By the time Nasrin read enough about what she needed to know, the sun had reached the middle of the sky. She closed the book as she rubbed her aching eyes. 'I'll continue later.'
Looking up, a note caught Nasrin's attention. Stretching, she walked towards it. "Rember to sell the herbs on the 12th of this month," Nasrin muttered as she read.
"What is today's date again?" Nasrin rubbed her ears as she looked at the front and back of the note. Tilting her head a little, a calendar came into her view. "Year 298, 12th of the 6th month of the Lorvil Empire, wow that's a mouth full."
Nasrin did a double take. "That's... today," she sighed loudly. Tossing the note onto the table, Nasrin grabbed a small beanie hat; placed it on her head, and tugged her ear into it. "Do I even need to go?" She pouted as she made her way upstairs.
She selected a basket, thoughtfully arranged a variety of herbs inside, and carefully draped a blue checkered cloth over the top. Reaching the door, she grabbed a bigger beanie on the hook. It was a high-quality knit material; it could perfectly cover the wearer's ears.
The slightly slouchy design gave it a relaxed yet sophisticated look; it had subtle embellishments like tiny pearls adorning the beanie. The beanie was a deep burgundy hue. A small, leaf logo was stitched onto the side.
Looking at the beanie, Nasrin decided to switch to it. It was bigger so it would be more comfortable for her ears.
After packing all that she would need, Nasrin closed the door and looked at the cottage before she started walking.
***
The journey to the market lasted two hours, primarily because Nasrin was still getting accustomed to navigating the forest. After wiping her sweat, she carefully parted the bushes and stepped out on the other side. The bustling noise of the crowd took her by surprise, momentarily causing her to lose her balance.
"It feels like ages since I last heard such loud noises," Nasrin remarked, gently placing her hand against her ear beneath her beanie. Taking a deep breath to centre herself, she began to walk forward.
As she walked through the market, the vendors and shoppers would greet her as she passed by. She finally reached a shop which's signboard read: Trox's herbalists' shop.
Apothecaries were quite rare in this world, making them highly sought after. As a result, the original kept her abilities hidden and frequently came here to sell the herbs she collected in the forest, as ordinary people could not venture into the forest without facing serious dangers.
However, due to a lapse in her judgment, she died from one of the toxins in the flowers and herbs she collected.
As Nasrin entered the shop, the bell chimed, and a figure appeared at the empty counter. Startled, Nasrin flinched back. "Oh, Miss Una. Welcome!"
The young woman smiled at her, and Nasrin smiled back, though somewhat awkwardly. "So, what did you bring back this time?" The young woman asked as she placed her orange hair behind her ear.
Nasrin slowly blinked and placed the basket on the counter. She removed the cloth and introduced each herb. The young woman happily clapped her hands as she looked at the herbs. "Grandpa will be very happy about this week's find," She looked into Nasrin's eyes. "Thank you, Miss Una, we will pay you a total of 3 gold ingots."
Nasrin's eyes widen in surprise, "Really Elma, isn't that a little too expensive?" From what she learnt, 1 gold ingot costs as much as 2-3,000 USD.
Elma shook her head. "No, each herb you brought back is very expensive in the market because few people can handle it. Others who attempt to harvest it often die from the toxins because they don't know the proper methods. The ones who manage to harvest it successfully usually just get lucky," Elma wore gloves and transported the herbs into separate glass jars.
Removing the gloves she said, "Wait here, I'll go give these to Grandpa in the back and bring you the money."
Nasrin nodded and stood still. Elma chuckled at the sight.
***
Holding the ingots in her hand, Nasrin left the shop. The ingots were round gold coins, about the size of two fingers of a teenager. They had an engraving of a sun rising on their faces.
While studying the coins, she accidentally bumped into a man. The man apologized and took off.
Nasrin narrowed her eyes, a keen intensity in her gaze as she watched the man walk away, his figure fading into the distance. She turned her attention to her hand, where a delicate yet defiant smirk began to form on her lips, enhancing her striking features. The smile, both alluring and enigmatic, sent a chill through those who caught sight of it, causing them to hurry away.
Her figure blurred and then disappeared.
**Alley Way, 2 hours later**
"Argh!"
Following that scream, a figure was thrown onto the floor. In the dark alley, bright emerald eyes looked apathetically at the man shivering in fear. "Hand my money back," Nasrin put her hands out.
The man shakingly handed the three ingots back. Getting her money back, she kicked the man in the stomach causing him to pass out from the pain. Looking back, she called out, "You can go home now."
The was no sound. Putting her money in her pocket, she walked out and behind her were 20+ people groaning or passed out on the ground.
Looking at the setting sun, Nasrin thought, 'This seems to be a wake-up call to find the 2nd remnant and leave this world.'
It seems we have to go back two hours ago to understand what happened here.