Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Moonlight Grass
After a period of hard work, the southeast corner of the library was finally tidy.
Zelir took the mysterious book written in the Elven Language to the librarian to check it out.
The librarian flipped through the book and recorded its number.
"You can borrow it for fifteen days at most. Keep that in mind."
The librarian stamped the library card. "If you don’t return it on time, you’ll never be able to borrow books again."
"Understood," Zelir nodded.
The two of them left the library. Zelir was still mentally replaying the vision he had just seen when Bev quickly caught up to him.
"Hey, hey, where are we meeting up later?"
"Meeting up for what?" Zelir was a little confused.
"You helped me organize the library, so I’m going to help you gather herbs. It’s only fair," Bev said, nudging Zelir with her elbow as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Seeing Bev’s insistent demeanor, Zelir didn’t argue. He thought for a moment.
"Hmm... In that case, let’s meet at the gate of Black Stone Town in half an hour."
"Okay!"
After returning to the Night Flower Inn, Zelir carefully put the Elf Ancient Texts away, tucking it under his bed boards.
The Elf Race had a unique social structure. They existed in the form of tribes ruled by a Supreme Elder Council and usually lived in mysterious, remote regions.
Pure-blood Elves almost never appeared in the Human Kingdom. They were proud and arrogant, disdaining to associate with the short-lived races.
Because the Elf Race had extremely long lifespans, they held many ancient secrets. Many scholars had tried to find the Elves’ settlements to uncover sealed histories, but most returned empty-handed.
Zelir, of course, wasn’t planning on finding a Pure-blood Elf. But since Valles had Elven blood, maybe he could understand some of it.
’I’ll ask him next time we meet for a quest.’
After hiding the ancient texts, Zelir grabbed the White Wax Wood Base Material and a cloth bag for herbs, then went out and spent Fifty Copper Coins on a small shovel.
His preparations were more or less complete.
「Black Stone Town Gate.」
Zelir looked left and right, but after searching for a while, he still couldn’t see Bev. There were only merchants and farmers coming and going.
’Did Bev stand me up?’
Just as Zelir was wondering, a lavishly decorated carriage slowly approached from the main road and stopped in front of him.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Bev poked her head out, waving at Zelir.
"Over here, over here."
"Uh... I thought we were walking. It’s only a few hours." Zelir was a bit taken aback by the spectacle.
"Walking is so tiring. Of course we’re taking a carriage."
The coachman had already gotten down from the driver’s seat and respectfully opened the door for Zelir.
This carriage was in a completely different league from the one Marcus had rented last time.
The carriage was pulled by two Shire Horses whose coats were as glossy as black satin. In both size and musculature, they were a cut above ordinary draft horses.
The exterior of the carriage was crafted from expensive redwood, carved with exquisite patterns, and inlaid in many places with polished brass ornaments.
As for the interior, it was even more luxurious.
The space was large and spacious, with a soft woolen carpet on the floor and expensive velvet cushions. There was even a flower arrangement and a tea set on the central table, as if the carriage’s owner was extremely confident in its stability.
"Hold tight, we’re off!"
The coachman shouted, raised his whip, and the carriage began to move smoothly.
Zelir examined the decorations, making a rough estimate in his head.
’This carriage alone probably costs over a hundred Gold Coins, right?’
Zelir couldn’t help but ask.
"Bev, what exactly does your family do?"
"Guess," Bev said with a wink.
’Why do girls always love to make you guess?’
"Own a mine or something?" Zelir said offhandedly.
"How did you know?" Bev’s eyes went wide.
’Damn, I actually guessed right...’ Zelir’s eye twitched.
"My family controls a portion of the mining veins in Black Stone Town," Bev said.
"No wonder..."
Zelir finally understood.
No matter the era or the world, controlling the mines meant controlling an endless treasure trove.
The carriage traveled extremely fast and was very stable. Zelir didn’t feel any bumps along the way, and before long, they arrived at their destination.
"Miss Bev, we’ve arrived. The carriage can’t go any further on the path ahead," the coachman’s voice came from outside.
"Let’s get out."
They had now reached the edge of the Gray Wood Forest. The woods, green above and gray below, spread out before them. Bev gave a few instructions, telling the coachman to wait for them there.
Zelir took out the map Manlin had given him and began to follow its directions into the woods, with Bev following cautiously behind him.
Although Bev usually appeared cheerful and bold, now that she was actually in this dark forest, she couldn’t help but be a little timid, filled with a sense of novelty about her surroundings.
It was the first time Bev had ever seen such a primordial landscape.
She looked around with a mix of curiosity and vigilance. Her attention was frequently drawn to strange insects flying by or oddly shaped mushrooms underfoot, but at the slightest disturbance, she would immediately duck behind Zelir.
Zelir, meanwhile, walked in fits and starts, constantly correcting his course.
"Zelir, are you lost? We’re not going to get lost in the forest, are we?"
"That won’t happen."
Zelir carefully studied the map.
"Hmm... straight ahead, then over that small hill in front of us, and we should be there."
Although Zelir’s sense of direction wasn’t as good as Marcus’s, the map was fortunately detailed enough, and the gathering spot wasn’t too deep in the forest.
Soon, Zelir climbed the small hill marked on the map and finally saw their target destination.
It was a hollow in the dense forest, a place where sunlight could barely penetrate.
In the damp air, countless light particles, like fireflies, drifted and dispersed.
The source of the light was a large patch of grass growing near a rock face.
The blades themselves were a translucent white, but in the dim environment, they emitted a soft, pale blue fluorescence, bathing the hollow in a dreamlike glow.
"Zelir—give me a hand," Bev’s voice came from behind him.
Zelir took Bev’s small hand and, with a slight pull, helped her up the slope.
Bev wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. When she saw the scene before her, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Whoa... it’s so beautiful!"
It looked just like a scene from a dream.
"Alright, let’s start digging."
Zelir took out the small shovel and cloth bag he had prepared and began to busy himself, bending over the soil.
’A young body really is nice.’ Zelir could vaguely remember his past life, when his knees would crackle every time he squatted and his head would spin when he stood up.
He used the shovel to carefully dig around the roots of the Moonlight Grass. However, though the herb looked delicate, its root system was tangled and complex, making it difficult to extract.
