Purchasing Utensils

When he reached the last room and stepped inside, Dole saw several rows of tall medicine cabinets, each labeled by category with the names of various medicinal herbs.

A large table stood just inside the door, with stools on either side.

The shopkeeper warmly gestured to Dole with a smile. "Sit wherever you like. Let me see what goods you've got."

Dole could not gauge the shopkeeper's depth, so he disguised himself as a dull, taciturn child. He untied his bundle, set it on the table, and opened it himself.

Some of these herbs had been dug up when he had first started, without the proper techniques, and looked to be in poor condition. But others had been gathered later, with great care and skill. Several were of quite high grade, things ordinary hunters or herb farmers could never come into contact with.

As Dole opened the bundle, the shopkeeper sat across from him and inspected each item one by one. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but whenever he saw damaged herbs, the corners of his mouth twitched incessantly.

These herbs the boy had brought were truly excellent, but his harvesting techniques were dreadful. Some were second-grade herbs—there were even third-grade ones among them—and that made the shopkeeper's eyes light up.

A few first-grade herbs would only fetch one copper coin, after all. They were meant for ordinary people and could not be too expensive. But medicinal materials above the second grade were costly, worth dozens of copper coins per pound. Third-grade materials were priced directly in silver coins, and the older they were, the more valuable they became. He spotted a red herb among them: Blood True Grass. It could strengthen one's vitality and blood, and was useful even to first-level warriors.

But that herb had been damaged, its medicinal potency greatly diminished. The shopkeeper was so heartsick it felt as though his heart were bleeding.

He looked at Dole with an unfriendly expression. "Did you gather these, or did someone in your family gather them?"

Dole had watched the shopkeeper's gaze the entire time. With his sharp senses, he naturally knew what the man had noticed. He smiled. "Boss, you mean my gathering technique was terrible and I damaged the herbs, right?" He picked the Blood True Grass out of the bundle. "This was my first time seeing this herb, so I was a bit rough with it. But if I come across it again, it won't happen next time."

The shopkeeper was startled. This boy actually recognized such an herb?

"You know medicinal herbs?"

Dole had already prepared his answer. "My family has been herb farmers for generations, so I recognize some herbs. If my father hadn't died so early, leaving so many things untaught, I could have done even better."

The shopkeeper nodded. "I understand."

He counted all the herbs and said, "I'll give you three gold coins for all of this. Is that acceptable?"

Dole nodded. Many of these herbs had been collected in places people did not even dare enter, and they were rarely seen on the market. Three gold coins was already a great deal.

"About what I expected. If I find other herbs in the future, I'll come to you again."

Three gold coins was not actually much for an ordinary herb farmer. When they went into the mountains to gather herbs, some had to gamble with their lives. They also had to buy equipment and cover daily wear and losses, which cost a great deal. They might earn gold coins from selling herbs, but once they went back and bought everything else they needed, their income was still only silver coins.

The greater the investment, the greater the returns. These herbs were worth that price.

With Bal by his side, Dole's concept of money had shifted from whether he had a lot to whether he had enough. No matter how much money he had, it would never be enough for refining medicine and conducting experiments. Three gold coins seemed like a lot—more than he could have earned in a lifetime just a few months ago—but buying a set of experimental equipment and renting a better house would burn through it in no time.

Money was still not enough!

Then something occurred to him. "I want to learn how to make ordinary medicinal ointments. I'd like to buy a batch of beakers, droppers, filters, alcohol lamps, and things like that. Do you have them here?"

The shopkeeper let out a scornful laugh. "You're looking down on us, aren't you? Of course we have all that. It's all cheap stuff. A complete set of ordinary equipment for extracting medicine will cost you one gold coin."

The batch of herbs Dole had provided was of high quality, and the shopkeeper wanted a long-term partnership, so he quoted a low price. Still, there was profit in it for him.

Three gold coins minus one left only two gold coins. Fortunately, there was still some left over.

Dole breathed a sigh of relief. "All right. Then I'll pick out some other herbs, and we can settle the bill afterward."

The shopkeeper nodded. "Fine. Let me ask one more question—are you planning to become a doctor?"

Dole shook his head. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the savage scars beneath. "When gathering herbs in the mountains, wounds are unavoidable. I make these for my own use. My father once saved a doctor and got several formulas from him. They're all for personal use."

The shopkeeper's heart clenched when he saw Dole's arm. He could naturally tell those were scrape wounds, scraped so badly that even the skin had been torn away. Yet this youth had mentioned such horrifying injuries as if they were nothing. His temperament was truly extraordinary.

There were not many youths with such a good disposition these days. He said, "Wait here a moment. I'll throw in a little something extra for you. It's not worth much."

The two left the back room and returned to the main hall. Dole went to find the herbs he needed, while the shopkeeper returned to the counter.

A short while later, Dole had selected his herbs and came to the counter. The shopkeeper gave him a book.

It was a complete guide to medicinal herbs.

After settling the bill, Dole still had fifty silver coins left. After thanking the shopkeeper, he carried a large box and quickly left the herb shop with the honest-looking Bal.

One man and one dog walked down the street, bored out of their minds.

Dole had fifty silver coins on him now. It looked like a lot, but once he truly started spending, it would vanish in no time. He had just earned three gold coins, which sounded like a huge sum—perhaps more money than a poor man could earn in his entire life—but it had gone quickly too. A set of medical equipment and more than ten portions of herbs for mental power had cost him a full two and a half gold coins. It was practically robbery.

What a pity he had not been born into a wealthy family.

The man and dog wandered through the streets. Dole bought a hooded outfit, then some other necessities, along with food, salt, seasonings, a machete, and various odds and ends. He spent about six silver coins in all before slowly making his way to the slums. He planned to make do there for the night and leave again tomorrow.

For the near future, he did not intend to live in the city. He planned to remain outside it, and Bal had already picked out a location for him: deep inside Bianchi Mine. There had once been magic crystal slag there, so there had to be more left within. The Ability Society had set its sights on the mountain he had used before; going there again would probably be courting death. He would switch to another mountain and stay outside the city. Besides, he could gather herbs in the mountains to practice with, which was inconvenient to do in the city.

Disguise ointment alone would not be enough. If he wanted to kill Aoduo and his son, he needed poison, and he also needed potions to conceal his tracks and hide his presence. He had to make them outside the city, then return for revenge.

Again and again, he told himself not to rush. Do not rush.

Duomeng Mountain was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only a single valley leading out. Duomeng City's walls were tall and broad, built to guard against attacks by beasts from the mountains and other creatures. Such incidents had happened many times every year long ago, though they had become much rarer now.

There were many formidable creatures in the mountains—ones that flew through the sky and ones that crawled upon the ground. Although Duomeng City was human territory, the mountains were still the domain of beasts and other creatures.

Those powerful beasts, as well as intelligent creatures, were collectively called magic beasts.

By rights, Bal also counted as a magic beast, a very terrifying existence. But Dole glanced at Bal, and the corner of his mouth could not help twitching. He remembered how he had kept petting the dog before.