by Zhuang Bifan
The two men were talking business outside, and the fat boss who had just stood up in the store sat down on the floor in horror once more.
He was paid by the Mannes Family; how could he not know who the genteel and handsome young man outside was?
He had never expected that this mage would have a friendship with the family patriarch.
The fat boss felt that he had never been so unlucky and lost. What could he do now…
Just because he had made a bet with someone, the Tower Shield specifically ordered by Aaron Matsis was shattered into pieces. Then, he found out that this person actually shared a good friendship with the patriarch. Just look at the expressions of the two men when they talked; the patriarch even had something to ask of him. If the dispute earlier on was leaked, then the consequences…
After chatting for a while more, Lin Li saw that it was getting late. He then turned and left the Gilded Rose.
The fat boss' worries soon became a reality. Among the passers-by who had gathered outside the Gilded Rose to watch the earlier dispute, someone had already talked about it in exaggeration. Only a word or two had reached Ysera, but how clever was this young patriarch? He had deduced what happened in a moment's time with the couple of words he heard.
Only then did he understand why there was a strange expression on Mage Felic's face when he left…
"Joseph, you fool!" Ysera's face was terribly gloomy when he entered the Gilded Rose, and he looked as if he was about to devour someone. Whether it was the two blacksmith apprentices or the fat Joseph he called a fool, they had never seen the patriarch in such a rage before.
Joseph had just got up with much effort when he heard Ysera's roar, and flopped down in horror again…
"Do you know what you've done?" Ysera entered the Gilded Rose, pointing at Joseph with one hand that was shaking with anger. "You… Do you know, do you know whom you were betting against?"
"Chief, I know I'm wrong. I was blind; I'll be damned, I shouldn't have offended the Chief's friend." The fatty named Joseph had some sense. Seeing that Ysera was angry, he burst into tears and begged for mercy, "Please spare me this time for the sake of my 20 years of service to the Mannes Family…"
"20 years?" Ysera was livid with anger. "Of all people, you had to bet against him. If you offended him, you wouldn't even be able to pay for it with a 1,000 years of service in the Mannes Family, let alone 20 years!"
"Give me another chance. I'll go and apologize to Mr Mage tomorrow. He's your friend, he sure won't mind it…"
"Friend? Do you think that just because I'm Ysera, I'm qualified to be friends with someone like him?"
In that moment, Joseph could hardly believe his ears…
He was stupefied; one of his hands was frozen in mid-air and he was unsure where to place it.
What did the Chief just said? He seemed to say, Do you think that just because I'm Ysera, I'm qualified to be friends with someone like him?
Joseph seemed to have been struck by lightning. He stood dumbfounded. He could not imagine there'd be anyone in Jarrosus City even a family patriarch was not qualified to be friends with…
"Fool! He's Felic—Felic from the Guild of Magic!"
"Oh my God…" When the patriarch's angry roar reached his ears, Joseph finally knew what kind of figure the mage he had bet against was. Felic from the Guild of Magic… who else had a name louder than his in Jarrosus City today?
After a heap of reproach, Ysera's anger finally subsided a little. But he still wasn't totally relieved from anger when he thought about it again, so he kicked the fat boss who was on the ground severely. "Go to the Guild of Magic tomorrow and beg for Mage Felic's forgiveness. If you can't get his forgiveness, there's no need to come back. Go find a place to hang yourself."
"Ch-Chief…" Joseph finally heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the Chief's words. With a feeling of having survived a disaster, he stretched out a hand and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, then carefully asked with some hesitation, "Just now… Just now… When I was betting with Mage Felic, the Tower Shield that Aaron Matsis ordered was shattered by him. What should I do in case the Blood Brotherhood asks?"
"Blood Brotherhood?" Ysera sneered. "It's Aaron Matsis' honor that Mage Felic broke that shield. He can't even thank you enough, how would he look for trouble with you… Prepare yourself to go to the Guild of Magic tomorrow and ask for the forgiveness from Mage Felic."
"Understood!"
Lin Li had no idea what was happening in the Gilded Rose; he was on his way back to the Guild of Magic. He had walked around the city all day today. Although he hadn't found out the source of the arrow, the bet with the fat boss had made him feel much better.
"Mage… Mage Felic! Please wait…" It wasn't long after he came out of the Gilded Rose when Lin Li suddenly heard that someone seemed to be calling him from behind.
"Sean?" Looking back, he saw the young man from the Gilded Rose, who was strong like a black bear, gasping to catch up with him from behind. Lin Li halted his steps in puzzlement.
"Please wait, Mage Felic…" By the time Sean caught up from behind, he was panting from exhaustion. His tanned face was covered in perspiration and his breathing was heavy. His strong body that was similar to a black bear's was heaving violently.
Lin Li was rather puzzled. "Sean, how do you know my name?"
"Just… Just now I heard… heard Chief Ysera mention it at the Gilded Rose…" Sean wiped out the sweat off his forehead. The young man, who was as strong as a black bear, gave off an honest and good-natured feeling when he smiled.
"Heh heh, so, why're you chasing out like that?" Although it was only the first time they met, Lin Li was rather fond of this honest young man, for he felt that someone who could bear the vicious verbal abuse of the fat boss for his sick father would never be bad in nature.
"Is it for this?" Lin Li thought for a moment and reached out to hand the sword wrapped in the cloth to him. "If you don't want to, you can take it back first. When you get the money, you can come to the Guild of Magic to see me again."
"No, no…" Sean shook his head in denial as he gasped heavily for breath.
"Then, what is it for?"
Sean was hesitant at first; but after thinking it through, he gritted his teeth and said, "People in Jarrosus say that you're a very good pharmacist. So… so… I'd like to ask you to… save my father…"
"Save your father?" Lin Li was confused. "Is 1,000 gold coins not enough?"
"No, Mage Felic." Sean's eyes turned red as he continued, "My father and I are both adventurers in Jarrosus City. Just a few days ago, we took on the task of killing the Golden-Eyed Lizard. But when we were killing Golden-Eyed Lizard, Father accidentally got bitten by it… I heard you are a very good pharmacist… So… So…"
Sean's voice became lower and lower. After saying two "so" in succession, there was nothing that followed.
However, Lin Li understood. He had killed two Golden-Eyed Lizard back in the Sunset Mountains. This magical beast was not strong, but it was terribly toxic. Once bitten, it would be more troublesome to deal with than a curse.
Chapter 96 - Fire Plume Ridge
The venom of Golden-Eyed Lizard was so insidious that it was almost impossible to purge it completely.
It was not difficult to preserve one's life, though—even ordinary doctors could do it. But it was only removing most of the toxins; the toxins which had already invaded the body would continue to lurk there and slowly damage the body from the inside. With this destruction, the person who was poisoned would get weaker and weaker day by day. After about half a month, a vigorous man could turn into an invalid. It was as dangerous as Lin Li's concentrated Wild Elixir.
Apart from a Cleric's level-fifteen theurgy, the Life Awakening spell, the only thing that could completely eliminate this toxin was the Detoxification Antidote.
So when Sean mentioned the Golden-Eyed Lizard, Lin Li knew what he had to do.
"Bring me to your house." Lin Li clearly remembere
d that he had at least four bottles of Detoxification Antidote in his pocket; it was essential for survival in the Sunset Mountains.
Sean was stunned for a moment, then slowly understood the meaning of Lin Li's words. The simple-minded young man felt a moment of dizziness and ecstasy; he was so overwhelmed with joy that he even stuttered in his speech. "Thank… Thank you, Mage Felic… Thank you… Thank you!"
So, along the way, Lin Li kept hearing Sean's constant thanking. He had to admit that the young man, who was strong like a black bear, had little eloquence as all he said was "thank you" and nothing new. It was worlds apart from the businessmen and celebrities at the Castellan's banquet. However, it felt real and dependable in Lin Li's ears…
Sean's family lived in the west of the city, which had the lowest commodity prices and was near the Adventurers Guild. Most of the low-level adventurers would choose to live here.
Of course, in such a place, the quality of life was far worse in comparison to everywhere else.
Most of the buildings around here were dilapidated, and from their color, they seemed to be a few decades old. There were wooden huts in many places; they were simple and decadent, and looked like wind could blow them down. Along the way, they passed by some pedestrians, most of them wearing leather boots—the attire of a low-level adventurer. Sean, who was following closely behind, wore similar clothes.
"Mage Felic, we've arrived." After passing through several buildings, Sean stopped in front of a cabin.
Despite being mentally prepared, Lin Li was surprised to see the cabin. It was just too simple and crude. Even the Jarrosus Exchange at the black market looked 100 times better than it.
It was not that Lin Li had never been to an adventurer's house. But, it was the first time he'd seen such a shabby one…
The furnishings in the house were even simpler. Two chairs, two beds, and a wooden table were all the furniture in the house. There was a lot of sundries in the corner; various kinds of magical beasts' fur and herbs like the silverleaf were everywhere. A middle-aged man, who looked to be almost 40 years of age, lay in one of the beds. His skin was tanned and his body was strong, like Sean's. The only difference was the stubble on his tanned face, which seemed like he had not shaved for some time.
This should be Sean's father.
He was deeply asleep, with a patched blanket covering him. Looking at the sleeping middle-aged man, Lin Li could not help thinking of McGrenn, who had brought him out of the Sunset Mountains.
"Sean, go get some water," Lin Li said as he took out a bottle of Detoxification Antidote from his pocket. He did not pass it directly to Sean, but instead asked him to fetch some water. The antidote was too potent; if he drank it directly, the poison would be purged but it would loosen the bowels. Therefore, it was necessary to dilute it with clean water to tone down the effects of the antidote.
Very soon, Sean brought the water in an iron kettle. There was some embarrassment on his tanned face when he brought it in. "This is the only one in the house that can hold water."
"It doesn't matter. It'll be the same." Lin Li smiled and took the kettle from Sean. He opened the glass bottle and poured the viscous black liquid into the kettle.
To be honest… The smell of the Detoxification Antidote was terrible.
It used a large amount of ghostskin succus. The smell that it gave off after concoction was so smoky and pungent that one could tear up if one came close enough to it.
After the thick and black succus was poured into the kettle, Lin Li quickly tightened the kettle lid and carefully shook the antidote.
"Take this to your father and let him drink it. He'll wake up in ten minutes at the most."
"Yes… Yes… Thank you… Mage Felic…" Sean's voice choked. He had lived for over 20 years, and for the first time he was so happy that he wanted to cry.
In order to find an antidote for his father, Sean had travelled almost the whole of Jarrosus City, looking for one doctor after another, but even the cheapest medicine required 1,000 gold coins. For his family, 1,000 gold coins was simply a huge sum of money they could not afford.
In order to raise the money and save his father's life, Sean had done almost everything he could. All the things he could sell at home were sold and he even borrowed money from the Adventurers Guild, but it was still far from 1,000 gold coins…
Then, he thought of the double-edged sword…
In fact, even Sean himself had no idea about the origin of the sword.
He only remembered vaguely that his father had said that hundreds of years ago, a great man had appeared in the Poliro Family, and that sword was his weapon.
But the weapon used by a great man did not necessarily mean it could sell at a high price.
With this sword on his back, Sean had gone to almost all the weapon stores in Jarrosus.
But there was no one who was willing to pay 600 gold coins for it.
When he got to the Gilded Rose, Sean had lost all hope.
That was his last chance. If even the Gilded Rose would only give 100 gold coins for it, Sean really didn't know where he should go to get the 600 gold coins.
And then everything that followed seemed like a dream to him…
The heavy bag of gold coins, like a little light in the darkness, lit up Sean's eyes in an instant.
At that moment, Sean was like a drowning man struggling desperately in the water; but when he was about to give up, someone had offered him a warm hand…
Sean did not know any general principles. He merely swore to himself that he had to repay the kind mage regardless of what he had to do!
At that moment, Lin Li had discovered something strange.
It was among the sundries in the corner. To be more precise, it was stuck on a few silverleaves. It looked like a piece of black stuff, as if it was dirt…
Apart from those who understood its value, most people would only see it as weeds.
But Lin Li knew that there was another name for it.
Its name was black lotus!
"Sean, did you and your father ever sell herbs in the city?" Thinking back to the original batch of herbs he had collected, Lin Li gradually understood what had happened.
"How did you know it, Mage Felic?" Sean was apparently surprised.
"Sure enough…" Lin Li suddenly burst out laughing as he patted Sean on the shoulder delightfully. "Sean, you have done me a great favor this time!"
"Heh heh…" Sean's laughter was ingenuous. Although he didn't understand what Lin Li was talking about, he could see that Mage Felic was elated.
"Come, come… Sean, have a look at this first." Lin Li pulled the honest young man to the corner. Then, he stooped down and gingerly picked out half of the black lotus petal from the pile of silverleaf. "Do you remember where this herb was picked from?"
"This… This is also a herb?" Sean stared at the half black lotus petals and scratched his head with some doubt.
"Of course!"
"Aiya…" The simple and honest young man was very upset and slapped his forehead severely. With his magical beast-like strength, the slap went down with a loud rumbling clap. "The last time I went to pick the silverleaf, I picked up two of these as well. Later, I thought the flowers were too black and not good-looking. I was afraid that others would not buy them if I mixed them into the silverleaf, so I took them out and threw them away. If I'd known it earlier, I wouldn't have thrown them away…"
"…" Lin Li wanted to bang the wall all of a sudden.
Mixing the black lotus with the silverleaf, and then rejecting it because it was too black and unappealing… Was this what people would do?
"This is really a herb?" Seeing the strange expression on the Magic Shooter, Sean was much more cautious with his question.
"… Really."
"Aiya…" Sean slapped himself on the forehead again. "If I had known, I'd have picked up the other two as well!"
"What?" Lin Li jumped in surprise. "There are two more of it?"
Sean dared not be
careless seeing that Lin Li had asked with such prudence. He carefully recalled for a while and replied with uncertainty, "It might also be three flowers…"
"…" Lin Li felt all energy sapped from him. "Where is it…"
"It's in the Fire Plume Ridge. Usually, when I go there with my father for a task, we'll pick some herbs on the way and sell them when we're back."
"The Fire Plume Ridge in Alanna?" Lin Li faintly recalled that Andoine seemed to have mentioned this place before. It was said to be an extinct volcano.
It was actually possible if you thought about it. The temperature of the extinct volcano should be able to satisfy the extreme environment requirement for the growth of the black lotus; but, it seemed a little too much to grow four or five flowers all at a time. Or was that not merely an extinct volcano?
Chapter 97 - An Invite from Alanna
To some extent, the black lotus had gone beyond the scope of herbal medicine. Where it grew, it had to have rich fire magical element and an extreme temperature enough to melt steel. In the process of growing, the black lotus would continuously absorb the fire magical element around it until it fully matured.
This was a long process. It might take ten years for a black lotus to fully mature. During this long period of time, the fire magical element it absorbed was exceedingly huge in amount; the strength of it was even close to the magic of an Archmage.
This was already the case with one black lotus, let alone as many as four or five.
Lin Li couldn't believe that the Fire Plume Ridge could contain such amazing fire magical element.
"Sean, do you remember where you picked this herb?"
The big young man smiled and said, "It seemed to be in a cave, heh… I accidentally fell in."
In Lin Li's confused eyes, Sean began to talk about his experience.
