Realm of Myths and Legends

Chapter 1315: Approval of the Kroma Family Elders

“Since this is a matter related to well being of someone precious to me, naturally, I am willing to disclose whatever information the Supreme Elder desires. However, before that, there is another matter that needs to be addressed. There are those here who question whether or not the Supreme Elder has the ability to carry out your promise. As such, I have asked you here to ease their troubles.” Mithron said as his gaze traveled over to the two elders.

Izroth cupped his hand into his fist and replied, “If there are still some concerns, I don’t mind clearing things up. Since Family Head Mithron brought it up, I assume you already have something in mind?”

“When it comes to the healing arts, I fear my knowledge is too lacking to provide any meaningful test. Well, you heard the Supreme Elder’s answer. Elder Ferron, Elder Argenthea—shall we proceed?” Mithron stated.

“Hmph, at least his courage is passable. However, no matter how courageous one is, it is not enough to prove their skills when it comes to the healing arts. Supreme Elder Izroth, is it? Elder Argenthea and I shall each give you one test. If you pass, then we will acknowledge your skills. But, should you fail—you must return the Ore of Dreams along with 15,000,000 gold coins.” The elderly man, Ferron, said sternly.

“Young man, it is not too late to take a step back. How about this—even if you walk away right this moment, you only have to return the Ore of Dreams to us. We shall not ask for an additional 15,000,000 gold coins. Our Kroma family will also not hold anything against you.” The elderly woman, Argenthea, said in a gentle tone.

‘Oh? Look at these two…’

Izroth could tell that the two Elders were trying to shake him. After all, if he was not confident in his own abilities, it would be best to take the easiest path out. While he would lose the Ore of Dreams, he would also not end up offending the Kroma family. Of course, all this only applied to someone who without confidence in their own abilities. As for Izroth, there was never a single doubt in his mind when it came to his own skills.

“I have come all this way to fulfil my promise. Naturally, I have no intention of going back without doing so. But, I am also a man who believes in fairness. The penalty for failing is quite severe. Since that’s the case, should there not be a reward when I succeed?” Izroth said calmly.

“This young man… Not ‘if’ he succeeds, but ‘when’? Quicksil has brought an interesting guest. But, whether his words stem from confidence or arrogance, I suppose we shall find out shortly.” Mithron thought to himself as a look of anticipation flashed through his eyes.

“It seems you have taken quite a liking to this young man.” The woman seated next to Mithron said softly with a light smile.

“I cannot hide anything from Lady Elara’s eyes. In truth, his boldness reminds me of myself in my youth. I gained a lot because of it. But, I also suffered many harsh lessons along the way.” Mithron sighed.

“This young man does not seem to possess a bad character. I believe that we may be in for a pleasant surprise.” Elara commented.

Meanwhile, the two elders exchanged glances with one another. After appearing to have reached an agreement, Ferron stood to his feet.

“The Kroma family is not one that takes advantage others.” Ferron said as he waved his hand.

Rmmmble…!

Suddenly, a thick stone table rose from the ground. It stood roughly the same height as a standard table and was nearly two meters in length.

Not long after the stone table appeared, exactly twenty distinct herbs, plants, and flowers were neatly placed on top of it, swiftly followed by the appearance of a thin magic barrier that seemed to cause some kind of disrupting effect.

“My test is simple. Within one hour, identify the name, rarity and effect of at least ten materials on the stone table. As for your reward, if you pass, you may keep anything that you have successfully identified.” Ferron explained.

He then continued, “Ah, and do not bother trying to use any tricks to gain an advantage.”

Right as Ferron finished speaking, Izroth received an alert from the system.

〈System Alert: You have received the quest «Approval of the Kroma Family Elders». The quest has been automatically accepted!〉

‘Oh? Did it accept automatically because we already reached an agreement? Whatever the case, this works out well for me.’

Quest Name: Approval of the Kroma Family Elders

Quest Difficulty: S

Recommended Level: None

Recommended Party Size: 1

Objective: Pass the tests of Kroma Family Elders «Ferron Kroma» and «Argenthea Kroma» and prove your skills. (Warning! Some system functions will be disabled for the duration of this quest.)

Time Limit: 1 hour

-0/1 Pass «Ferron Kroma» test.

-0/1 Pass «Argenthea Kroma» test.

Reward:

-Gain 10-20 crafting materials

-Receive x1 «Skill Book: Shared Elixirs»

-Gain favor with «Head of the Kroma Family, Mithron Kroma»

-Gain 500 fame with «Kroma Family»

Failure:

-Lose «Ore of Dreams»

-Incur Debt: 15,000,000 gold coins

-Kicked out of the «Kroma Family Estate»

-Lose 1,000 fame with «Kroma Family»

Special Note: This quest cannot be shared.

Izroth approached the stone table. Normally, at this range, the basic system information about the item would pop up. However, even when Izroth picked up one of the materials, not a single window popped up from the system. Skills like Divine Appraisal was also of no use.

‘I can see why it’s an S-ranked quest. With the system’s help, players would be able to clear this part of the quest in under one minute, let alone one hour. However, without the system’s guidance, this quest takes on a whole new level of difficulty. Of course, that only applies to most other players.’

“This is called Yellow Tigerlily Root. Despite its root-like appearance during the early stages of its life and having root in its name, it’s actually a flower. In its present state, it still has not yet reached maturity; otherwise, instead of a bundle of roots with small yellow buds, it would be a gorgeous yellow and orange flower that resembles a lily. This particular flower is rare quality. But, after reaching full maturity, it will become superior quality. It can often used in low grade potions by Alchemists to improve color and taste since its buds and fully bloomed petals are sweet while its neutral properties allows it to be mixed into just about any potion. Though it’s more popular as a garden decoration for those with the wealth to do so.” Izroth explained unhurriedly.

Before Ferron had the chance to say whether he was correct or not, Izroth placed the Yellow Tigerlily Root back onto the stone table and immediately moved onto the next item.

“This herb is called Shy White Clouds. It grows…” Without skipping a beat, Izroth went into the same level of detail as he did about the Yellow Tigerlily Root.

Izroth continued on at this pace until he finally went through all twenty of the materials on the table.

By the time he finished, Ferron stood dumbfounded as he could not hide the shock on his face. He purposefully mixed in a few materials that were extremely scarce and far from commonly known throughout the entire Mortal Realm. Even some high-ranking Herbalist would have struggled or had to seriously ponder about some of the materials he placed out. However, the young man before him spoke with a calm and collected manner without pausing unless it was to pick up the next material.

“I intentionally put three materials that even some Elders of the Herbalist Guild may not be able to answer without first doing extensive research. After all, they are materials that the Grand Duke Harpe personally collected during his time in that mysterious place. To think this young man could provide such detailed and flawless answers… If not for the fact that I came up with this test on the spot, I would have thought that someone provided him with the answers beforehand. One thing is for certain, his knowledge about herbs and plants are at least on par with the Elders of the Herbalist Guild.” Ferron thought to himself.

After a few seconds of lingering silence, Mithron cleared his throat and said, “Elder Ferron.”

Ferron immediately snapped out of it as he straightened himself up.

“My apologies. Truly, the new generation shall surpass the old. I have no complaints or corrections to make. Supreme Elder Izroth has surpassed my expectations. You have this old man’s approval.” Ferron stated as he shook his head helplessly before he returned to his seat.

He then continued, “As promised, all of it is yours. Take it. Take it all.”

Ferron sighed as he took his seat. Some of those materials were worth more than a thousand times their weight in gold. But, even gold could not necessarily allow one of obtain them due to their extremely limited quantity.