Firefly Journey

After more than two months of hands-on practice, Lin Yuanran has become increasingly familiar with medicinal herb collection and can accurately identify the names and uses of common medicinal materials.

During this period, Piero visited three times, and each time he was amazed by Lin Yuanran's progress, which seemed to be striding confidently toward wealth and prosperity.

Gathering herbs in the mountains is an extremely dangerous task. Once or twice is fine, as luck may protect you from encountering ferocious monsters. However, over time, the probability of encountering danger increases. On two occasions, Lin Yuanran encountered large monsters, but he managed to escape thanks to his wisdom and composure under pressure.

In the process of outwitting and fighting against the monsters in the Yedeen Mountains, Lin Yuanran gradually mastered some practical skills. For example, some medicinal herbs emit a strange, rotten smell, which causes many monsters to avoid them.

Some medicinal herbs have a fragrance that attracts many predators when they are picked and placed in bamboo baskets. Lin Yuanran would then use the scent of other medicinal herbs to mask the fragrance.

Now, he is a qualified herb gatherer.

He earned a total of 5 silver coins from the three sales, which was a considerable salary for Torreg.

However, it was still not enough to rent a horse-drawn carriage to go to another place in search of a chance to go home...

As usual, in the evening, Lin Yuanran went to the Andre Tavern and ordered a relatively inexpensive pear wine.

Worsden was there almost every day of the month, and he spent almost all of his wages there, showing no intention of saving anything.

These past few days have been almost over since Piero arrived, and besides selling medicinal herbs, Lin Yuanran is even more looking forward to his story.

His stories always feature extraordinary individuals with various amazing abilities. Lin Yuanran is absolutely certain that if he becomes like them and explores and cultivates his knowledge diligently, he will surely find his way home.

As the sun completely set, the familiar sound of mixed-race horses' hooves and neighing came from outside the tavern, and Lin Yuanran immediately turned his gaze to the doorway.

Someone came in, but the one leading the way was not Piero, but a young man wearing a leather jacket, about 1.75 meters tall, with average looks.

He was followed by a wolf and a woman.

The werewolf wore a pair of pants as a symbolic gesture, its upper body was covered in fur, two fangs were exposed, and its face was fierce.

The girl wore a light blue long dress and looked dignified and polite. Every frown and smile exuded a restless youthful vibe. She had a classic oval face and was naturally a classic beauty.

Behind them was the traveling merchant Piero.

If this had happened when Lin Yuanran first arrived in this world and saw a werewolf, he would definitely have yelled, "Wolf! Call the police!"

After understanding this world, let alone werewolves with bared fangs, even giants as tall as mountains are commonplace.

If someone can enter a village or town openly and honestly, then he must be a law-abiding citizen.

"Did you miss me, friends? I, Piero, am back!"

Piero greeted the other drinkers with practiced ease.

"Are they your friends?" the shopkeeper, Ryan Andre, asked, standing by the counter and looking at the three outsiders.

“To be precise, they are my employers,” Piero said. “These are foreigners from Debasa who started their travels because they wanted to write about the customs and culture of every corner of the continent.”

Upon hearing the name Debasa, no one was surprised. The two countries are neighbors with similar national strength, and apart from some border conflicts in the past, the neighbors have generally lived in harmony.

In contrast to the appeasement policy of the Principality of Bema, Debasa was a nation founded on military might, with a fierce and valiant populace, earning it the title of an empire.

In a principality, the highest ruling body is the parliament. All state affairs, regardless of size, are decided through consultation among parliamentary members. This system is relatively fair and effectively prevents any single entity from becoming too powerful and leading the entire country astray.

The administrative system of the Debasa Empire was completely different from that of the Principality of Pema. Their supreme ruler was called the Emperor, who was a dictator, commanding his ministers and controlling all directions.

The contemporary Debassian emperor was Henry I. During his reign, the country was peaceful and prosperous, and the world was at peace. He made no secret of his determination to expand his territory, and the surrounding small countries feared him like a tiger, and were about to be devoured.

The Principality of Bema was well aware of its neighbor's ambitions and began a covert struggle with him, with each side gaining and losing in their back-and-forth exchanges. However, these matters were never discussed openly, and the country maintained a facade of harmony.

Piero led the employers to sit down at Lin Yuanran's table.

“These are all my local friends, very close friends. If you want to get to know Torreg, they would be a good choice,” Piero said.

The werewolf smiled and said politely, "My name is Jonathan. I am a traveler from Radiant City in the Debasa Empire. I love adventure and want to see the customs and cultures of different countries, and then compile them into a book to tell the world."

I hope you can tell me the stories from here. Of course, I'll pay you according to the content. Isn't that great?

“You must be a great person, just like those great artists in books,” Lin Yuanran said.

His words caught the attention of the three men. They did not underestimate him because of his age. When traveling in the ancient continent, not underestimating anyone would avoid many dangers.

"I wouldn't dare say that, it's just a hobby," Jonathan the werewolf said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

Following that, Jonathan's two students also introduced themselves.

The man in the leather jacket is named Jamie Roberts, and the girl is named Finney Roberts. They are cousins ​​who are traveling with their mentor.

Lin Yuanran was an even more foreigner than them, practically an outsider. Even though he had merged with the original owner Ario's memories, the dominant soul was still Lin Yuanran. He didn't know much about Torreg, so this reward was out of his reach.

There is never a shortage of storytellers in taverns.

Led by the giant Worstin, these drunkards who frequented the tavern began to recount their local sights and sounds. Nothing new, at least not to Lin Yuanran.

In response to everyone's stories, Jonathan concluded, "So, the most mysterious place in Torreg is the Jedern Mountains, is that right?"

“Yes, sir, I know you travelers are very interested in that place, but please don’t even think about exploring it. It’s extremely dangerous and could cost you your life,” Worstine kindly warned.

"Thank you, but we're not that desperate."

In a tipsy atmosphere, the tavern closed for the day, and the owner, Ryan Andre, warmly welcomed these wealthy guests into the finest rooms.

Lin Yuanran was also about to leave when Piero, who was feeding the horses at night, came out with him.

Piero said, "As usual, I'll rest for the night and collect your herbs tomorrow."

Lin Yuanran nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Just as he was about to go home, Piero leaned close to his ear mysteriously and whispered, "I have a secret, but you can't tell anyone."

Lin Yuanran raised an eyebrow: "I never speak carelessly, you know that very well."

"Well, otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to tell you, but it's hard to keep this to myself, and I just can't help but share it."

"Tell me quickly, what is it?"

Piero glanced at the guest rooms upstairs and said, "I saw it with my own eyes. Jonathan smashed a huge boulder blocking the road with a single punch. That kind of power is not something an ordinary person can possess. I reckon all three of them are superhumans."

"But they had absolutely no need to hide their identities."

The existence of extraordinary individuals is common knowledge in the Pan-Ancient Continent. If they reveal it, they will be respected; if they hide it, it is hard to guarantee that they do not have ulterior motives.

"I only told you because I knew you were tight-lipped and interested in superhumans, so please don't tell anyone!"

Lin Yuanran smiled and said, "Of course, who would joke about their life?"

Bathed in moonlight, Lin Yuanran walked briskly; things were getting interesting.