Chapter 172: A Million-Pound Bounty

"Thank you so much. This treasure is of great help to me," Gune said sincerely.

All along, Veya had fulfilled her duty to protect him.

She had helped Gune immensely, time and again.

The earlier spell tomes and now the spirit helmet—both were of great assistance to Gune.

Gune was truly grateful to Veya.

"As for this spirit helmet, once you've nurtured it to about 60%, it can transform into a spirit necklace to wear around your neck. When needed, a thought will make it appear automatically—much like the spirit helmet you wore before."

Veya explained slowly.

"And it won't conflict with energy shields on your head, since it's not a shield but a physical object."

"That's incredibly convenient," Gune said, delighted.

The spirit helmet couldn't be worn on the head all the time; taking it out and putting it on during battle would be troublesome.

Moreover, if ambushed, he couldn't say, "Wait, let me put on my helmet first."

Being able to wear it as a necklace was certainly very convenient and quick.

"Giving you this spirit helmet is only the first thing."

"The second thing is..." Veya looked around.

After confirming no one else was in the hall, she lowered her voice.

"Master is busy; he sent me to fetch a batch of 'Dawn of the Soul.'"

When she learned from her master that Gune had developed the Soul Arcana Potion and named it "Dawn of the Soul," Veya wasn't too surprised.

She knew how astonishing Gune's talent in alchemy was.

Gune was the youngest "Expert Alchemist" in history, becoming one at just sixteen.

The second-ranked genius was born over five hundred years ago—an eighteen-year-old "Expert Alchemist."

And at the "Master Alchemist" level, Gune was also the first in history.

Now, Gune had personally ushered in a new era of Soul Arcana Potions.

It could be said that Gune was changing the course of human history on the Oya Continent.

"You've come at just the right time," Gune said softly.

"I finished brewing it just ten minutes ago."

With that, Gune took out the storage bracelet that Elder Nigel had given him for the materials.

"From the materials the elder gave me, I brewed seventy bottles—they're all in here. This storage bracelet also belongs to Elder Nigel."

Veya took it, inspected it, and carefully put it away.

"Also... this is a gift from me."

Saying this, Gune placed a dragonblood wood box in front of Veya.

"What is it?" Veya's eyes moved nimbly, then she looked at Gune.

"Open it and you'll see."

With some anticipation, Veya slowly opened the dragonblood wood box. Ten sealed bottles of Dawn of the Soul met her eyes.

Veya's breathing grew slightly heavier.

"This... is too much!"

She said softly, looking at Gune.

"Having more is fine; having too little is the worst," Gune replied gently.

"I doubt Elder Nigel told you how to drink this potion. Let me explain—listen carefully and don't miss anything."

"Mm." Veya nodded seriously and listened attentively.

"Take each dose seven days apart; ten days apart is even better."

"The potion has strong resistance buildup; five or six bottles is basically the limit."

"But that amount is enough to transform your soul into an elite-level soul."

"And when it transforms into an elite soul, you'll fall into a soul slumber for two or three days—be mindful of that period. Don't worry about the slumber; you'll wake up on your own once the transformation is complete."

"Remember, never take it consecutively in a short time—that will only cost you the chance to elevate your soul to elite level." Gune spoke solemnly from his own bitter experience.

"Mm! I'll remember." Veya nodded seriously.

"Once your soul transforms into an elite soul, you'll know how powerful and formidable it is," Gune said softly.

"You... have already transformed?" Veya asked in surprise.

"Mm." Gune nodded lightly.

With Gune's nod, Veya's rating of his genius rose even higher.

"A talent like Gune's could probably rank among the greatest in Oya Continent's history."

After closing the dragonblood wood box and storing it in her storage bracelet,

Veya hesitated a moment, then spoke softly again.

"Do you know about the Shadow Hunt List?"

"Shadow Hunt List?"

Gune's heart stirred.

On the Oya Continent, there were many transcendent powerhouses.

There were official, aboveboard organizations like the Transcendent Association.

Likewise, there were covert transcendent organizations hidden in the shadows, not widely known.

Among them, the assassin organization Night God Ship, whose main members were shadow assassins, was the most famous.

Within the Night God Ship, there was an assassination hunting list called the "Shadow Hunt List."

Those who made the list all had extremely high bounties.

When Veya mentioned this list, Gune naturally thought of what Meersha had told him earlier.

"Am I on the list?" Gune asked softly.

"Mm." Veya nodded.

"How many gold pounds?"

"One million."

"One million gold pounds—Meersha, you really are decisive, just like when I killed you." Gune squinted and smiled lightly.

"A million gold pounds would tempt even a Grandmaster." Gune said.

"Yes." Veya nodded lightly.

"But Master asked me to convey this information so you wouldn't worry—the Vanguard will protect you."

"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known and wouldn't have worried. Now that you've told me, knowing that possibly more than one Grandmaster might be spying on me or even plotting to assassinate me, I'm actually less at ease."

Rubbing his temples slightly, Gune still nodded faintly.

"Mm. I understand."

Then both fell into silence.

In the fireplace, flames crackled.

Staring at the dancing flames, Gune's mind quickly pondered the million-pound bounty on him.

When Meersha had said she would put a bounty on him, Gune had considered the possibilities. He just hadn't expected the danger to come so soon.

"A million-pound bounty to assassinate a second-tier transcendent—for Grandmasters short on cash, they wouldn't mind taking this job. Even many high-level transcendents skilled in assassination might come."

"If a Grandmaster-level powerhouse makes a move, my chances of dying aren't low."

"Even with the Vanguard's protection, I'm still in danger."

"After all, a Grandmaster can't stand guard by my side twenty-four hours a day."

"Moreover, an assassination-type Grandmaster might be able to bypass the protection and kill me in one strike."

"If they fail to kill me, that's fine. But if they kill me in front of others, some of my secrets might be exposed. Even if I can cover them up with other excuses, exposure is still not ideal."

"It seems... once I get what I need, I should 'disappear' for a while." Gune thought to himself.

The threat of assassination by a shadow Grandmaster—it would be false to say it didn't pressure Gune.

Gune knew well that his current location in Sugg Ruins City could be found by anyone with a little ability.

He was in the open, the enemy in the dark—he was too easily targeted.

But if Gune changed his appearance and moved somewhere else,

no matter how much the enemy spied, scouted, or searched, they would find no trace of him.

Rather than relying on a Grandmaster to protect him in the open,

Gune preferred to hide and take control of his own safety.