Chapter 34: Soaring Imagination

“New task?”

Nolan asked curiously.

Leyak explained slowly.

“Ghost moss is often used as a spiritual medium in alchemy and magic rituals. The only source near Romern is the Roen ancient ruins outside the city.”

“With the ruins sealed off, prices are up. Harvesting some now could turn a profit…”

“But didn’t you say the channels are blocked?”

Nolan asked, puzzled.

“That’s true… but I know another place.”

Leyak pulled a hand-drawn map from under the counter, spreading it out.

“Look, the Roen ruins are west of the city, but my spot’s here.”

Nolan followed Leyak’s finger to a hilly area north of the city.

The old man continued.

“This place—I found it years ago while foraging. An empty bunker, maybe a century or two old, built by some lord. Small, hidden, likely unknown to others. I recall ghost moss growing there.”

“It wasn’t worth much before, so I ignored it. But now, things are different…”

“I get it. Should I go today?”

Nolan nodded, sounding eager.

“Hold on—”

Leyak stopped him.

“You’d be asking for death.”

“Death?”

Nolan frowned.

“Well, ‘death’ is dramatic, but going alone, empty-handed, won’t end well,” Leyak said after a pause.

“Ghost moss releases hallucinogenic spores. Once affected, your senses twist, and it’s easy to get lost in ruins. If caught early, it’s not fatal.”

“And if not caught early?”

Nolan’s back prickled as he asked.

“You starve inside, feeding the moss.”

Leyak’s tone turned grim on purpose.

He leaned down, rummaged under the counter, and pulled out a long wooden box.

“No need to worry, though—there are ways to handle it. Usually, you hire a group to watch each other, but groups can all fall under. Or you drink stimulant potions—cheap ones harm your mind, safe ones cost too much to profit.”

“I’ve got a simpler way.”

“Uh… what way?”

Leyak opened the box, lifting an old wooden-handled dagger from its velvet lining.

“This dagger’s enchanted with a ‘Calm’ spell. Hold it, and you’ll see through illusions. If you go, grip it in the bunker, harvest the moss, and come straight back. I’ll handle sales.”

“As for pay, separate from your usual wages, we’ll split moss profits seventy-thirty.”

Nolan, having seen ghost moss requests these past days, knew its market value.

A quick calculation—one ounce was worth more than a month’s wages.

“This…”

Nolan hesitated, eyeing the dagger.

“But—an enchanted weapon? It’s valuable. Aren’t you worried I’ll damage it or…?”

“Heh,” Leyak squinted at Nolan.

“You think ahead, but this dagger’s just an early failure of mine. Aside from this low-tier spell, it’s useless—too dull to cut fruit. Why else would I trust a novice like you with it?”

“If it breaks, you’ll compensate based on damage. As for other possibilities—”

Leyak gave a cold laugh.

“You’ll learn my methods.”

“Let me… think.”

Nolan didn’t answer right away, weighing it carefully.

The gold coins he had could cover Diya’s schooling, but life demanded more.

With Kritiya in the household now, he had to plan ahead.

If they couldn’t return to Lotte Village, renting forever wasn’t an option, was it?

Like Leyak said at the docks—buy land, build a life.

Nolan realized knightly glory or dragon-slaying heroics were for bards’ tales, not most people.

For most, a lifetime’s goal was a house, some land, a steady life.

Nolan pictured it—a scenic farm, chickens clucking, dogs barking.

Diya, a Radiant Knight, returns in glory.

He greets his long-lost sister, chatting about her adventures in the capital, thrilling or funny knightly tales, as they stroll home.

Walking along, he sees a silver-gray-haired girl standing by a wheat field, hands behind her back, serene.

He waves, calls out.

She looks up, smiles, lifts her skirt, and steps through the wheat, her white calves catching the autumn breeze as her hem sways with the golden waves.

Diya, smirking, shoves him forward.

He stumbles, nearly falls, and the girl runs up, arms open—

‘Even without knighthood, this life seems… No! What am I imagining? So rude! Thinking of Tiya like some stay-at-home wife…’

Nolan’s heart raced, baffled by his own daydreams.

“You’re blushing, standing there—what, already hallucinating without moss?”

Leyak’s snort snapped Nolan out of it.

He glanced at the old man, shaking off the thoughts.

Money was still essential, no matter what.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Nolan said.

***

“Bro… you’re definitely hiding something.”

Thanks to better finances, tonight’s dinner had meat—Diya cooked a rich mutton soup with bread and pumpkin mash, a hearty meal.

At the small table, Kritiya served the last dish of pumpkin mash.

I knew she couldn’t cook—when she and Nolan took turns, she just watched—but lately, she seemed keen to try, starting as a helper.

“Me? What could I be hiding?”

Nolan glanced at the two girls.

“Really…”

Diya eyed him suspiciously, setting the table.

The three sat, eating quietly.

Kritiya ate eagerly today, small bites without pause, but I was too lost in the ancient scroll to care.

Oddly, the scroll’s parchment was new, maybe a century old, but closer inspection revealed an ancient magical seal.

I’m no magic scholar—just piecing together traces from Eye Within Eye and the evil god’s knowledge, guessing by instinct.

Darryl, after hearing me out, told me to crack the seal while she traced the scroll’s origin—the unnamed adventurer who first found it.

That’s suspicious.

I thought.

The Adventurers’ Guild’s public notices detailed everyone who handled the scroll, except that first discoverer, vaguely called “some adventurer.”

For now, I’d focus on breaking the seal—

It felt more and more like a prank.

Maybe the scroll was swapped, or fake from the start, its seal hiding nothing but a “Happy Fool’s Day” taunt, infuriating anyone who cracked it.

I could break the magic, but it’d take time.

The evil god’s vast, sinister knowledge required careful sifting to find useful bits without overstepping.

As I sank deeper into thought, Diya’s loud voice broke through.

“No, something’s definitely off—Bro, what’s with you and Tiya?”

I snapped back to reality, seeing Nolan’s face flicker with evasion.

He answered stiffly.

“I said it’s nothing…”

“Then why haven’t you said a word to Tiya all day?”

Diya pressed.

“And you’re avoiding her eyes—did you fight?”

Oh—now that she mentioned it, I thought.

Was it that candle fight the other night?

No, that wasn’t it—nothing truly awkward happened, and Nolan was fine the next morning.

More like… he got weird after coming back from work today.

“Enough—am I the big brother, or are you?”

Nolan raised his voice, drowning Diya out.

“Me and Tiya… it’s normal, nothing weird happened.”

He gulped the last of his soup, ready to leave, but caught Kritiya’s puzzled gaze across the table.

“Did I do something?”

Kritiya asked softly.

“No—nothing,” Nolan said.

Her look brought back those shop daydreams, and he quickly averted his eyes.

“Really?”

Kritiya paused, then said.

“Really, how many times do I have to say—”

“Then look at me. Prove it.”

Her words hit his ears.

Nolan froze, took a deep breath, and faced her like it was a challenge.

Meeting her gem-like eyes, their green depths shimmering like a shallow lake hiding a deep pool.

As those embarrassing fantasies threatened to resurface, staring at the real Kritiya brought back that candlelit night—their struggle, their stifled laughter.

Somehow, it calmed him.

He smiled easily, meeting her gaze.

‘This guy… grinning like an idiot again. Did he eat something weird outside?’

I watched the boy, puzzled, sensing from Kritiya a strange mix of relief and disappointment.

Like… she hadn’t gotten the perfect answer she wanted.