Erwahllu was seated in her usual place in the dingy shop. But unlike before, her eyes were no longer vacant. Rather, they were brimming with energy, mildly excited about whatever Inala was doing.
Well, it couldn't be helped since in the last phase of her life, she was treated to a front-row seat of a conflict, especially against the man she detested to the extreme.
Maharell stared at Erwahllu and snorted mildly. He was older than her. And obviously, as neighbours, they had some history. He then peered into the courtyard and observed Inala, 'A youth around 24 years old. He's already at the Body Stage. But, I don't see where he gets this confidence from.'
"You talk to him first." Maharell pointed at one of his guards.
"Yes, sir." The guard nodded and entered the courtyard, stopping a couple metres before Inala, "Were you the one that stole our wares?"
"…" Inala casually dug into his ear and stared at the earwax in shock, "Damn! I need to clean my ears regularly."
"Are you mad?" The guard became angry at being disrespected so blatantly like this. He clenched his hand into a fist, activating his Human Avatar to transform into a metallic giant.
Just before he was about to attack Inala, the guard noticed the six thugs bound at the side. They were terror-struck and seemed to be mouthing at him to not attack. But it was too late already.
Energy condensed at the tip of his fist, intending to pummel Inala into a paste. But right as the attack was about to land, the guard heard a faint clapping sound. The next moment, he became terrified.
He was blind, deaf, couldn't hear, lost his sense of touch, and couldn't speak either. It wasn't limited to that as even his motor senses were stolen, causing his figure to plop to the ground.
Without his active control, his Human Avatar disappeared, reverting him to his human form. Inala calmly set his foot on the guard's head and stared at the carriage, "I'm not a patient guy."
"Fine," A voice resounded from inside as Maharell stepped out, his expression serious as he stared at Inala.
"Come, come. Sit here." Inala excitedly pointed at the chair before him. It was a rough-looking chair that seemed to have been carved just recently.
Maharell took his seat and glared at Inala, "Tell me now."
"Do you want to drink something?" Inala asked and snapped his finger. "We have just arrived here, so we don't have tea. But we'll serve you the next best thing."
At the snap of his finger, Asaeya exited their house, holding a tea tray as she brought a cup to Maharell. The cup was an old porcelain, containing only about twenty millilitres of a greyish-black liquid.
At the sight of the liquid, Maharell fumed, "Are you screwing around with me?"
"Of course not, sir." Inala waved his hand in a hurry, "It is only apt that we show the appropriate respect for someone of high stature such as you."
"That's why we're serving you an Elixir."
The liquid in the tea cup was a Low-Grade Elixir. It cost around 9000 Parute. In their local currency, it was 360,000 Pella, a fortune enough to buy a luxurious carriage. It was also the annual income of a lower middle-class citizen household.
It was Maharell's Elixir that was being served to him, an action no different from slapping his face and making him lick his wounds in public.
Prana billowed out of his body as Maharell got up with a start, intending to destroy Inala. "You dare mock ME?"
"It finally dawned on you, eh?" Inala grinned as suddenly, two Life Hands burst out of the wooden chair Maharell was seated upon and grabbed his legs.
Immediately in response, Maharell shrieked shrilly as his Lifeforce was sucked in rapidly.
Mystic Bone Art—Prana Blood!
Upon its activation, the rate of Maharell's Lifeforce being stolen increased, resulting in him losing control of his Prana. He was a merchant. And despite having cultivation at the 6-Life Stage, he was weak, for that was attained through Elixirs and not through training.
Basically, he had little to no battle experience.
"Protect him!" The guards rushed into the courtyard, intending to save Maharell when Asaeya stared at them and smiled brightly.
She then opened her mouth and uttered with her soft voice, "Hello there."
All guards became blind and deaf instantly, terrified as a result. They had never faced such an ability before, unprepared to endure or counter it.
Death Knells were rare on Sumatra Continent as is. Grim Knells were even rarer, existing only in the most treacherous regions of Sumatra where Gold Grade Pranic Beasts ran amok.
Ganrimb Kingdom was situated in a safe region, with the only enemy they faced being the Slump Lizards. Therefore, they had only experienced the effects of a couple of Natures at the Iron Grade. A Silver Grade Nature was a whole other matter.
"W-What is this?"
"H-Help me!"
"Please, spare me. I'll do anything. Please, please!"
As his guards cried, Maharell stared at Inala, terrified. He felt weak, as his body had aged considerably due to his Lifeforce getting stolen. The pain from losing his Lifeforce overwhelmed him to the extent he couldn't even activate his Human Avatar.
Inala grabbed the tea cup from Asaeya and crouched before the figure of Maharell who was prostrated on the floor in pain, "Sir, you are our guest. Please don't be impolite and accept our hospitality."
He brought the cup before Maharell's face, "If you drink this, you'll stop growing older. If you don't, well…pick a good river segment for your ashes to be dissolved, alright?"
"I…I'll drink…I'll DRINK, dammit!" Maharell shrieked and gobbled up the contents of the teacup in an instant. He lost his fighting spirit once Asaeya stole his eyesight.
Inala retracted his Life Hands. He had returned to his teenage version already. Hence, he condensed a Life Bomb and made it absorb all the excess Lifeforce in his body. He poked a hole in it, poured some of its contents into the tea cup and made Maharell drink it, causing him to recover some of his lost Lifeforce.
Originally, he looked like someone in his thirties. Now, he looked like someone in his forties.
Inala nodded at Asaeya, motioning for her to return home and deactivate her power. Once that happened, the guards got up in unison, in relief upon recovering their senses, their expression one of fear as they stared at Inala.
"Be there," Inala casually addressed them. In response, the guards stood like statues, unwilling to budge in the slightest.
Inala helped up Maharell to his seat and spoke, "Sir, are you alright?"
"You looked like you were about to die. So, I had no other choice but to use my life-saving treasure on you." Inala sighed and expressed his worry, "In these troubled times, it's hard to make a living. I'm saddened by the fact, but I have no other choice but to charge you."
He took out a contract and placed it before Maharell, causing the latter to spit blood upon seeing the terms. "You…you're a monster!"
"How rude! I'm a doctor!" Inala pouted. A second later, he pointed at the contract, "You can sign here."