BXBX NOVEL Chapter 105: Plans for the Future
"I know a few alchemists in Nocturne City," Master Bard remarked with a hint of pride. "They can assist me in acquiring a prime location for a shop. Once there, I can reestablish myself as a highly respected master alchemist."
Master Bard said with a smile, sharing his plans with Heber.
However, the expression on Heber\'s face was not as cheerful.
He had just calculated the resources he had left and suddenly realized they were insufficient to support his plans in Nocturne City.
Heber let out a sigh.
"You certainly can accomplish your plans in Nocturne City. But all the resources I originally had were lost in the chaos at Dawn City," Heber lamented.
"Don\'t you have any acquaintances in Nocturne City? As a merchant, you should have connections with other traders, right? Couldn\'t they help you gather some startup capital?"
Master Bard questioned, clearly skeptical of Heber\'s claims.
To Master Bard, Heber was just like any other merchant—rarely truthful.
Moreover, Master Bard remained exceedingly cautious; he couldn\'t shake the feeling that Heber\'s conversation was a prelude to borrowing money from him.
Heber responded with a bitter smile.
"Of course I know other merchants, but they wouldn\'t lend me any funds. You should be well aware that all merchants in Nocturne City face fierce competition.
Those so-called friends of mine might even smile while watching me go bankrupt and end up on the streets. They would then seize all my trade channels."
Master Bard nodded thoughtfully.
"Perhaps you could help me sell the precious potions I\'ve crafted. That way, we could both earn a substantial profit."
Heber was very interested in Master Bard\'s proposal. He saw it as his only hope to turn his situation around.
"If that\'s the case, I\'ll do my utmost. I have excellent persuasive skills, and I\'ll ensure your potions fetch the highest price," Heber assured.
"Hold on a moment! Don\'t get so excited! I haven\'t finished what I have to say yet!"
Master Bard\'s willingness to offer assistance to Heber was not solely out of sympathy, of course. While their relationship was indeed amicable, it had not reached a level of friendliness where he could unconditionally provide such a valuable opportunity.
Reaching into his pocket, Master Bard produced a parchment.
"You are not only responsible for selling the potions I create, but you must also collect all the materials listed on this parchment as quickly as possible."
Heber took the parchment from Master Bard. As soon as he glanced at it, he realized that the materials listed were incredibly rare.
[Seeds of Voodoo Vine]
[Brain and Spinal Cord of the Destruction Dragon]
[Tail Feathers of the Sun Rooster]
"These materials are nearly all extremely rare and must be extracted from divine creatures.
Do you really think we can find these materials?!"
Heber\'s tone was one of utter astonishment.
In his view, aside from the deities themselves, almost no one else could procure such materials.
Master Bard\'s expression remained unchanged; he merely responded with a calm, detached air.
"I never asked you to gather all the materials immediately. I just hope that while you\'re selling my potions, you can also look for these materials. Besides, don\'t you have a great helper?"
Heber quickly understood who the helper Master Bard was referring to—Jeremy.
However, Heber wasn\'t confident that Jeremy would provide such significant assistance.
"Jeremy is indeed an incredibly surprising awakened one. His power far exceeds his level. But why would he offer me such great help?"
"That\'s your problem, not mine."
Master Bard\'s tone was now very cold.
Master Bard\'s tone at this moment was exceedingly frigid.
From his perspective, he had already granted Heber an exceptionally valuable opportunity. Therefore, it was only fitting that Heber should handle the remaining complications on his own.
"You are indeed quite heartless! But very well, I shall do my utmost to persuade Jeremy to assist me!"
Heber finally agreed to Master Bard\'s terms.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Heber suddenly realized that Jeremy had been gone for a while.
"Speaking of Jeremy, where exactly is he now?"
Heber inquired. Master Bard simply shook his head in response, "He\'s somewhere around our convoy, I suppose. After all, there are two individuals within our group for whom he holds a great deal of concern."
As Master Bard spoke, he glanced outside the wagon. Nina and Bonnie were chatting and laughing as they admired the surrounding scenery.
Nina and Bonnie weren\'t just enjoying the view; they were actually searching for any sign of Jeremy.
"Miss Bonnie, should we really not be worried about Jeremy\'s safety?" Nina asked.
She knew Jeremy was incredibly powerful but still couldn\'t help but be concerned for his well-being.
"We have nothing to worry about," Bonnie replied, a hint of jealousy in her voice. "Jeremy already managed to fend off the Shadow Dragon. No other beast on this plain can pose a threat to him."
When Bonnie uttered these words, there was a subtle hint of jealousy in her tone.
"Why is it that someone like Jeremy can attract so much affection?" Bonnie couldn\'t help but ponder to herself.
However, she suddenly realized that she was one of those who liked Jeremy as well, so she quickly settled her thoughts.
Not far from the caravan, Jeremy successfully killed a few wild lizards that had tried to approach the group. Finally, he received a notification.
[Congratulations, player, you have enough experience to level up. You can choose to upgrade to level 40!]
[Note: Running three laps around the caravan before upgrading to level 40 will grant you an additional skill.]
Jeremy looked at the notification from The Eye of Omniscience and felt a bit speechless.
"Run three laps around the caravan? The conditions for extra rewards are getting more and more ridiculous. If I reach Nocturne City, will it ask me to run three laps around the city for an additional reward too?"
Though slightly exasperated, Jeremy started running laps around the caravan as quickly as possible.
Jeremy\'s actions caught the attention of everyone in the caravan.
Nina and Bonnie watched Jeremy running laps around the caravan, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Nina turned to Bonnie and asked, "Miss Bonnie, what is Jeremy doing? Is he training his body to strengthen himself? Why doesn\'t he just fight to train like he used to?"
Bonnie, full of exasperation, didn\'t know how to respond.
"This is just one of his quirks. You don\'t need to worry about it. He\'ll probably stop once he gets tired."
This wasn\'t the first time Bonnie had witnessed Jeremy doing something inexplicable.
She was starting to feel that she had become quite accustomed to Jeremy\'s odd behavior.
At the center of the caravan, Master Bard and Heber opened the wagon window to look in Jeremy\'s direction.
"Ah, youth! When I was young, I could run laps around the caravan too!" Master Bard exclaimed nostalgically.
Heber instinctively nodded.
As a traveling merchant, he had spent his youth journeying far and wide with his caravan.
However, Heber suddenly realized that since he had met Master Bard, he had never seen the man show any interest in physical exercise.
"Could you really run laps around the caravan? It seems to me that you detest exercise," Heber remarked skeptically.
Master Bard rolled his eyes at Heber.
"I am a highly esteemed master alchemist. A master alchemist must not only be familiar with the properties of materials but also possess the stamina to craft potions!" declared Master Bard with an air of self-importance.
Heber couldn\'t discern if Master Bard\'s words held any truth.
Yet, even if they were fabrications, he had no basis for argument. After all, he was merely a merchant, not even an apprentice alchemist.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire caravan, Jeremy completed his three laps and then stopped at a respectful distance from the group.
"You see, I told you he\'d stop once he got tired," Bonnie said to Nina with a smile.
Nina nodded in agreement and then resumed examining a desert scorpion she and Bonnie had just found.
"While Jeremy\'s combat prowess is formidable, his stamina leaves much to be desired. When I was his age, I could have easily run more than three laps around the caravan. Clearly, his ultimate achievements will pale in comparison to mine."
Master Bard remarked, his tone dripping with exaggerated nostalgia.
Heber, standing next to Master Bard, paid him no mind. He was convinced that Master Bard had been lying from the start.
Sensing Heber\'s skepticism, Master Bard turned to him and asked, "What\'s the matter? Do you doubt that I could run more than three laps?"
"Of course not! I believe you, absolutely!"
Heber replied hastily, his tone tinged with resignation. After all, Master Bard was not someone he could afford to offend.