Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – The Lavender Oasis

As I neared the oasis, the lavender flowers began to dot my surroundings, and the density of trees, shrubs, and other flora began to appear more apparent. My memories felt somewhat hazy, and I was finding it hard to recall certain events, especially those of my military career. Could this have been a side effect of the procedure?

A salty breeze swept across the meadow before brushing against my skin. From the minute details that I could remember, I knew this meant there was no doubt a coastline not too far from here. Right now, I had more pressing concerns to deal with, like finding a clean water supply and something to eat, if that existed at all in this world.

Though the spines of the trees were plenty, there was still enough space between them to notice sunlight reflecting off a body of water toward me. It looked like a small lake but resembled more of an oasis if anything with much plant life surrounding it. I would need to check it out later, but first, I wanted to inspect these lavender flowers. I walked closer to one of the flower buds and extended my hand to pluck it but was thrown off balance when an option popped up on the HUD.

[Scan Item]

Okay. Let’s see what happens when you press it. To my surprise, I just had to think about the command when the system began scanning as if it read my mind or something. Interesting! A circular loading bar appeared and filled in as the scan was completed, shortly followed by another couple of notifications.

New Skill Gained. Herbalism Level 0

Scanned Lavender: +10XP

The orb on my wrist began to glow again indicating something had changed in the menu.

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