Xian checked the book in her hands, the book was thick and it's cover was made up of black leather. She opened the book and saw different types of potions and Elixirs that was written in a skin colored paper.
"Cactie juice... Ingredients... Method of brewing... Method of drinking..."
"She-juice... Ingredients... Method of brewing... Method of drinking..."
"Heart cap... Ingredients... Method of brewing... Method of drinking..."
Different types of potions and Elixirs was written in the skin colored paper alongside of it's different Ingredients and methods of brewing and drinking. Xian flipped the for a couple of times before stopping into one potions.
"Bane Vanilla... Ingredients... Method of brewing... Method of drinking..."
"This should be the cheapest to brew and easiest to find for it's class to strengthen my physical power." She said to herself before touching her chin. She continued. "Problem is... Where to get the Ingredients."
Then an idea pop in her mind as she looked at her bracelet. She said. "I remember now, mother's small farmland should have some supplementary ingredients... Better check those out."
With that, she closed the book and tried to store it inside the bracelet but stopped. She said. "I still didn't know how long items can last inside it."
Then, she picked up a gold coin from the leather bag and brought it close to the silver bracelet. With a illusionary swirl, the gold coin was sucked to the silver bracelet.
"That should do the test... Now, let's ask where to get some ingredients my mother don't have." She said to herself before fixing her hair to that of a high ponytail tail again that reaches her neck. She stood up after before belting her sword and leaving the leather bag to the bed.
She cracked her head before leaving the room and locking it. She went to the hallway again and walked downstairs.
Upon arriving at the tavern downstairs again, Xian saw the boss Lyza sitting infront of the counter while drinking some yellow colored alcohol called booze.
By now, the tavern was very lively, cacophony of people laughing and talking can be heard from each corner of the tavern but Xian was getting used to the loud sounds coming from everywhere since coming to the village.
Lyza saw the figure of Xian who's walking towards her. She waved her hand and gestured to sit besides her.
Xian didn't reject the offer as she walked and went to sat besides the boss. She tapped the counter and the bartender came infront of her.
Probably because of what happened earlier, but the bartender was still scared of Xian, he said. "What's your order miss?"
"Orange juice, no alcohol." Xian answered as she glanced at the boss who's looking at her.
"What?" Xian questioned as she turned her head to her.
"Im wondering why a young girl like you was traveling alone." Lyza answered, by now, the bartender finished the orange juice and gave it to Xian.
Xian drank a mouthful of the orange juice and savoring it's tasteful sweetness before answering simply. "My mother died of a inevitable disease and I was left alone to travel."
'Better not reveal anything... I can't trust nobody for now since I don't know them.' She said in her mind before gulping the last bit of the juice.
Lyza heard the answer and was shocked by it, keeping her tone low, she said. "Sorry for the lost of your mother."
"It happened already and she's was in a better place now." Xian said as she looked and caresses her silver bracelet. Then, she asked. "Can I know where to buy some herbs here in the village, and also the main marketplace?"
Lyza was silent for a moment of thinking before answering. "There was an old building that sells herbs here in the village, just go to the edge of this street and look for it. You'll see it immediately because of it's oldness."
"And for the main marketplace, it was located in the center, you noticed the gray building besides the church? Just walked past it and you'll see the main marketplace. Actually, it was the next street from here."
Xian nodded at the answers, she stood up and said to the boss. "Thank you."
"Just business, anyways, you'll sleep already?" Lyza asked.
"Yes, is something wrong sleeping at night?" Xian answered.
"Nothing actually, but you'll miss the traveling bard I hired for the week." She answered, then at the stairs that leads to the rental room upstairs, stood couple of men walking towards the corner of the tavern.
The couple of them was wearing a simple clothes, white long sleeve that was obstructed by a black vest paired with black trousers and brown boots. One of the men are holding a sizable wooden guitar and the second men was holding a wooden flute.
"Speaking of it, that's the couple of men I hired, they are actually good at music, you'll see if you stay and listen." Lyza informed.
'I haven't heard of a music besides my Aunt's voice, better listen to calm myself.' Xian thought before nodding and sitting besides the boss again.
Then, the couple of men started to play their instruments, to Xian surprise, the people of tavern slowly quiet their selves down as they listened to the instruments.
The two of men started to sing and after a while of melody, the people of tavern joined the singing too.
"The village of dreams!"
"The village of love!"
"Oh! You're my hometown!"
Xian listened quietly to the melody of the tavern, to her side, the boss was singing as well and the bartender too. Xian mind was slowly calming down as she listened, after a while, she stood up and bade farewell to the tavern boss.
She walked upstairs before stopping to the washroom to wash herself. Upon arriving at her room, she firstly dried her face and sat at the soft bed, with her sword on the corner besides the bed and besides her in the bed is the leather sling bag.
Her ears was still listening to the cacophony of melody downstairs. She was silent for a while before staring at her bracelet.
"Is it safe to sleep there?" She asked herself.
"Mom was there... I want her embrace." She said to herself before laying to the bed.
Ready to have the crazy ravings to crack her head again, she chanted:
"Home!"
Then, her mind went crazy as loud ravings entered her head.
"BLOOD! DEMON! BLOOD! DEMON!"
Xian almost screamed to the pain as she trembled at the bed to maintain her posture. Then, her mind went blank and with her eye's closed, she transported into the field again.
Opening her eyes, Xian saw the dark field and the house that stood at the center. She sighed of relief as she weakly stood up, slowly walking towards the house.
Infront of the bricked house, she opened the door and saw the dark interior.
'Is mom sleeping as well?' She asked her mind as she walked to the living room.
Stood there is the unlit fireplace and a woman who's hair is cascading in raven black color that was almost impossible to see at the darkness.
Xian saw her mother who's staring blankly at the unlit fireplace. Then, she went besides her mother and grabbed the latter hands.
Her mother turned her head towards Xian as she look at her daughter, then she stood up while still staring at the girl.
"Let's sleep together mother." Xian said to her mother as she lead the woman towards the hall. Walking in the dark hallway, they went upstairs and entered Xian's bedroom.
Then, Xian sat at the soft bed and patted the besides her.
"Mother, here." She said to her mother, Xen slowly walked towards her daughter with blank look and sat down besides the girl.
Xian pushed to the side and layed down, she looked at her mother who's staring at her with blank sharp eyes.
"Let's sleep mother," She said and opened her hands wide. She asked. "Can you hug me mother?"
Her mother on the other hand didn't move there, Xian pouted her chicks as she forcefully hugged her mother and the latter fell down to her daughter's embrace.
With her daughter's hand tightly hugging her, Xen didn't move as she lay down besides the girl.
Xian went closer to her mother as she felt the warm of her being. Slowly, her eyes went dull as she fell asleep.
...
At the alley in the village besides the tavern, Brack who's staring at the bartender was scratching his head in anger.
"You said that she might go for the old building at the edge?" Brack said to the bartender who's hands are in his pants.
"I'll told you already, what are you planning now?" The bartender answered as he leaned at the wall.
"Something good, that b*tch will taste my revenge soon." Brack answered as he grinned and walked away.
"You'll regret it." The bartender informed.
"No, she'll regret it instead." Brack answered as he walked away and faded at the dark alley.
...
Xian woke up from the movements of her mother. Xian looked at her mother who's staring at her with blank eyes.
"Hm? Ah, sorry mother." She said before letting go of her mother.
Xen slowly stood up from laying down as she opened the door of Xian's room and went outside at the hallway.
"She's following her daily routine... Oh, I'll better check out the garden." Xian said to herself as she stood up.
She went to the bathroom first and washed her face up. Provided that there was a white towel at the bathroom, she dried there and went to the hallway downstairs and saw her mother who's about to leave the house.
She followed her mother to the garden. Then, Xen begun her daily routine of watering the ready to harvest plants as Xian finds something she was looking for.
"There you are." She said as she grabbed a fully grown three clover leaves that her mother was growing.
"This is only I need for the potions, but I wonder if I can bring this to the outside world." She said to herself before stuffing a handful of three lead clover at her trouser's pocket.
Then, she turned to her mother who's finished at watering the plants, Xian went besides her mother who's staring at the fully grown plants.
"It's ready to harvest mother." She informed her mother. Then, the latter bent down her body as she picked up the plants one by one and stuffing it at the basket that she brought earlier.
"I can't eat with you mother, I'll need to ask for something again at the tavern and that requires me to buy something." She said to her mother before sighing.
With the supplementary ingredient in her pocket, she went to the edge of the field towards the gray thick fog.
Glancing at the gray fog infront of her, Xian leaned and rushed to the gray fog.
The thick fog was engulfing her as she felt her powers was slowly draining and after a while, her vision came back while staring at the ceiling of the rented room.
Xian quickly inspected the three clover leaf at her hand and to her surprise, the three clover leaf was really there.
Staring at the three clover leaf in her hand, she said:
"Th-that's we call cheat."