Chapter 32 - Jovan's Mastery.

When Edward arrived in the city, he first wanted to go to the Fire Guild. Yet, he remembered Kaith's words and went straight to the Monster Association Building. He was greeted by the familiar attendant who had guided him before. The attendant wore a polite smile and led Edward to the same room he had used the previous day.

"The herbs that Kaith asked for are all ready," the attendant said, jotting down notes on parchment. "We just need your confirmation to bring them over."

Edward nodded, appreciating the efficiency of the Monster Association's staff. "Please bring them over. I need to start preparing them."

The attendant excused themselves and left the room, leaving Edward alone with his thoughts. He glanced around the room, which he had grown quite familiar with it, as he had spent a good amount of time here in the past few days. "Sigh... I must say the monster trainers seem to have quite a good standing." Edward sat down on one of the chairs and began to think about all the recent events.

The difference in treatment he experienced at the Monster Association was significant compared to his initial visit. Yet, he knew that this was only due to Kaith's influence. "I guess I could use Leo or even Saurus' names to get some benefits, but I'm not sure how they would react..." Edward let out a smile as he shook his head and pushed all those thoughts to the back of his mind.

If he truly wanted prestige and influence, he knew that the only way would be to grow stronger or become a great trainer. Unfortunately, he was far from achieving any of those goals. "At least, I'm making progress..." A knock on the door jolted Edward out of his musings. He straightened himself and quickly asked the attendant to enter. "Come in."

The attendant entered, followed by two assistants carrying trays laden with various herbs. The room was once again filled with the enticing aroma of nature's gifts. Edward's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he approached the table, taking in the sight of the carefully arranged herbs.

"These are the herbs that Master Kaith requested," one of the assistants said with a respectful bow. "He isn't here to check their quality, so we need you to approve them." The assistant looked at Edward with a curious gaze. He had never seen the boy here before, yet anyone who caught Kaith's eyes was sure to be a real talent.

"Approve them?" Edward bit his lip as he gazed at the herbs. "That's going to be a bit hard. I just started learning from Kaith, and I'm not comfortable judging them."

"Oh? What should we do then?" The assistant let out a deep breath as he looked at his companion. "Can we wait for Kaith to arrive?"

"That won't work... He asked me to have everything prepared before he arrived." Edward closed his eyes, deep in thought, and finally decided to ask for the assistant's help. "Can't I trust your judgment?"

The assistant smiled awkwardly as he shook his head. "Don't misunderstand me... It's not that I choose subpar herbs or something, but you know Kaith. If he found something wrong with the herbs, I would most likely end up without a job."

"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Edward grinned, realizing that he had no other option but to wait for Kaith.

"Well, isn't one of Kaith's disciples here?" The second assistant suddenly spoke up, scratching his head. "I thought I had seen him today."

"Kaith's disciple?" Edward instantly thought back to Jovan and the other man who had been helping Kaith when they first met. "Which one of the two?"

"Jovan. I saw him enter one of the training rooms with Saurus' son," the assistant continued, recounting what he had observed earlier that day. "Can't you ask him for help?"

"Well, I don't really know him, but at least it's worth a try," Edward remembered that Lucien had asked Jovan to train one of his pets, so he immediately understood what Jovan was doing around here.

"Let's go then." The assistant hoped that Jovan wouldn't be too bothered by their visit, and he led the way to the training room where Jovan was currently at.

Edward followed the assistant through the corridors of the Monster Association Building, his anticipation growing with each step. He wondered how Jovan would react to his request for help, considering they were practically strangers to each other.

As they arrived at the training room, Edward noticed the sound of faint roars emanating from within and knocked on the door. After a few seconds of waiting, the door finally opened, revealing Jovan, clad in a full suit of leather armor.

"What's up?" Jovan had an annoyed expression as he gazed at the three men at the door. "Did Kaith send you guys or something?" As he recognized Edward, he instantly knew that this had something to do with Kaith.

"I hope we aren't bothering you..." Edward took a deep breath and gave Jovan a bow. "But could you help me with a small matter?"

"Help you?" Jovan's eyebrows perked up as he gazed at Edward with a serious face. "Come in..." He didn't really know the boy, but his humble attitude today and in their previous meeting had left quite a good impression on Jovan.

As Edward stepped inside the room, his eyes instantly fell upon a large dark wolf, who sat in the middle of the room, slowly absorbing waves of energy that flowed out of two stone pieces. "Is that Lucien's pet?" Edward halted his steps as his eyes met the bloodthirsty wolf.

"Be careful around it, this monster is quite aggressive." Jovan looked at the wolf with an anxious face. If he knew that training the beast would be arduous, he would never have accepted the job. "So, what do you need me for?"

"Kaith asked me to prepare some herbs, but the people from the Monster Tamer Association asked me to appraise them to see if the quality is up to par with Kaith's desires..." Edward didn't shy away from the question and began to explain his problem. "But I'm not very good at those things as I only started learning about monster training the past few days..."

"You did well in coming here. Kaith is picky about the items he uses, especially when the customer is someone with such standing in the city." Jovan sat down on the chair and gestured for Edward to show the herbs. "Let's finish this quickly. I'm too busy to waste any time."

Edward nodded gratefully and approached Jovan, carefully placing the jars of herbs on the table in front of him. Jovan's sharp gaze examined each herb, his fingers lightly brushing over their surfaces as he assessed their quality.

"They seem fine..." Jovan murmured, his brows furrowing slightly. "Just change those Emberleafs; they're a bit old."

"Old?" Edward gazed back at the assistant who had selected the herbs, an inquiring look in his eyes.

Jovan smiled as he noticed Edward's suspicions. "He didn't choose a bad herb for you; it's just that Kaith's procedure requires something unusual." Jovan leaned back in his chair and picked up one of the Ember Leafs, pointing to a spot near its stalk. "Ember Leafs are generally harvested at this stage of maturity. The overall energy has a slight decrease, but the purity of the energy is much higher when they're at this age."

Edward looked at the small red dots on the stalk and nodded before returning his gaze to the assistant, offering an apologetic look. "Sorry, I thought you were trying to cheat me."

The assistant smiled and waved off Edward's apology. "No worries. It's my fault... I never knew fresh Ember Leaf could be used."

"The younger the Ember Leaf, the more energy it has, but its energy is very impure with great levels of nature elemental energy mixed in," Jovan explained as he showed the stalk of the Ember Leaf. "Generally, when you see the red dots near the stem, it means that the fire energy is quite refined."

So, what Kaith needed isn't the fire energy itself?" Edward's eyes became serious as he fell into deep thought. "Why would the Firebrand Steed need Nature Energy?"

"It's all about preparing the best conditions for the Firebrand Steed," Jovan played around with the Ember Leaf as he continued to explain. "The Sun Bathing Weed is very potent, which would be an arduous task for a Fire Type monster to absorb, even with the Elemental Compatibility between the Light and Fire element."

Edward's eyes flashed as he finally understood the purpose of the Ember Leaf. "So, Kaith is using the Ember Leaf to counterbalance the effects of the Sun Bathing Weed..."

Jovan let out a smirk, initially not expecting the boy to grasp the concept so easily, and continued to analyze the herbs.

With Jovan's guidance, Edward and the assistant went through each herb one by one, discussing their quality and making adjustments where necessary. Jovan's expertise and knowledge in herbology proved invaluable as he shared insights and techniques with Edward, helping him gain a deeper understanding of the herbs and their properties.

As they finished assessing the last herb, Jovan leaned back in his chair and gave a satisfied nod. "Just make all the changes that I pointed out, and then these herbs should meet Kaith's standards. You can proceed with the preparations without any worries."

Edward's face lit up with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Jovan. I truly appreciate your help."

Jovan shrugged casually. "It's no big deal. We're all here to support each other in our respective roles. If you need any more assistance in the future, don't hesitate to ask."

Edward nodded, feeling a sense of camaraderie forming between them. He couldn't help but admire Jovan's skills and dedication to his craft. "Thanks for the help... This may sound a bit presumptuous on my part, but if you ever need my help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Jovan smirked playfully. "Well, since you offered, there is something you can help me with."

Curiosity sparked in Edward's eyes. "What is it?"

Jovan's gaze shifted to Lucien's pet wolf, still absorbing energy from the stones. "I've been training this wolf for Lucien, but it's proven to be quite challenging. Its aggression is off the charts, and I could use some assistance in taming it. Since you're studying under Kaith, it's likely that you aren't too bad. So why don't you come over to help me after Kaith departs for the King's call?"