Richard and Smith were a little taken aback when they saw that neither of them was drinking the wine. According to Klaus' previous behavior, he would usually instantly drink the wine as soon as he got hold of it.

'Damn! Could it be that they figured it out?' Smith asked himself with clenched fists.

He brought his cup closer to his mouth and took a sip, he wanted to use this to convey to them that the wine was safe to drink.

Even after taking a sip, he didn't see any reactions from the group. He took a glance at Richard, and just as he was about to ask the group why they weren't drinking, he saw them drinking simultaneously.

Klaus held the wine jug and drank directly from it, with some wine dripping from the side of his mouth.

"Haha, good wine." He praised after swallowing a mouthful.

Grey and the others were a little more relaxed as they savored the taste of the wine before gulping it down.

"Wow! It's great!" Even Grey was forced to praise the wine.

It was one of the best wines he had tasted, one has to know that he had drunk wine from one of the best places in the Capital, the Jade Water Paradise, and there was a good difference between both.

The taste of the wine was intense, yet elegant and full of fresh herbs, cherry, and multiple aromas and flavors. The sweet fruit notes persist from beginning to end, where the aftertaste is expansive. Terrific harmony and balance. Grey almost wanted to say, the wine was impeccable!

But he held himself from saying it as he waited for what was placed in the wine to slowly start taking effect.

After Void tasted the wine, he said they wouldn't have any problems with it given their Planes, so he gave the others the nod to drink it, that was the only reason they drank it. And he had to say, he would have regretted not drinking this wine.

Richard and Smith smiled even wider when they heard the praises Grey and his friends showered on the wine, even Alice was no exception in throwing praises at it.

'Hehe, now all we have to do is wait till it kicks in.' Smith laughed evilly inside.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it. This is the best wine our city has to offer, it is made in a special process, with a variety of fruits and herbs used as well. A lot of merchants come from far and wide to taste it. Unfortunately, it can't be mass produced since the method of producing it is quite difficult, and the family who made the recipe refused to share their secrets." explained Smith.

Knowing that he would get what he wanted soon, he didn't mind explaining to them to pass up more time. What he placed in the wine would take at least ten minutes or so to start taking effect, that was when the real fun would begin.

"This wine is a treasure, I don't expect the family to let go of that recipe. If I were in their position, I would also do the same." Grey said while waiting for the effect of the poison.

He wanted to know what it was. He was a little anxious since he still hasn't been able to sense what the poison does. When he previously saw Richard and Smith take a mouthful of the wine, he thought there was a chance that the wine truly isn't poisoned. However, he also thought of the possibility of them already taking the antidote when they went in, after all, only one person could've brought out the wine and the cups.

Grey took another sip from the wine, this time, he closed his eyes to savor the taste more. The wine was so good that he didn't think he had a problem drinking it over, and over again.

They all continued to take small sips, and before they knew it, twenty minutes had gone by.

Klaus and the others were beginning to doubt if anything was truly in the wine, while Richard and Smith were starting to panic a little. The effect should have already kicked in, but it has already been over ten minutes, yet nothing.

He decided to wait a little longer, 'Maybe they're slightly resistant to it.'

Five minutes went by before Grey started sensing something, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

'So that's what it does?' He thought calmly.

He noticed an unfamiliar energy circulating in his body, what it was doing was out of his expectations. Instead of poisoning, what it did was slowly corrode their elemental essence, thereby making them unable to wield any element. They would then be reduced to normal people, but stronger in terms of physique since their bodies grew stronger after every breakthrough.

Grey circulated his elemental essence to try to fight against it, and he noticed that doing that actually increased the speed, but after using his spiritual energy as well, he was able to isolate the energy that wanted to block his elemental essence.

He wasn't the only one who was sensing it, the others have sensed it as well and they were also trying to stop it from taking any effect. Just like Grey, they tried circulating their elemental essences but when they noticed it worsened the situation, they instantly stopped.

Alice was the first to use her spiritual energy, followed by Klaus and then Reynolds.

The group's extended quietness alerted Richard and Smith, and they both broke out into smiles. They knew what they mixed into the wine was starting to take effect. This was not their first time using it, so seeing the group's behavior, they were certain it had started working.

"Haha, finally I don't need to take their bullshit anymore." Smith stood up laughing happily.

Richard tried to stop him but he pushed his hand away, "There's no need, since they've already drunk the wine, then they would all become normal people. I can already see the wine is starting to take effect."

"Okay, I don't think there's a need for our facade anymore." Richard smiled.

"Let the fun begin!" He licked his lips lecherously as he approached Alice.