Channels (Part 2)

A week passed in the blink of an eye. During that week, Romon expanded the scope of his activities a little. Accompanied by Yvette, he took a stroll through the market.

Aps City was, after all, different from Rika Town. It already had a permanent market, which opened and closed on schedule each day with the morning and evening bells of the Temple of the Goddess of Agriculture. A curfew was enforced after nightfall.

This leisurely atmosphere unique to the medieval era made Romon, who had been used to staying up late on Earth, feel especially at ease. Living and eating in harmony with the changes of nature was indeed highly beneficial for an individual.

The work at the workshop was fairly flexible. Once they completed their assigned tasks, they could freely use the rest of their time. For the mage Sackville and his apprentice Alec, their business was, in Earth terms, highly technical work. Treating hired workers like they were in a sweatshop was neither necessary nor practical.

That afternoon was one of the rare clear days of winter. Perhaps because of the weather, Romon was in an unusually good mood. He finished three bottles of healing potion in one morning. After enchanting the Solidifying Agent, the sensation of mental power scattering through his body like flowing water swept over him. This feeling of extreme fatigue, inability to focus, and difficulty falling asleep was unpleasant. Thus, whether forging magical weapons or preparing alchemical potions, casters were unwilling to repeat the process purely for money. But for low-level casters, this was about the only work that was low-risk and paid quickly.

However, Romon had his own secret method.

The first time he experienced the mental pain caused by repeated enchantments, the first thing Romon thought of was the Ginseng grown in the Shennong Horn. The belief in Ginseng's ability to greatly replenish vital energy, strengthen the spleen and lungs, promote fluids and quench thirst, calm the mind, and improve intelligence had practically become part of Chinese genetic code. But what effects did the medicinal Ginseng commonly available on the market really have? One only needed to see that wild Ginseng was already a nationally protected rare and endangered plant to understand.

After obtaining the Shennong Horn, Romon had planted many miraculous herbs that frequently appeared in martial arts novels, such as Ginseng, Snow Lotus, Lingzhi, Fleeceflower Root, and Solomon's Seal. Of course, the final result was that the products grown in this space seemed somewhat more effective than those sold outside. But the idea that eating them could grant a hundred years of inner power was nothing but fantasy.

Perhaps the Shennong Horn did not possess the ability to rapidly accelerate plant growth.

But the effects of taking Ginseng slices were obvious. They significantly improved his mental state after enchanting, so Romon would even chew a slice while enchanting. Of course, to conceal it, he would also put some White-Spot Leaf, commonly used by casters, into his mouth. This very cheap plant produced an intensely pungent flavor, like mustard, stimulating the nerves and mind.

"Romon." Yvette stood beside him and called out sweetly.

At that moment, Romon was squatting without the slightest regard for appearances beneath the wall beside Sackville's shop, basking in the sun. If he had been given a sheepskin coat and tucked his hands into his sleeves, he would have looked exactly like an old farmer from northwest China.

Romon smiled as he looked Yvette up and down. His smile was somewhat lazy, utterly different from his usual manner.

"Yvette, you have to protect me. My head is spinning right now." In truth, Romon was chewing Ginseng at the moment. Though he still felt somewhat languid mentally, there was no longer much discomfort. Still, being protected by a woman once in a while was quite a nice experience.

"If you don't feel well, get some sleep first. If you can't sleep, I'll give you a massage." Yvette spoke softly and gently. The two of them had grown much closer.

Because warriors spent so much time training their muscles, they were generally quite skilled at using massage to relieve fatigue. However, it could not compare at all to Chinese therapeutic massage from Earth, which incorporated meridians and acupuncture points.

Yvette had said this because Romon had taught her several common health massage techniques used by office workers on Earth. In Romon's view, having a beautiful woman carefully massage him was simply wonderful.

Yet to Yvette, Romon's actions carried a different meaning.

This was an era with an extreme shortage of information and painfully slow technological development. In such an age, any technique could be said to be the foundation upon which a family or clan survived. Therefore, in Yvette's eyes, Romon teaching her a skill for relieving mental fatigue was enough to explain everything.

Sometimes, love was born from misunderstandings, even if only on one side.

"No need." Romon held out a hand. "Give me a hand. Let's go to the market."

Yvette pulled Romon up, and he took the opportunity to fall into her arms, drawing a cry from the girl.

"Romon, you're bullying Yvette again." Mage Alec walked out of the shop with a smile. The brilliant sunlight outside made him squint slightly.

"Alec, I'm getting revenge for you. Didn't you always say that Yvette used to mess up your notes when she was little, and use your robe as a cape or something?" As his relationship with Yvette deepened, Romon had gradually become familiar with Alec as well. Moreover, Feiqi had visited once during this time and specifically brought Romon along to treat Alec to a meal, so Romon's form of address had changed too.

"Alec, you actually told Romon all that!" The girl stamped her foot angrily, secretly glancing at Romon. She was worried that hearing about what she had done as a child would make him think differently of her.

"Hehe. Half the day has already passed at the market. If you're going, you'd better hurry. Romon, remember to buy Yvette some jewelry to make her happy!" Alec pursed his lips and changed the subject.

"How could I forget?" Romon answered with a smile. Yvette had already run ahead shyly, and Romon hurriedly waved goodbye to Alec.

The market in Aps City was located in the south of the city. By the time Romon and Yvette arrived hand in hand, as Alec had warned, more than half the people had already left.

"Let's take a look at the jewelry shop first." Romon turned his head and said to Yvette.

Yvette shook her head. "Let's go to the potion shop first."

Romon said with a smile, "I'm not necessarily going there to find anything. I just want to broaden my horizons. Come on."

As he spoke, he dragged Yvette toward the jewelry shop.

The girl's face reddened, her heart filled with sweetness.

After leaving the jewelry shop, Yvette lovingly played with the silver hair ornament Romon had bought her. "Romon, wasn't this a little expensive? You still owe a large debt." She looked up at him uneasily.

"Do I need to worry about a mere debt of 450 silver coins?" Romon deliberately leaned close to her ear and blew warm breath into it.

Yvette squealed and dodged away. The two of them frolicked as they made their way near the potion shop.

The potions sold by potion shops were closer to medicines on Earth. They emphasized fully drawing out the natural properties of herbs, making them completely different from the alchemical potions Romon produced for Mage Sackville. Potion shops also sold various herbal ingredients.

Bang! Someone rolled out of the potion shop. Both Romon and Yvette recognized him. It was Jacob Yullen, the youngest son of Baron Ibi Yullen of Galle Town and the hired worker Sackville had driven away.

However, Jacob no longer showed even a trace of his former arrogant bearing. Although his clothes still appeared to be of decent style and material, they were filthy and torn in many places.

The potion shop owner, Isolt, came out of the store cursing. "Jacob, you bastard! I only took you in out of respect for the late Baron Yullen, but last time you actually mixed Arrowhead Grass into the Bluegrass and sold it to me! I've been an apothecary in Aps City for twenty years. Whenever people mention the potions made by Isolt, who doesn't give a thumbs-up? But because there was a problem with that batch of Bluegrass, I lost face before my peers and ruined my reputation in the city. Out of consideration for the help Baron Yullen gave me back then, I, Isolt, wiped the spit people threw in my face and let it go. But you bastard, this time you actually had the nerve to bring another batch of Bluegrass mixed with Arrowhead Grass and try to sell it to me! Do you take me, Isolt, for a brain-damaged Goblin?"

Isolt's face was flushed purplish-red with rage. He waved his large hands, mottled with discoloration from years of preparing potions, while spittle flew everywhere. Curious onlookers gradually began gathering around.

Romon quietly tugged Yvette, signaling for them to retreat into the crowd.

Baron Ibi Yullen was dead, and Jacob's older brother Lance had secured the final victory. But Jacob, this piece of trash... Romon could not help spitting on the ground. He really was hopeless. He had fallen this far so quickly.

Comparing Jacob with his own journey, Romon truly felt that Jacob was beyond useless.

"Let's go back." Romon turned his head and whispered to Yvette.

"Romon, that Jacob is disgusting. Even someone as mild-tempered as Isolt was angered to this extent by him." Yvette pursed her lips. "Let's take another turn around, then come back to look at the herbs."

"No need." Romon spoke calmly. He cast one last glance at the bundle of Bluegrass Isolt had thrown outside, then turned and left with Yvette.

After Arrowhead Grass was soaked in oil containing Blue Lightstone powder, it became nearly identical to Bluegrass in both appearance and smell. Unscrupulous merchants always liked to use cheap Arrowhead Grass to pass it off as Bluegrass.

Romon remembered that an herb called Fine Rice Grass on Earth bore an astonishing resemblance to Butterfly Grass in this world. Butterfly Grass was a common poison ingredient, and there had been some among the poison materials seized during the raid on the Thieves' Guild.

A grass that closely resembled Butterfly Grass, as an entirely new species, should qualify for the black-market channel in Old Vilen's hands. And its origin would be easy to conceal as well...