauty was to decay after death. “Not even for a beautiful woman like you,” he repeated, firm in his decision. 𝔬𝓥𝑳xt.𝓒𝑜𝗆
“Well, what a letdown,” Valentine sighed, but she nevertheless agreed to purchase all of Val’s stock for 15,000 contribution points.
To this, Val could only express his shock. “I hadn’t expected you to be so wealthy that you wouldn’t blink an eye while making such a massive purchase. Are you perhaps a tycoon who runs a clinic to hide your true identity and live a low-key life?” he joked.
Internally, Valentine’s heart was shaken. Val’s words hit uncomfortably close to the truth, but she kept her composure, not letting her surprise show. After all, he was only kidding around and had no idea of her true identity.
Laughing it off, she replied, “Well, I am a Monomontecry and inherited a significant amount of wealth from my parents. Not to mention, this business is quite profitable, and I’ve been running it for ages, so naturally, I am rich enough not to feel bothered by spending a measly 15k contribution points.”
This revelation made sense to Val. The Monomontecry were not the most potent family in the outer region of the kingdom, but they were one of the oldest and wealthiest with a rich history. Therefore, it was not surprising that one of their older members would be so rich.
“Rich people’s perspectives are really skewed,” Val said, slightly amused.
Valentine simply laughed it off, not at all acting offended by his words.