Verdantia and Cinderielle didn't expect to bump into Ariel, so they were similarly surprised. "Indeed. What a surprise. What are you doing here?"
Ariel smiled as she took a chair and sat with them. "Well, you know the drill. I go around all the nearby cities with the caravan to find some exotic materials and such and sell what I can. Speaking of which, Liu Shu's commodities are quite popular! Each time I arrive at a new town, the people that previously bought them come asking for more!"
Verdantia remembered how her mother could feel the World Tree aura from her staff, and even when she knew that her mother was a bit special in that regard, she asked. "Have any high-level people approached you lately?"
Ariel got thoughtful. "Honestly, I am not really good at discerning these things myself. Beyond Level 14~15, everyone looks the same. Like… 'strong!' Hahaha. Do you know what I mean?"
Verdantia sipped her beverage and answered. "No idea."
Ariel blinked and looked at the red-haired Sylvan, only to be met with a pair of pitying orange eyes. "Being a human must be tough."
Ariel's lip corners began madly twitching. "Anyways, people like that appeared a few times, but not often. They came to buy the few
Cinderielle asked with a playful smirk that hid the cold edge in her eyes. "Are you properly storing the value of the berries? I heard from Ignatia that you tried to scam Liu Shu the first time around."
Ariel raised her arms. "That was an honest mistake. I have reformed, I swear! I've saved all the money and accounts in a book for you to revise as well. Moreover, Flor knows how many of each berry she gave me, and you two can always come to my caravan and see at what price I have them."
Verdantia was about to take another sip, but the cup was empty, so she placed it aside and asked. "What are the prices?"
Ariel commented. "Well, the ones that can recover energy are 8 Lir Coins each."
Verdantia and Cinderielle blinked. The red-haired Sylvan asked, surprised. "8 Lir Coin? That's quite a lot for an F- Rank fruit."
Ariel nodded. "It's really good, that's why I said that the materials Liu Shu asked for previously were too little to sell all these things. Although they are F- Rank, each fruit has incredibly pure energy, and you can eat them without thinking about anything. For low-level people, the Phoer Berries have shown signs of healing even old wounds and scarring." Ariel scratched her head. "I've already had a few potion makers come to me, asking me to give them a steady supply to create new potions and such."
Verdantia blinked. She was a potion maker herself, so she understood the value of the berries. It was just that Verdantia never really thought of using Liu Shu's materials in her potion-making. Somewhere in her head, she ignored that option because using Liu Shu's materials felt somewhat wrong as if she were objectifying Liu Shu.
However, her mind changed. 'Others are using her materials and eating them at will… Does avoiding to use them make me more of a stranger to Liu'er compared to those who do use them?'
Verdantia's heart was filled with jealousy in a matter of a few seconds. 'I must be the one knowing the most. Heh, those disgusting potion makers are handling Liu Shu's fruits and investigating them while I am here, acting all pure and everything. What an asinine thing to do.'
Ariel coughed. "Verdantia, it might be my imagination, but I can feel a strange aura around you. Are you okay? Can you stop it? No, I am serious, stop it, it's getting scary, haha…ha?"
Verdantia turned to look at Ariel and asked. "Have you received any product created from her materials?"
Ariel gulped and took out a cream from her pouch at her waist. "This was a present of gratitude from one potion maker."
Verdantia snatched it aggressively and looked at it analytically.
Note: A mediocre cream created from a Basic Phoer Berry. It has managed to increase its effectiveness compared to eating it raw. However, the processing has reduced the pureness of the berry, making it worse than the natural berry in some aspects.
Verdantia's face was filled with disgust as she looked at the pinkish cream and had the urge to spit on it. She carelessly threw it back at Ariel and commented. "Once we return, I should also do a few tests with Liu'er's fruits."
Ariel and Cinderielle didn't dare say anything. They could feel that Verdantia was in a bad mood. Cinderielle asked curiously to change the subject. "How much Lir have you made in total from Liu Shu's berries?"
Ariel was quick to follow. "Profit? Or, for Liu Shu?"
Cinderielle blinked. "How are you selling them?"
Ariel explained. "I take around 5% of the income from them as compensation." Cinderielle squinted, and Ariel asked, flabbergasted. "What? Do you want me to sell them for free? You know, I also need to eat and pay for my things!"
Cinderielle felt that 5% was not that much at the end of the day, so she nodded. "Sure, sure. So?"
Ariel commented. "I had 231 Phoer Berries, 176 Mana Berries, 312 Energy Berries, and 31 Delicious Berries."
"Delicious Berries!" Cinderielle remembered. "What about those? How much did you sell each of them for?"
Ariel grinned. "I could sell each of those at 19 Lir. Quite nice, right?"
Cinderielle nodded but rubbed her chin. "Wouldn't you have been able to make much more profit if you went to some rich person with a kid and showed it to them? Selling them in batches of ten should be best, you know, for the first level and all."
Ariel agreed. "I've already done that. 19 Lir each is the price after doing that."
Cinderielle commented. "So, you actually managed to make some Tyn out of all of that?"
Ariel smirked. "I managed to make 12 Tyn and 341 Lir! It's quite nice, isn't it?"
Verdantia joined the conversation. "It really is. 12 Tyn can buy you a nice house in Fortuna City, and you will still have some leftover money to live on for a few years."
Cinderielle nodded. "The coins are Lir, Tyn, Bren, Syl, and Arbors… Have you ever seen an Arbor in person, Verdantia?"
Verdantia laughed. "I did once. My mother was paid 1 Arbor Coin for one mission that took her a few years to complete. The energy purity coming from them is incredible. Did you know that although the exchange rate is 500 coins, buying an Arbor with 500 Syl is actually quite hard?"
Cinderielle and Ariel, like genuine countryside people, were clueless about these "high society" facts. So, confused, Ariel asked. "Why? That's their value, right?"
Verdantia nodded. "Yes. Nevertheless, the number of Arbor coins is very limited. Moreover, Arbor coins can be used for other things apart from being currency. So, in truth, their value varies depending on the amount circulating. 500 Syl for one Arbor is the "agreed upon" rate. Yet, I've seen one Arbor being bought for 1000 Syl at an auction house."
Ariel blinked. "What kind of action house did you go to?"
Verdantia smiled proudly. "Well, mommy is known all around. So, she gets invited to important events. While our Liferoot family has small numbers, we have maintained a high reputation and status through sheer strength."
Cinderielle blinked. "And you are the next head of the household?"
Verdantia nodded but paused right after. "Well, either me or one of my cousins. We'll see in a few years when my mother is ready to hand down the head of the household title."
Ariel realized. "Right. It's an actual recognized title by the system, right?"
Verdantia nodded. "Yes. My mother has the
Ariel got thoughtful. "The top power of the continent is so complicated."
With a sigh, Verdantia agreed. "It really is. There is no clear ruler family, so everyone is looking out for everyone. Well, creating a sovereign country is complicated. Even the top four powers that mostly dominate the World are quite… messy."
Cinderielle asked. "How many World Trees are there?"
Verdantia shrugged. "Who knows? Hundreds? Perhaps thousands?" Verdantia used her finger to circle the cup's edge. "I don't think there are more than ten thousand, though. Well, at least, discovered. There should be quite a few hidden ones like Liu'er."
Ariel asked. "So, I have yet to ask. Why are you two here?"
Cinderielle was thoughtful and answered carefully. "We are searching for information about one group of people."
Verdantia laughed. "Oh, the hot-headed plant has actually thought and used her brain for once."
Rolling her eyes, she answered back. "Well, at least my nutrients are transported there. Sometimes-."
Verdantia smiled. "Hm?"
Cinderielle realized that she was going to mock Verdantia for her breast size again and paused, irritated. 'Isn't there anything else…? Having an ample bosom is not even a bad thing! Big breasts are quite attractive… Tsk, tsk. I sound like a resentful and petty woman… What else is there to mock her with…'
Verdantia looked at the frowning woman with an amused expression. 'While she is somewhat silly sometimes, she is really intelligent. I am often impressed at her sharpness and ability to learn.'
Ariel looked at them and laughed. "You two are really good friends. Quite amusing. I always thought that you would be going at each other's throats because of your interests in a certain someone~."
Both Sylvan women looked at each other and snorted.
Then, Verdantia stood up and commented. "Well, we need to go. If you learn anything about people with cloaks roaming the city, tell us. I think the Void Witherwood Exarchs are messing around this place."
Cinderielle looked at Verdantia, stunned. "I was trying to say it in a hidden manner, and you blurted everything out?"
The Life Sylvan smiled and turned around. "No need to worry. Follow me."
The Fire Sylvan scratched her head and said goodbye to Ariel. "See you later!"
Ariel waved her hand and saw them leaving. As soon as they disappeared in the crowd, she stood up and returned to her caravan.
Meanwhile, a woman with grey hair and stormy grey eyes hummed while looking at their retreating backs. 'What an interesting piece of information. After all, they were wrong, and I was right. Like always~.'
The woman's lips arched in a free and confident smile. 'That caravan suddenly selling those fruits is quite strange. I should investigate them. If I discover something interesting, I might be able to profit and make my mercenary group more popular~.'
Wind currents gathered around her body, and soon, she took to the sky and flew away.