Chapter 14 – Elena

With those new stat points making him a bit stronger and faster, he had an easier time carrying the deer back through the woods.

While Rowan was walking through the woods, he saw an area filled with dense trees.

When he walked forward, he saw a small dark green bush.

He gently set the deer's body down before slowly walking over and looking at it closer.

It seemed a bit different than ordinary plants, but he couldn't put his mind on what brought that on exactly.

He was careful and took two small cuttings. One was quickly planted in his [World Seed], and the other one was stored away in his bag, so he could get the plants purpose identified.

When he brought it into his [World Seed], it was able to give him the name of the plant.

[Kenaf Honeysuckle Bush]

After finishing collecting the cuttings, he picked the deer corpse back up and continued back to the town.

His first stop was the restaurant, where he went to the back and got the owner of the place to sign his mission paper, then he went to find the store where he needed to take the White-Swine Thistle.

It took Rowan awhile before he came across a shop on a small street.

It was hidden under the shadows of two nearby buildings and had an awning out on the front, preventing light from shining directly inside.

"Hello?" He called into the shop after seeing it was empty.

He walked in a little bit and up to the counter. He took the time to get out the two herbs and placed them on the counter top.

There was a banging sound from the back before some stumbling could be heard.

"Just a minute!" Came a woman's voice.

Rowan began to look around a little after hearing that.

There were some herbs which had been refined, and could no longer be grown, as well as other various powders, creams, and potions. It seemed to be a mix of something like an herbalist and potioneer shop.

The back door opened and a woman walked out. She looked cute, and had blonde hair going down to her shoulders and hazel eyes. Her face looked a little smudged and dirty, probably from whatever she was making in the back. She was wearing a large leather apron and a pair of glasses as well.

"Hello, my name is Elena! How can I help you?" She said with a smile.

"Hi, I am here to complete the mission you had put up at the Adventurers Guild about the White-Swine Thistle." He said while pushing the open box towards her.

"Oh thank you, thank you! This is just what I was waitng for!" She said with a bright smile and grabbed the thistle and turned around as if she was leaving.

"Excuse me, but I still need you to sign this." He said while pulling out the mission paper and setting it down.

"I also want to know about this herb I found." He said while pointing to the small herb cutting beside the box.

She stopped for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh. "Sorry, I was getting too excited." She walked back over and started to sign the paper.

"Making something good?" Rowan couldn't help but ask.

"I am trying to make a more localized, yet stronger numbing cream but it's not doing so well. The numbness always spreads out from the spot where the cream is placed, when it isn't supposed to!" She said with growing frustration.

"Well, I am sure you will succeed soon Elena. And the herb?" He asked.

She looked it over for a few moments.

"Kenaf Honeysuckle. Grade 1 herb. The leaves of the bush can make a decent tea, but the most useful part is the roots. They help with healing lung infections, or other minor issue with the lungs. They roots will either be chopped up and cooked in a soup, or for a salve that gets rubbed on the chest. Both methods work." She said with a proud nod while rubbing her chin.

"That's good to know. If I get some of the roots, will you buy them?" He asked.

"I suppose I can. I don't have much use for them, but I am sure I can figure something out. If you come across any other Grade 1 or higher herbs, I will definitely be interested in giving you an offer for them." She said with a hopeful smile.

Rowan glanced around for a moment. "What exactly is it that you do? Your profession?"

"Oh, that! My first one was a [Gardener], but after I finished that one I took [Herbalist] and [Potion Maker] as my next two!" She said proudly.

That made Rowan nod a little as well. If he started growing better plants inside his [World Seed], he could sell them to various people.

"I gotta ask, do people grow their own Grade 1 herbs? And I don't mean just a few potted plants, I am talking about gardens and farms." Rowan said.

"Not too much around here, sadly. It's mostly what can be found in the forest and surrounding areas. As for other places, sure! That is something herbalists commonly do. The issue is, that when growing various types in one area, there can be conflicts between the plants themselves. Also, the higher in Grade you go, the more complex they will become, as well as the more dangerous." She continued.

"That is why herbalists will grow low Grade herbs mainly, and a few higher-grade ones, to reduce the risk and conflicts. I've also heard that some of the larger areas to the northwest have farms, but that is when they plant a single type of herb over a large area, to reduce conflicts between them, and to make it easier on the farmers. As for why that doesn't happen here, there isn't much of a market, but also because farms and gardens like that are easy to steal from. Thieves and robbers can make a decent amount of coin depending on what they grab." She finished.

"What about issues with animals?" Rowan couldn't help but ask after remembering the snake he killed in the past that was hanging around the Silver Star tree.

"Animals can be an issue, which is why the herb gardens are typically grown in or around cities to avoid animals from taking and eating any, and as for the farms, those are typically set up by the local governments and nobles, so there will be a decent amount of patrolling guards in those areas." Elena seemed to pause and think over something.

Rowan also took a few moments before asking, "Why don't you go somewhere else and set up shop? I am sure that there could be opportunities in those areas, right?"

"If you just look at it from the standpoint of the herbs, then sure! But there is also the craftsman side. There are much better [Potion maker]'s out there than me that have already established themselves, and don't want competition. I wouldn't succeed easily in spots like that with my current capabilities." She said with a saddened sigh.

"Do you think that you will ever want to move somewhere better?" Rowan couldn't help but ask.

"I am planning on it! I will definitely get out of this town in the future, and set up my own potion empire!" She said while putting on a proud look, but that only made Rowan laugh a little.

They continued to talk to each other for a little bit more before Rowan eventually left the shop.

He had asked her if she wanted to move in the future in order to figure out how connected to this place she was. Rowan had been thinking about how his [World Seed] would grow in the future, and having a couple people he trusted living in it wouldn't be too bad sounding.

But that was something for him to worry about in the future.

Rowan had quickly returned to the Adventurer's Guild and turned in his two missions, and got paid 4 silvers for both, giving 8 silvers in total. When he checked his coin pouch, he realized that he was only at 8 silvers and 56 coppers. Not much money by a long shot.

Rowan decided to make a purchase that was starting to become necessary. After stopping at a small supplies shop, he bought a large wooden barrel that reached up to his chest. Aside from that, he also bought a small bucket as well.

After Rowan got the items, and started to carry them out of the shop, he made his way back into the woods. He made sure to go a decent way before coming to a stream that he had seen before.

Rowan put the bucket into his [World Seed], then got the barrel and gently began to walk into the stream with it. He set the barrel down inside the stream, and tilted it to the side a little so that water could flow into it.

Once it was mostly filled up, Rowan moved the barrel and himself into the [World Seed].

He appeared right next to the small garden that was beginning to form, and left the barrel resting there.

The water was crystal clear, and after checking the Status Screen, couldn't find anything harmful inside the [World Seed], so it seemed safe.

Rowan walked over to the small pile of items that was beginning to form and grabbed the bucket from on top, and walked over to the barrel. He carefully scooped some of the water up before walking over to the small garden.

There were small plant shoots beginning to grow, the tallest only about 3 inches in height, which was good so far.

He walked around pouring a little bit of water next to each of the spots where a plant was growing, but made sure not to directly pour the water on the plant in case it damages it.

He did this for each plant, and then went over and did it for the Silver Star trees too. The cuttings had formed roots and were growing well, and the seeds he had planted had already broken through the dirt and had a couple inches in height.

After doing that, he put the bucket away and went and sat down on the area he had made his bed.

"Let's see, what do I need to do and get? A house would be good, an actual bed would be nice. Some storage would be good so these items aren't laying around. I need to get a firepit formed, some metal grills to put over it, pots and pans as well. A cast iron Dutch oven would be nice." Rowan said.

"I would need firewood if I wanted to make a fire here." He said with a soft sigh.

He wasn't the best at cooking, but making a soup or stew wasn't too complicated. He could just chop up the ingredients and toss them inside the pot and leave it alone for a while.

Rowan laid back onto the bed spot he made and looked up. He could still see the small specks of light that looked like stars, but the longer he had looked at them, the faker they had seemed.

This whole [World Seed] was still a bundle of mystery. Why did dirt form when he expanded the range of the space, and nothing else? Why is the temperature always constant, neither hot nor cold? Why is there a constant light that never changes in intensity?

"Would learning magic help me understand this?" He couldn't help but let out a soft mutter.