Ball of Nothing

It wasn't difficult to locate the apothecary. Zero didn't need to guess the high elf's name because the shop was lazily named "Arvin's Apothecary". However, it wasn't very busy and Zero wondered if it was open for business.

As they approached, Zero decided to look around before entering the apothecary. The shop was open for business but nobody could be seen inside and Zero didn't know if he wanted to enter at once. There were still plenty of shops on the street so he decided to check them out first before coming back to it.

Elvish culture, especially high elves, was a mix of simple yet elegant. Zero couldn't understand the contradiction but he could appreciate their love for natural products. Unlike humans who preferred the luxuries of processed items and the gnome's love for advanced technology, the elves preferred to make use of things from the forest. They were a nature lover and many of their handmade products were from plants or animals. They hardly used any metals or synthesized materials such as ceramic. In fact, now that Zero looked closer, their cutlery was made from wood and they didn't have pots and pans.

The elven music instruments were interesting but limited. They were mostly different kinds of flutes and percussion. Zero thought that they would have string instruments of some sort but was disappointed when he found none. It didn't really matter because Zero couldn't play any instruments. However, he thought that having one might be cool. It would help him complete the charm of the musically gifted that he has yet to master from Lilith.

They chanced upon a shop that sold maps for adventurers who wish to venture deeper into the Great Altear Forest. While it wasn't the most detailed or accurate, it gave Zero and Truen an idea of what to expect.

The Great Forest of Altear might be a high elf territory but surprisingly, there were a few wood elf settlements. Not all of Altear belonged to the high elves and Zero found it interesting. No wonder nobody found it strange Truen, a wood elf, was visiting Altear. They probably thought that he was simply bringing his lover back to his village.

"What is this shaded area on the map?" Truen pointed to a spot and asked the scholar who drew it.

"Oh, that's the restricted zone. It's heavily guarded by the high elves and anyone caught trying to cross it will be firstly stopped by a powerful barrier and if they get past it, they would be captured for a trial. It's apparently the private property of the king. We don't know what's in there so it's shaded and marked out for adventurers to avoid."

Zero shared a look with Truen. This might be what they were looking for. If King Sharo guarded that area more tightly than the main city of the high elves and his castle, that could only mean the Weeping Willow was there.

"Do we need to do anything if we want to get into the high elf's main city?" Zero asked and the scholar caught himself staring inappropriately in time. If he stared at anything other than Zero's eyes for more than two seconds, Truen would probably dig his eyes out with a spoon judging from the murderous aura.

"P-pass! You need a registration pass and someone to vouch for you as your guide if you're not an elf."

Zero shared a look with Truen and Truen shook his head. He didn't have such a pass, he only looked like an elf.

"Where can we get the pass?" he asked and the scholar gave him an odd look.

"Aren't you from Altear? You don't need a pass as long as you can present your marriage certificate for her. It's enough to give her access to the city."

"I'm not from Altear," Truen clarified. "Born outside of Altear, never registered. I'm only here with her for a quest as adventurers. We came from Smargdas."

Apologising furiously for making assumptions, the scholar pulled out a tourist handbook. "This is a guide for newcomers to Altear. It gets confusing so I'm glad you stopped by my humble store. It's usually given to new adventurers or traders looking for opportunities with the elves but I think it would be good for you to have it just in case. The elves are a little hard to get along with but that's just them. Please don't take offence. The pass can be registered at the gate before you enter the main city but you need to show them proof that you are a merchant or an adventurer registered with one of the guilds. That's about it. Oh! The pass costs two cinnites each so you might want to withdraw enough money to pay the fees here in Windy Wood Town before you enter the forest. We're the only town before Altear that has banking services at the adventurer's outpost."

Zero blinked. Two cinnites per pass sounded expensive. He wondered how many pork sandwiches he could buy with that but he quickly deemed it as a necessary expense. If they wanted to do some private investigations on the side about Spriggan Alex and the Weeping Willow without alerting King Sharo of their arrival immediately, they needed to pay for the pass.

With their new purchases safely kept away in the shared void inventory storage, Zero and Truen returned to the apothecary. There didn't seem to be anyone inside even after their shopping trip so Zero decided to just enter and hope that the high elf they were looking for was somewhere at the back of the shop.

"Hello! Is there anyone in?" Zero asked as the wind chime hooked onto the door alerted the shop owner who really was at the back.

The high elf who appeared to them wiped his hands on his apron and introduced himself as Arvin, the only apothecarist in Windy Wood Town.

"How can I be of assistance?" the gentle voice made Zero smile. Indeed, the high elf looked young but he still couldn't fool the appraisal system. Mii told Zero that Arvin was actually well into his three-hundreds and Zero was excited. He was exactly what Zero was looking for!

"I have some rare herbs here from Endow Hill that I'm willing to sell to you for certain information. I'm not sure if you're willing to trade," Zero smiled charmingly.

Eventually, Arvin caved and offered them some tea so that they could discuss further. Zero gave Truen a victorious grin. The charm lessons he took from Lilith was already paying off.