"Mr. Boris, how are you feeling now?" Bis asked proactively.
"Very good, excellent. I haven't felt this good in years, as if I've become more than ten years younger..."
"That's only natural. What you've taken is the purest essence of life... To put it this way, those two essences of life are enough to add more than a decade to your lifespan!"
"Ms. Bis, this medicine is simply miraculous. Compared to your medicine, the life fluid produced by our Gustav Pharmaceuticals is nothing short of a joke. Do you have any more of this medicine, and can it be mass-produced? You should know that our Gustav family has very deep connections. If there's enough supply of this medicine, I can ascend to the presidential throne. And as long as I become president, your Dark Altar will gain an unparalleled status in this country! Please rest assured, no matter how precious the medicinal ingredients are for producing this, the price is not an issue. I believe many wealthy individuals would be willing to part with most of their fortunes to exchange for more than a decade of life!"
Boris felt this deeply. The wealthier and more influential people were, the more they cherished their lives, the less they wanted to die, and the less they wanted to lose everything they had. As the saying goes, death is like a lamp extinguished; no matter how formidable you were in life, you must obediently drink the soup of forgetfulness when the King of Hell arrives.
Bis did not answer. Boris slapped his forehead. "Ah, I'm just too eager. Ms. Bis, please have a seat!" The old man quickly made a gesture of invitation. Bis, without any hesitation, sat down on the sofa.
"Mr. Boris, what you consumed was not medicine!"
"Not medicine? Then what is it? Magic?" Mark, standing nearby, became anxious and quickly asked. He was afraid his father had consumed something that would drain his life force and cause a temporary resurgence.
"I said it was the essence of life, literally!" Bis said leisurely.
"Ms. Bis, please forgive my ignorance, but I still cannot understand what you mean," Boris Gustav said very humbly.
"It's not difficult to understand. What you ate was the essence of life, and that's precisely what it is! In other words, what you consumed was the purest life force! And this life force was extracted from others. You could say that your increased lifespan is built upon the deaths of other 'consumables.' Do you understand what I'm saying..."
Bis's words plunged the father and son Gustavs into shock. Depriving others of their life force to extend another's life—this was truly the power of a devil! But Boris quickly recovered. He was a politician, after all. Politicians, as everyone knows, have no morals or conscience. As long as he benefited, what did the lives of others matter to him? Whether it was medicine or the essence of life, as long as it was useful, why bother asking where it came from? As for extending his own lifespan leading to the death of others, he felt no psychological burden. In his view, there were plenty of people in this world, and some were born to be 'consumables.' Their deaths were inconsequential.
"Ms. Bis, regarding this medicine, or rather, the essence of life, how much can you provide?"
"At most a few pieces a year. After all, the amount of 'consumables' needed is quite substantial," Bis replied indifferently.
"Ms. Bis, if, I mean if, I can provide you with a large quantity of 'consumables,' what do you think about the production volume..." Boris Gustav's tone was somewhat urgent, as if in his mind, those people's lives were merely consumables.
"That won't significantly increase the output, Mr. Boris. I have plenty of 'consumables,' but to produce the essence of life, my special ability is required. Without my ability, this essence of life cannot exist! And the consumption is also very significant when I use my ability to produce the essence of life, so mass production is impossible!"
Bis was a very intelligent woman. In fact, as long as the so-called 'consumables' could be supplied, Bis could produce hundreds, even thousands, of essences of life annually. Of course, this would come at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. But Bis also understood the principle of scarcity creating value. Only by making others believe that this item was extremely rare and difficult to obtain would they value it more and actively promote cooperation to curry favor with her.
"Ms. Bis, I have a humble request. Could you provide me with a few more pieces of the essence of life? With this, I can win over more allies and get them to help me ascend to the presidential throne. I promise you, once I become president, I will give your Dark Altar what it desires. I can even make the Demon Hunter Guild a subordinate of your Dark Altar..."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Bis's face. "Mr. Gustav, very good. You are a smart man, and I enjoy dealing with smart people. I can provide you with two more pieces of the essence of life! As for the rest, if you want more, you'll probably have to wait half a year..."
"I..." Boris's excitement came to an abrupt halt. He had already meticulously planned the uses for this essence of life. Within his social circle, there were several individuals who were very old but also extremely wealthy, their fortunes amounting to hundreds of billions. If he possessed the essence of life, Boris could approach these people and make deals with them. These individuals would be more than willing to pay hundreds of billions to extend their lives by about ten years! This way, not only would the losses from the destruction of his pharmaceutical factory be recouped, allowing him funds to rebuild it, but the surplus money could even be used for his election campaign. Of course, if he could get a few more pieces, he'd want to consume more himself, as that feeling of rejuvenation was incredibly blissful, far more exhilarating than any drug.
However, his excitement was cut short. Bis, this woman, only gave him two pieces of the essence of life, leaving him torn between consuming them himself or selling them for money. Ultimately, Boris made up his mind: he would first use these two precious essences of life to acquire resources. He was well aware that once he ascended to the presidential throne, he would have even greater value in Bis's eyes. As long as he had sufficient value, why worry about not obtaining the essence of life?
"Alright, two pieces of the essence of life are a bit few, but it's not unusable. Ms. Bis, our Gustav family greatly anticipates our cooperation..."
"Mr. Boris, I believe you invited me here for other reasons as well?"
Boris slapped his forehead, almost forgetting the main purpose.