“Ah, they are getting killed out there.”
“It would be great if Hermes guild gets utterly ruined by this.”
The viewers sitting in front of the television and the players watching in twos and threes in Royal Road taverns hoped the war would end like this. They were all of one mind and heart for the Hermes guild, which symbolized the prestigious guild in the central continent, to have their power and influence be cut.
Soon after, Kallamore Kingdom and Hermes guild’s total command got involved and the war front became larger. To win the war, one side needed to occupy a minimum of 10 castles and cities. Or if analyzed further, the existence of each surrounding kingdom could be in jeopardy.
On the wide plain where the two kingdom’s overflowing forces collided, causing the battle immersed viewers to forget about time. It was a complete, full scale war!
After a small amount of time passed, the size of the Kallamore Kingdom’s army became smaller and smaller and it retreated to a corner. Many of Hermes guild’s high level players were involved and their average foot soldiers experience, equipment, and level was higher than their foe. Each commanders archers, magicians, swordsmen, spearmen, shield men and cavalry were operated efficiently.
Kallamore Kingdom, whose force of cavalry and knight orders were high, began to show their weak point and were pushed back in the overall battle.
“March.”
“Control the western side and capture the center.”
It was the sight of the Hermes guild, who had prepared for a long time for this war, winning. The infantry cut off the Kallamore Kingdoms flank and encircled the main force. Battalions of archers sniped the famous knights of Kallamore Kingdom one by one.
Kolderim was busy all over, dragging his knights to glory. But the Hermes guild straggled the surrounding knights and killed them off.
“Our share is over there.”
Bardray and his Black Knights who were, for a time, looking over the battle, sortied. They were aiming for Kolderim, who was fighting alone in the midst of Hermes guild infantry. They were planning to declare Hermes guild’s victory to everyone after they killed Kolderim.
___________________________________
Weed and Seo Yoon left the old handmaidens house and were walking on the street of Rosenheim Kingdom.
“Ah, this miserable world...”
“Ah, this is annoying. Why is the sky so clear. Just rain damn it.”
“I feel depressed so let’s go drink some alcohol.”
“Sure. Let’s just drink.”
The atmosphere of the players in Serabourg Castle was not good. It was because Hermes guild utterly destroyed the Kallamore Kingdom’s defense force. Not only the players who saw the broadcast in Rosenheim Kingdom but all over Versailles Continent, the taverns saw a jump in customers.
Even for Weed, the news about Hermes guild was extremely important.
“In the end, they won.”
If the Hermes guild became completely ruined, it would have been a heaven sent gift but he did not even hope for such an outcome. Weed had a feeling that Hermes guild would win from the start.
“In this world, the bad guys always live well in a grand style.”
These famous guilds were no different. If Hermes guild fell, someone else would take their place. No matter who, they would not leave Weed in peace. To be successful in life and to make money, one had to live completely opposite of written ethics.
Even with that thought aside, Weed was troubled about searching for Fabiane. Serabourg Castle of Rosenheim Kingdom was as familiar to him as Morata. From his poverty stricken time as a novice, to the period of running through every nook and crevice to search for people to buy his sculptures!
“I even remember the alleyways.”
The wide paths where the carriages went through were packed with stalls and during the time when people crowded the street, Weed used the alleys to reduce travel time so he knew the alleyway like the back of his hand. Since then a lot of time has passed and some new buildings were erected, but the residential area did not appeared to have changed much.
“A melampodium paludosum...”
Weed had memorised a lot of facts on herbalism so it was a flower he knew.
“It’s just a yellow flower!”
The flower was modestly pretty, average in size with split flower petals.
“I think this alley had some of the yellow flowers growing about back then.”
Weed fumbled through his memories as he walked through Serabourg Castle with Seo Yoon. Even though the castle had many players, the alleys without stalls were devoid of people.
Bees and butterflies flew over the many flowers growing charmingly on the street. Weed and Seo Yoon were walking through the most scenic alley in Serabourg Castle.
“It’s kind of far right?”
“Not really.”
“It should be close to here. If we had the time we could try to look for a beehive. There is nothing like honey to bolster the body.”
“....”
Weed found the melampodium paludosum in the alley and visited each of the 3 houses with the yellow flowers blooming on their porch. The first house belonged to a gardener who was a flower enthusiast.
“You have amazing hand skills! If you have come here to learn flower arrangement, I will teach it to you leisurely from the basics.”
If it was Weed from the past who considered flowers to be useless, he would have turned around and left before he heard the entire proposal. But as he learned sculpting and other skills, he felt that nothing was useless in the Versailles Continent. And so he listened to the gardener's words and learned how to pluck out the withered flower petals and cut off the dead twigs.
DING!
Skill: Flower Arrangement Learnt.
Flower Arrangement: A skill used to grow and appreciate flowering shrubs and trees!
Skill level and affinity to land and plants increases when flowers and trees are grown properly.
Fully bloomed flowers can be put into a vase as an ornament.
By learning Flower Arrangement your affinity to nature increased by 3.
It was an important affinity in manifesting a bigger Natural Disaster Sculpting. Seeing Weed learning it, Seo Yoon copied him and learned Flower Arrangement as well. Weed’s skill was at beginner level 1.
“I should plant a lot of flowers at the Morata’s lord manor later on.”
Through the effect of a Masterpiece that Weed made, a Wildflower Festival occurred in Morata. Of course just looking at flowers was enjoyable but if left unattended weeds and vines could grow ruining them. But when a person applied his hands, plants could find their proper place and become more beautiful.
Weed’s Handicraft skill and Art stat were at a surprising level, and with his refined taste through sculpting, if he started cultivation from the seed he could grow breathtaking flower beds and trees.
“To commemorate learning Flower Arrangement let me give you a present.”
You have received a white woodsorrel as a present from Gardener Jenkins.
The gardner gave Weed and Seo Yoon a bouquet of flowers with white petals.
“This could become my first Flower Arrangement.”
For Weed, making a vase or a flower pot was like a piece of cake.
“But cultivating flowers during the middle of an adventure is difficult, wait right there for me.”
Weed took a white flower and pinned it on Seo Yoon’s hair. There was no big reason for it other than wanting to try it once. Seo Yoon furtively touched the white flower and looked slightly embarrassed by it.
DING!
Flower Arrangement skill increased to beginner level 2. Flowers and trees become more vibrant. Growth speed becomes faster.
Affinity to Nature increased by 2.
Fame increased by 25.
The flower the gardner gave was of a kind that grew easily and with the intervention of Weed’s Art stat and Handicraft, the skill level increased in a breath of a moment. Also the flower suited Seo Yoon really well and it was one of the reasons he received a lot of skill mastery.
With the white flower pinned in her hair, Seo Yoon looked really beautiful and gave off a feeling of loveliness. Seo Yoon also pinned a flower next to Weed’s ear. A message window also popped up for her.
Mastery of Flower Arrangement rose slightly.
The white flower pinned on Weed’s hair, withered in the blink of an eye. It was as if some unseen force was sucking up the nutrients!
“I don’t think that flower was healthy.”
Weed thought as such. Even if it wasn’t the truth, his heart wanted to believe otherwise.
To find Fabiane, they went to the second house. But inside were children waiting for their parents to return.
“They went to sell some flowers in the market. My mom knows a place in Serabourg Castle where a lot of pretty flowers bloom.”
“The evil goblins are appearing frequently so it’s difficult to pluck flowers these days. It will be nice if someone defeats them… For us it’s really important but I think it would be too easy for you to do. I don’t have anything to properly reward you with if you clear out the Goblins so I will ask someone else to handle it.”
Weed’s fame was so high it was difficult for the children to give him a quest. As long as Seo Yoon with her high fame and level. did not deliberately ask to accompany him on the quest, there was no reason to accept it.
And so the third house! A granny with deep wrinkles was sitting by the window sill, looking at the yellow flowers.
“Are you perhaps Fabian-nim?”
“For a young man to come looking for me, what did you come here for?”
“I came here to learn more about Queen Evane.”
“It’s not a story that should be told on the street. Please come inside the house.”