Chapter 44: Return, The Herbalist

After the Infernal Tiger’s demise, Ain and Hugo admired the distant towering Stargazing Agathis one last time before commencing their return.

It was late afternoon, the blue skies still bright and clear. They’d already left Blueheart Lake behind, exiting the surrounding forest into the vast undulating grasslands. Their journey was largely uneventful with Ace’s prudent scouting. Aside from accumulating more Misty Herbs, they’d avoided unnecessary encounters, whether it be spirit beasts or other spirit masters.

Two fluxboards drifted above the grass at great speeds. In the raucous cacophony of refreshing wind, Hugo shouted, “Ain! It’s still early! Let’s hunt some Wind Horned Rabbits! I saw some on my way here!”

Ain glanced at the sunlit canvas before replying, “Sure.”

He’d also discovered the Wind Horned Rabbits earlier. These long-eared white rabbits had a green horn adorning their foreheads. With a max quality of Noble, they were a regular sight in the grassland. He’d even eaten their meat at The Red Baron. As a spirit master, his meals naturally consisted of spirit beast meat, a perk of staying at an establishment specifically designed for spirit masters.

Upon Ain’s prompt agreement, Hugo revealed a grin, advising loudly, “Wind Horned Rabbits are pretty weak! I hunted a few in the forest near Duskfield City! The ones at Rank-1 can use Wind Horn where they release small wind spears from their horns!”

Ain nodded to express understanding. About twenty minutes later, the duo finally encountered some Wind Horned Rabbits. It was Ace who discovered them in the distance.

“There are eight of them. Should be easy,” stated Hugo while decelerating.

“Let’s stay on our fluxboards,” suggested Ain.

“Sounds good.”

“Nox, I’ll leave two of them to you.”

“Wooo…!” Nox immediately uncoiled from around his neck. It was eager for more combat.

“Ace, you too! Let’s take care of two each!” Hugo yelled at the sky.

“Scree!” Ace descended with a sharp cry, expressing its readiness. Several pairs of rabbit ears suddenly perked up in the distance.

“Welp. You just alerted the rabbits,” Hugo glanced at his Grand Eagle disapprovingly. The Wind Horned Rabbits possessed superb auditory senses. They also held extreme vigilance against avian spirit beasts.

“Scree!” Ace resisted the accusation. They’d be discovered upon approach regardless, it argued.

“Let’s go,” urged Ain, accelerating towards their escaping targets. Hugo and Ace desisted the light-hearted banter and followed along. The Wind Horned Rabbits were agile, but the fluxboards were faster. Just seconds later, various spells and skills bombarded the huddled rabbits. Nox couldn’t even approach before the hunt concluded!

“Wooo…!” Nox scurried back, whining childishly. It didn’t have any ranged skills!

Ain suppressed a laugh and firmly patted its soft body while consoling, “Don’t worry, you’ll have ranged skills soon. If there are more rabbits ahead, we’ll especially leave some for you.”

Hugo chuckled at the sight, saying, “Yeah, let’s do that.”

Their journey resumed after this brief interlude. They encountered Wind Horned Rabbits thrice before returning to Heart City. With their deliberate effort, Nox was able to use Phantom Claws to hunt some of the rabbits.

“Finally, we’re back,” voiced Hugo while entering the city, relaxing his vigilance. Unsummoning Ace, he said, “Let’s head over to the Spirit Master Association to complete our missions.”

Ain agreed, “Okay, let’s go.” Nox had returned to acting as a scarf. Of course, it could never truly disguise itself with its gaseous form. Ten minutes later, the duo entered the familiar Mission Hall before awaiting their turn. Soon, they reached the wide counter. The female attendant smiled, “Hello, how can I assist you?”

With Ain’s quiet personality, Hugo naturally took the lead, “We’ve completed our missions.”

“Please provide your identification,” replied the attendant.

Hugo proceeded to exchange the Infernal Tiger’s crystallized eyes, receiving 60,000 starcoins for his mission. Afterwards, Ain submitted ten Sun Poppies as well. With 9,000 starcoins per flower, he received a total of 90,000 starcoins. The market price of these items was slightly higher. As such, he’d retained the excess Sun Poppies to be sold elsewhere.

The two exited the Spirit Master Association. Ain thought of Wisdom Root’s most recent response.

[Quest: First Mission (Completed)]

[Description: Complete your first mission from the Spirit Master Association.]

[Reward: Heavenly Whispers x5]

“That makes it fifteen,” he noted internally. He’d obtained ten Heavenly Whispers today. In contrast, the past three weeks without new quests were miserable. Amidst his ruminations, Hugo glanced at the evening dome above and said, “You got plans on where to sell the loot?”

“Not really.” Ain replied.

“How about Liberty Firm then? It’s from my hometown,” suggested Hugo.

“That’s fine. I’ve been there a few times,” responded Ain. He knew of Hugo roots in Duskfield City from his previous recount. It was the same city where Liberty Firm originated.

“Great. I got Ace from Liberty Firm in Duskfield City. It’s a good place.” Hugo smiled widely.

Soon, they headed towards the hoverbus station. Halfway there, suddenly, someone intercepted their path. It was a figure in an embellished black cloak with green herbal patterns. The pair paused abruptly, their vigilance proliferating. A suspicious figure blocking their path didn’t seem auspicious. Ain raised his guard, scrutinizing the abrupt newcomer. He noticed some characters etched into the figure’s cloak.

Herbalist? Wait, is this the same Herbalist that Elric mentioned? Ain suddenly realized. He thought of his encounter with Elric Hyfner, the Arcane Enforcer who’d saved him. He’d been advised to contact Elric if he had a run-in with the Herbalist. He'd searched “The Herbalist” on Cyberspace with no relevant results.

“Hey, you two. You plan on joining Arcane Heart, right?” The Herbalist abruptly asked. With a face shrouded in darkness, the voice eluded to a young man. Such cloaked figures weren’t rare with the chaotic fashion spirit masters abided to. Except for cursory glances, the passersby didn’t seem concerned.

“Um… Yeah,” replied Hugo carefully. He wasn’t too anxious. They were in a busy street in broad daylight.

“Ha, of course you are. I was just asking. I mean, look at you. Anybody can tell you’re here to join Arcane Heart.” The Herbalist responded satirically. He continued, “Most don’t get in, by the way.”

“So, what’s it to you?” Hugo was offended.

“Well, let me tell you. I got something that can help you,” said the Herbalist with a cryptic aura.

“Oh? What is it? Don’t tell me you’re handing out enrollment tokens for free.” Hugo said sarcastically.

“Hahaha! Definitely not for free but I’m not talking about those. Here, take a look at these.” The Herbalist casually dismissed Hugo’s remark. He raised a gloved palm, revealing a half-folded paper. Two black pills rested within.

“I’m talking about these—hey, black-haired kid! Wait till I’m gone before you call Elric!” The Herbalist suddenly switched mid-sentence, his voice dripping with annoyance. Ain looked up from his hololink innocently. After ascertaining the Herbalist’s identity, he began messaging Elric with a nonchalant expression. He’d succeeded.

“Tch. Kids don’t appreciate good things these days. There’s also that bastard Elric! Once! It was only once that I accidentally sold him some faulty pills! Now he’s hounding me like a lonely dog!” The Herbalist clicked his tongue irritably. “Anyways, here. I’ll give you a free sample each. I bet you’ll be begging me to sell you more next time.”

The Herbalist stashed the folded paper into Hugo’s collar before vanishing into the shadows of a nearby building. Hugo watched on dumbfoundedly, unable to react in time. “What was that?”

Ain’s nerves relaxed as he responded, “The Herbalist. I don’t know much about him. An Arcane Enforcer I met was looking for him.”

“Arcane Enforcer? The ones from Arcane Heart University?” inquired Hugo curiously.

“Yeah,” answered Ain briefly.

Hugo fished out the folded paper, holding the pills cautiously, “These pills are obviously trouble. They could be the reason why the Arcane Enforcers are after him.”

“Well, the Herbalist just said he sold pills to the Arcane Enforcer, so…” Ain started unsurely. “Let me see the pills,” he added in the end. Hugo readily handed over the pills.

[Name: Spark of Inevitability]

[Aspect: Aspectless]

[Rank: Rank-1]

[Grade: Superior]

[Aspect Traces: Wood 7.0%, Fire 6.5%, Earth 6.3%, …]

[Description: An extraordinary elixir with ancient origins. It is capable of automatically circulating aether during sleep. To activate it, consume the elixir and circulate a meditation technique before sleeping. It has a duration of six hours. Only effective for Rank-1.]

What? Ain's eyes twitched. Automatic meditation? How is this a bad elixir? It’s divine!

Spirit masters weren’t devoid of the need to sleep, at least Rank-1 Spirit Masters like Ain weren’t. They could just function longer without it. Daily sleep was still greatly desired. Just these past three weeks, Ain had slept for nearly a hundred and fifty hours. How much progress would he have made if he’d meditated for that entire duration?

With some effort, he restrained his shock at the Spark of Inevitability. Scan was one of his greatest secrets. He couldn’t casually divulge the elixir’s description to Hugo without a reasonable excuse.

“Whoa!” As Ain debated over his choices, Hugo suddenly exclaimed. “Ain! Look at this! The paper says the pills can allow you to automatically mediate during sleep! You just have to consume them and circulate your meditation technique before sleeping! You think it’s true?!”

Ain looked at Hugo, finally revealing his astonishment. So the description was also on that paper?

Although he’d confirmed it with Scan, he still couldn’t validate the information for Hugo. How was he supposed to know?

“I don’t know,” replied Ain thoughtfully before saying, “Let’s wait for the Arcane Enforcer I called. He should know more.”