Chapter 10


    In some of these special locales, precious herbs would sprout of their own ord.


    Thus, the Protégés tasked with guarding Botanic Haven had to routinely scour the area, searching


    for any missed Elixir Herbs.


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    After half an hour, vin stumbled upon two Ordinary Elixir Herbs, which he promptly stuffed into


    his mouth and swallowed whole.


    He was taking a risk, a great risk! On the surface, he appeared nonchnt, but inside, his heart was


    in his throat, wondering if he might find a precious Elixir Herb grown in secret.


    "Who goes there?" A patrolling Protégé spotted vin.


    "I''m just delivering goods. Mari has seen me; she bid me leave, but I seem to have lost my way,"


    vin replied, not dodging or hiding but instead striding briskly forward.


    "Mari?" The Protégé eyed him suspiciously.


    "I met her at the edge of the herb garden."


    The Protégé approached to personally inspect his stone urn, searched his person, and nced


    over the list. "Follow this path down, and don''t wander off. If I catch you here again, you won''t get off


    so easily."


    "My thanks." vin quickly departed, vanishing into the mist. However, once he was well away from


    the Protégé, he slowed his pace and began to wander again, muttering to himself about Elixir


    Herbs.


    An hour passed with little to show for his efforts, save for one Ordinary Elixir Herb and encounters


    with three patrolling Protégés, one of whom nearly dragged him before an Elder.


    vin dared not linger any longer, but he was not ready to give up. Gritting his teeth, he ventured


    once more into the wild. This time, his persistence was rewarded.


    Near the base of the mountain, there was a cliff some fifty meters high, draped with dark green ivy.


    In a secluded nook amid the jumble of bizarre rocks, he glimpsed a blood-red fruit, shrouded by fog


    and ivy, visible only from a certain angle.


    "Atst, a bit of fortune," vin murmured, seeing no one around. He set down the stone urn and


    drew out a rope, securing one end before cautiously descending.


    The cliff was slippery, the vines thorny. vin quickly reached the spot, but suddenly, from among


    the ivy, a massive python lunged out, its gaping maw aiming for vin''s head. It was dark green,


    camouged within the vines, striking without warning.


    vin''s heart skipped a beat, but instinctively, he swung a punch,nding a blow on the serpent''s


    head with the force of several hundred pounds. The python hissed wildly as it plummeted down the


    cliff.


    But before vin could catch his breath, rustling sounds emerged from the vines below, and one by


    one, more massive pythons awoke, flicking their tongues and setting their sights on him.


    "Indeed, a treasure," vin eximed, far from frightened, now exhrated. It was said that beasts


    often guarded precious wild Elixir Herbs, and the more numerous and powerful the guardians, the


    more valuable the Elixir Herb.


    The ivy on the cliff wall shook violently, not just with pythons but also venomous snakes.


    "I''ve got it. Could this be Viper''s Berry?" vin gasped in delight. An Advanced Elixir Fruit? This


    was an Advanced Elixir Fruit! What a stroke of luck; it was well worth the risk!


    But this Viper''s Berry was unusuallyrge; he had seen some Protégé unt one no bigger than an


    egg, yet this fruit was asrge as his fist.


    "Is this a wild one? It looks to be." vin surveyed his surroundings. There would be a special


    marker if it were domesticated, but he found none.


    The pythons and venomous snakes became agitated, emerging in droves, lunging toward vin.


    Themotion had alerted a nearby patrolling Protégé, and the sound of hurried footsteps rushed


    toward the location. Without a moment to spare, vin quickly ascended the cliff, nimbly fixing the


    rope.


    "Why are you still here?" A stern voice called out from ahead; it was the same Protégé who had


    seen vin before.


    "Please, escort me out. I am truly lost," vin pleaded with a pained expression.


    "Truly lost or pretending to be? Let''s see if you''re hiding anything." The man approached to inspect


    vin once more.


    "How could I be so bold? Botanic Haven is sacred ground; I know the rules."


    "I think I know who you are. You''re vin, aren''t you? I heard you''ve be a Novice Mage."


    "Novice Mage Stage III, indeed."


    "How did you manage that?"


    "I blundered through it, somehow."


    The Protégé clearly didn''t believe him but knew better than to pry secrets from vin''s lips. "Hurry


    along now. I will remind you once more, to stay away from Botanic Haven. If I see you again, it won''t


    be so easy on you."


    "My thanks." vin expressed his gratitude, lifting the stone urn to leave. Once clear of Botanic


    Haven, he discreetly circled around the base of the mountain, locating the Viper''s Berry and


    marking the spot secretly, intending to return another day to im it.


    "Not bad, not bad at all. Quite the find."


    vin walked away in high spirits, cradling the stone urn and nning to return that night to harvest


    his prize.


    vin had not wandered far from the Botanic Haven when his brow twitched. He slowed his pace


    and turned, casting his gaze toward the nearby thicket. "Since you''vee, there''s no use in


    hiding. Show yourself."


    "No wonder they call you ''little beast,''" a sultry voice teased. "Your nose is so keen, catching the


    scent of me from such a distance?" A figure of grace and allure emerged from the cool, verdant


    shadows of the forest. Her steps were delicate, until she stood fully in the warm embrace of the


    sunlight.


    She was a captivating woman, exuding an irresistible aura that defied resistance. Though her age


    suggested she should be the picture of youthful beauty, she was instead the epitome of seduction


    and grace, as if she were the embodiment of a rose itself—a true enchantress.


    Her voluptuous figure undted subtly beneath her fiery red gown, revealing tantalizing curves and


    glimpses of her pale, tender skin that seemed to shimmer with an enticing luster, inspiring endless


    daydreams.


    Nysah! The sister of Tyral, famed for her beauty within the ranks of the Cobalt Strike, possessed a


    foxy charm that could make many a man''s heart itch with desire. Rumor had it that even the young


    Commander of the Cobalt Strike harbored a flirtatious intrigue with her.