Chapter 125: A Cry for Help - I

"Isn't that question a trap?" Merlin asked. "I don't win if I answer that question, no matter what my answer is."

"How so?" Callisto asked with the grin remaining on her face.

"If I give you a negative response, that means I'd be questioning the actions of royalty." Merlin explained. "And if I give you a positive response, that means I'd be condoning harm on nobility."

"Both of those are most likely crimes that will result in me getting beheaded." Merlin continued, "And if I refuse to answer, I'd be ignoring a request from royalty, which probably comes with its own punishments."

"Oh? You've got quite a good head on your shoulders." Callisto said while walking closer to him.

"Thanks. I'd like to keep it that way." Merlin retorted.

"I do like smart people, and you're witty too." Callisto let out a chuckle before returning to a resting expression. "I need you to join our next expedition. We've received an urgent request for aid several days ago, but our expedition team was away. I'm afraid it may be too late, but we must go provide all the assistance we can."

"Don't you have multiple teams?" Merlin asked, "Surely, some other group would have been sent during that time, right?"

"Yes. Tuli has informed me that we did send another team in, but it has been three days and nobody from that team have established contact or returned." Callisto explained with a grim expression. "The other teams are all out on missions, so the only members we have are reserves, my team and new recruits. Unfortunately my team are mostly all out of commission, and we don't have enough reserves to fill the team."

"That's where you come in. While new recruits are usually a liability, Tuli has informed me that you're quite capable already." She praised him, "From what I've seen, it doesn't seem like she was exaggerating, so please, help us."

"Alright, I'd like the details." Merlin agreed to her request.

She seemed happy once he said that, and after briefly explaining the mission, a quest window appeared before him.

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[Uncommon Quest]

A cry for help.

The frontier town of Acacesium had requested aid from Megalopolis a few days ago. Unfortunately due to an issue that occurred during the recent expedition, most of the active duty rangers are out of commission.

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You've been given a spot on the next expedition team by Callisto, the leader of the rangers guild. Your task is to attend the expedition and provide aid where possible to the people of Acacesium.

Acacesium is a small village on the route between Megalopolis and Parrhasia, as such it is often used by rangers as a resting point for expeditions that lead much further into the frontier. The village often provides hospitality to rangers in exchange for the promise that aid will be given when it is needed.

Join and complete the expedition.

• Reward: 300 EXP, 300 Ranger Soul EXP.

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"I accept." Merlin said, accepting the quest. "So when are we setting out?"

"We'll set out in an hour. Please get your equipment in order and meet us in the briefing room before it's time to go. I'll need to round up anyone who can move." Callisto said before making her way back into the briefing room.

Merlin left the rangers guild building, he had an hour to prepare, but he didn't quite know what he wanted to do within the hour.

'I could do with a skinning knife of my own.' He thought to himself, which eventually lead him back to the merchants association.

He walked into the store once more, and the same worker was standing at the counter. Merlin approached them.

"Welcome back. How can I help you?" The worker asked.

"Hello again, I'm looking for a skinning knife, could you point me in the right direction?" Merlin responded.

Once he received directions, he quickly made his way to the area, walking past an interesting looking satchel bag that caught his attention, the sign beside it called it a "herbalist's kit". Merlin inspected the item, before looking at the price, which was four gold coins.

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[Herbalist's Kit. (Common)]

A kit containing all the basic tools one would need to utilise plants found in the wild. Assists with collecting plants, as well as producing medicines, potions and poisons.

• Contents: Satchel Bag (1), Clippers (1), Mortar and Pestle (1), Tough Leather Gloves (1), Herb Pouch (3), Glass Vial (12), Glass Jar (3)

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"Do I need it?" He mumbled to himself as he looked at the window and then back at the price tag. "I should probably get the skill for it first."

He walked past the herbalist's kit, and made his way over to a shelf that had a small selection of knifes made for dissecting animals.

After scanning through the knives, he found one in the higher range that he was comfortable with.

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[Sharp Hunters Knife. (Common)]

A sharp knife made for skinning animals.

• Animal harvesting efficiency: +30%

• Damage: +2

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The specs were decent, and the price was a six silver, so he picked it up and began making his way over to the counter. His eyes snapped back to the satchel as he walked, and he could feel himself fighting against the impulse purchase.

But his will wasn't strong enough.

"That will be four gold and six silver. Is that all for today?" The worker asked.

"That's all, thanks." Merlin said in a disparaged tone as he handed most of his wallet away. Leaving him with thirty silver and six copper.

As Merlin walked out of the building he could hear the worker's upbeat farewell, "Have a nice day!"

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'So where can I learn the herbalism skill.' He thought to himself as he threw the knife and satchel into his inventory. 'It'd be awkward if I asked Tuli to teach me, wouldn't it? I don't think I'd be able to lie my way out of that one.'

He wandered around the city looking for a herb shop, after a few minutes of searching, he found one that was full of potted plants and had an adjoined farm next to the main building that was fenced off.

As Merlin entered the store, he was instantly hit with the overpowering stench of various herbs. A little old lady greeted him as he entered the store.

"Hello dear, what are you looking for?" She asked. "I can prepare a recipe for you, or provide fresh cuttings if that's what you're looking for."

"I apologise if this is a strange request, but would you be willing to teach someone how to harvest plants." Merlin asked. "For a price of course. I'm going on an expedition into the frontier and believe I could benefit from a quick class on the best practices for harvesting plants in the wild."

"Oh?" The woman exclaimed, before she seemed to think about it for a moment, "Well, I suppose I could spare some of my time, but you'll be buying all the materials we use, is that alright with you?"

"That is reasonable." Merlin said with a smile, "So where do we start?"

During what was roughly a thirty minute class, the old lady took Merlin around her store and her farm and began showing off several methods of extracting plants. Of course Merlin already knew all of these, the issue was that for it to be recognised as a skill within the system it either had to be taught to him, or granted to him through a quest.

There was the long method of acquiring the knowledge alone, through constantly doing the task at an acceptable level. But the issue with that was that he would have to manually carry everything around until he earned the knowledge, as any plants he cut wouldn't be recognised as an item by the system and therefore couldn't be stored.

It was a tedious mechanic that tried balancing real world knowledge against in-game abilities, but fortunately it was easier to just ask someone of that profession to teach you their ways for a price. Depending on the skill, you would usually you'd get a basic knowledge, but some may instead choose to take you on as an apprentice and eventually grant you a job soul.

Getting a job soul was more likely if you asked for a job instead of just a short class, but Merlin didn't need the soul of a botanist, he just wanted his plants to be considered items by the system.

After the class had ended, Merlin paid the old lady for her time, as well as the herbs that were utilised during the class. He spent a total of ten silver and six copper, earning himself the knowledge he wanted alongside various herbs.

「Knowledge obtained: "Life Skill: Herbalism (Beginner)"」

Merlin thanked the old woman and left the store, making his way back to the ranger's guild. He checked his inventory and began sorting the herbs he had just bought into a folder in his inventory.

"Two kilograms of bloodgrass, a kilogram of liliox and two kilograms of falsofal. Lets put those in a sub-folder for healing herbs." Merlin mumbled to himself as he continued playing with his inventory. "One kilogram of white horehound, that'll go in a separate folder for antidotes."

'And she even had mothflower, surprisingly. Although it was kind of pricey for just three hundred grams." Merlin thought to himself, realising he had just spent most of the money he was building up in under an hour. "I'll just put it in a separate folder for now. I'll save it for a rainy day.'

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