"Well, let's save the future for later. What was that message you had to bring me?"
"Wells said your flowers have arrived, and please go pick them up."
"Hmmm... Ah, those flowers!... I had forgotten about them. But if you've come all the way here, why haven't you brought them?"
"He said didn't want there to be a problem and lose one of his best clients."
"Seriously... That stubborn old man... Well, you can tell him I'll go find them later."
"I will do it."
"Hehe, thanks for all, sorry for the inconvenience." And after finishing his business, Blake left the pharmacy but not before saying goodbye to Marian who seemed to be combining various herbs while a strange smile on her face.
Blake, not wanting to know anything else, returned to the florist to finish the request, but once he arrived, he did not see the old man anywhere and only heard a voice familiar to him.
"Sigh... There are many clouds in the sky..." Those words accompanied by a sigh implied that the person was not really focused on reality, so Blake had to get her attention.
"Hi, Shara."
"Hmmm..."
"What's the matter?" Blake was sure that he had succeeded in calling her, but Shara's expression was somewhat different from normal.
"Blake... How do you feel about trying a new cologne?" Not knowing the reason why she came up with that question, Blake just stared at Shara with a totally confused face.
"Could you repeat the question for me?" But despite that, Shara seemed to remain trapped in thoughts of him.
"A little cologne can make a big difference, don't you think?"
"Well, I don't have any cologne."
"Ah, then it's a perfect time... Just wait while I prepare the store and choose one for you." Knowing that he could not prevent Shara from doing what she had in mind, he decided to play along and hope that nothing bad happened.
"Will you choose it?"
"Sure! Is something wrong?"
"Actually, a boy's cologne is a personal decision, don't you think?"
"Hehe, it doesn't matter. I'm an expert at this!"
"Okay... I leave it in your hands..."
"Perfect! Today's aroma is... Delicious pleasure!"
"Delicious pleasure...?"
"Right, people who like to eat or cook will love it." And before he knew it, Shara had scooped out the little jar and sprinkled some of the contents over Blake.
"Hmmm... I don't smell anything."
"Of course! Only people who adore this smell will be able to perceive it, that is what is special about this type of cologne. Ah yes! Welcome! Is there anything offered to you?" Without understanding a bit of how that was possible, Blake was grateful that nothing strange happened and wanted to ask about Wells.
"I was actually looking for Wells."
"My grandpa?... Oh, you must be here for the request."
"Yes. I just finished with what he told me to do and I came to tell him."
"Well, you're a little late, he just left." That made Blake sigh internally, but his disappointment didn't last long. "But don't make that face, he told me that he would go to the flower field that is near the entrance of the Privera forest to collect some. You should go and see if you can find it."
"Then I will, see you later. And thanks for the cologne." After taking his new target and saying goodbye to her, Blake walked down the path from the night before until he reached the same place where the town artist's house was. Now that the sun illuminated the area, he could see carefully what was around and the first thing that caught his attention were some strange figures that seemed to hide in the undergrowth. "Is it... A monster?"
Each was oddly shaped and you couldn't really see what they were. In the end, he gave up trying to guess what they were and turned his attention to a large entrance with a sign next to it. He leaned closer as his curiosity was stronger and began to read in his mind.
'Privera forest. A beautiful forest. Ancient ruins hint that a great city was here a long time ago.' And once he finished reading that, something strange was going on him 'Huh...? What is this strange feeling?... It's as if something were to push me there...'
The information was not much, but for some reason, Blake felt as if something was calling to him from within this place. He was about to enter that unknown area when a voice made him come out of his trance and jump at the same time.
"Hey boy, what do you think you're doing?!"
"Huh? Wells?" The very voice of the town mayor reached his ears and was enough to distract him from what he was doing.
"You should not wander in the forest until you are ready."
"Why? What's there?"
"Monsters, of course! If you don't carry a weapon, you'll be in a lot of trouble! Although... The monsters of the Privera forest are not very dangerous if you are really prepared. Just don't try to explore other areas yet." Blake listened carefully to the warning at the same time that he couldn't help being curious.
"Other areas?"
"You see... To the west of the town are the entrances to the Vale river and the Sol Terrano desert; and to the east, you will find the entrance to Oddward valley, the monsters in those places are much more dangerous than those you will find in the Privera forest." After listening carefully to what Wells said, Blake thought that since he had a weapon and he knew a little bit of magic shouldn't be too dangerous for him but was sure he shouldn't go elsewhere without doing some more research. Maybe he had the help of the system that gave him some improvements, but he knew that he was still too weak to face monsters stronger than the orcs. "So you better avoid the Priviera forest until you have more experience. Understood?"
"Understood!" After giving that answer with a military pose for some reason, Blake considered talking to Wells about the request, but it seemed like the old man had something else to say.
"By the way, I will give you some advice. I assume you know the teleport spell, right?"
"Yes, I know how to use it."
"Well, you know that you can use it to go back to a point that you have marked, so what you should do is change the mark you have and put it at the entrance of the forest, so if you run into any problem, you just need to use the spell and, in an instant, you will be at the entrance of it."
'Now that I think about it, it's a very good idea.'
"Well, just remember to be careful if you go into the forest... Now that I remember, how was the request?"
"I gave Marjorie the message and she said she would come later for the flowers."
"Excellent, thanks for your hard work, you can take this as compensation."
[Acquired: Rusty Sickle.]
As the voice of the system said, what Wells had given him was a rusty sickle, he did not look in a very optimal state, but Blake would not reject something that he had just been given and he showed his appreciation for the gift and the info he just got.