Landlord World - Start with SSS talent
Chapter 308 - 308: Noan and Khorvath - Mystery man (3)

Khorvath couldn't understand what was going on, and she asked in confusion, "Master, what are you talking about?"

Noan recounted everything the man had just said.

But Khorvath immediately shook her head and said, "Impossible, that's not possible."

"Why?" the man snapped in irritation.

"Because it's impossible," Khorvath shook her head. "Just becoming an Alchemist already takes an incredibly long time."

"If you were to also study in the field of Pill Refiners and then combine both professions, it would require an immense amount of time."

"To achieve that, you'd need at least 150 to 200 years. Otherwise, you're just a fraud."

"You little brat…" The man shouted, "Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't!"

"You think just because you took first place in the Apprentice Alchemist Competition you're some kind of genius?"

Khorvath was startled at that, staring at the man.

He realized he'd slipped up and immediately fell silent.

"How do you know I placed first in the Apprentice Alchemist Competition? You know what this robe means, don't you?" Khorvath seemed somewhat unsettled, hurriedly asking.

"I… I don't know." The man refused to answer. "If you don't believe me, then just leave and stop disturbing my research."

"You…" Khorvath wanted to say something else, but Noan placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

She glanced at Noan and, seeing him shake his head, she too fell silent.

As the man looked about ready to head back into the cave, Noan spoke up at once: "Are you just afraid that she'll discover you're a fraud?"

"Huh!" The man snorted disdainfully. "I don't talk to people who don't trust me."

With that, he stopped explaining and retreated into the cave.

Noan sighed and looked at Khorvath.

She looked back at Noan, then lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, Master. I… I got a bit upset and said things I shouldn't have."

"It's all right. Is something bothering you?" Noan asked.

Khorvath only bowed her head, not answering, making Noan even more exasperated.

He said, "You stay here. I'll go take a look around."

"Yes, Master." Khorvath obediently nodded.

After Noan left, she immediately took out her notebook and began making notes.

However, when she spotted a certain flower, she was instantly startled: "This is… Moon Blossom."

The flower was as white as snow, its bud curved into a crescent shape, radiating a mysterious white glow.

Khorvath reached out, wanting to touch the flower, when suddenly a voice called out.

"Do you want to die?" the man shouted.

Khorvath, now unable to suppress her irritation, asked, "Did you plant this flower? Why can't I touch it?"

"That flower wasn't planted by me," he frowned. "But it's poisonous."

"You're lying!" Khorvath snapped back, her words sharp. "Moon Blossom is not poisonous at all—on the contrary, it's an extremely rare medicinal herb."

"Its fragrance can soothe the mind. When it blooms, it takes on a full-moon shape and radiates a magical light."

"If you use it in combination with a few other herbs, you can create medicines with tremendous effects."

"Huh!" The man smirked, his face full of contempt. "If you want to die, go ahead and pick it. If anything happens, I take no responsibility."

"You…" Khorvath wanted to retort, but the man continued.

"Even though you took first place in the Apprentice Alchemist Competition, you're still only an Apprentice Alchemist." His voice was exceptionally calm.

"Your inability to distinguish Moon Blossom from White Death Bloom will get a lot of people killed."

"What?!" Khorvath was shocked. Of course she knew what the White Death Bloom was.

However, she examined the flower once more. Even if the two flowers were somewhat similar, she was certain that this one was a Moon Blossom.

"Don't believe me?" The man laughed with disdain. "You can try picking it."

Khorvath couldn't believe it. She had her own pride, but right now, her confidence was starting to waver under his words.

"If you can prove that this flower is White Death Bloom, I'll admit you're not a fraud."

"Huh! You think I need your recognition?" The man snorted, then turned and went back into the cave.

His voice echoed from within: "If you want to die, at least go a bit farther away. Don't die here."

"A corpse here will decompose faster than usual, and the smell is very strong."

"You…" Khorvath was so angry that her fists clenched tightly. She wanted to pluck the Moon Blossom right away and prove that man wrong.

But she couldn't do it—the man's words kept echoing in her mind.

"Is this really the White Death Bloom?" Khorvath muttered, completely incredulous.

Even though she didn't believe him, she still didn't dare to pick the flower.

"This…" Khorvath hesitated, searching through her memories.

"No… according to what I've learned, the White Death Bloom doesn't emit this kind of fragrance or light." Khorvath muttered, as if trying to reassure herself.

"If I want to know if it's truly a Moon Blossom…" Khorvath looked at a firefly flying nearby and suddenly had an idea.

She used a twig to guide the firefly toward the Moon Blossom.

As she saw the firefly getting closer and closer, she thought to herself, 'If it really is a Moon Blossom, then the firefly will definitely land on it.'

'If it's the White Death Bloom, then the firefly will instantly stay away.'

The firefly flew for a moment, then, as if drawn by something, flew even closer and landed right on the flower.

Khorvath let out a long sigh of relief, muttering, "Just as I thought, how could I possibly confuse Moon Blossom with White Death Bloom?"

"That guy really is—"

However, before she could finish, the firefly suddenly fell to the ground, its body gradually turning white.

"What the hell?!" Khorvath jumped back, startled by what had just happened. "Impossible! How… how could this happen?"

Though Khorvath was confused, what happened was undeniably real.

The firefly was dead. The state of its death matched the description of the White Death Bloom.

Any creature that comes into contact with that flower will die instantly, its body gradually turning white and then disintegrating into a pile of sand.

That firefly was no different. Its body crumbled into a heap of ash, as if it had been dried out completely.

Khorvath was silent for a long time, unable to calm herself. She hurried to the entrance of the cave.

"How did you know that wasn't a Moon Blossom?" Khorvath shouted at the cave's entrance.

Inside, the man threw a stone at her.

"Ack!" Khorvath recoiled in fear. The stone didn't hit her, but it startled her all the same.

"Get lost!" the man shouted. "Don't bother me!"

Hearing that, Khorvath sighed, feeling deeply regretful. If only she hadn't been so arrogant and stubborn before, she might not have provoked his anger like this.

She took a deep breath, then respectfully spoke, her attitude completely different from before: "I'm sorry. Earlier, I was a bit… arrogant."

"I truly apologize, and I hope you can tell me how you knew that flower wasn't a Moon Blossom."

"Huh!" The man snorted contemptuously, then grabbed a metal cauldron from the ground, set it atop three bricks, and began to light a fire.

He took out all the herbs from his bag and poured them into the cauldron.

When he went outside, intending to fetch water, Khorvath stopped him: "Let me help you."

The man sighed and said, "You're quite a nuisance, you know that?"

"I… I'm sorry," Khorvath stammered.

"All right, I don't want to make things difficult for you. In reality, you made one of the most basic mistakes an apprentice Alchemist can make." The man sighed, then continued, "You're too confident in the knowledge you've learned."