"Hmm... What''s wrong? Is there a problem?" Quentin scratched his head in confusion.


    "No, just that I''m reluctant to let the zombies I control consume it," Elijah chuckled lightly.


    "Now that we''re all on the same side, I''ll tell you the truth. These fluorescent spirit nts are one of the ingredients I use to make Awakening Elixir!"


    "What?" Quentin eximed.


    "This... this is an ingredient for Awakening Elixir?"


    At the same time, he suddenly realized why Elijah hadn''t been forting initially.


    Behind Quentin, his henchmen also heard their conversation and looked eagerly at the zombie grass.


    Awakening Elixir! Quentin had hinted to them before that drinking the elixir could awaken abilities, making them as powerful as him. But he hadn''t disclosed where to get it from.


    Now he knew it was from the new boss here, and he had also seen one of the raw materials.


    "Now that you understand, these spirit nts emerged suddenly with the zombie virus outbreak. Unfortunately, we haven''t found a way to cultivate or breed them. We can only rely on collecting them, so our production of Awakening Elixir has always been unstable."


    "I see!" Quentin realized, recalling Elijah mentioning it would take six days to prepare a bottle of Awakening Elixir to sell to him.


    "Now that you know the characteristics of these spirit nts, if you encounter them in the future, you can transnt them. Bring them to me in exchange for Awakening Elixir!"


    Zachary and the others immediately felt excited.


    "Boss, do you know where these zombie grasses usually grow?"


    Zachary couldn''t wait to ask.


    "nts like this one, I call them zombie grass. They prefer cold, shady ces, often growing where there are piles of corpses, especially where there are zombie corpses. There are also others like Crystal Grass, each with different habits..."


    Elijah briefly exined several types of spirit nts he knew.


    "Some spirit nts are guarded by zombies, like today. If you encounter zombies that don''t chase you, you can check them out. You might be pleasantly surprised!"


    "Got it, boss!"


    Zachary and the others exchanged nces, clearly pleased.


    "Can we increase the chances of these zombie grasses appearing by piling up corpses?"


    Quentin suddenly asked, realizing that both the previous zombie grass and the current one had appeared where they had stacked corpses after killing zombies.


    "It''s possible. You can give it a try!"


    Elijah replied casually, then walked over to the zombie grass and used a dagger to dig up the soil around it, lifting the zombie grass out along with the dirt.


    Once removed from the ground, the formerly upright leaves of the zombie grass immediately wilted and became limp.


    "These spirit nts tend to droop once transnted, but as long as they''re alive, they can be brought to me!"


    Elijah handed the zombie grass to Fiona.


    "Boss, what if we identally dig them up and they die? Would you still want them?"


    Zachary asked.


    "Yes, but if the spirit nts die, their medicinal properties are lost, and you might not be able to exchange them for Awakening Elixir!"


    "In fact, let me tell you something else. Once spirit nts are transnted, if they aren''t properly cared for, they gradually die. The reason we dare to collect spirit nts is because we have someone awakened to the nt ability among us. She can rejuvenate these transnted spirit nts and help them continue growing.


    So, as long as the spirit nts are alive, regardless of their size or maturity, you can exchange them here for a bottle of Awakening Elixir. We can continue waiting for them to fully mature and have optimal medicinal properties before utilizing them!


    But if spirit nts die, whether in maturity or during their growth period, their medicinal properties won''t be sufficient to make Awakening Elixir, and you won''t be able to exchange them here!"


    "Got it, boss. We''ll handle them carefully if we encounter them!"


    Zachary and the others nodded.


    Quentin, however, was thoughtful. He sensed there might be more to it.


    With someone who had nt abilities present, Elijah and his group might be hoping to observe the growth of spirit nts and find ways to cultivate and breed them.


    "Quentin, the spirit nts I tricked you withst time, plus this one today, since you''re involved now, how about Ipensate you with a bottle of Awakening Elixir for both?"


    "You''ve helped us this time. How could we split the spoils..."


    Quentin was about to refuse, but he saw the hopeful look in his men''s eyes and changed his mind.


    "Alright, you''re our boss now. Your call!"


    "Well, the elixir production takes a bit of time. How about tomorrow? I''ll give it to you tomorrow!"


    "Okay!"


    "Now that we''ve cleared things up about the spirit nts, and the mutated zombies are dead, your crisis is over. Let''s talk about forming an alliance..."


    Elijah outlined a few key points.


    First, he acknowledged himself as Quentin''s leader in name but assured them he wouldn''t interfere with their internal management at their gathering ce.


    However, in the face of external threats, they must present a united front and unconditionally follow Elijah''s arrangements.


    Second, mutual aid and assistance should be promptly offered when either side encounters difficulties.


    This assistance, however, would not be withoutpensation,mensurate with the level of danger involved.


    For instance, in this recent instance, Elijah only requested a share of the spoils due to their newly formed alliance, foregoing additionalpensation.


    Third, they would jointly establish rules such as refraining from harming their own people, distributing spoils from joint operations, and managing security in shared areas.


    Elijah delegated the specifics to Fiona while maintaining oversight of the broader strategy.


    After a brief discussion, everyone seemed generally satisfied.


    "Now that we''ve discussed everything, let''s draft and sign an agreement!" Elijah suggested.


    In the current world, agreements were often viewed as mere scraps of paper, their effectiveness contingent on whether both parties adhered to them.


    Elijah didn''t intend to control them through the agreement; it was more of a formality.


    "Since your gathering ce isn''t far from here, why don''t we go there and finalize the agreement?" Elijah proposed. "It''ll give us a chance to get to know each other better."


    "Sure!" Quentin agreed readily, and Elijah and Fiona exchanged a nce of mutual agreement.


    Thus, they all proceeded towards Quentin''s gathering ce. As they arrived at the entrance, a woman suddenly rushed out, her face filled with joy as she looked towards Quentin.


    "Quentin, you''re finally back safely!"