"My heavens!"
The moment Ladas saw the three different-colored grass leaves, he knew he had averted the crisis of his pharmacy going bankrupt.
Everything was just as Vili had said. The leaves of the three medicinal herbs had been separated, and he was saved.
"Thank you, Vili, my friend!"
Ladas was so excited he could barely contain himself. All his previous worries had been for nothing.
Vili waved his hand and said to Ladas, "After you sort and dry these, you can test their medicinal properties to verify what I told you."
Ladas laughed heartily. At this point, how could he have any doubts? "I believe every word you said. There’s no need for any special tests."
"Right, Vili, my friend, I promised you earlier that if you solved this problem, I would give you a handsome reward." Ladas was very direct. "Ten Gold Rums. What do you think?"
Ten Gold Rums?
Standing to the side, Kuer’s mouth twitched. His monthly salary was only eight Silver Rums. Ten Gold Rums would take him five years to earn, even if he didn’t eat or drink. This was the first time he had seen Ladas be so generous.
"Then I thank you, Boss Ladas."
Vili didn’t stand on ceremony. If not for him, Ladas’s losses would have been much greater.
A reward of ten Gold Rums was perfectly reasonable.
"However, I’m a little tight on cash at the moment, so it’ll take me two months to pay you the ten Gold Rums in full."
Ladas said, embarrassed. He couldn’t even pay his apprentice’s salary right now. Only after he sold this batch of goods would he have funds again.
"That’s fine."
Vili wasn’t worried at all that Ladas would go back on his word. Judging by his previous attitude towards Sopps, Ladas would never dare to deceive him.
After dealing with the herbs, Ladas was in high spirits. He had wanted to invite Vili out to a tavern for a drink, but Vili refused. The alcohol of this world held no appeal for him.
Ladas and Kuer saw Vili out of the shop.
"Vili, since you’re already in Diamond Town, aren’t you going to visit Sopps?"
Kuer asked before they parted ways.
Vili shook his head. "No. He just joined Baron Kels’s Personal Guard Team. If I go rashly, I might interfere with his work. I’ll wait a while."
After saying his goodbyes, Vili headed out of Diamond Town alone.
Just as Vili was about to leave Diamond Town, he noticed a crowd gathered in front of a notice board. They were surrounding a new notice, talking amongst themselves.
Vili stopped in his tracks. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to go see what kind of decree Baron Kels had issued.
As the Lord of Diamond Town, Baron Kels’s words were the absolute law.
Vili squeezed closer, wanting to get a clear look at the words on the notice. But he quickly discovered an awkward reality.
He was illiterate.
It was only then that Vili remembered: his predecessor had never received any formal education. In the entire Ferren Family, even his older brother Sopps was illiterate.
Vili was suddenly grateful that the text on his Title Attribute Panel was in his mother tongue from his previous life. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to use his golden finger even if he had one.
"Sir, do you know what this says?"
Vili saw a half-bald, middle-aged man standing nearby. He was rather heavyset with dark skin and a small mustache.
The middle-aged man glanced at Vili. "How would I know what it says? How many of us commoners can read?"
Taken aback by the man’s retort, Vili realized that it wasn’t just the rural villagers; even most commoners in town couldn’t receive a formal education. Only nobles and the Civil Servants who served them had the opportunity to learn how to read.
"But it doesn’t matter if you can’t read," the middle-aged man added. "A special herald will be here soon to explain the contents of the notice. You just have to wait here for a bit."
Vili thanked him and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly as he watched the crowd grow larger.
’In this world, nobles and commoners are practically two different species. The nobles control the land, wealth, military power, and even culture and thought. The commoners are just livestock being raised in pens, constantly providing the nobles with resources for their enjoyment.’
’It seems that if I get the chance, I must get closer to the noble class...’
Vili thought to himself. Since he was already in this world, he had to adapt to its rules of survival.
"The herald who’s going to read the notice is here!" someone in the noisy crowd shouted.
Vili instinctively looked in that direction as well.
He saw a lean man in fine black clothes, riding a white steed, approaching the notice board at an unhurried pace. Beside him were several walking Guards, each holding a long spear, exuding an invisible sense of pressure on the surrounding people.
The herald’s expression was stern. He swept his gaze over the surrounding commoners, his face filled with disdain.
As he neared the notice board, the commoners, who had been crowded together, unconsciously cleared a path for the herald.
’So the gap between classes is this huge...’
Vili mused to himself.
This herald of Diamond Town was merely someone who served the nobility, not a noble himself. Even so, there was a clear line drawn between him and the ordinary commoners.
This gave Vili a deeper understanding of the relationship between nobles and commoners in this world.
"Everyone."
The herald reined in his horse, not bothering to dismount, and spoke directly: "In half a month, Lord Kels will enter Bole Forest to hunt. During this time, he will summon a group of Hunters to accompany him. If any of you are Hunters, or have relatives or friends who are Hunters, please pass this message along. Just for signing up to participate in this hunt, everyone will be rewarded with five Gold Rums. If you manage to hunt a prey in Bole Forest that pleases Lord Kels, there will be an even greater reward."
The herald’s words caused a stir in the crowd.
"Five Gold Rums! You get five Gold Rums just for signing up! How generous Lord Kels is!"
"It’s a shame I don’t have the courage to be a Hunter, otherwise I’d definitely sign up."
"My cousin is a Hunter! I have to hurry and tell him the news..."
"..."
The people around Vili erupted like a pot boiling over, completely dazed by the reward of five Gold Rums.
’A reward of five Gold Rums... why is it so high?’
Unlike the others, the Vili of today wasn’t the least bit shocked by a reward of five Gold Rums.
On the contrary, a deep suspicion surfaced in his mind. ’Baron Kels... why would he choose Bole Forest as his hunting ground?’