A few minutes later, their group was moving cautiously through the forest, with mixed expressions on their faces. The most furious was undoubtedly Ruvaen.
The old elf had not left. Despite his cautionary warnings as a shrewd elder, he too was tempted by the prospect of riches abounding in this deserted forest.
There was indeed much gold at stake. After a short trek of less than half a mile, they came upon their first gold mine: a field of Jade Chrysanthemums.
On the surface, the white flowers were nothing special, but they gave off a peculiar invigorating vibrancy that contrasted sharply with the chilly air around them. Several of the flowers even glowed in the dark, as if their petals were fluorescent. When Ikaris tried to appraise the brightest of them with his magic he failed.
'I failed?' He was astonished. It meant that this plant had awakened its Magic Defense attribute.
"It's at least Rank 3." Magnus confirmed telepathically with a tinge of anticipation. "Too bad I don't have a body anymore, it's of no use to me. But for you and the people in your village it's a cure all. Try scanning another one."
Ikaris complied and used his Appraisal Spell on a more ordinary looking chrysanthemum.
[Rank 2 Jade Chrysanthemum: A flowering plant traditionally associated with longevity. Its high selenium content makes it toxic in high doses, but prevents the risk of certain cancers and promotes longevity in therapeutic doses. Having continuously endured and absorbed the miasma of the Tartarus Gate Forest, this flower has adapted to its environment.
The stem and leaves are a toxic poison, but its flowers contain a large amount of Life Energy that can drastically speed up the healing of any type of injury. The effect is more pronounced on beings of equal or lower realm.]
Plants, like animals or humans had their own Divine Spark. Neia was fair and even though the way they used their Spark was more intuitive, it had its pluses too.
" A Rank 1 Jade Chrysanthemum flower and stem currently trades for between 20 and 35 silver coins in Tartarus Shade. The ones that are a bit taller are Rank 2, while the ones that glow are at least Rank 3." Ikaris stated to motivate the others. Especially Ruvaen.
He had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of those in a display in Lord's Paradise. With his eidetic memory and meticulous disposition he had of course memorized the prices of all the herbs and commodities he had come across.
"Are these chrysanthemums worth that much?" Liam and the other three Werewolves grew glum.
To think that the Onyxcrest Tribe would trade them for a few overripe fruits and some rancid meat. All these years they had really been taken for fools.
Kailu, on the other hand, had been raised as an aristocrat and was overjoyed.
"T-too many chrysanthemums! There-there are at least a thousand." He exclaimed, laughing out loud. "At least a tenth are Rank 2 and there are twelve, thirteen, no, fourteen Rank 3 or above! We struck it rich!"
"Shhh! Shut up!." Noreen sternly shushed him. "You want to round up what scared all those Demonic Beasts away or what?"
Blessed are the simple-minded. He finally understood what that meant.
Ikaris' suffocating aura receded along with his anger and he said in a sinister voice, "If you keep compromising the mission, I'll take the appropriate action. I need you, but I can do without you. Never doubt it. Pick these flowers in silence. It's not safe here."
If some still doubted that he was human before, now they did not. Their Lord was the greatest freak among them.
No one dared to make any more remarks after that, and if the insects hadn't deserted this part of the forest one could have heard the flies buzzing around. When they were focused on their task, their group of eight could be amazingly efficient. The chrysanthemum field was cleared in minutes.
"Now what?" Liam asked awkwardly.
"Luka." Ikaris called.
The Werewolf immediately understood his intentions and went back to scouting. A few minutes later, he reported, "Still no Beast or Undead ahead."
"We'll keep going then." The teenager decided.
Even the elf didn't dare object this time. As they moved on, they came across several fields of medicinal herbs of similar and sometimes even greater scale.
Jade Chrysanthemums like the ones they had just picked, but also Dracula Flowers, Twilight Glories, Netherworld Lilies and several other edible plants.
Dracula Flowers was an atypical kind of orchid with powerful hallucinogenic properties capable of driving the most virtuous of men insane and evil. In small doses, it was a powerful tonic and a sensory enhancer, amplifying the faculties of visualization. A much sought after quality in young Sorcerers but also in more experienced Sorcerers.
Twilight Glories was a type of black cohosh that also had psychoactive properties comparable to LSD. Its bulb and petals were loaded with Death and Dark Mana, making them potentially lethal when consumed. Although used primarily in the concoction of poisons, some Body and Psychist Sorcerers did find it useful.
Lastly, for those cultivating the Death and Black Element, these ipomoea were a precious treasure.
Netherworld Lilies, despite their name, had a similar function to Jade Chrysanthemums. They thrived in inhospitable terrain where death reigned supreme, but they had adapted by channeling their life force. They were similar to vegetation converting oxygen into carbon dioxide during the day and doing the opposite at night. Depending on the time of the day, these flowers had different properties.
As they made their way through the Tartarus Gate Forest, their extremities began to grow colder, and mist began to escape from their lips with each exhale. After advancing about four kilometers, they even found several strange fruits emitting an eerie aura.
"From now on, the density of these invisible miasmas will rapidly increase." Liam informed them very seriously. "We haven't run into any Undeads, but to go any further would be unwise. We've already made quite a profit, so we'd better get back while we still can."
"That's the first sensible thing I've heard come out of your mouth." Ruvaen praised snidely.
Just as Ikaris was about to make his decision, a high-pitched howl suddenly rang out in front of them, followed by drumming footsteps that shook the puddles they were wading through.