The Herb King

Inside a small house within Vale City, there were a dozen men standing with solemn expressions.

Suddenly, someone barged in inside the house.

"Boss, our brothers said that the young miss of the Reynolds Household went to the camp of Captain Phillip. If that guy intervenes with our plan, it might be difficult to capture the little girl, Samira." A thin man wearing a blue shirt and black trousers muttered with a distressed look on his face. He stared at a bald man with a tiger tattoo on his left arm.

This bald man was the leader of the Northern Viper Group's Scout Team, Serge. He was also a top executive of the bandit group and was one of its strongest members.

Serge frowned after hearing the report. He reclined on his chair as he thought deeply.

Their team has twenty-five members. All of them are Espers. There are nineteen Level 1 Espers, and five Level 2 Espers, and he was the sole Level 3 Esper. Their group was quite strong, but he knew that if the soldiers under Captain Phillip are involved, the plan to capture Samira would prove to be difficult.

"Boss, what should we do?"

Serge's face darkened as he muttered. "Call all of our brothers. We will abandon the plan."

His subordinates were shocked when they heard his command.

"Boss, why are we retreating? Captain Phillip is just a peak Level 2 Esper. We have five brothers who are also Level 2 Espers." A buff bandit holding a giant mace said with a confused look.

Some bandits nodded their heads in agreement.

Serge glanced at the buff bandit, making the latter's heart skip a beat. "Don't underestimate that guy. Although he is only a peak Level 2 Esper, he has a couple of tough subordinates under his command. Not to mention that the little girl Samira is also not a simple flower vase. Her strength is not to be underestimated. Forcing the plan would only lead to major casualties. I don't want you guys to die in vain."

"But…"

"That's enough. I'll take responsibility for this. Summon the others quickly!" Serge stood up and glared at everyone with his menacing eyes. The bandits immediately shut their mouths when they saw this.

***

Samira went to Johann's herb shop with her two maids. Following them secretly were the guards of the Reynolds Household and the soldiers of Captain Phillip. With their protection, the three ladies didn't encounter anything dangerous along the way. Even the rich young masters who tried to show off to the ladies were prevented by the soldiers from getting near them. It was a smooth journey, but Samira and the other two didn't dare relax. They only heaved a sigh of relief after arriving in front of the herb shop.

Johann was a Level 4 Esper and was also a Level 3 Alchemist, so no one would dare to cause trouble on his turf.

"Are you Miss Samira of the Reynolds Household?" One of the guards outside the herb shop asked as he stared at Samira in surprise.

Samira nodded her head with a smile. "Is Anna and Sir Johann inside the shop?" She asked politely.

The herb shop was closed, but she already expected this after Leric told them everything.

The guard nodded his head and replied. "Yes, the young miss and the master are both inside the shop. I'll inform them about your arrival right away. Hey, bring Miss Samira and her friends inside." He told the other guard before sprinting inside the shop.

"Ladies, please follow me. I'll bring you to the guest hall." The remaining guard didn't dare neglect them. He brought them inside the shop and lead them to the guest hall.

"Please wait here for a moment." The guard bowed and left.

"I haven't been here for over a year. The shop still looks the same…" Samira sighed as she recalled her last visit.

Skylar and Kathlyn remained silent.

Not long later, Anna came to the guest hall with a brilliant smile on her face. She excitedly ran towards Samira and hugged her tightly in her embrace. "I missed you so much, Samira! It has been a long time since you last came here. Boohoo!"

Anna ended up crying as she hugged Samira tightly.

The latter could only pat her friend's back while apologizing to her in a gentle manner. "I'm so sorry, Anna. I've been very busy lately with family matters and I just came back after the battle in Barden City."

Anna rubbed her teary eyes and held Samira's hands as she muttered in a shaking voice. "I-I was worried about you w-when I heard that you went to Barden City with General Gavin and the Flame Tiger Army. Luckily, nothing happened to you. I'm so relieved!"

Samira took out a clean handkerchief and gave it to Anna. "I also didn't expect us to win so easily. I don't know if you have heard about it. Let me tell you what happened on the battlefield…"

And with that, Samira told her about the events that happened during her stay in Barden City. Of course, she didn't tell her about the peeping incident. She didn't even want to remember it anymore.

"You're talking about Sir Aethelwolf, right?" Anna asked as she looked at her friend.

Samira nodded with a smile. "It's indeed Sir Aethelwolf. If not for him, many soldiers from the Flame Tiger Army and the Barden City's local force would have been killed."

Samira had a look of admiration as she spoke about Leric.

***

Meanwhile, inside the best room of Camelia Hotel, Leric had a look of anticipation as he slapped the cauldron.

When he opened the lid, he saw five bluish-green pills inside. He immediately grabbed the pills and looked at them deeply.

The pills emitted a warm temperature since they were still freshly taken out of the cauldron. Leric sniffed the five pills and his eyes lit up when he sensed the vibrant energy inside the pills. He could tell that these pills had reached the standards of a 3rd Grade Pill!

The rank of pills is divided into five grades.

1st Grade Pill

2nd Grade Pill

3rd Grade Pill

4th Grade Pill

5th Grade Pill

Level 1 Alchemists could only refine 1st Grade Pills. Level 2 Alchemists could only refine 2nd Grade Pills and 1st Grade Pills. And so on.

However, Leric was only a Level 2 Alchemist, but he was actually able to refine 3rd Grade Pills! This has never happened before!

After a moment of surprise, Leric immediately kept the five pills inside his storage space.

"Hmm. I'll name this pill, Recovery Pellet." Leric casually named the new kind of pill that he had refined. If the Alchemists of the Leone Empire learned that a miraculous healing pill was casually named by Leric, they would certainly cry in agitation.