Blood Wine and the Eye Medicine

October. The morning breeze began to dissipate.

Sylutia crouched in the backyard fields, carefully examining the Swan Orchid that stood as tall as her arm.

Its emerald-green bulb was spindle-shaped, rooted in the loose soil, with long, pale green leaves branching out and curving naturally.

<strong>[Swan Orchid]</strong>(Good-53): Growing; humidity and light are suitable, ventilation is good.

Only "Good"? The girl gently touched the flower stalk, feeling a touch of disappointment.

She had assumed that by meeting all the necessary growth requirements for the Swan Orchid, the quality should have reached "Excellent."

It seemed things were not that simple.

If meeting the basic growth requirements wasn't enough, she would need to further refine its growth conditions to reach a state of optimal suitability. The problem was, how could she know under what conditions the Swan Orchid would thrive best?

Communicate with the plant? But the Swan Orchid was merely a plant, not a living creature, and it could not speak.

Wait—though the Swan Orchid could not speak, it was not an inanimate object either. Just as blood flowed through an animal's body with its own rhythm, plants had a fluid often called "nectar" flowing within them. If she could perceive this rhythm, perhaps she could understand its condition and help it flourish.

A spark of hope ignited in Sylutia. She placed her hand on the bulb of the Swan Orchid, closed her eyes, and focused, searching for that faint pulse.

Time passed...

After a long while, she opened her eyes and shook her head with a sense of letdown.

Plants and animals were vastly different; they lacked hearts, and therefore, they lacked any such thing as a pulse.

She would have to ask Scholar Heide.

The next day, after class, Sylutia went to Scholar Heide's study to ask about cultivating plants.

"It seems you've hit a bottleneck," Scholar Heide said, having anticipated this.

"Your problem is the same one faced by the earliest Gardeners several epochs ago."

"Unlike Fairies, who are naturally gifted at cultivating plants, humans and other beings must overcome the barrier of communication and understanding if they wish to learn how to cultivate extraordinary crops."

"There are two ways to go about this. The first is quite common: simply replicate the experience left behind by those who came before. The second is to understand each plant individually based on its specific condition and then make targeted adjustments."

"The latter is clearly more effective, but the difficulty is also very high. Most Gardeners use the first method during their First Order."

"That is why you can see an orchard where some fruits are of high quality while others are poor. All Gardeners can do is try their best to increase the base quantity so that high-quality fruits appear more frequently."

"I was actually going to suggest that you simply follow the established experience templates for now."

"However, after spending this time together, I know you wouldn't be satisfied with just following experience and waiting for luck," Scholar Heide said, stroking his beard with a knowing look.

"Yes, Teacher. Please, teach me." Seeing his confident expression, the girl knew her teacher certainly had a solution.

"Heh, you're always so affectionate when you call me 'Teacher' at times like this." The old man complained slightly; Sylutia rarely interacted with him in class, preferring to stay quietly in the corner and listen without volunteering answers.

"Very well, I won't make things difficult for you." He stood up, searched his bookshelf, and finally pulled out a volume.

Book of Pear Fruits (Transcript), authored by the Dweller in the Woods of the Fifth Epoch, detailing the cultivation process of the "Red Pear Fruit (Second Order)" and the methods for observing Red Pear trees.

He opened the book to a page and showed the contents to Sylutia.

<strong>[Formula for Emerald Eye Potion]</strong>(First Order): A magical potion to be dripped into the eyes; one of the seven basic ocular potions, allowing the user to perceive the delicate flows and states of plants.

"This is the formula for the Emerald Eye Potion. Usually, such secret knowledge is only given to you after graduation," Scholar Heide explained.

"Since you are in urgent need, I will teach it to you early. Once you graduate, there won't be any extra rewards, so don't blame this teacher for being stingy then."

"Brewing the 'Emerald Eye' potion requires some rare herbs. I can provide you with one set for free, but you will have to prepare the rest yourself," he added.

"I understand." Sylutia took the book and sat to the side, copying the potion formula onto paper.

Most of the herbs in the formula had no Aspect Power or order, but they were relatively rare. However, one key ingredient required fresh flower buds with the "First Order-Emerald Nectar" Aspect Power. That single ingredient alone cost nearly 70 silver. It was no wonder Scholar Heide couldn't be overly generous; if he sponsored every student like this, he likely couldn't sustain it.

The total cost of materials was around 90 silver, the girl estimated. This was in an ideal scenario; if any of the herbs proved hard to find, the cost would only rise.

"Thank you, Teacher." After finishing the copy, the girl bowed in gratitude.

"Now, take my note and go find Manson. He will have the materials ready for you in two days. The reason I am not giving you the money is that some of these materials are hard to purchase even if you have the coin."

Indeed, in Scholar Heide's name, one could easily obtain materials from various guilds and nobles in the city, but for someone unknown, it would be a thousand times more difficult.

While Sylutia was striving on her path as a Gardener, the other students in her cohort were also gradually forming their own plans.

"Mick, aren't you in class today? Why are you back?"

In a courtyard in the lower city, the members of the adventurer's squad saw the young man walk in.

"We don't have class today," Mick replied, though he was clearly preoccupied.

"Is Jero around?"

"Not at the moment. He's probably at the tavern."

"The tavern? I'll head over there, then."

Half an hour later, Mick finally found a drunken Jero in the dim tavern and helped him out.

"Jero, I have a favor to ask of you." He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"W-what is it... speak." Jero was still quite tipsy, his right hand waving wildly in the air, the force behind it nearly causing Mick to lose his footing while supporting him.

"It's like this, our academy has an assessment next month. If I place near the top, there will be a great reward." Mick gritted his teeth.

"So, I want to improve my strength to get a good result in the assessment, and that requires some help."

"Haha... what kind of help? Just say it." Jero sobered up a little at this.

"I need 'Blood Wine' to improve my Breathing Technique." Mick felt a bit ashamed; he seemed too reliant on this big brother, though they had no blood relation and had only met through adventuring work.

"Heh, I thought it was something major." Jero's thick palm clapped onto Mick's shoulder.

"Here, take it!" He fumbled with the inner lining of his belt and pulled out a gleaming gold coin.

The gold coin, a circular piece of metal emitting a pale golden luster, bore the pattern of a Cold-Feather Bird, indicating it originated from the northern Winter Kingdom.

Mick looked at the coin, his heart filled with complex emotions: gratitude, nervousness, guilt, and a sliver of anticipation.

Clutching the coin, still warm from Jero's body, Mick helped him back to his room in the small courtyard to rest.

After settling things with his friend, Mick left with the coin and headed to the Adventurers Guild. There, the guild sold "Blood Wine," a medicinal liquor refined from the blood of beasts with an Aspect Power of First Order or higher. It could enhance abilities related to the "Blood Law" Aspect Power and was also highly suitable for training Breathing Techniques.

"With this, I can break through to the second stage of my Breathing Technique within a month." Mick walked out clutching the blood-red bottle, making a silent resolve in his heart.

Once he had the strength, he would definitely repay Big Brother Jero.