Ethan casually set the sack on the ground.
"These ores are already refined," he said, calm and matter-of-fact. "You can absorb the energy directly."
He looked over the gaunt crowd.
"Take them. Get your bodies back first."
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted.
People who'd been so weak they could barely stand were suddenly shaking all over—not from exhaustion this time, but from raw excitement.
They'd never seen anything like this.
Under The Nexaris Overlord Xarathos, they'd mined their entire lives and never once been allowed to truly gain the energy inside the ore.
And now—
This was being handed to them like it was nothing.
A few seconds later, the crowd dropped to their knees almost in unison.
"Master!"
Someone's voice quivered as they shouted it.
In that moment, they accepted Ethan completely.
The old man sank down too, tears shining in his eyes.
"Master." He pointed toward the distant mountain range. "The mines we work… they're over there."
