Arcane Innovator

"Ah! We've made so much money yesterday!" Vixen exclaimed during breakfast, grinning happily.

Seeing her make such an excited face, I returned her smile, but I couldn't help but think, 'What does she even do with all that money anyway?'

For example, every time we got paid, Ram headed straight for the nearest inn, ordering a huge pile of meat to celebrate, and the rest of his coins usually went into upgrading his gear.

On the other hand, Vixen ate quite frugally, and she was still using the same sword from when we first met. 'Does she have a family somewhere that she supports?'

I was curious but decided not to ask her directly about it as she rarely talked about anything that was not work-related.

So, instead, I smiled at her and said. "That's right!" I then leaned closer, saying in a low voice. "However, I also learned from Master Finn where we could make even more money..."

""You did?"" Both of my comrades yelped out in surprise, turning their heads toward me with expectant looks.

"Sure, I did... He told me about the Alchemist he is working for and how that said Alchemist buys every herb he can get his hands on. So I thought that instead of only guarding herbalists, we could gather the herbs ourselves and then sell them to him!"

"What? Pick them ourselves?" Vixen said, sounding confused. My companions then remained silent, pondering my proposal, but I could see the evident skepticism reflecting on their faces.

In the end, it was Ram who broke the silence. "But how would we even do that? I have no idea how to identify the right herbs... Or how we would find them in the first place? Yesterday, I could only pick them up while following the herbalist's lead, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it alone."

"Don't worry about it! I know a thing or two about herbs, and I had already collected a bundle of them yesterday, so we can go sell them right now!" I interjected, trying to dispel Ram's worry.

"Wait, you didn't give them to Master Finn like we agreed on?" Vixen looked at me with reproachful eyes.

"Well, I figured we would get a much better price if we sold them ourselves, so I kept them for myself," I said while grinning at them.

I then took out the large bundle of umbrifila herbs I managed to gather in secret while everybody else was busy.

I chuckled to myself as I looked at my companions' flabbergasted expressions while being happy that everything was proceeding according to plan.

Even though I previously decided not to dabble in herbs again to avoid divulging my real identity, this was too good an opportunity to pass on.

At first, I wanted to go there on my own, but I figured since we were a party, it was better to bring Ram and Vixen along as it would be much easier to explain how I got my hands on such a large amount of herbs.

Although reluctant, they both decided to follow me, the promise of a hefty reward suppressing all their concerns.

Thus, right after breakfast, we headed into the city to pay a visit to the esteemed Sir Konrad.

After stepping out of our inn, we seamlessly merged with the morning traffic, heading for the city center with purposeful steps.

The sun was bathing the cobblestone streets in a warm golden light, casting long shadows that danced with each step we took.

I could feel the curiosity burning in both Vixen and Ram as they looked in awe at the grand, colorful buildings all over the city center.

But before we could enter the highest terrace where the wealthy and privileged lived, we had to make one more stop.

I was still vividly remembering from my previous experiences that the Alchemists were quite an arrogant and self-centred bunch, so I figured we first had to upgrade our clothing a bit to not look too out of place.

So I led my companions toward a small, cramped shop that was located directly on the main street bearing a richly decorated sign.

It was one of the many high-end clothing stores that were scattered throughout the city. But contrary to my companions' apprehension, I walked in confidently.

I knew that such stores had, apart from their premium apparel, targeted at the rich, a small selection of second-hand stuff.

It was still kind of expensive for everyday wear but nowhere near what a made-to-order attire would usually cost.

So I eagerly rummaged through the large chest in the corner, looking for something suitable while urging Ram and Vixen to do the same.

After our last job, we all still had plenty of coins left, so it shouldn't set us back too much, especially since we should make a lot more from the herbs.

In the end, I picked out a nice-looking white shirt and a modestly embroidered coat. It was nothing too fancy, but it should do the trick.

I was aware that such clothes wouldn't do for something like a ball or a noble's reception, but they should be more than enough to pass me off as a wealthy and accomplished beast hunter.

Looking over at my fellow party members, who too seemed to be finished with their shopping, we promptly exited the store after making a payment, and after a quick change in a side alley, we continued weaving through the busy crowds.

Before long, we approached a spacious manor located a short distance from the central square - Sir Konrad's residence.

Taking in the magnificent sight, I smirked as I thought. 'It won't be long... and I will finally have my revenge.'

After knocking on the massive doors of the main entrance, I was met with a coldly-looking butler who narrowed his eyes at us. "What do you want? I don't believe we have any appointments scheduled for today..."

"Good day to you, too, mister! I've heard that your Master is buying out healing herbs, so we came to offer him some... Our party has recently returned from a long mountain trip, and we have quite a haul."

The butler looked us over before saying, "My master isn't buying herbs from just anybody; why don't you simply go sell them on the market like everybody else?"

"Well, I also heard that he likes them fresh; if we sold them to the market, it would take some time before they got to him..." I smiled, pointing at the sizeable bundle in my hands.

"Then give them to me, and I will contact you later about the payment, " he said, trying to shoo us away.

I took a step back, looking him straight in the eyes while trying to project an aura of confidence. "Forgive me my boldness, good sir, but how could we entrust our precious herbs to a mere servant? Are you perhaps knowledgeable about the intricacies of herbalism?"

The butler grimaced, looking at us coldly before uttering, " Hmph! Come with me then. But be warned that Master is a very busy man. He doesn't like to be bothered with mundane things, so if it turns out you are wasting his time, he will throw you out without any fuss."

"We wouldn't dare to waste Sir Konrad's time." I smiled, making my way inside the mansion.

We were then led to a spacious study, where we were offered a seat on a comfortable sofa as we waited for the butler to inform Sir Konrad about our visit.

It took quite a while before we saw a tall, middle-aged man with a hawk-like face walking in.

"What do we have here..." the Alchemist said, looking at us with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

His sharp gaze lingered on each of us as if trying to unravel our true intentions.

I promptly stood up from the sofa, signaling my companions to do the same as I smiled brightly at our host.

"Greetings, esteemed Sir Konrad," I began with a polite bow. "We have come to offer you our booty of freshly-picked umbrifila herb we managed to gather on our recent trip."

The Alchemist's eyes narrowed as he observed me closely. "And what makes you think your herbs are worth my time? There are plenty of vendors who can supply me with herbs in Weisberg..."

I maintained my composure, my smile never wavering. "Ah, but as you can see, sir, these herbs are of the highest quality... I doubt you would be able to get something better anywhere else."

I then placed my bundle on the table, carefully unwrapping them. The room was instantly permeated with the unmistakable earthy scent of umbrifila.

Sir Konrad slightly widened his eyes while quickly making his way over as he meticulously examined the herbs in front of him.

After a while, he raised his head, and by the look in his eyes, it was evident his interest was piqued. "How did you manage to gather such high-quality herbs?"

I simply smiled, offering him a vague answer. "We were recently instructed by a skilled herbalist who taught us how to collect the herbs properly so that their medicinal properties remained intact."

Sir Konrad arched an eyebrow. "Is that so? And who might this skilled herbalist be?"

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to reveal Master Finn's name or not. In the end, I decided that it didn't really matter since what I said was mostly true. "It was Master Finn."

"Oh? He is one of my regular suppliers, but you seem to have quite a talent since not even Finn's goods are as good as this.

"Well, it was a group effort... I couldn't possibly collect so many herbs on my own," I quickly added, as I didn't want him to draw any unwanted conclusions.

"Hmm, alright, whatever the case may be, you've convinced me... I will buy the herbs."