The Herb King

"Sir Aethelwolf, we will look for an inn inside the city. You can just go to this spot after you gather all the herbs you need. I will have two guards wait here for your arrival and then they will take you to the inn." Samira smiled and bowed at Leric.

"Alright. I'll be off then…" Leric waved his hand at her before turning around.

Vale City was a prosperous place of trade and commerce despite it being a fortress city. Many rich merchants can be seen riding their luxurious carriages within the city. Mercenaries and skilled hunters were also among the crowd.

"We sell top grade weapons! Come check our weapons out!"

"Come! We offer the tastiest food in the entire city!"

Leric ignored the shouting shopkeepers and walked forward. As he toured around the city, he kept using the Virtual Map to see any potential threat that might prove to be harmful. After about thirty minutes of walking, Leric stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. His nose twitched and his eyes twinkled in anticipation. "Finally found an herb shop! Hopefully, they have everything I need."

Leric followed the smell of herbs and found himself standing in front of a three-story building. The shop looked a lot fancier than all the other shops he saw in the city! From the looks of it, the owner of this herb shop has a powerful background!

"A shop of this scale should have everything I need." He smiled as he stepped inside the shop.

The two Level 1 Espers guarding the shop made way for him when they noticed his extraordinary presence. They could tell right away that this man had some status based on the way he carries himself.

When Leric stepped inside the shop, he saw an array of herbs neatly placed on the shelves. They were sorted according to their value and importance. There were also some rare spiritual plants and seeds among the merchandise. It seems that he had found the right place to look for herbs!

Suddenly, Leric heard a series of footsteps moving in his direction. He stopped and turn to look at the person walking toward him and saw a young woman who was probably in her late teens. She had long black hair that was neatly tied in a bun. She was wearing a pair of glasses which made her look like a nerdy type of lady.

Leric thought that she was also a customer, but when he saw that she was wearing a navy blue pencil skirt and a matching white top, he realized that she was a staff of this herb shop.

"Good morning, dear customer! My name is Anna, a staff of this herb shop. I can help you look for the items you need if you don't mind." Anna smiled as she looked at Leric's handsome face. She was stunned when she first saw him enter the shop. She hasn't seen someone as handsome as him during all her time as a staff in this shop.

"Oh? That would be great!" Leric smiled candidly. Getting the help of a staff would shorten his time in looking for the herbs inside the shop.

After hearing getting his approval, Anna's smile deepened. She was happy that the handsome customer accepted her offer. Her life as a staff in this shop was quite boring and Leric's presence was like a beam of brilliant light in this dreary place.

"Can you tell me what items you are looking for?" Anna took out a small piece of paper and a quill pen from her storage ring.

Seeing this, Leric was quite surprised. In this world, only the richest and those with powerful backgrounds were capable of owning a storage device. A storage ring is the most sought after since it was very convenient to bring around and its value would increase according to its internal space. From how it looks, Anna doesn't seem like a normal staff of this herb shop.

Leric proceeded to tell her all the herbs he needed and Anna slowly listed them down. "Do you have all of them in your shop?" He asked carefully. It would be a bit troublesome if some herbs were not available.

Anna pondered for a moment before she smiled at him. "Of the herbs you mentioned, six of them are rare and difficult to come by, but you're very lucky that we just replenished our stocks so everything should be here."

Leric's eyes lit up upon hearing her words. He also heaved a sigh of relief. There was no need for him to look for other shops. "That's great! I'd like to check the herbs before you wrap them for me." He said with a crafty smile on his face. Although Anna made him feel a good impression, he wanted to be careful about the herbs since he needed them to save a life. Furthermore, a portion of those herbs was meant for his own use.

Anna squinted her eyes for a brief moment when she heard that. This customer was too careful, but she didn't mind this. The outside world was dangerous and it was good to develop a certain level of cautiousness.

"Of course! Please wait for me at the counter, dear guest." Anna smiled with an understanding look.

"Sure." Leric nodded his head, but he didn't directly go to the counter. Anna would take some time before she could gather all the herbs. He had given her specific requirements for the herbs so it would take a bit of her time.

Leric went to the second floor of the shop and browsed through the herbs. He saw all sorts of rare and uncommon spiritual plants and fruits. The background of this shop was truly not simple. He even saw an herb that was tagged with a 1000 gold coin price! Absolutely expensive! It was most likely the most expensive herb in the shop!

"To think that they actually possess an herb of this level…" Leric clicked his tongue upon seeing this.