Chapter 407 - 399. Unexpected Guest
"Your drink, Captain."
When Zein got back to his office after his afternoon physical training, Alice had already put a glass on his table. It was a glass of water, but instead of a clear one, the color was that of a liquid metal--a concoction of silver and grey.
It was all according to its name; Silver Needle.
One of the largest dungeon plant commodities, aside from the healing grass for regeneration serum, was the needle plant. The entire plant, from the roots to the flowers, were akin to needles--hence the name. Each of those parts had its own utility and different ways of production.
The bronze-colored needle was commonly made into pills or tablets for stamina recovery, while the golden leaves, which were more effective when they were burned, were made into a mana-enhancement cigarette. Those two were expensive, because cultivating needle plants outside of the dungeon was impossible, and it needed a specific dungeon environment to be able to grow.
The most expensive product of the plants, however, was the flower; the silver needle. Simply, because it was a rare commodity. Not every needle plant grew flowers, and even while one did, there wasn’t that much in a single plant. Those flowers also needed to be treated carefully, because they dissolved in water.
Just like the one on Zein’s table.
And he had a lot of it, thanks to a certain worrywart boyfriend. There was a box in their apartment, and another box in the office. From what Zein read, the Silver Needle had the best detoxification effect, and while Zein said he did not feel pain anymore, Bassena was worried the dead organ inside his body would release toxic substances passed the mana barrier.
Bassena was very adamant that Zein had to take it every day, and Zein complied without any fuss this time. After all, the boxes were already there when Bassena told him about it, and the effect was beneficial no matter what condition he was in. Besides, the gesture came from a valid concern, and Bassena had every right to use his wealth however he saw fit--including buying two boxes of very expensive herbal remedies.
And as usual, Alice made the drink in such a timely manner. Zein drank it immediately, the slightly metallic taste had become familiar in his tongue. He wondered if it was the real taste of the silver needle, or just an illusion his brain concocted because the drink looked like a glass of molten silver. Actually, he wouldn’t be surprised if the price of a single portion matched the price of a cup of silver.
While savoring the metallic taste on his tongue--which was still better than the taste of the red-zone’s water--he glanced at the articles filling the headlines of many news outlets today.