Chapter 72: Hurried Return

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Hurried Return

"Mr. Lake, this distinguished guest is Lord Village Chief’s friend," Old Yor called out to Lake in the distance.

Hearing this, Lake quickened his pace and walked toward the carriage.

"Hello, I am Vili’s father, Lake." Although he knew this young man was his son’s friend, Lake was still a bit restrained. After all, Finlay’s bearing clearly showed he was no ordinary person. "You’ve come at a bad time. Vili just left for Bole Forest. He probably won’t be back until tonight or tomorrow."

"Hello, Mr. Lake. My name is Finlay." Facing Vili’s father, Finlay couldn’t put on the slightest air of arrogance. However, he was slightly surprised that Vili was still staying in Fandou Village; he had assumed Vili had already returned to Diamond Town. "Entrusted by my father, Lacas Divar, I came specifically to visit Mr. Vili and his family."

Seeing the young man’s polite manners, Lake’s restraint faded a bit. Hearing that he had come specifically to visit, Lake smiled and said, "In that case, let’s not stand here. Let’s go inside the house."

Since a guest of such status had arrived, Old Yor could supervise the fieldwork by himself.

Finlay made a gesture inviting Lake to lead the way, deliberately staying half a step behind him—a standard etiquette for a junior.

Lake took all of this in. A few months ago, when the carriages of such wealthy families passed by, he hadn’t even dared to look up. But now, a wealthy young master was treating him with the respect owed to an elder. Life was truly unpredictable. At this thought, Lake’s pride in Vili grew even more.

Several guards had also dismounted and followed behind Lake and Finlay. The villagers watched from afar, revealing envious expressions. Even though he was just Lord Village Chief’s family member, the scions of these wealthy families still treated him with utmost politeness. It seemed that Village Chief Vili was even more formidable than everyone thought.

"Mr. Lake, please wait a moment..."

Just as they passed the field where the Star-Spotted Snow Roots were planted, Finlay’s gaze casually swept over the area. Suddenly, he noticed widely spaced, grayish-green sprouts emerging from the soil behind the low stone wall.

Grayish-green. Finlay’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Coming from a family of medicinal herb merchants, he was very familiar with the habits of various plants. Grayish-green sprouts were extremely rare among plant seedlings.

"What’s wrong?" Lake stopped and asked, looking at Finlay’s puzzled expression.

Finlay made an apologetic gesture, then frowned and asked, "Mr. Lake, may I go in and take a look at the seedlings of this crop?"

"Of course." Although Vili had said to take good care of the Star-Spotted Snow Roots, Finlay going in certainly wouldn’t cause any damage.

After getting Lake’s permission, Finlay stepped over the low stone fence and squatted in front of the grayish-green sprout, staring intently at it. The sprout was very small, likely having just emerged from the ground. At its top, it branched into two slender stems covered with jagged edges. Moreover, amidst the overall grayish-green color, Finlay noticed a few tiny silver-white dots.

He had never seen this plant with his own eyes before, but he had an image in his mind of the seedling stage of a precious medicinal herb that looked exactly like the one in front of him. Finlay swallowed subconsciously. Coincidentally, the plant in his mind seemed to be the very Star-Spotted Snow Root that Vili had brought back to Fandou Village a few days ago.

"Mr. Lake, may I ask, are these sprouts the Star-Spotted Snow Root?" As he asked this, Finlay’s face bore an expression of anxious expectation.

Seeing this, Lake laughed heartily. "As expected of a scion of a great family, you are indeed full of knowledge. You can recognize such a rare plant seedling at a glance! That’s right, this is the Star-Spotted Snow Root."

It was indeed the Star-Spotted Snow Root!

CLANG! It was as if Finlay’s head had been struck by a heavy hammer.

The Divar family had spent two whole generations trying to cultivate the Star-Spotted Snow Root and failed, yet here it was, successfully grown in a village that planted beans!? It had only been a few days since Vili brought it back, and it had already sprouted. What a joke! How was this possible?

Although Finlay didn’t want to admit it, the truth was right before his eyes.

The Star-Spotted Snow Root had been successfully grown...

After forcing his mind to calm down, Finlay suddenly realized the impact this could have. The Star-Spotted Snow Root was incredibly rare. Every single one produced in the entire Dawei Province was supplied to Count Lumbar’s family and a few select Viscount families. It had miraculous effects and was exceedingly scarce. If it were sold on the market, it would absolutely sell out in an instant. With a bit of luck, they might even use it to forge a connection with some Viscount families!

This was not just a medicinal herb or a commodity; it was a stepping stone to opening up pathways to the upper echelons of society.

"Mr. Lake, I’m very sorry, but I have extremely important business and must return to my family immediately." Finlay’s mind was starting to race with excitement. He felt that he had to be the one to deliver this news to his father in person. "But rest assured, it probably won’t be long before my father and I come to visit you again specifically."

Lake was somewhat bewildered by Finlay’s sudden change in behavior.

Before he could even react, Finlay snatched a steed from one of the guards and vaulted into the saddle. He pointed at one of the guards. "Quick, you’re coming with me back to Storm Town. As for the rest of you, deliver the gifts in the carriage to Mr. Lake’s house."

After a hasty goodbye to Lake, Finlay spurred his horse and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

Lake was left standing there in a daze, still trying to process what had just happened.

"It seems he only reacted this way after seeing the sprouts of the Star-Spotted Snow Root?" Slowly, comprehension dawned on Lake, and his expression shifted to one of shock. "The value of this thing..."

"Old Yor!" Lake shouted. "Have someone build the stone fence around these Star-Spotted Snow Roots half a meter—no, a full meter higher!"

Meanwhile, Vili and Wally had already entered Bole Forest.

For the first time since Vili had brought it out of Morse Forest shortly after its birth, Wally had returned to the embrace of nature.

Vili wasn’t worried that Wally, being a bear cub, would hold him back during the hunt. Judging by the electrical discharge it had unleashed last night, even an adult giant bear would likely suffer against it.

"Don’t wander off too far!"

Returning to nature, Wally acted exceptionally excited. Fluttering butterflies and scurrying wild hares constantly caught its attention. If Vili’s voice hadn’t kept ringing in its ears, Wally would probably have already gotten lost in Bole Forest.

For this hunt, Vili intended to venture deeper, so he didn’t bother hunting the small animals on the outskirts. Otherwise, carrying too much weight right from the start would hinder his progress later on.

"Wally, careful!" Vili suddenly called out a loud warning.

Because Wally was too busy frolicking, it completely failed to notice a lone wolf suddenly lunging out from the woods.