After three days of waiting, Helos finally received the Bloodstanch Vine and Silverdew Grass she had long dreamed of.
As the moonlight just began to bathe the courtyard, the figures of adventurers Kyle and Selina appeared at the agreed meeting spot.
The red-haired youth carried a bulging sack over his shoulder, while the gray-haired girl held carefully wrapped medicinal herbs in her hands.
After the Guild confirmed the completion of the commission, Helos eagerly stepped forward, her slender fingers gently peeling back the packaging of the herbs.
Dewdrops still clung to the leaves of the Bloodstanch Vine, shimmering like crystals under the moonlight.
The roots of the Silverdew Grass were intact and emitted a faint, fresh fragrance.
She was delighted to find that the quality of these herbs might far surpass what was available on the market.
“We specifically went to Forest Lake Shore to gather them,”
Kyle scratched his fiery red hair and flashed a brilliant smile. “The soil there is rich in magic, so the herbs grown there have the best effects.”
Selina stood quietly nearby, her gray-white hair fluttering gently in the breeze.
Her gaze never left Helos, and her light gray eyes glittered with an inscrutable light.
When Helos looked up and their eyes met, the girl only gave a slight nod, a faint, almost imperceptible curve to her lips.
“These are…”
Helos’ voice trembled slightly with excitement. “Simply perfect!”
Over the past few days, she had almost thoroughly studied every piece of information related to Bloodstanch Vine and Silverdew Grass.
She had long memorized their various states.
Julius stood behind her, watching the girl’s joyful figure with an involuntary upward curve at the corner of his mouth.
He reached to untie a money pouch he had prepared at his waist; the heavy gold coins inside clinked softly.
“What’s this?”
Kyle looked at the pouch in Julius’ hand, clearly surprised.
“You’ve already received the payment from the Guild.
The youth handed the pouch to Kyle. “This is an additional reward for providing high-quality herbs.”
Kyle took the pouch, weighing it in his palm, a smile flashing at the corners of his mouth.
“This is way better than what we agreed on.”
“Worth every coin,”
Julius replied briefly, but his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the ever-silent Selina.
Selina seemed to notice Julius’ probing look and slowly turned her head.
Her light gray eyes gleamed strangely in the moonlight, her slender fingers intertwining unconsciously.
After a brief hesitation, the girl spoke softly:
“Um… this might be a bit forward, but I’m curious—what do you plan to do with these herbs?”
Julius instinctively glanced at Helos—the silver-haired girl was completely absorbed in inspecting the herbs, her pale purple eyes sparkling, lost in her own world.
The youth shook his head helplessly, but a fond smile curved his lips.
“To make potions.”
He lowered his voice, the shoulders beneath his black uniform rising slightly. “She’s been really fascinated by potion-making lately.”
Selina’s eyelashes fluttered gently, her gaze returning to Helos.
“To make potions…”
She nodded slightly, a shadow flickering across her brow.
A flicker of alertness flashed in Julius’ black eyes.
“Hey! Since the deal’s done, we won’t keep you any longer!”
Before he could finish speaking, Kyle’s cheerful voice broke the brief silence. He reached out and lightly rested his hand on Selina’s shoulder, the gesture smooth and natural.
The gray-haired girl tilted her head slightly, a barely noticeable emotion flickering in her light gray eyes.
“Let’s go, Lin,”
The red-haired youth shook the heavy money pouch in his hand. “There are other commissions waiting for us to complete!”
His movements were so fluid it seemed as if they had been practiced countless times—he effortlessly took Selina’s left hand with his right and turned away decisively.
Julius opened his mouth but found he didn’t even have a chance to speak.
“Oh, right!”
***
A few steps ahead, Kyle suddenly turned back, his fiery hair dancing in the moonlight.
He winked at Julius, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“If you have any other commissions—like gathering rare herbs—remember to come find us!”
He deliberately shook the pouch in his hand.
“Since you’re an old customer, next time we’ll give you a 20% discount!”
Selina was pulled along as they walked forward; her gray-white hair brushed lightly across Julius’ hand, leaving a faint, almost imperceptible chill.
The girl never looked back, but her fingertips discreetly brushed over the bundle of Silverdew Grass Helos was examining.
Their figures soon vanished around the corner, but Julius’ gaze lingered long on the direction they had gone.
Moonlight cast long shadows on the road, causing the youth to furrow his brows slightly.
“Hey!”
Only when Helos tugged at his uniform did Julius snap back to reality.
He looked down to see the silver-haired girl crouched on the ground, her slender fingers clutching the hem of his uniform tightly.
“What’s wrong?”
He asked softly, his voice still carrying a hint of daze.
Helos slowly stood up, brushing off nonexistent dust from her skirt.
She placed her hands on her hips, her pale purple eyes shining with an unusually serious light, her small face drawn tight.
“I’ve found a very serious problem.”
She spoke deliberately, her tone as grave as if announcing the end of the world.
Julius’ heart sank sharply, and he instinctively tensed.
“What problem?”
Before he could finish, Helos suddenly pointed to the two large sacks of herbs on the ground.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the bundles, casting a large shadow on the floor.
“These two big sacks of herbs…”
Her voice dropped, heavy with concern. “How are we supposed to carry them back?”
Julius’ gaze slowly swept over the two large bundles piled beside Helos, falling into a brief silence.
Under the moonlight, the volume of the herbs seemed particularly immense—the branches and leaves of the Bloodstanch Vine poked out through the sack’s seams, and the roots of the Silverdew Grass were faintly visible beneath their wrapping.
The youth involuntarily reached out and gestured—no matter how hard he tried, he could only carry one sack at a time.
And Helos was definitely not capable of carrying either.
He opened his mouth but said nothing.
The shoulders beneath his black uniform shrugged slightly before releasing a resigned sigh.
“Ah, I told you we should’ve had them deliver it to the door!”
The red-haired youth carried one sack as he walked, laughing as he spoke to Julius.
“Sorry, Mr. Kyle, for making you come out again.”
Julius cleared his throat, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I wasn’t thinking it through properly.”
“No worries, no worries~ I’m not in a hurry anyway.
Kyle’s smile never faltered, his tone light and cheerful. “Besides, it gave my partner a chance to rest for a bit.”
But soon, he glanced toward Helos, who was some distance ahead of them, and puckered his lips.
“But that lady looked really anxious, huh? She left so quickly? Was she a little far ahead of us?”
“Uh… maybe she was afraid you’d suddenly pass out.”
“Eh? Why?”