The Final Preparations (Part 1)

Early March, the beginning of spring.

The herbs in Romon's space were finally ready to be harvested again.

Though the outside world constantly cycled through the four seasons, the climate within Shennong Horn Space remained eternally poised between warm spring and summer.

This time, Romon would harvest even more herbs than before. With winter not yet fully over and medicinal herbs scarce on the market, this would definitely earn him a substantial sum.

Leaving town, he came to a clearing in the forest. After looking around and making sure no one was nearby, Romon lay flat on the dry grass he had prepared beforehand.

Warm sunlight shone over him as the great Light Orb hanging in the air of Shennong Horn Space steadily gathered power.

Romon's consciousness immediately entered the space.

At this time, nearly all the plants in the space were ready for harvest. The fruit trees hung heavy with ripe fruit, releasing wave after wave of tempting fragrance.

Plump fish swam continuously through the creek. As for the large plot of cultivated medicinal land, the breeze carried its rich herbal scent through the air.

Looking at everything before him, Romon was immensely pleased. He wandered about, looking here and touching there, remaining incomparably excited from the moment he entered.

Of the five acres of land in the space, aside from the fruit trees, several plants whose uses had yet to be discovered, and plants brought from Earth, all the remaining land was planted with medicinal herbs from this world.

In this warm world, those herbs grew more vigorously than their counterparts outside.

Thanks to the constant temperature and other stable conditions, the herbs that matured here were of far better quality than the same varieties grown outside.

Before long, these lovely herbs would become shining silver coins and fill his pockets.

Romon was currently in the process of steadily building his strength, so he valued every single coin.

Wasting resources was not his way. Therefore, apart from the materials his potion shop required, Romon decided to sell all the other mature herbs.

However, how to sell them was a problem.

Romon did not want to sell them directly. That would be too conspicuous, and if someone asked where the herbs had come from, he would have no way to explain.

After all, this was the season when herbs were in short supply. Other than certain exceptional people, such as Fifth-Level Druid Jefa, who possessed natural greenhouses for growing herbs, even the herbs in the Temple had stopped growing.

Although the Temple had permanent spells to maintain them, those spells could only preserve the herbs in their pre-withered state. Making them grow and mature naturally during winter was almost impossible.

Romon did not yet have the ability to build a greenhouse, nor did he have any other explanation to offer. Thus, he did not intend to act too openly. He decided to find a safer method and dispose of the herbs carefully.

After withdrawing from the space, he thought for a while, then decided to have the merchant Barnel handle this batch of herbs.

After all, Rika Town could not possibly absorb so much stock. He might as well let Barnel sell it elsewhere. That would save him trouble while also fetching a higher price.

Once he made up his mind, he acted immediately. The moment he returned to town, Romon went straight to Barnel and told him that he had a batch of herbs on hand.

Hearing that he would not need to invest anything and could still receive twenty percent of the profits, Barnel agreed without the slightest hesitation, as any merchant would.

"Romon, you really have this many herbs?" On the day he came to collect the goods, Barnel took one look and was so astonished that he nearly lost his voice.

Inside Romon's room, pile after pile of harvested herbs lay on clean animal hides, continuously releasing their fragrance.

The sheer variety and quantity left Barnel stunned for a long while.

However, based on their prior agreement, Barnel wisely did not ask where the herbs had come from. Instead, he patted Romon on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'll definitely get you a good price. With so many varieties of herbs, the profits this time certainly won't be small."

Romon also replied with equal tact. "Then please rest assured as well, Mr. Barnel. If this cooperation goes well, I'll come to you again when I have business next time."

The two smiled at each other.

In the end, this batch of herbs truly fetched Barnel a fine price.

He sold the herbs separately to Dafa Trading Company in the small city and to several potion shops. The people in charge of those shops barely even bargained, readily completing the transactions at Barnel's asking price.

After all, during this period of scarcity, many herbs had stopped growing, and potion shops in many places faced shortages of raw materials. For those managers, being able to obtain a complete supply of ingredients meant increased income. Besides, the costs would ultimately be passed on to the customers. There was no shortage of wealthy people in the big cities to make up for their losses.

As for Barnel, though he received only twenty percent of the profits, the selling price had been so high that he still made a tidy sum.

As the greatest beneficiary of the deal, Romon even treated Barnel to a lavish meal.

However, though Romon believed he had handled the matter discreetly, someone in town still discovered his secret.

"So many herbs can be harvested even in winter?" In the forest, a middle-aged man gazed at several different kinds of herbs in his hand, an expression of deep thought appearing on his face.

Behind him stood a greenhouse, and the middle-aged man studying the herbs was none other than Fifth-Level Druid Jefa.

He had happened upon the herbs in the small city. Since it was difficult to obtain a complete range of medicinal herbs during winter, the moment he discovered such a selection for sale, he immediately became curious and made inquiries. He then investigated further, only to be greatly shocked by the result: these herbs had been sold through Barnel of Rika Town.

After another round of investigation, he finally learned the source of the herbs—they had come from Romon.

He had once suspected that Romon might have secretly built a greenhouse as well, but the enormous expense was not something Romon could afford. Not to mention that a greenhouse required skills possessed only by at least a Fifth-Level Druid. But if that was not the case, then where exactly had Romon obtained this batch of herbs...

"Could another druid above Fifth Level have appeared in town?" Jefa continuously considered every possible hypothesis.

As for the powerful potions, they did not arouse his suspicion. Jefa had already concluded that their potency was simply due to the excellent quality of the herbs. With good ingredients, naturally the potions brewed from them would be more effective.

As he watched and waited, the end of March arrived in the blink of an eye. Spring had warmed the earth, and flowers were blooming.

Over the past month or so, Romon had successfully consolidated his strength as a warrior through constant training. Druids were inherently versatile, and this strength would merge with his druid abilities. Although he could not be as fiercely formidable as those adventurers, he had no problem protecting himself.

However, aside from Fafier, no one knew of his combat ability. Though Fafier had not yet advanced to Second Level, with his current strength, his breakthrough was close at hand.

After discussing matters with Romon, Miss Eileen had felt that she had benefited greatly. During the following month, she visited the potion shop several times to chat with Romon.

Romon could only describe this as both painful and delightful.

Though rumors about him and the Second Miss were beginning to spread through town, talking with her made Romon feel relaxed and happy. He also gained a great deal of knowledge, replenishing his store of information. After all, priests of the Goddess of Agriculture also possessed the Plant Domain, giving them an understanding of medicine similar to that of druids.

Through their constant conversations and exchanges, the relationship between the two gradually became closer.

That day, after Miss Eileen finished her work for the day, she left the Temple and went out onto the street again. At that moment, the lord, who had come to see his second daughter on business, arrived by carriage.

"Eileen? Eileen?" The lord searched all around the Temple but could not find his daughter, leaving him deeply puzzled.

Just then, a young priest came out of a room. Seeing the lord, he hurried over and bowed.

"Where is Eileen?" the lord asked.

The young priest replied with a complicated expression, "My lord Baron, Miss Eileen has gone out onto the street."

"Gone out onto the street?" The lord froze. "What is she doing there?"

If she had gone shopping, there was practically nothing worth buying on these streets. Thinking of what the tax officer had mentioned before, the lord's expression immediately darkened. He did not ask any further questions, merely climbing back into his carriage with a gloomy face.

The young priest, who had originally wanted to say something more, could only watch him leave.

The lord's carriage headed straight from the Temple toward the street. Along the way, it unexpectedly encountered the tax officer, who claimed to be heading for the castle. Since they were of the same clan, the lord made an exception and allowed him into the carriage to sit beside him.

"Do you know that the Second Miss has been going to the street frequently lately?" After a moment of silence, the lord suddenly asked.

The tax officer thought for a moment and said, "I have heard people mention it. There are quite a lot of rumors outside as well."

The tax officer understood the struggles within noble families very well, so he concealed what he wanted to say behind the phrase "I have heard." That way, even if trouble arose later, it would be someone else's problem and have nothing to do with him.

"Is that so? What rumors? Tell me." The lord asked calmly instead.

Thus, the tax officer recounted the recent rumors circulating through town about Romon and the Second Miss. Once he had finished, the anger in the lord's eyes was plain to see.

"My lord!"

"Pick up the pace. I want to see just how lively that potion shop really is," the lord said calmly.

"Yes!" Receiving the order, the coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage sped forward even faster. Soon, however, it began to slow. They had arrived at Romon's potion shop.

"My lord Baron, look at how busy his shop is." The tax officer lifted one corner of the carriage curtain and pointed it out to the Baron. The lord looked and saw that, compared to the potion shop across the street, Romon's shop was indeed incredibly bustling.

Many adventurers came and went from the shop, carrying potions in their hands and chatting happily. Compared with Jefa's Potion Shop, where only townspeople occasionally entered and exited, this shop's business was truly flourishing.

"Are his potions really that effective?" the lord asked. From reports by his servants, he knew that the potion shop opposite Romon's belonged to Jefa. Could a Fifth-Level Druid really have fallen so low that he could not even compete with a Second-Level Druid?

Seeing the lord's curiosity, the tax officer told him about the new potions Romon had introduced. At the end, he pointed out that the Second Miss's frequent appearances lately were likely directly connected to those new potions.

Hearing this, the lord fell silent.

His gaze turned outside. Then, when he suddenly saw the two people appearing at the doorway, his pupils sharply contracted.

!!