Chapter 109: Pills
The morning sunlight filtered through the window, settling across Azrael’s seated frame.
He sat on the edge of his bed calmly.
In his hand was the talisman to enter Eriksen’s castle.
He was dressed in a black high neck shirt with slim fitting white trousers.
Black leather boots that reached his ankle, with gold trim along the sole.
Draped over him was a white coat that stopped at his knees, its collar rising just past his ears.
Without hesitation, he tore the talisman.
His vision blurred for a moment before he reappeared.
It was the same compound where he had arrived the day before.
Looking around, he spotted the luxury car parked to one side.
A sleek black vehicle that looked to be made of the most polished material in existence.
He did not dwell on it.
He walked straight toward Eriksen’s lab.
Minutes passed and Azrael was finally in front of the door.
"You could have just slept here if you knew you were going to come back this soon," the voice came from behind the door before it clicked open.
Eriksen opened it wide for Azrael to enter.
He wore an all white coat, visibly overworked, stained with several things Azrael had no names for.
A monocle hung unstably over one eye.
"Good morning," Azrael said, stepping inside without acknowledging Eriksen’s earlier comment.
"Wait a while. I will get it done soon," Eriksen said, walking back to his work desk.
On the desk, a small cauldron poured a thick fog of smoke from beneath its covered lid.
Azrael stared at the lid with furrowed brows but said nothing.
Eriksen opened the lid and poured its contents into a brown liquid already waiting beside it.
Using a pair of tongs, he removed each pill and placed them on a tray.
The tray’s temperature dropped sharply, freezing the brown coating over each pill in seconds.
He set the tray down and let the mechanical arm on the desk handle the rest.
Then he walked toward Azrael.
"I was able to create it," he said with a smile. "The time constraint was tight so it may be somewhat below what you would ideally want."
Azrael shook his head. "As long as it works," he replied.
Eriksen nodded. "Each pill lasts about three hours and limits you to sixty percent of your total power."
He said it casually before walking back to the table.
The pills had been neatly arranged into a single tablet.
Exactly thirty of them.
"Here," Eriksen said, holding the tablet out.
Azrael took it with a smile. "Thank you."
Eriksen nodded. "If you ever need more in the future, a tablet like that costs one hundred credits and can be picked up immediately."
As he spoke, he stepped aside to reveal a second tablet already on the table.
"I do not have that right now," Azrael said, not bothering to look at it.
[Try creating a gold grade fruit,] the system said quickly in his mind.
’I do not think he would buy it even if I created one,’ Azrael replied.
He had known for a while that he had absorbed enough to produce a gold grade fruit.
But he had held back, having more than enough skills at present.
[Just ask him,] the system replied with a facepalm emoji.
Azrael sighed and considered it.
It was entirely possible Eriksen traded in skill fruits.
"Do you buy skill fruits?" Azrael asked.
Eriksen nodded, a screen appearing beside him before Azrael could say anything further.
[Bronze Fruit: 10 credits]
Azrael skipped everything below and went straight to the gold fruit entry.
His gaze narrowed as the price registered.
Fifty thousand credits.
Fifty times what Abaddon had given him.
He did not think twice.
His core surged with pure life essence, everything converging into a single point.
Within moments, something new formed in his chest.
It did not linger there long.
It shot out from his heart and landed softly in his palm.
Eriksen’s eyes widened.
"That is a gold fruit," he said, pulling in a sharp breath.
Azrael nodded, holding it out.
"Will you buy it?"
Eriksen nodded immediately.
"Yes."
He initiated the transaction without hesitation.
Within moments, Azrael was looking at just over eight thousand credits in his account.
He used the remaining two thousand to purchase enough pills to last a year.
"You will get everything else when you come back for your calamity token," Eriksen said with a smile.
Azrael nodded.
A talisman appeared in his hand in the next instant.
He tore it just as quickly and vanished from the lab.
Eriksen’s gaze stayed on the empty space for a moment.
Then he turned and went back to his research.
Azrael looked around calmly before pulling a pill from the tablet.
He threw it into his mouth and chewed slowly.
The taste was neither sweet nor bitter.
Calling it something in between would also be inaccurate.
He genuinely did not know how to describe it.
"Did he sell me a fake?" Azrael muttered after a moment.
It had been over ten seconds since he swallowed the pill and nothing had changed.
He did not have to wait much longer.
Something wrapped over him almost immediately after the thought formed.
The pain in his chest reduced to barely a whisper.
Azrael exhaled slowly as he felt the shift.
Even though it had not been a full day since the branding, the temporary relief was more satisfying than he had expected.
"I need to find a permanent cure as soon as possible," he muttered before turning toward the door.
He rose from the bed’s edge and stepped out of his room.
"Good morning, my Lord," Clara said with a curtsy.
Azrael nodded.
"Thank you for yesterday."
He did not move yet.
"My pleasure, my Lord," Clara replied with a smile.
Azrael nodded slowly before speaking again.
"I will be away for a few days. Take care while I am gone."
Clara bowed in response, not voicing any objection.