Kuer instinctively wanted to refuse, but seeing the enthusiastic Ferren Family, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. Both Vili and Aunt Shaven were trying to help him, and he couldn’t just brush off their kindness.
"In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, Vili."
In the end, Kuer chose to accept Vili’s kind offer. "I’ll head back to Diamond Town tomorrow morning. Wait for me at your house at daybreak, and we’ll go back together."
"Okay."
Vili nodded.
After that, Kuer and Vilia resumed their ravenous eating. Vili and the Lake couple barely touched their own knives and forks, simply watching as the two devoured everything on the table.
Lake sat to the side, occasionally sipping his wine with a pleased expression. He looked at Vili, then thought of Sopps in Baron Kels’s Guard Team. ’The humble Ferren Family,’ he mused, ’seems to be slowly but surely heading for better things.’
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Kuer bid farewell to the Lake couple, Vili, and his sister. His family also lived in the village, so he naturally had to go visit his parents that evening. As he was leaving the Ferren home, Mrs. Shaven was extremely insistent that Kuer take a wild rabbit with him. Having not only freeloaded a meal but also leaving with a gift made Kuer feel quite embarrassed.
In his room, Vili extinguished the candle.
He stretched, feeling the abundant power within his body. Vili had already allocated the 0.3 attribute points from his Junior Beast Tamer title to Constitution, and his attribute panel updated once again.
[Vili Ferren - Constitution: 1.6; Intelligence: 1.2; Remaining Attribute Points: 0]
His Constitution was now sixty percent higher than that of an average adult, making him as strong as a burly man. ’He even suspected his physical condition might not be much worse than that of Sopps, who had passed the Junior Knight’s Squire assessment.’
Vili reveled in the feeling of growing stronger. It seemed to be a basic human instinct.
’Diamond Town... I’ll go see what it’s like tomorrow.’
After a few more stretches, Vili lay down on his bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.
「The next day.」
The rooster in the yard began to crow.
Having made plans with Kuer, Vili was already up early. He washed his face and waited for Kuer to arrive.
Knowing Vili had to leave for Diamond Town early, Mrs. Shaven had also woken up early to prepare some white-flour flatbreads for him to share with Kuer on the road.
"Vili!"
Kuer’s voice rang out from outside the yard.
"Coming!"
Vili didn’t have anything to pack, so he just grabbed the wrapped food and headed out.
Kuer greeted Vili when he saw him. His hair was a mess and his eyes were still heavy with sleep; he clearly hadn’t rested well.
"Once we’re out of the village, we can find a carriage to take us straight to Diamond Town."
Kuer often traveled to and from Diamond Town, so he knew the ropes.
On the roads connecting Diamond Town to its outskirts, carters offered their services. They used decrepit old horses hitched to simple wooden carts. Whenever passengers needed to travel between Diamond Town and the outlying areas, they would set off as soon as they had gathered enough people who could pay the fare.
Shortly after leaving the village, Kuer and Vili found such a cart. After paying three Copper Rums each, they set off toward Diamond Town. Along the way, Vili took out the white-flour flatbreads Mrs. Shaven had prepared, and he and Kuer ate them for breakfast.
The cart wasn’t very fast; it took them nearly two hours to reach Diamond Town.
Diamond Town was only a small border town and not very bustling. Including the surrounding villages, its total population was just over five thousand.
After getting off the cart, Vili took in the sight of tightly packed buildings and a scattering of pedestrians. Although he had memories of Diamond Town, this was his first time seeing it since he’d transmigrated.
"Let’s go."
Kuer led the way, and Vili followed close behind.
As they ventured deeper from the edge of town, the crowds grew thicker and the buildings more lavish. Rows of houses stood neatly connected, and the wide streets were clean and tidy. Although the town wasn’t large, it was remarkably well-managed, a fact that had much to do with its wise Lord, Baron Kels.
After they had walked for over twenty minutes, Kuer finally stopped, Vili halting with him.
In front of them was a small shop with a sign bearing the name of an herb shop.
"This is the place."
Kuer went in first, with Vili right behind him.
Ladas was the owner of a small herb shop. He was an honest, hardworking man who had worked his way up from a commoner to a small business owner. His life was generally carefree, but half a month ago, something incredibly vexing had happened.
A shipment of herbs he had ordered was ruined in a heavy downpour during transit. The leaves were damaged and mixed together, making them impossible to tell apart. This represented a severe loss for him; if the issue wasn’t resolved, he stood to lose fifty Gold Rums. For the owner of such a small herb shop, fifty Gold Rums was an enormous sum.
To resolve this problem, Ladas hired an Herbalist to sort the herbs. However, the damage was too severe and several of the herbs were too similar in appearance, so the Herbalist was unable to sort them successfully.
This problem was a huge headache for the shop owner, Ladas. The anxiety had cost him many nights of proper sleep.
Due to the temporary shortage of herbs, he couldn’t afford to pay his apprentices, so he had sent them home for the time being, planning to call them back when he could. He had told them they could return to work as soon as the shop’s problems were solved, but Ladas knew the truth. If he couldn’t sort these herbs, his shop might have to close down for good.
As Ladas sat worrying in his shop, he saw two young men walk in.
"Kuer?"
Seeing Kuer in the lead, Ladas frowned slightly. ’Kuer went home yesterday. Why is he back again?’
"Kuer, you should be resting at home for a few more days. There’s no work to be done here at the shop right now."
Ladas was actually quite fond of Kuer. The boy was clever and hardworking and had the same drive Ladas himself possessed in his youth. He had even planned to teach Kuer bookkeeping so he could gradually take over the shop. ’Of course,’ he thought, ’I have to get through this crisis first.’
"I came back because I want to try and solve your problem."
Kuer didn’t waste any words and got straight to the point. He turned, clapped Vili on the shoulder, and said to Ladas, "This is my friend, Vili. He’s an excellent Hunter. He spends a lot of time in the forest, so he knows a great deal about plants. Perhaps he can help you with your problem."
"A Hunter?"
Upon hearing this, Ladas shot Vili a doubtful glance.