The Mages' Guild had returned to its usual tranquility today, without nearly as many people as there had been at the start of the month.
Zeliel walked along the guild's tree-lined path, only occasionally seeing mages pass by.
He made his way familiarly through the Silverglow Trees, entered the small building, and knocked on the door to Mentor Manlin's office.
Manlin's voice soon came from within.
"Come in."
Zeliel pushed open the door.
As usual, Mentor Manlin was drinking tea while studying ancient books.
But today, she wore a pair of glasses over her high nose bridge, making her seem even more scholarly and refined.
"What is it, Zeliel?" Mentor Manlin glanced up at him.
"Mentor Manlin, I found quite a few interesting plants while I was out completing a mission, so I thought I'd bring them for you to identify." Zeliel hefted the cloth bag in his hand.
"Really? Take them out and let me see." Manlin became somewhat interested.
Zeliel opened the cloth bag and placed the plants he had collected one by one on the table covered with a white cloth.
Manlin casually picked one up and began identifying it.
"Hmm... this is a pansy. It has no magical effects. At most, its petals can be ground into powder for dye."
"This is cat's-claw vine. It's mildly poisonous, and only hunters would use it to coat their arrowheads."
"This is sunwarm grass. It absorbs the sun's heat during the day and slowly releases it at night. Quite a few people gather it for warmth in winter, but that's about all it does..."
After examining several plants with little use, Manlin found it rather amusing.
"Zeliel, why are you like a little dog? You pick up whatever you find and bring it back for me to look at."