Chapter 67: Swift Sword and Star-Spotted Snow Root

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Swift Sword and Star-Spotted Snow Root

"Open the box."

Lacas gave the order. "Place it in front of Mr. Vili."

Vili’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

The old butler, wearing clean white gloves, gently opened the wooden box. Then, two guards carried the open box over to Vili.

Vili glanced at Lacas first. Seeing the smile on his face, he then turned his gaze to the contents of the box.

"Is this... a Swift Sword...?"

A look of amazement also appeared on Vili’s face.

Inside the wooden box lay a long, slender Swift Sword with a gleaming edge. It was about a meter long, with a bronze-black hilt. At the end of the hilt was an embedded Black Gemstone. The Swift Sword was also known as a foil and was sometimes called a dress sword. Its appearance was delicate, but it was not actually light.

Beside the Swift Sword were three guards: a crab-claw guard with an upward-curving hook, a half-cup guard composed of three rings, and a shell-shaped guard. These guards were not protective gear like gloves, but rather pieces that could be fitted between the hilt and blade to protect the wielder’s hand.

Below the guards lay a black scabbard and a silver sword frog. When wearing a Swift Sword as an ornament in public, one would typically use the frog to expose the beautiful, sharp blade. When the Swift Sword was not in use, it was usually kept in its scabbard to help maintain the blade.

"As a gift for our first meeting, please accept this, Mr. Vili."

Lacas’s tone was gentle. His posture in offering the gift was neither overly humble and fawning, nor haughty and superior; he struck the perfect balance.

Although Vili didn’t know the exact value of this Swift Sword, he was certain it was expensive. The Black Gemstone on the hilt alone was worth at least two hundred Gold Rums.

"In that case, I’ll accept it."

Vili wasn’t being coy, nor did he insist on some principle of not accepting rewards without merit. Accepting the gift also signified that his friendship with the Divar Family had grown closer.

Seeing Vili accept the Swift Sword, a flicker of pleasure crossed Lacas’s eyes.

Afterward, Vili and the father-son duo of Lacas and Finlay continued their pleasant conversation. The meal finally concluded over an hour later.

"Mr. Vili, would you be interested in seeing the Divar Family’s collection of rare herbs?"

Lacas asked Vili during their conversation.

This was the same excuse Finlay had used when he invited Vili before.

"Of course."

Vili naturally did not refuse.

Vili had been thinking about cultivating high-value herbs in Fandou Village. His initial idea was to transplant some mass-producible rare herbs from the Bole Forest, and then sell them once they matured. However, the moment Finlay contacted him, Vili changed his mind. A much more convenient path had appeared before him.

As major herb merchants, the Divar Family had a better grasp of the market trends. Vili might be able to cultivate rare herbs that others couldn’t, but what was the point if market demand was insufficient? The price would still be drastically reduced. In that case, it would be better to leverage the Divar Family’s market channels to grow some high-priced, hard-to-find medicinal herbs. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about profits or sales channels.

Led by Lacas and Finlay, the group arrived in front of a stone building over five meters tall.

The building was constructed entirely of stone, with no wooden decorations in sight. Vili knew at a glance that it was designed to be fireproof.

A guard opened the door, and Lacas and Finlay walked inside one after the other.

As soon as he stepped inside, Vili saw neat rows of herb specimens.

They had all been dehydrated and air-dried, then placed in individual glass jars. Although the glass was mottled and impure, it was incredibly expensive in this era—far beyond what a commoner could afford.

"Lu Ben Grass, Town Mountain Leaves, Sweet Heart Grass..."

Without needing the two to guide him, Vili followed the rows of herb specimens, examining them one by one.

The more he looked, the more astonished he became. Nearly every specimen was extremely rare. Some of them didn’t even exist in the Bole Forest or Morse Forest and were only things from Vili’s memories. The Divar Family must have gone to great lengths to acquire so many specimens.

"As expected of the Divar Family..."

Vili said, his voice full of admiration.

A rare look of pride appeared on Lacas’s face. This was the collection of the entire Divar Family, amassed over a hundred years. It represented the Divar Family’s thirst for all the world’s precious herbs.

"This is..."

Suddenly, Vili spotted a small pile of dark gray seeds inside a transparent glass container. He roughly estimated there were fifty or sixty of them.

"Are these the seeds of the Star-Spotted Snow Root?"

Vili looked at Lacas.

Lacas was stunned. "You actually recognize this?"

The Star-Spotted Snow Root was an extremely rare medicinal ingredient. Its roots and leaves contained a substance that was highly beneficial to the human body. Long-term consumption could even alter a person’s constitution, causing a complete transformation in an ordinary person. It was said that even Count Lumbar took Star-Spotted Snow Root at regular intervals to slow the aging of his body.

However, despite the miraculous effects of the Star-Spotted Snow Root, it was very difficult to cultivate. At least in Dawei Province, ruled by Count Lumbar, only a few plantations were capable of growing it. The Divar Family had also tried to clear dedicated land to cultivate the Star-Spotted Snow Root, but all their attempts ended in failure. Helpless, the Divar Family had no choice but to give up.

Lacas was surprised that Vili could recognize the Star-Spotted Snow Root because it was so rare that, to most people, the name itself was completely unheard of, let alone what it looked like. Yet Vili had identified them as the seeds of the Star-Spotted Snow Root with just a single glance. Even Lacas himself might not have been able to recognize them so easily; after all, the seeds of so many plants looked far too similar.

Seeing Lacas’s reaction, Vili knew he had revealed a bit too much. Nevertheless, he remained composed and simply smiled. "I just happened to have heard of it, that’s all."

Lacas pursed his lips and didn’t press the matter further, but a trace of doubt now colored his gaze as he looked at Vili.

Before, he had simply thought Vili was outstanding, but now, he felt that Vili was hard to read.

"The Star-Spotted Snow Root is a truly wonderful thing. A pity..." Lacas changed the subject, a look of regret appearing on his face. "It’s just that my Divar Family has spent the time of two generations trying, and we still can’t cultivate it..."

Vili remained silent, a calculating look suddenly appearing in his eyes.