“B-boss…?” Mayor Enzo uttered. 

At the same time, everyone in the conference room cast their gazes at Albion with different feelings between excitement and curiosity.

For some members of the Blackthorne Group, it was their first time seeing the boss, while for others, they had only seen him a few times.

“The one and only.” Albion nodded calmly.

Mayor Enzo instinctively felt fear after his confirmation and felt weakness in his knees. 

Unlike most members of the group, he was just an official government official who was assigned to manage the city and blackmailed into becoming a part of Blackthorne Group.

He didn’t have any strength to back up his position.

“N-no, boss. I don’t have dissatisfaction,” Mayor Enzo stuttered with sweat.

“We’re all good then,” Albion casually said.

At the same time, Xiao Hua and Klein Seymour looked like they had something to say to Albion, but they knew it wasn’t the time and place for it.

Shortly after, Maverick Cohen got up from his seat and came over to greet Albion with a gesture, “Boss, I’ve prepared a seat for you.” 

“Alright.” Albion nodded. 

He took the main seat at the conference table and leaned back lazily before sweeping a nonchalant glance across the people present in the room.

“I see some familiar faces as well as unfamiliar faces, but regardless of your familiarity with me, the fact that you’re all here means that you are part of my Blackthorne Group. I expect absolute obedience and loyalty from all of you, and nothing less.”

“Serve me well, and you won’t be mistreated,” Albion casually stated before saying, “Since this is our first official meeting since the group’s establishment, I ought to show my magnanimity as the boss.”

“Maverick.”

“Yes, boss!”

Maverick Cohen immediately presented himself beside Albion after being called before he was given several pill bottles. 

“You did a good job unifying the city. As such, I will allow you the right to manage these Body Reinforcement Pills, Vigorous Innate Pills, and Spirit Refinement Pills. Each has the effect of raising your strength by a minor stage according to your cultivation realm.”

Of course, if a person at the Peak-stage Innate Realm ingested a Spirit Refinement Pill, they will also break through the bottleneck and advance to Spirit Refinement.

“You may start distributing a pill to each person present according to their cultivation. In the future, pills like these will only become more common,” Albion stated after his explanation. 

“Yes, boss!” 

Maverick Cohen accepted the task gratefully, feeling overwhelming honor to receive such valuable pills to manage, especially the Spirit Refinement Pills. 

It was equivalent to being handed the power to raise experts on the same level as Emperor Polemos!

After everyone received their share of the pills, some members ingested them and experienced a quick breakthrough, while others were more reserved and did not do so immediately. 

“Is it really alright to gift us such precious pills, boss?” Young Master Gavino asked while holding a Body Reinforcement Pill in his hand. 

Most members were given a Body Reinforcement Pill, and those who received a Vigorous Innate Pill were at the Peak stage of Initiate Realm.

No one in the Innate Realm was present, let alone the Spirit Refinement Realm.

The core strength of the Blackthorne Group was still too weak.

“If you don’t want it, you can give it back,” Albion casually replied before adding, “I’m sure there are others who’ll be more than willing to gobble up your share as well.”

As soon as Albion said that, Young Master Gavino and the other hesitant members immediately ingested their pills under the greedy gazes of those who already had.

And like invisible fireworks going off, everyone advanced a small stage in their cultivation while a few stepped into the Innate Realm. 

“Thank you, boss!” the core members shouted with newfound vigor, overjoyed by the rise in their strength.

Their improvement was smooth and swift.

The cultivation pills given by the boss were more effective and potent than any other pills and medicine they had ever ingested in the past.

They might grow addicted to it.

“No need to mention it,” Albion waved his hand apathetically before saying, “Maverick, you may begin addressing any issues we are facing. However, note that unless it affects our group’s development, I am not interested in listening to trivial matters.”

“Yes, boss!”

It was such a rare opportunity to speak to the boss. 

No one wanted to miss the opportunity to raise the boss’s attention on the group’s biggest headaches.

“Our biggest concern is Stillwater city’s infestation. The stronger monsters in the city were a big issue, but it’s no longer the case now that Boss has given us these precious pills,” Maverick Cohen mentioned. 

With due time, he did not doubt that they would have multiple Emperor-level Hunters capable of resolving Stillwater city’s infestation on their own.

“Un. These pills might be precious to you, but they are nothing to me. There will only be more of them and not less—so long as I have time to refine them,” Albion casually commented. 

Everyone’s eyes beamed. 

Going by their boss’s words, there will be plenty of chances to ingest more pills of such quality or even higher. 

They could get addicted to this…

Ding!

<You have acquired a title; Generous Drug Lord>

<Generous Drug Lord: Your act of generosity has earned you the favor of your subordinates, seeing you as the prodigal lord of endless cultivation pills> 

<Effect: Whenever you are seen by your subordinates, their expectancy in receiving your grace (pills) increases>

“…”

Albion fell silent.

He was not expecting such a result. 

‘It seems like even if I want to improve their strength quickly, I can’t have them developing heavy dependence on the pills I refine,’ Albion mulled. 

He wanted a group of reliable experts, not a group of drug addicts.

Albion rubbed his forehead with distress before continuing to speak, “Anyway, I won’t interfere much with Stillwater city’s matters. I’ve already destroyed half the bug’s territory. In the future, just treat that place as our group’s training.”

“Understood, boss!” 

Maverick Cohen and the others answered with surprised looks on their face.. The bug’s territory destruction was news to them.