Phil's Herb Shop

To Gao De, being called a genius was hardly unfamiliar. Ever since childhood, everyone around him had praised him that way.

But his genius lay in mathematics, which seemed to mean little in the world of magic.

His predecessor's talent in Herbology was what was truly useful right now.

Mage Seda could sell Novice Spider Venom for 2 gold per set of three small bottles.

That was based on the premise that Mage Seda possessed a certain level of strength and could supply the goods steadily.

There was obviously no way he could get that price by selling small quantities himself, but it would not be much lower. More importantly, it would all be pure profit, with no costs whatsoever.

"What a pity," Gao De could not help sighing.

Besides his outstanding talent in Herbology, his predecessor had also been far more cunning than most people.

Gao De was not the only one who could remain clear-headed in such an environment.

His predecessor had been one as well.

Like Gao De, he had refused to muddle through life while waiting for his destined fate to descend. Instead, he had tried to change his own fate.

He had begun preparing early to escape the predicament he faced, and through his own talent, he had miraculously found a way forward.

—As long as he had money, it might not have been impossible to find a way to remove the Tracking Mark.

But unfortunately, before he could save enough money, Mage Seda had chosen him to test potions.

Time waited for no one.

If his predecessor had been given a little more time, perhaps he really could have created a miracle of his own.

"Since I've been given a second chance, I'll definitely succeed this time."

With the savings his predecessor had left behind, the freedom he had just secured to enter and leave the herb garden, and "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow," that once-tiny hope had finally begun to come into view.

After eating the standard dinner of Rye Bread and pea soup once again, Gao De left the herb garden with Emil before nightfall, carrying a stuffed pack.

Inside were five sets of Novice Spider Venom, which he was taking to an elixir shop in the city.

This had originally been Ilan's job. After Gao De stabbed Ilan to death, it had naturally fallen into his hands.

Because of the Tracking Mark, Mage Seda was not worried about the apprentices running away. Under normal circumstances, he did not restrict their movements. To save himself trouble, he had also confidently entrusted the task of delivering potions to Ilan.

Of course, Mage Seda had negotiated the prices himself. Ilan had merely been responsible for making the deliveries.

Mage Seda's herb garden was located in the Outskirts of Hogan City.

Establishing a herb garden required a vast stretch of fertile land.

As an Elixirist, Mage Seda had many ways to make money, but his expenses were equally enormous. He could not afford to spend lavishly.

So even in a place like Hogan City, equivalent to some obscure small county town from Gao De's previous life, Mage Seda could only choose the cheaper Outskirts for his herb garden.

Gao De's destination, meanwhile, was Hogan City's commercial district.

In most cases, a city's commercial district was located in its best area.

Hogan City was no exception.

Its commercial district lay right in the center of the city.

Although Hogan City was not particularly large, the herb garden was indeed quite remote.

Walking from the herb garden to the commercial district took roughly an hour.

A round trip would take two hours.

Before crossing over, Gao De had had many means of transportation for a journey like this.

The subway, buses, even taxis.

Walking was the one thing he would never have considered.

But here, he had only one form of transportation—his own two legs.

Although this world also had horse-drawn carriages, the problem was that rentals started at one hour, with an initial price of 2 silver. After that, every additional five minutes cost another 6 copper.

At those prices, only Mage Seda had the right to ride in one. It had nothing to do with lowly apprentices like them.

Hogan City gave Gao De one first impression, summed up in three words: utterly run-down.

As they walked, the roads twisted and turned without the slightest sign of planning, and most of them were extremely narrow.

Since it had rained two days ago, filthy water flowed across many stretches of road, while discarded trash could be seen everywhere.

A suffocating sense of confinement and crowding pressed in from all sides.

Most pedestrians they encountered along the way hurried past as though they had urgent business.

Gao De knew that these pedestrians were mostly workers from the city's factories. They had to get home before dark, finish their chores as quickly as possible, and go to bed so they could save as much kerosene as they could.

As they entered the impoverished residential area on the edge of Hogan City, the stench in the air grew increasingly overwhelming. Along the roadside, they could see many ragged poor people doing temporary work after losing steady employment, as well as wandering beggar children.

Gao De and Emil had come from here as well.

It was chaotic, poor, and densely populated.

There were also plenty of thieves.

Gao De instinctively gripped the ties of his pack, bent forward slightly, and quickened his pace. Led by Emil, he lowered his head and made his way through the disorderly streets.

Though he could barely be considered a Mage Apprentice and had mastered two cantrips, neither possessed any offensive power. They were mainly utility spells, and combined with his less-than-strong body, they left Gao De no choice but to proceed carefully.

That was why Gao De had brought Emil along.

His predecessor had left him only knowledge. His current situation was like that of an amnesiac.

In other words, he did not know the way.

They continued onward. Only after the stench in the air gradually faded and the houses on either side became much brighter did Gao De straighten his back again and look ahead.

They were now in Hogan City's commoner residential district. Once they crossed this area, they would reach the commercial district.

After walking for another twenty minutes or so, Gao De finally arrived at the commercial district before night fell.

Hogan City's commercial district was very prosperous. Since the sky had already darkened, the streetlights lining both sides of the road had been lit.

Every one of those streetlights was a Magic Crystal Lamp, powered by a strange crystal called a magic crystal. They were far brighter than kerosene lamps.

They were in the same city, separated by only thirty or forty minutes of walking. On one side, people were reluctant to light lamps at night just to save a little kerosene, while on the other, the more expensive Magic Crystal Lamps shone through the entire night.

It was as though they were two different worlds.

The streets of the commercial district were wide and clean.

Enticing aromas drifted from the upscale restaurants lining the road.

When they passed a bakery called "Pand's Bakery," the sweet scent of freshly baked pastries and biscuits drifting from inside made both Gao De and Emil, who had eaten Rye Bread all day, instinctively swallow.

But the prices displayed on the signboard outside meant they could only walk past without looking sideways—the cheapest maple syrup cake cost 6 round copper coins for even a small serving.

Every pedestrian on the street wore fine clothing. Men's attire was rather drab, usually brown or black, while the dresses of ladies and young women were much brighter, with varied colors and lavish decorations.

Emil had once again bent slightly at the waist, lowered his head, and quickened his pace, just as he had in the Slums.

But it was not quite the same.

Gao De, on the other hand, looked around with great interest, taking in the "exotic" scenery that he could never have seen in his previous life.

Following the street numbers, Emil led Gao De to their destination.

"Phil's Herb Shop."

It was a medium-sized shop that occupied numbers 18, 19, and 20 on the street. Its sign was large, and there was another signboard standing outside the entrance.

"Phil's Herb Shop is recruiting diligent herb gatherers."

"Thornweed will soon reach maturity. As this herb grows on high mountains, has an extremely short harvesting period, and is in high demand, we urgently need to hire five to ten physically fit and hardworking temporary herb gatherers."

"This work requires traveling into the mountains, sleeping outdoors, and following the instructions of this shop's Elixirist."

"Payment will be based on the quantity and quality of herbs collected. This shop will provide necessary field equipment and food."

"Interested applicants, please come to the shop for an interview as soon as possible."

"..."

It was a notice recruiting temporary laborers.

Thornweed was an herb with tiny thorns on its surface. Its medicinal effect was restoring stamina. Dried Thornweed was commonly used as a supplementary ingredient in stamina recovery potions.

Stamina recovery potions were among the best-selling low-tier potions, so when Thornweed reached maturity, elixir shops generally harvested it in large quantities and dried it for storage to ensure a stable supply throughout the year.

Knowledge about Thornweed flashed through Gao De's mind.

He moved his gaze away from the signboard and strode into Phil's Herb Shop.

This was the buyer Mage Seda had negotiated with.

Since the details had already been settled and this was not their first time working together, and since Gao De was only responsible for delivery, the transaction went smoothly.

After entering the shop and stating his identity and purpose, he handed the five sets of Novice Spider Venom to a clerk. In return, he received a "delivery receipt" stamped with Phil's Herb Shop's seal, completing his task for the trip.

—The money did not pass through Gao De's hands. Every so often, Mage Seda would bring the delivery receipts here himself to collect payment.

"Gao De?" After leaving Phil's Herb Shop, Emil saw Gao De looking around as if searching for something.

Gao De came back to his senses.

Mage Seda's Novice Spider Venom had already been delivered, but the set of Novice Spider Venom that belonged to him was still lying quietly in his pack.

Gao De did not remember where his predecessor had sold those potions before, but it was no big deal. He could establish a new channel himself.

"Emil, I want to look around a little more. You should head back first," he said, turning to Emil.

Emil froze, then instinctively said, "It's already so late. There aren't any Magic Crystal Lamps in the Slums."

Gao De reconsidered and realized that made sense. This world was not like his previous one, where public safety could be guaranteed. Especially in a place like the Slums, it was safer to travel together.

He took 6 copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Emil's hand. "Wait for me outside Pand's Bakery. Once I'm done looking around, I'll come find you, and then we'll head back together."

"Gao De." Emil was not surprised that Gao De had money. Instead, he urged, "Since Mage Seda's potion succeeded, we should be able to live stable lives now. You have the greatest talent among us. Mage Seda will definitely value you."

"Are you sure?" Gao De was not surprised that Emil knew something. He merely asked in return.

After all, they lived under the same roof. It would have been strange if Emil knew nothing at all.

"Probably," Emil muttered, looking extremely guilty.

Clearly, he understood Mage Seda's character as well. He was only deceiving himself deep down.

"I killed Ilan, so I've already offended Mage Seda. Besides, no matter what happens, things can't get any worse, can they?" Gao De said. Then he turned and walked away. "I'll be back to find you soon."