“Alright, Gui, lead the way.”

Gui moved ahead, and as they continued, Anilla and Merdin began picking plants and loading them into their baskets. Meanwhile, Eldric activated his "show status" ability, scanning the forest plants for useful information.

"Eh?" he muttered, intrigued as he stopped before a small plant with short leaves, standing about five inches tall.

The kids seemed to overlook it, and given its plain appearance, Eldric might have too—if not for the hovering information above it.

Name: Millemint
Species: Plant
Quality: Good
Usage: This plant can be cooked or boiled to relieve minor stomachaches and digestive issues.
Harvesting Instructions: Do not uproot; cut only half of its stem.

"Gui," Eldric called out.

Gui turned and walked over. "Yes, sir?"

"Cut this one," Eldric said, pointing at the Millemint.

Gui frowned and knelt down, inspecting it closely. "This wild grass?" he asked, casting Eldric a skeptical look.

"I wouldn’t ask you to cut down a weed. It’s a medicinal plant," Eldric replied flatly.

Anilla and Merdin approached, their curiosity piqued.

Anilla knelt beside the plant, hesitating before touching its leaves. She looked up at Eldric with a puzzled expression. "But it looks like normal grass," she said softly.

“It does,” Eldric admitted, his tone calm. “But it’s called Millemint. It helps with stomachaches and digestion.”

"Really? Big brother, how did you know that?" Anilla asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

Eldric tilted his head slightly, observing their reactions. “Seems like they can’t see it,” he thought, keeping his expression neutral.

He shrugged and said casually, “I told you I could help with gathering herbs. I may be an amnesiac, but I still know a thing or two.” He added with a hint of nonchalance, “And your village probably has an appraiser for herbs, so they can verify this if needed.”

Gui carefully cut the Millemint as instructed, and the others quickly followed his lead.

As they moved on, Eldric’s gaze landed on a peculiar, thorny vine with faintly glowing flowers. He crouched down and, after ensuring no one was watching him too closely, whispered under his breath, “Show.”

Name: Viridia Bloom
Quality: Good
Usage: Used in alchemical processes to stabilize volatile mixtures.
Warning: Improper use may result in… [Data Missing]
Process of harvest: Handle with care. Avoid direct contact with sap.

Eldric frowned at the incomplete warning. “Avoid contact with sap? That’s vague. And what does ‘improper use’ mean?” he thought.

He glanced at the kids, who were busy picking herbs nearby. Keeping his movements subtle, he used the borrowed dagger to carefully cut a small piece of the vine.

As soon as the blade touched the stem, clear sap oozed out. A faint hiss followed, and thin tendrils of smoke curled up from the metal.

Eldric quickly dropped the vine piece, keeping his expression neutral. “This one’s tricky,” he muttered under his breath, brushing his hands off.

Gui noticed him standing near the vine and called out, “Big brother, is something wrong?”

Eldric shook his head with a faint smile. “No, nothing. Let’s move on. That one doesn’t seem useful.”

Gui nodded, satisfied, and returned to gathering nearby plants. Eldric stepped away, glancing back at the vine one last time. “I’ll need to figure this one out later. Too risky to experiment here.”

After a few minutes, Anilla and Merdin’s baskets were full. Eldric, meanwhile, had gathered a few more herbs, tucking them into the bag Drekson had given him.

“At this rate, I’ll memorize the whole forest before breakfast,” Eldric thought wryly.

Once finished, he handed the bag to Gui.

“Sir, this is?” Gui asked, his tone uncertain.

“Try selling these for me,” Eldric replied. “You can take 10% of the profit.”

Gui hesitated, frowning. “But, sir, that depends on whether these are useful—”

“They’re useful herbs,” Eldric interrupted him. “If you don’t trust me, take them to the village appraiser. As long as he’s not a swindler, we’re good.”

“O-Okay.”

“Alright, we’re done here. You all can head back now.”

Gui paused, tilting his head. “Then, what do you need to buy?”

Eldric shrugged again. “Necessities. You know the village better than I do. Handle it.”

He wasn’t about to overthink something as dull as shopping. The kids knew what was essential for survival, and he had other matters to attend to.

“Then we’ll see you again, big brother,” Anilla said, giving him a bright smile.

Eldric waved them off with a quick motion, watching as the kids headed back toward the village.

Once they were out of sight, Eldric returned to his shed. His gaze fell on the faint carvings he’d noticed before on the wooden frame near the door.

Without thinking, he stepped closer, brushing his fingers over the etched lines. The grooves were precise, deliberate—far too purposeful to be mere decoration.

“These markings…” he murmured, tilting his head. They reminded him of the ones he’d glimpsed on the restricted area’s fence, though something about these felt different. They carried a subtler design, their purpose unclear.

Eldric straightened, a thought nagging at him. Drekson had mentioned that the shed had been abandoned for years. Yet, these carvings were anything but forgotten.

“That doesn’t add up,” he muttered. “If this place has been vacant, then who carved these?”

He stepped back, his gaze sweeping the small interior. The shed was dusty and worn, yet these glyphs hinted at recent activity—someone must have been using this place without the villagers' knowledge.

For now, he let the questions linger, filing them away in the growing list of mysteries that surrounded him.