Adlai

“Let's go sell the herbs first, then,” Benita said with a sigh of relief.

Lady Wu Yao's curiosity was far too strong; she might easily wander off if they weren't careful. Thus, Benita chose to take the shortest back alleys, bypassing the various shops lining the main street.

Benita was highly familiar with the layout here. Wu Yao followed closely behind her. “You know this place well?”

“I used to come here often before my illness got too severe.”

Thinking back to those times, Benita still felt a bit dazed. Had the coughing fit that plagued her for four years really been cured so easily?

“Then you can be my guide in a bit.”

Wu Yao was used to revealing the map first whenever she arrived at a new location. Having an NPC lead the way would definitely make things highly efficient!

After turning into another narrow alley, the group stopped in front of an apothecary shop.

The storefront wasn't particularly large, but it was kept neat and tidy. A small stall at the entrance displayed several packages of commonly used herbs, and the air was thick with a bitter, aromatic scent.

“Adlai!” Benita called out. “I'm here to sell some herbs.”

A plump figure emerged from behind the counter. Her apron was flecked with grass clippings, her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, and her hands were stained with herbal juices.

She had a round face and smiling eyes. The moment she saw Benita, she embraced her in pleasant surprise. “Your illness is cured!”

Seeing the smiling little Phelin, she stuffed a handful of candies into her hands. “Here, have some candy. It's the town's newly made honey candy. You'll definitely love it.”

Phelin's eyes lit up. After offering a crisp thank-you, she gave one to Wu Yao and carefully tucked the rest into her small pouch.

Benita took the opportunity to introduce Wu Yao, who was currently touching everything in sight. “It's all thanks to Lady Wu Yao. She is our family's benefactor.”

Hearing this, Adlai wiped her hands on her apron and tapped her forehead with two fingers pressed together.

This was a common gesture of gratitude, but she performed it solemnly, filled with appreciation. “What a truly kind lady!”

Then, she grabbed Benita and began chattering non-stop. “I haven't seen you in over half a year, and I've been worried sick. Ever since little Gandy left, and without the herbs you used to prepare, business at the shop has taken a hit. Those physicians want high-quality herbs but refuse to spend the money. If you ask me, how could there be such a good deal in the world...”

Benita responded patiently, but out of the corner of her eye, she kept watch on Wu Yao, who was surprisingly not causing any trouble.

She was touching the herbs one by one, her eyes sparkling and the corners of her mouth curling up unconsciously. Who knew what wonderful thing she had encountered?

She had hit the jackpot!

Wu Yao was in a wonderful mood listening to the continuous notifications of unlocked Compendium entries. She no longer found the background noise of the NPCs' chatter annoying, completely immersed in her rapidly growing Compendium entries.

【Unlocked Orb-Light Grass, Plant Compendium entries +1】

【Unlocked Tranquility Flower, Plant Compendium entries +1】

【Unlocked Moonlight Moss, Plant Compendium entries +1】

...

There were around seventy or eighty common medicinal herbs of all kinds in the apothecary shop. Every single one she touched triggered a notification, the system alerts cascading down like a waterfall.

Just as Wu Yao was fully immersed in the joy of collecting, a system prompt suddenly popped up.

【Special conditions met. Completed Compendium Quest: Flora's Confidant】

【Quest Description: Every blade of grass has its own name, and every leaf has its own story. They have flourished and withered on this earth for thousands of years, older than any dynasty, more silent than any epic. When you truly know the names of all flora, the plants will answer your call.】

【Current Progress: Plant Compendium cumulative entries 100/100 (Completed)】

【Quest Rewards: Free Attribute Points +3, Skill [Flora's Whisper], Random Wood-Element Spell x1】

【Next Phase: Wizard of the Green Wilds (Plant Compendium cumulative entries: 300)】

Below the quest, there was also a line of small text.

【When the cumulative entries in any Compendium category reach a specific milestone, the corresponding Compendium quest chain will automatically unlock.】

With a quest in hand, Wu Yao became even more motivated. She touched every single herb, powder, ointment, and even the dusty stock sitting on the shelves.

Only when the Plant Compendium entries reached 127 did she finally stop, still wanting more, and opened the Compendium interface to study it closely.

The Compendium interface had undergone some changes.

Beneath each category icon, a thin progress bar had appeared, with the current progress and the trigger requirement for the next quest tier marked beside it.

The progress bar for the Plant Compendium had already exceeded one-third, and a small golden icon at the end of the bar floated with the number “300”—the exact target for the [Wizard of the Green Wilds] quest.

Wu Yao flipped through the other categories.

The Alchemy Compendium already had over forty entries unlocked, but the progress bar was still more than halfway away from triggering its first quest tier.

The Spell Compendium had about twenty entries, almost all of which were spells she had created herself.

The Equipment Compendium was only in the single digits, its progress bar so short it was practically invisible.

The Culinary Compendium, on the other hand, had not a single light lit.

It seemed that from now on, whenever she arrived at a new place, she would have to touch everything touchable.

She then tapped to open the rewards she had just received.

【Flora's Whisper: Upon activation, allows the user to perceive the basic status and needs of all plants within a 20-meter radius, including moisture, sunlight, nutrients, diseases, etc. The detection range for special plants is extended to 30 meters, providing additional information.】

The random wood-element spell had turned out to be a summoning type.

【Nature Guardian: Mobilizes the vitality of surrounding plants to temporarily summon a Nature Guardian. The guardian's base Health and Attack Power are determined by the caster's Mana. Its primary attack method will shift based on the characteristics of the plants within the casting range. A maximum of 2 can exist at the same time.

Mana Cost: 30 points

Duration: 15 minutes】

Yes!

A new summoning style!

Wu Yao only wanted to quickly get into a hearty, satisfying battle to test her new spell.

“...Oh, by the way, what herbs did you bring today?” Adlai finally got to the point after thoroughly venting her grievances from the past half year.

“It's Star-Scar Grass. They're of very high quality, and quite mature as well.”

Benita unbuckled her satchel. The Star-Scar Grass gathered by Phelin and Wu Yao had been processed by her to retain their maximum efficacy.

Disregarding everything else, Adlai picked up a stalk of Star-Scar Grass with her fingers. She examined the distribution of purple spots on the leaves closely against the light, leaned in to smell the root, and verified the integrity of the root system.

After checking seven or eight stalks in a row, she couldn't hide her delight as she said, “I knew you were my lucky star! Just a couple of days ago, the Mayor was collecting high-quality Star-Scar Grass, offering twenty silver coins per stalk!”

“I'll take all of these off your hands, and I'll pay you according to the Mayor's price.”

Seeing that Benita wanted to decline, Adlai quickly pulled a stern face.

“I'm not losing any money on this. In fact, it gives me a chance to get close to the Mayor. Who knows, maybe the town hall's herb procurement will go through me in the future. Don't you dare argue with me.”

Benita let out a soft laugh and did not decline any further.

Adlai was the kindest person she had ever met in this border town.

Back then, she had just escaped from the Holy City. Her left foot had been trampled and injured in the chaos on the day of Hilna's execution, and she had been forced to embark on her flight before her injury could even heal.