"You... How can this be? How are you here?" Lothur heard a thin voice coming from ahead of him, a tone he had heard only a few days ago.
Noticing that he already knew the owner of that voice, Lothur immediately paid attention to the three people in that store.
One of them was an old lady wearing an elegant outfit and an apron while working behind a counter that had several different bottles.
Another was a young woman who could not have been much older than Lothur and was holding a broom in her hands, cleaning the wooden floor in that area.
Finally, another woman was there, someone with beautiful violet hair. Still, instead of the attire of an attendant, this woman was wearing noble clothes, typically seen on civilians of good background.
And it was precisely this civilian who had called Lothur, who was at the moment looking at him in shock as she stood next to the lady replenishing medicine in some bottles.
Seeing that woman's face, Lothur could not identify her, but he was sure he knew her since that tone of voice was something he would not forget.
"Are you..." He was about to ask as he approached her when she made a movement toward him, coming to his side and touching one of his hands.
Upon noticing this unusual reaction, Lothur immediately focused on that woman, curious to know who this daring woman was.
[Name: Sofie]
[Cultivation: level 8]
[STR: 30.2] [CON: 32.5] [DEX: 33.8] [AGI: 29.9]
'Sofie?' Lothur tried to remember that name until he finally pondered the sounds he had heard during the medical treatment he went through after his first beating in this world.
'Ah, now I remember! She was with that guy, Doctor Snee!'
'Anyway, her level is impressive!'
'She's one of the strongest people I've ever seen the attributes of!' He thought about this for a moment as he watched her watch him intensely as if she saw a dead person walking and talking in front of her.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"That..."
"How did you recover so quickly? How can you look so well without even a trace of potent medicines in your body?" She muttered in disbelief, unaware of how such a person was walking and talking, considering that he should still be unconscious from the earlier beating.
But realizing that she was getting carried away with her curiosity, that woman soon turned away from Lothur, a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I got carried away just now..."
She then remembered that he was not supposed to know her and felt even worse. "Please don't think I'm a strange woman trying to touch you..."
"My name is Sofie Carl. I am Doctor Snee's assistant and apprentice. We recently took care of your case..." She paused briefly, looking at the young man in front of her, trying to understand if this was a dream. "Anyway, because you were a patient, I felt curious about what happened to you."
"I'm sorry."
"So, that's it..." He pretended that he had not realized this, easing the expression of surprise on his face. "Well, thank you for your recent help, Miss Carl. I don't know what might have happened if it hadn't been for you."
"No... We did almost nothing." She sighed, feeling for the first time in a long time that, in fact, she and her master had done nothing extraordinary to a patient.
"So..." She looked at him with the same curiosity as before. "What happened to you? How did you recover so quickly?"
"That..."
"Well, I think it was the weather."
"After that, I woke up feeling in a good mood. Since then, I've been healthier than ever..." He lied blatantly.
"The weather?" Sofie's eyes widened at this comment, finding it unbelievable that this man could say such nonsense.
But on second thought, such a justification was more likely than the use of medical resources. After all, what medicinal item would not leave traces?
But even she, someone who was learning directly from one of the best 2-star doctors in the province, had not noticed anything on his body.
"Sigh..."
She sighed for a moment and said sincerely. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. You can't imagine how worried Doctor Snee was after seeing you in that state..."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. On two occasions in less than two weeks, you were on the verge of death... Even Doctor Snee, who sees so many people weekly, was moved by your situation." She answered him in a low voice.
p
"He wants to offer you some advice and maybe even help."
"It will only depend on you."
"Is that so?" His eyes widened in curiosity. "Why would he offer me such a thing?"
"That only by talking to him will you be able to find out."
While the two were talking, suddenly that old woman said something. "So that fellow is interested in this young man, eh? Young man, what have you done to attract that fellow's attention?"
"Do you happen to have a special constitution?" She asked about that since, in her mind, there was no sense in thinking of Doctor Snee wanting to help a young man with no cultivation.
"Aunt Ilma!" Sofie said in a slightly louder tone. "Stop trying to scare people. You've already pushed away from us the last two who were interested in learning from my master!"
'Oh?' Lothur watched those two, surprised since there seemed to be a relationship between these people, rather than Sofie being just another customer in this place.
And indeed, there was something between them. This woman, the owner of this medicine store, was the older sister of Doctor Snee, the doctor who had saved Lothur.
Because of this relationship, Sofie naturally came to this place a lot. At the same time, Ilma naturally got more involved than she should in her younger brother's affairs.
After seeing those two exchanging a few words about their problems, Lothur saw that violet-haired woman getting ready to leave the place, bidding him farewell.
"Lothur, go visit my master another time. You will not regret it."
"That could be your chance to solve your problems... Then go to my master's office. It is only 100 meters from here, in that big red house."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Oh? I'll see that another time." Of course, Lothur did not guarantee he would go, but he did not refuse either.
After that woman left such an establishment, Lothur stopped in front of the old lady and heard her ask. "Young man, what do you need? Tell me, and I will bring your items in a few minutes."
"The ma'am misunderstands me. I am not here for shopping."
He pulled out his Morning Star Academy identification item, proving to her where he came from. "I am here for the mission left by this store at the academy."
"That..." She did not think it was strange that someone would come looking for that, but instead that a person with no cultivation intended to harvest medicines outside this city.
That was dangerous!
"Young man, I don't want to discourage you or anything like that. But are you sure about this? Harvesting medicines may seem easy at first glance. Still, we always risk being stung by insects and venenous animals."
"On the other hand, sometimes our medicines of interest are within hostile territories..." She did not go into detail but made a point of warning him about possible challenges.
"If you are not at least a 1st Transformation cultivator, then I am afraid your safety will be compromised."
That woman naturally did not care about Lothur's life. But since her brother seemed interested in this young man, she had done him the favor of teaching him such things.
Lothur then looked at her and smiled. "Thank you for your concern, ma'am. But I am fine with the risks of this mission and have my means of survival."
"So, for now, I would appreciate it if you could inform me more about my mission."
"Sigh..."
"Well, if you insist, I already have everything prepared for you." She pointed in the direction of a cloth and leather bag propped up on one of the many shelves in that store.
"There, you will find the items necessary for harvesting the Tooth Grass. And of course, there is also a map there that will take you to the best places to harvest these resources."
After hearing that, Lothur immediately opened that bag, checking each item and understanding where to start.
Then, he promised that old woman to return before Sunday evening, saying goodbye to her and leaving that place in a hurry.
...