Ball of Nothing

Zero didn't know if the effect of his unique title [Tea Lover] would still be effective now that he learned the art of womanly charms. Besides, this strange bark tea that Arvin served didn't make Zero feel comfortable. It smelled odd and looked murky even after Arvin strained it. Yet, the doctor took the leap of faith and drank it out of courtesy before promptly spitting it out.

"I'm sorry, was it that bad? How strange. I'm sure I did as taught. Why does it still taste so bad after thirty years? Human tea is hard to make."

Truen, who was about to take a sip froze and slowly put the cup down as Zero spluttered. Bob hid away from the dangerous zone and snuck onto one of Arvin's shelves. The tea smelled foul and the dragon wondered why Zero would drink it.

The doctor wanted to scream. That isn't tea at all! It was simply bark boiled in water. Whoever taught Arvin how to make tea should be flayed! Thankfully, Zero had back up and offered to make them some real tea instead. Arvin didn't stop Zero. In fact, he seemed happy for Zero's help and they bonded over a short tea-brewing lesson.

"Oh? It is a lot simpler than I remembered it to be. Also, leaves? Wasn't tea always brewed with barks?"

Zero deadpanned. "Who told you that? Most teas are brewed with leaves. Only some are brewed with flowers and fruits. Bark teas are only used to treat ailments. Also, not all barks can be used. You're using the outer bark when you should be using the inner bark."

Arvin declined to name the one who taught him how to make tea. Instead, he thanked Zero for the help and apologised for his incompetence as the host.

On slightly better terms now, Arvin found himself reserving judgement about Zero and his appearance. This human girl might look like those useless pretty faces who depended on a man for everything but after a short interaction, he discovered how wrong he was for judging a person by their looks. Zero was definitely not your typical bimbo, she had some substance to complement her looks.

"You seem experienced," Arvin commented and Zero grinned.

"I like tea. I often make tea with my teacher before I started my adventure. It's a custom. Besides, tea has many health benefits. A cup a day is going to do a lot of good in the long run."

It wasn't a lie but Arvin had no idea what kind of teacher Zero learned with. From her attire, she was a rogue. A rogue and an archer party, these people might not be truly adventurers in the conventional sense. It was highly unbalanced with no healers, close combat support and magic aide. If anything, they could make a very good scouting team instead of an adventuring one.

"So, how can I help you? You wanted information in exchange for some rare herbs from Endow Hill. How did you get them?"

Truen remained silent as Zero entered his business mode. "Trade secret," he smiled and maintained eye contact with Arvin, daring him to ask further.

Losing the battle of guts, Arvin backed down. Zero had the upper hand now. Instead, he asked if he could see what herbs Zero had to offer and Zero decided to show his cards. After a short study of the things Arvin had in his shop, Zero figured that Arvin lacked mana plants.

When Arvin saw the herbs that Zero was offering to trade, his jaw fell. Everyone knew that Endow Hill was a place full of priceless treasures from mana beasts to mana plants. Heck, there was even an undefeatable dragon guarding it, preventing people from venturing too deep. These herbs were rumours and only a party of six A-ranked adventurers were able to harvest them. One bushel of each of the herbs Zero had with him was worth a small fortune that Arvin would never be able to afford even if he lived for the next three hundred years.

The high elf was no fool. For such priceless treasures, there would be no such thing as a free lunch. Depending on the kind of information Zero wanted, Arvin may not be able to deal business with them.

"What do you wish to know? I'm not selling out any of Altear's secrets."

Truen eyed Arvin carefully from the side with Bob tucked under his arm. Arvin was most certainly the person they wanted to look for. He probably knew more about Altear than most other elves. As for why he was living in Windy Wood Town, Truen decided it was best not to question too much.

Zero had similar sentiments as they discussed how they should approach the topic using the party call function. Bob and Mii voted for starting with casual topics but Wii thought that Arvin wouldn't mind telling them more about Altear on a whole seeing as the map they bought wasn't complete. A high elf should be able to give them more information than the scholar they bought it from.

Arvin watched as Zero pulled a map out from his inventory.

"Could you tell us more about the place you came from? I don't know how long you've been in Windy Wood Town but I know you have reasons for leaving Altear. Not selling the secrets of your country out but can you give us more details that are missing from the map? We bought it from the scholar not too far from your shop but he couldn't tell us much."

The topic starter was something rather risk-free and Arvin blinked. For sure, he thought that the couple was here to spy on National Secrets but maybe they were really adventurers on some quest instead.

"There's not much to tell about Altear," Arvin sighed. "The map is very vague indeed. However, it is mostly accurate about the different settlement although it has been at least two hundred years since I left the Great Forest. I can't tell you what else is missing. The scholar is still your best bet if you wish to know more about recent happenings of Altear. I mostly get my news from him as well. Sorry, but this old elf cannot help you much in this regard. I can tell you for sure that the shaded area is restricted for a good reason. However, if you're intelligent enough, you would be able to guess what's there anyway."

Zero smirked. That went without saying. The Weeping Willow was in the high elves' possession and wasn't seen anywhere. It had to be in the restricted zone somewhere. However, that was not what they wanted to confirm.

"Indeed. I suppose we will only find out more upon reaching the main city. You said it was two hundred years since you left ALtear. Does that mean you were there when King Charo ruled Altear?"

Arvin scratched his head and frowned, trying to remember. "Oh yes, that disagreeable fool was the reason why I left Altear. I couldn't agree with his war doctrine that elves, high elves, in particular, were the superior race."

Sensing a story, Zero asked for more details.

"In particular, I would like to hear all the stories that you know about King Charo and his rule, King Sharo's upbringing and the Weeping Willow legends."

Zero pushed the rare mana herbs across the table closer to Arvin and the apothecarist debated mentally before accepting them and putting them into air-tight containers for processing. Zero did a small jig and Truen shook his head with a small smile at his friend's excitement.

Arvin couldn't help but smile too when he saw the cute rogue's mini celebration. He didn't know who they were or why they were so interested in the high elf culture and stories but a small history lesson from a bona fide high elf was most certainly something rare enough. He hoped that they would be entertained enough to make their payment worth. With those new herbs, Arvin could produce some high-grade healing elixirs.