The Herb King

Leric walked in front of the herb. It was just a piece of leaf that was bluish-gray in color. The leaf gave off an aura of decay that looked extremely dangerous. The shop even have to seal the leaf inside a glass container that contained sealing talismans, probably to prevent its destructive properties from leaking out.

"The leaf of a Soulscream …" Leric muttered as he touched the glass container with a fascinated look on his face. He had read about this herb in his mother's book.

This herb could only be found in the Death Basin Valley, a land of pure death and chaos. The place was filled with death energy, forcing the birth of many mutated creatures and spiritual herbs. The Soulscream was one of them. It is a rare type of spiritual plant that was poisonous in nature. Whoever touches its leaves would show signs of insanity and prolonged exposure would make one's body decay and will eventually lead to death! Even high-level Espers and Alchemists have to be careful in handling this spiritual plant.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted Leric's train of thoughts.

"I suggest you not touch that glass container, young man."

Leric turned around and saw an elder with a hunched figure. His eyes were droopy and he looked sickly pale. With his thin frame and sparse hair, this old man was almost reaching the limits of his lifespan.

Leric recalled his previous self and sighed with a complicated look on his face. If not for the Book of Rebirth that he had chanced upon in his past life, what would have happened to him?

The old man was stunned when he saw the drastic changes in Leric's expression. He seemed to have shown the vicissitudes of life for a brief moment and if not for his acute senses, he would have failed to notice it. What kind of life did this young man have for him to show such an expression? The old man thought to himself as he slowly walked towards Leric with a cane in his right hand.

Leric immediately walked near the old man when he noticed his intentions. "Elder, you must be the owner of this herb shop. My name is Le- ahem. Aethelwolf, a simple wanderer." Leric sweated bullets after almost exposing his real identity.

The old smiled kindly at him. This young man was respectful and humble. He had an extraordinary aura, but he called himself a simple wanderer. What a humble young man!

"Why do you think that I'm the owner of this store? What if I'm just a customer like you?" The old man stared at Leric with a teasing look, wondering how the young man would answer him.

Leric simply smiled and answered confidently. "Elder, you have the smell of high-level herbs on you. Only those who study Alchemy would have this kind of smell. If I'm not wrong, you are a Level 3 Alchemist…"

His words were like thunder in the old man's ears. How did the young man know about it just by the lingering smell of herbs in his body? Incredible!

The old man was shocked. He glanced at the smiling Leric and shook his head in defeat. "What an observant young man! Indeed, I'm a Level 3 Alchemist and also the owner of this herb shop. My old buddies call me Johann."

"Oh, so it's Sir Johann? It's a pleasure to meet you! I was wondering how you managed to get your hands on that leaf of Soulscream. It's very difficult to get this herb even for an Alchemist at your level." Leric wanted to know what kind of expert the one who got the leaf of Soulscream was. With the dangers in the Death Basin Valley, only Level 4 Espers could survive in the central area of that place.

Johann revealed a pained look upon hearing this. In the end, he sighed and shook his head. "It's quite a long story, but since you want to hear it… I brought an old friend of mine to go with me to the Death Basin Valley to collect some life-extending herbs. On our way to the central part of the valley, we chanced upon this herb by accident. I was able to recognize it with just one look so we decided to take it, but who knew that there was actually a high-ranking Skeleton General near the area? We were forced to fight with this terrifying creature and eventually defeated it with great difficulty. I received some minor wounds back then, but my old friend was struck with a wound that has never recovered until now. I tried all sorts of herbs and pills to help him, but everything failed. We even sought the help of Lord Karman, but he was also mystified. Sigh…"

Leric's face twitched upon hearing this story. He actually managed to find the friend of Samira's grandfather! And from the looks of it, this old man named Johann wasn't just simply an Alchemist. Leric decided to use his observation skill on the old man and was shocked to find out that this guy was actually a Level 4 Esper!

"I'm so sorry for making you narrate such a terrible event, Sir Johann. That was so insensitive of me. This…Uhm… Is the old friend you're talking about Lord Julius Reynolds?"

Johann was a bit surprised. "Eh? How did you know about it, young man?"

Leric didn't know how he should tell the old man. He had already told him that he was just a simple wanderer. Who knew that this old man was a friend of Julius Reynolds? Now, he had to reintroduce himself.

Leric cleared his throat before he started speaking. "To tell you the truth, I came here with Miss Samira Reynolds for she had invited me to come to the Reynolds Household to check the condition of her grandfather. As for my real occupation, I'm an Alchemist just like Sir Johann."

Johann almost lost his footing when he heard that this random customer was actually an Alchemist and he was even someone formally invited by the young miss of the Reynolds Household! "Aethelwolf, could you show me your pill fire?" He wanted to verify the authenticity of his words and the only way to know about this was by looking at his pill fire. Only Alchemists could summon pill fires!

Leric already expected him to ask for this so he immediately opened his palm.

A bright golden flame slowly condensed on his palm.

Johann staggered in shock and Leric immediately held him to prevent the old man from falling.

"Golden Pill Fire! You- You're a Level 4 Alchemist?!" Johann stared at Leric with a look of disbelief. With his ability as a Level 4 Esper, he could tell that Aethelwolf was a very young man based on the vigorousness of his vitality. Now, such a young person was actually a Level 4 Alchemist! If anyone hears about this, they would certainly find it hard to believe!

Suddenly, he felt that all his hundreds of years of life were wasted in vain. He thought that other than Lord Karman, no one in the entire empire was as talented as him in Alchemy. However, reality slapped him in the face and it was a hard fucking slap!

"T-Tell me… H-How old are you?" Johann grabbed Leric's shoulder and looked at him deeply.

Leric didn't know what to answer. He was still three years old in this life and he only used a skill to change his figure. Should he tell him that? Absolutely not! The old man might die from shock if he knew that he was just a three-year-old child!

"Ah- That… This… I'm twenty-nine this year…" This was the answer he could give based on his current appearance.

"W-What?! Twenty-nine?!" Johann immediately fainted in Leric's arms.

'Oh shit! I messed up!'