The young warriors relieved their frustrations in nearby bushes one by one before they buried their pungent discharges and returned to the small camp.
It did take long before they noticed their captain sitting by himself with a frown, lost in thought.
“Captain, aren’t you going to relieve yourself?” a young warrior asked.
“No, I have something more important to figure out,” Captain Rhys said with a deep frown.
Vaan told him it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out, but it wasn’t easy at all.
No matter how he wrapped his head around it, he could not figure out what part of a Horned Rabbit was needed to make the odorless powder.
Perhaps, their perception of ‘not difficult’ was completely different?
“Come, take a seat around me. I’ll be borrowing your minds for a bit.”
Captain Rhys dragged the closest young warrior to sit beside him before the others joined in and formed a circle with puzzled looks.
“What could be more important than shooting dragon fire?” a young warrior asked.
Awakening the dragon and releasing the pent-up fire in one’s loins… It was a simple metaphor understood by everyone.
“Shooting dragon fire can be saved for another day.” Captain Rhys shooed the young warrior with his hands before saying, “I need more brainpower to figure out something that can improve the group’s escort missions.”
“You should have all experienced the effectiveness of the odorless powder. Supposedly the secret to manufacturing it lies in Horned Rabbits,” Captain Rhys stated.
However, the young warriors were immediately dumbfounded as if a confusion spell had been cast on them.
“Horned Rabbits? Horned Rabbits are the Dark Hellbound’s main prey in the Blackmoon Region. How could they have anything to do with producing the odorless powder?”
“Right? If Horned Rabbits could erase their smell, they would be such easy prey for the Dark Hellhounds. Is there some sort of mistake, Captain?”
Faced with everyone’s stare, Captain Rhys shrugged his shoulders.
“How the f*ck would I know? It’s what Vaan told me,” Captain Rhys stated before adding, “And it involves alchemy. You know what alchemy is like. It’s something that can even turn sh*t into something tasty.”
His vulgar words immediately made several young warriors express their disgust.
“…Seriously?”
“Well, I don’t really know if it’s true or not, but that’s what I heard about alchemy,” Captain Rhys replied.
Everything was up to their own belief.
“Ugh, regardless of the truth, I don’t think I can accept any food offered by alchemists in the future,” a young warrior revealed the urge to vomit.
Curse his imagination for being too vivid.
…
…
…
Vaan was oblivious to the escort group’s difficulty despite being handed such a simple handwork.
At the very least, he thought it was simple.
The heavens never close all doors to life – Vaan always felt that this saying was especially true.
But if one lacked the knowledge, they would not be able to see the doors.
The Blackmoon Region’s northern path had always been difficult for ordinary people to traverse due to the Dark Hellhounds.
Very little knew that the Horned Rabbit’s horn was the solution for safer passage through the northern road.
In order to produce an odorless powder capable of erasing smell, the escort group would need to grind the horn down into powdered form and mix it with the verdant grass eaten by Horned Rabbits.
The basic rule of survival is to never reveal one’s treasures, lest it invites greed and calamity upon oneself.
The Steelguard Escort Group had been suspicious of his ability to travel alone.
He had successfully erased the last bit of doubt by simply giving away some soup he did not care about and even letting them think it was a treasure, earning their goodwill in the process.
And by doing this, he would have less to worry about getting backstabbed in the events of dangerous situations on the trip.
At the very least, the escort group would not try to throw him out as bait for their escape if it ever reached such a situation.
Furthermore, he gave the Steelguard Escort Group the chance to open up the odorless powder market, but he will be the one making bigger profits when he introduces the higher-quality odorless powder.
It was all calculated.
When Vaan entered Linette’s tent, he spotted Lillias sleeping soundly in one corner, but more importantly, the inside of the tent was very luxurious.
Silk mattresses, gold oil lanterns, accessories, jewels…
No matter where Vaan looked, everything screamed of money. They were all high-end goods that were further enchanted by magic to enhance their various functions.
This level of wealth was something that only the upper-class noble households could possess.
“If there’s something you like, I can gift it to you,” Lady Linette promised.
Vaan peeled his eyes away from the shimmering gold and shook his head with a smile.
“Surely, it comes with a condition. Right, Lady Linette? The eldest daughter of the Delarosa Household?” Vaan presumed.
The Delarosa Household was one of the leading noble households with the nobility rank of Marquis in the Kingdom of Black Rose. The head of Delarosa was a powerful High Witch who achieved High Awakening.
Linette could not hide her surprise when Vaan made his guess correctly.
“I don’t remember introducing my family name to anyone in the escort group. So how did you know?” Linette inquired suspiciously.
“When you work in a brothel, all sorts of rumors and words fly around. There aren’t many True Witches in the kingdom that have an Earth Salamander familiar and carry this degree of wealth. The tent itself is also a priceless spatial treasure that—”
“Alright, I’ve heard enough,” Linette suddenly interrupted with a finger pressed on Vaan’s lips, dropping the topic there and then.
She was quickly convinced that he didn’t know her identity prior to their meeting and only found out through his own speculation.
“I would like to continue with the massage now.”
“Of course, my Lady.”
Lady Linette seemed to have regained her confidence and composure.
But after Vaan laid her down on the soft mattress, her heart palpitated, and her face flushed before he even started.
Her reaction was no doubt that of an unplucked flower.