Rootless Water 67/50 bottles.
Orson's eyes gleamed with excitement. For him, this quest was basically free loot. In the Orc Sanctuary, Rootless Water was as common as weeds—he could gather as much as he wanted.
The Master Brewer quest had multiple branching paths and outcomes.
In his past life, veteran players had painstakingly analyzed every variation.
If he simply cleared the river of monsters, he would receive a rare and valuable bottle of wine. If he submitted one bottle of holy water, he could obtain a legendary brew that would drive Grey Dwarves insane.
But because he had uncovered Xyla's true identity, the quest requirements had shifted.
Instead of a single holy item, he now needed fifty—a fiftyfold increase. That could only mean one thing:
The final reward would also be multiplied many times over.
For Orson, fifty bottles of Rootless Water were nothing, but for other players, such a requirement made this hidden quest nearly impossible to complete.
Even if someone discovered the quest, they likely wouldn't be able to finish it.
And honestly, even if he only got a single bottle of legendary wine, he didn't care.
Because the true prize wasn't the wine—it was the lead to Heavenly Spirit's Heart.
If he could obtain the final Soul Seal, then all three Super God-tier Soul Seals of the same sequence would belong to him alone…
And when that happened—
Blaze King's Will would transcend time and awaken within Orson!
"Submit."
Suppressing his excitement, Orson confirmed the submission.
A burst of light flashed, and a glittering pile of bottles materialized at Xyla's feet.
"Divine Blood Phoenix has received 50/50 Rootless Water!"
"Please wait..."
"Yes! This is it! I'm eternally grateful!"
Xyla's eyes sparkled with joy as she accepted the water.
But as her emotions surged, so did the fire elements around her.
BOOM!
In an instant, the entire Phoenix Forest ignited.
The blazing inferno spread across hundreds of kilometers, turning the land into a raging furnace.
"The f*?! And she had the nerve to scold me for burning the forest earlier?!"**
Orson cursed.
Compared to Xyla, he and the Crimson Lizard King were nothing more than petty arsonists.
This woman was burning down an entire continent!
Burning -50,000!
Burning -50,000!
Burning -50,000!
"Xyla… I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE!!"
Orson frantically screamed as his HP plummeted.
Hearing his distress, Xyla snapped back to reality and quickly cast a mass healing aura, restoring his health almost instantly.
Floating gracefully into the air, Xyla's body shimmered with golden-red flames as she ascended a thousand meters above Phoenix Forest.
Before her appeared an array of ancient jars and containers—crafted in the style of ancient US brewing vessels.
"Are those… all holy relics?"
Orson's eyes widened in shock.
Summoning his Crimson Lizard King, he brought it closer for a better look.
The moment the Crimson Lizard King emerged, fire elements instantly engulfed its body, turning it into a giant, roasted lizard.
Fortunately, the beast was tough as hell—any ordinary war beast would've been reduced to ash by now.
With a flick of her slender fingers, Xyla uncorked the bottles of Rootless Water.
The crystalline liquid poured into the sacred brewing vessels, shimmering with divine energy.
Then, dozens of legendary fruits appeared out of thin air—each one a holy-grade ingredient from Infinite Dimensions.
At first glance, many of the fruits looked completely ordinary.
If not for the Life Fruit's unmistakable glow, Orson might've mistaken them for random grocery store apples.
RUMBLE!
Orson's expression hardened.
Xyla closed her fiery eyes, extending a delicate hand toward the distant snow-capped mountains.
BOOM!
A thousand-meter-high peak suddenly exploded.
The earth itself trembled, as if some primordial beast was about to awaken from the depths.
The ground split apart, forming deep chasms.
CRASH!
The entire snow-capped mountain collapsed—and from its depths rose a massive crimson dragon.
No.
Not a dragon.
An ocean of lava.
"HOLY SH*T! Is she brewing wine or triggering an apocalypse?! She just pulled out a goddamn volcanic vein from the earth?!"
Orson was dumbfounded.
This was his first time witnessing the true power of a divine being up close.
Xyla's crimson eyes gleamed.
The lava dragon coiled and compressed, shrinking into a two-meter-wide flame vortex.
It encircled the sacred brewing jars, heating them to perfection.
WHOOSH!
A rich aroma burst forth.
Billowing steam rose into the sky, turning Phoenix Forest into a dreamlike paradise.
"Oh no, I overcooked it!"
"Ah! I shouldn't have added so many fruits! I'm such an idiot!"
Orson: "…"
Just a moment ago, Xyla had exuded the dignity of a wine deity.
Now, she was running around frantically, drenched in sweat, trying to salvage her own mess.
The chaotic sight was downright comical.
"The temperature's too high! I should just get rid of these extra fruits!"
Muttering to herself, Xyla grabbed a wooden pestle and began sweeping scorched ingredients out of the brewing jars.
"Wait… did she just throw out a Dragon Saliva Fruit?!"
"And that was Nine Nether Grass! That boosts agility and movement speed—WTF?!"
Orson's jaw dropped.
One by one, the legendary ingredients were discarded.
One by one, they burned into ashes.
By the end, nearly all of them were gone.
He watched in horrified silence as the treasures of the world were carelessly destroyed.
"I… I finally understand…"
Orson's lips twitched.
"Why she's just a Master Brewer…"
"And not a Divine Brewmaster."
This woman has absolutely NO brewing talent.
Thinking back to the Lucid Dream wine he had tasted earlier, a suspicion crept into Orson's mind.
That wine had been decent—but considering all the divine-grade ingredients Xyla had access to, it should have been legendary or even divine-quality.
But it wasn't.
Because her brewing skills were garbage.
Even an amateur like Orson could tell—she had taken what could have been an immortal elixir…
…and ruined it with her incompetence.
"No wonder she asked for fifty bottles of Rootless Water."
"This woman doesn't know how to brew properly. She just wastes ingredients."
For the first time in his life, Orson felt genuine heartbreak.
Not from a tragic story. Not from a devastating battle.
But from watching a literal goddess of life and fire… destroy holy-grade ingredients like they were garbage.