Chapter 57: Deadbloom Lake

"The Withered Flower?" Kreyn gave him a questioning look. "Is that why you came here?"

"Indeed. We traveling merchants use safe routes. We only change course if we need to visit a Node, meet someone, or if we’ve received information about the location of a rare resource," Diaro explained slowly.

Kreyn nodded.

"Fine. We agree."

He took out the black deck and tossed it to Diaro.

"There are 10 chips here, each worth 1,000."

"Good." Diaro took him at his word. He didn’t bother checking the chips. He’d have another chance to do so later.

Varyn remained silent the whole time, but now her voice rang out.

"The meat is ready."

"Great!" Dario clapped his hands with an eager expression. "Consider the deal sealed, which means we need to celebrate! Varyn, dear, bring a bottle of wine."

"Sure." She nodded and walked with a confident stride toward the van.

Meanwhile, Norma finished feeding Roco, petting the massive monster on the head, a creature that, if it wanted to, could swallow half of her in a single bite.

Kreyn watched Varyn. He didn’t like how calm she was.

’She and Norma are two opposites. Varyn is like a puppet, almost a slave, at least that’s how it might look from the outside. But... she’s the one in charge between the two of them, isn’t she?’

Pop!

The wine cork flew off to the side as their little feast of wine and charcoal-grilled meat began.

"So tasty!!!" Norma was practically jumping with joy as the rib in her hands was quickly stripped of meat, leaving only the bare bone, and she moved on to the next one.

Kreyn sank his teeth into a piece as well.

"Good meat, juicy and cooked to perfection."

"Haha! I didn’t do anything special, I just paid for it. Varyn marinated and cooked it. All the credit goes to her."

Varyn shrugged. "That’s my job."

Kreyn nodded.

"Diaro, there’s something you need to know."

"Yes?"

"If you want me to craft gear for you, I’ll need monster genes."

Norma froze mid-bite.

"Ah? What does that mean? I thought you’d ask for ore or monster parts like everyone else. We’ve got plenty of that stuff."

"No." Kreyn’s reply was cold. "Only genes, from a freshly killed monster, if you will. If there are no monsters here or near the observatory, I won’t be able to create a piece of gear for you."

For some reason, Varyn’s eyes darted sharply toward Diaro. It was only for a split second, but she let her emotions seep through her mask of composure.

"How curious," Diaro said dryly. "So all you need is a monster’s gene? And what happens next? Do you choose what you’ll create?"

Diaro wanted to know more. On one hand, his eyes were already sparkling with the gold coins of potential profit. On the other, he was curious and cautious.

"Huh, it’s not that simple. The options are limited, there are no guarantees of success, and the outcome remains unknown until the very end." Kreyn chuckled. He didn’t go into all the details and even left some things out. He just needed to convey the gist, and that was enough.

While Diaro thoughtfully rubbed his chin, Varyn decided to ask:

"But, in many ways, it all depends on the gene you use, right?"

"Yeah, the rarer the gene, the better the chances of getting something good in the end. To put it simply, the more dangerous the monster I defeat, the better the item I’ll create - if I’m lucky, of course."

Varyn and Norma remained silent, as Diaro was the one making the decisions.

"Fair enough. If we don’t find a suitable monster or you’re unlucky, we’ll consider the third condition fulfilled regardless. But I’d prefer the best-case scenario, and that would be beneficial for you as well."

"Hmm? How so?" Kreyn asked, taking the next rib from the fire.

Diaro spread his arms wide.

"If I’m impressed by what you create, you’ll make a friend. Being friends with a traveling merchant is a valuable asset in itself."

A bitter smile crossed Kreyn’s face.

"You sure know how to talk. But it actually sounds pretty good."

For some reason, Kreyn felt that this wouldn’t be the first time he’d find himself outside the walls of his city. Once he saw the true wasteland, even if just a glimpse, he would no longer be satisfied with the routine of missions, flights, and rewards.

"Alright, let’s get down to business. Tell me about the Withered Flower and Deadbloom Lake. We came here to meet you, so we don’t know much about this place."

Then, he, Groza, and the others took a long look at the lake behind them.

The water was purple, highly toxic, with several dark, dry trees growing straight out of the water as their gray crowns towered above the surface. Along the lake, stone slabs drifted slowly in a circle carried by an invisible current, while some of them vanished into the thick fog covering the right half of the lake like a wall.

"Since you know so little, I think it’s worth telling you. This lake is poisonous, but there’s a reason for that."

Diaro waved his hand, pointing to the land behind them.

"All the rivers and lakes you might come across nearby are clean, but how is that possible? I mean, from time to time monsters fight, and some of the corpses fall into the water, so everything should be contaminated by now.

"Well, this region has Deadbloom Lake to thank for that. Beneath this lake lies an entire network of tunnels that water flows through. It doesn’t seem like anything unusual, but all the corpses that end up in these tunnels remain in Deadbloom Lake."

Groza gulped.

"Wait... So that’s why this lake is so dangerous. But why does this happen?"

"It’s all because of one plant-monster. We call it the Deadbloom Vine. We can’t kill it, and we don’t need to, after all, this monster is one big water filter for the entire region."

Diaro’s gaze grew more intense.

"From time to time, when there are enough corpses, the Deadbloom Vine starts to grow. For a short time, its vines break the surface, and you can find the Withered Flowers on them."

Before saying anything, Kreyn looked back at the fog.

"I understand that this flower is highly valuable, and the reason for this fog is the Deadbloom Vine?"

"Indeed."

Diaro confirmed before continuing.

"The Deadbloom Vine hates sunlight, so the vine hides from it behind a layer of fog. The fog never lifts, not at night, nor during the day."

Listening to all this, a bitter smile involuntarily spread across Kreyn’s face.

"And of course, someone will be protecting this flower, right?"

Diaro threw up his hands innocently.

"What can I say? Treasures are always protected. But maybe you’ll be able to get a decent reward this way, who knows?"

"So..."

Dario paused.

"Which one of you will go? As for me, it’ll be Varyn. It was her job to begin with."

Groza hurried to stand up. "If you need, I can—"

Tap.

Kreyn’s hand pressed down on her shoulder, settling her back into her seat as he straightened up.

"Let’s do this. The sooner, the better."

"Glad to hear it."

Dario folded his hands with satisfaction.

"Varyn."

She responded immediately.

"Yes."

They stepped away from the fire and stopped at the water’s edge on the gray bank.

"We’ll jump as soon as the platform pulls up. Norma will help us if needed, but if you fall, that’s your problem," she stated coldly.

Kreyn, in turn, stretched, his joints creaking.

"Sure, silent one. It’s not my first day in this world."

His gaze drifted toward the fog, as if wanting to see what lay hidden behind it.

’So, a giant plant monster? Is a single flower really all you’ve got to offer? Let’s see.’