As a sign of respect, Shadow handed over the trade first.
He placed three things on the table between them.
A jade slip.
A set of parchments bound in black cord.
And a heavy bag filled with seeds.
"The jade slip contains the coordinates," he said. "The parchments contain the treatment sequence, ingredient structure, and the cultivation conditions required for each batch. The seeds are the first stock."
Lucien did not reach for the jade slip immediately.
That, more than anything, made Shadow understand how much discipline the man across from him truly possessed.
Instead, Lucien stored it calmly inside his inventory and picked up the parchments first.
He unfolded them one by one.
The contents were dense.
Ingredient names. Hybrid pairings. Soil conditions. Flow temperatures. Infusion stages. Stabilization intervals. A full sequence of how the cure's botanical components had to be raised before they could even become usable medicine.
