"Manager, I feel nothing improve when I practice my first level movement sequence."
[Master seems already master the foundation. Now master need some herb to help to complete the foundation.] Manager answer my question.
"I don't even know how to create elixir, how I will use the herb?! And I don't know how to obtain the herb." I feel lost after knowing it. Right, until now I even never meet single spirit plant.
[Master just need venture into the forest. I can guarantee that Master will find it. And the material is not spirit plant.]
"Then what herb I must obtain?!" I answer with full enthusiasm
[White Ginger, Red Blood Rose, Gloomy Mushroom, and Ivory Color Coconut.]
After I know that the herb is not spirit plant, I feel relieved. Then I continue to make mounds on the spiritual land. As a farmer, I need to prepare the land before I plant some vegetable or fruits. And why I do not train anymore? It's no effect to me!
.....
In the morning, when trading officially starts, Merchant head daughter come to meet me and apologizing. Of course, I feel surprised. From how she speaks, she looks like the proud daughter of heaven. Arrogant!
"Sir, I apologize for my rude word last night. I'm sorry." Lisa truly apologizes, but she looks unwilling.
I gesture her to sit down. Then I sit down in front of her. I smile at her and say, "Why you feel unwilling when you apologize to me? Don't worry, I will not tell your father."
How could I don't know what this little prick thinks? I'm already 40 years old and elder someone, wiser he becomes.
"I'm not unwilling!" She immediately refutes. But her behavior already betrayed her.
"Don't bluff. Your skill is just 5% of your father skill. Don't worry, I will not tell your father." I reassured her again.
She lowered her head seems to ponder somethings. I waiting patiently for her answer. Although I'm looking youthful, My actual age is 40 years old! When I look at her first time, I seem to look at a little girl who took astray road after got blinded by gold.
She slowly lifts up her head and says, "You are not good enough to get my father bow. In the city, many powerful warriors need to bow their head just to ask some favor. They look more strong and valiant than you."
When I hear it, I fell sudden urge to laugh. How could valiant combatant like me bow to the shitty merchant?
"Hahaha, basically you are just a little girl. I will tell you one thing, you need differ between city and wilderness. Power, money, desire, envy, and other factor has the different impact in different time, place, and situations."
I don't really care about her and what she said. I hope my advice can help her in the future. I stand up and go to market. Maybe the merchant sells some spirit plant.
When I arrive at the market, this place already crowded. I need to squeeze in just to reach the first stall. The stall sells some metal tools. Knife, parang, keris, even katana sold here. I don't need them all. What I interested is a solid metal rod with a pointed tip. I can use it for hunting and farming. Maybe the rod name is the crowbar. I buy it with meat. Right, It's barter.
I go to stall that seel some plant seedling. I scan the product with my eyes.
[Red Guava, Normal Grade
Remark: None]
[Blue Pomegranate, Low-Level Spirit Grade
Remark: A mutation from normal pomegranate. Contain some spirit within the fruit.]
Waw, the first spirit plant I meet.
"Sir, how much this pomegranate seedling?" I asked.
"Just 10 copper coin, sir." The stall keeper answers me.
Right now, I just have 50 copper coin after slaughter the python. Every family agrees to give me 1 copper each. Why are they so generous? In the urban territory like this village, money can't make your stomach full.
I nod and pay it without bargaining. For me, as long as the price is not exaggerated, I will pay for it. Merchant need money right? And I need the goods. It's a fair trade.
After play around and not spot any useful things, I decided to enter the secluded area. I want to plant my first spirit plant. Not like usual, I enter spirit land with not only my conscious but with my body too.
[Wellcome back, Master!]
"Em, I'm back. I want to plant this pomegranate. Tell me the correct method to plant it."
[Yes, master. First, Master need to...]
I create a hole with half a meter deep. Magically, Manager already brings all requirement to plant it.
To plant Blue Pomegranate, I need to create a hole like I did before. Then fill it with spirit stone or something that can substitute it. Then I plant it above the spirit stone and bury the root in normal soil. The last thing, I need to water it at night, not morning or day.
Actually, that procedure is for normal planting outside the spiritual land. And what for I do it, I want to plant it outside when I have my own home. I can's sell it massively if I don't have the real farm, right?
As for spirit stone, it's actually the blue transparent crystal that contains spiritual energy. To obtain it? I still don't know where the source.
"Manager, can this place expanded?"
[It can. But Master need special material to do it. And it's extremely rare.]
....
In three days, all villagers and merchants already finished their trading. So now, merchant caravan will set out from the village.
"Jo, I want to enter the deep forest again. My little sister already has you, so I'm not worried about her."
"Em, take care." Tejo allow me without hesitation.
I don't have the courage to tell my little sister personally. But before I truly enter the forest, I need to clean the bandit. So, the village will never encounter any danger.
To search the bandit nest, I need to tail Merchant caravan. If they encounter a mishap, of course, I will not help. I'm not a saint. As for my food, I eat dried sweet potato and dried meat. The taste is good, I'm not picky for food, you know.
After waiting three days, finally, bandit group appear. They bring up to 25 personnel. I also spot a powerful man. If one by one fighting, I'm sure to defeat him. But now is not the time to one by one fighting. How could bandit behave like the knight?
I admit that they very cruel. They directly kill an unyielding man and bring all women as the spoil of war. Maybe all the woman they kidnap will be their sex slave. It's very normal in the wilderness. I'm not a saint, so I don't have obligated to rescue them from the bandit. It's city lord task!
Of course, the bandit can leave with harvest, must have some casualties. Or you can say it's big casualties. Guards that merchant recruit actually fierce combatant. Half bandit troop is death.
I follow them to their nest. Because they bring big haul and look happy, they are not aware of me tailing them.
.....
Lisa feels all her world is fall. Her father is dead and she will be a sex toy of the bandit.
Why does this happen to me? My father already offer money to let us go. But why? She asked inside her inner heart
Suddenly she remembers villager youth advice.
[I will tell you one thing, you need differ between city and wilderness. Power, money, desire, envy, and other factor has the different impact in different time, place, and situations.]
She slowly understands what that youth means. Wilderness is a place of power, not money. The money will just invite trouble than enjoyment in the wilderness. With sufficient power, someone can obtain anything in the wilderness without money.
She silently let out tears. She knows that crying is no help at all. But she can only cry now. She just hopes a miracle will come and bring a light in her darkness.