Time passed, second by second. While they waited, Vincent forced himself to liven up the atmosphere. He didn’t want everyone to grow too somber over his injury.
"My wound..."
Suddenly, a look of surprise appeared on Vincent’s face.
He could clearly feel a cool sensation spreading across his wound, gradually driving away the pain and the sticky sensation.
"What’s wrong, Chief?"
Kariel, Vilin, and Lanni watched Vincent nervously.
"I feel like my wound doesn’t hurt anymore."
For a moment, Vincent was in such a daze he thought his senses were deceiving him.
"The medicine’s working. You’ve made it."
Vili smiled, relieved that his efforts hadn’t been in vain.
He removed the herbal poultice from Vincent’s wound and saw that the flesh, which had already started to rot, had partially regained its normal color.
"Vili, you actually know Pharmacy?!"
Vilin’s voice rose without her realizing it, her gaze fixed on Vili, full of intense admiration.
’Pharmacy... such a complex and tedious field of knowledge.’
"It’s not Pharmacy. I just know a bit about herbs, that’s all."
Vili was telling the truth. This was all knowledge granted by the Basic-level Gatherer title, and it had nothing to do with Pharmacy.
"You know about herbs?"
Something seemed to occur to Lanni. She asked tentatively, "Then... do you know of Sweet Star Grass?"
At Lanni’s question, the eyes of Vilin, Kariel, and even the injured Vincent suddenly lit up.
’Sweet Star Grass. The very reason they had been willing to venture into such danger. The target of a quest worth one hundred Gold Rums.’
"Sweet Star Grass..."
Vili’s gaze suddenly shifted, landing on the patch of grass beneath Lanni’s rear. A strange look crossed his face.
Lanni froze, realizing Vili was staring at her backside. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
"Could you move a bit, please..."
Vili suddenly walked over to Lanni’s side and crouched down.
Lanni frowned, unsure what Vili was doing, but she moved aside anyway.
Vili reached into the patch of grass where Lanni had been and plucked a single herb from it.
"So, Sweet Star Grass was what you were all looking for."
At this point, Vili had pretty much figured out their mission objective.
Sweet Star Grass was an odd herb. For a select few, it was a life-saving medicine. For everyone else, it was no different from a common weed. It commanded a high price on the market, but because demand was so low and it was so difficult to find, almost no one bothered to gather it.
"Oh my god!"
Vilin was the first to react. She snatched the Sweet Star Grass from Vili’s hand, placing it in her palm to examine it closely.
She mentally compared the characteristics of Sweet Star Grass, as taught to her by a Pharmacist, with the herb in her hand. They were a perfect match.
’It really is Sweet Star Grass!’
"Chief, our mission... I think we’ve completed it..."
Vilin handed the Sweet Star Grass to Vincent.
Vincent was still in a daze.
’He should have been dead, yet here he was, not only alive but with the mission complete.’
Every member of the mercenary team stared at Vili in disbelief.
The team had searched for so long and found nothing, yet Vili had spotted it with a single glance.
’This guy, Vili... is he a miracle worker?!’
"Vili, this Sweet Star Grass... would you be willing to sell it to us?"
Despite his excitement, Vincent kept a clear head.
’Vili was the one who found the Sweet Star Grass, making him the rightful owner of the quest item. Besides, Vili had saved my life; I have no intention of taking the herb without offering anything in return.’
"You can have it."
’Vili wasn’t too concerned about it. This trip to Morse Forest had been hugely rewarding for him, too. Aside from the initial payment of five Gold Rums, he had also gained the Junior Hunter title with Vincent’s help, acquiring new knowledge and significantly improving his physical condition.’
"Do you know what kind of reward the client offered us for this Sweet Star Grass?"
Vincent had no intention of hiding the truth.
Vili frowned. To be honest, he was quite curious about the going rate for such a rare item with such a niche demand.
"One hundred Gold Rums."
Vincent stated the answer plainly.
’One hundred Gold Rums?!’
Vili drew in a sharp breath. It was that high.
’If the demand weren’t so niche, I’d be tempted to travel the world selling the herb to get rich.’
Vincent saw Vili’s shock and continued, "Sell it to us, and I’ll pay you seventy Gold Rums. What do you say?"
He had no intention of profiting from the mission himself. He just needed to cover the costs of preparing for the journey, various losses incurred along the way, and the pay for his team members. If not for those expenses, he would have given the entire one hundred Gold Rums to Vili.
"Any objections?"
Vincent turned to Kariel and the others for their opinion.
Kariel, Vilin, and Lanni shook their heads. Vili had earned their unanimous approval.
’Seventy Gold Rums.’ Faced with such a fortune, Vili fell silent for a moment.
"I’ll sell it to you for ten Gold Rums."
Vili named a figure that astonished everyone.
This wasn’t Vili trying to curry favor; it was a conclusion he had reached after some thought.
’It’s true that I found the Sweet Star Grass, but that was just a coincidence. If Vincent’s team had kept searching Morse Forest, they would have found it sooner or later. It just would have taken them more time. All I did was shorten their mission. I don’t want to take advantage of that, especially since we’ve all been through a life-and-death situation together.’
"That’s too low."
Vincent shook his head and was about to say more, but Vili stopped him.
"Even without me, you would have found it eventually if you’d kept searching. I just made things a little easier for you. I’m more than satisfied with ten Gold Rums."
Vili’s reply was firm and composed.
Vincent, Kariel, Lanni, and Vilin exchanged glances, a silent agreement passing between them.
"Then we’re taking advantage of you."
Vincent said, slightly ashamed. From their journey together, he knew that Vili was an independent and intelligent man—the kind of person who wouldn’t easily change his mind once he’d made a decision.
With that said, Kariel took ten Gold Rums from his pack and handed them to Vili.
Vili accepted them without any pretense.
"Now that the mission is complete, everyone, let’s get ready to head back."
Vili tucked the Gold Rums away and said to the group.
"Time to head back!"
Finally, smiles of immense relief spread across the faces of Vincent, Kariel, Lanni, and Vilin.