One-Eyed Monster

”Potion, did the Tree Spirit also give you a potion?” Igor asked.

”To be precise, the title of ’Apothecarist’ was also given by the Tree Spirits; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to carry this title into various markets.”

Tree Spirits are a magical presence on this continent. Their understanding of the Natural Force surpasses that of ordinary people. This is not a power that the average person can comprehend. Even the proud Wizards admit their inferiority when facing Tree Spirits. It’s a simple and clear-cut matter; Tree Spirits can integrate with trees, something no human can achieve.

Hustace is earnestly recording these events. He finds his brother’s experiences miraculous and wants to document them well.

”Let me tell you, although legends claim Tree Spirits are cruel and bizarre creatures, they’re actually very easy to communicate with. As long as you listen intently, you’ll understand them almost entirely.”

Igor has not had any dealings with Tree Spirits, so he has no way of knowing if Perkins is telling the truth.

Besides Perkins, two others in this carriage have also encountered Tree Spirits.

Stan Sol has seen them; his family has been active in the Vero Realm for a long time, so they’ve had some contact with Tree Spirits.

As for Nakasha, he saw Tree Spirits on the battlefield. As a White Robe, he felt utterly inadequate and was no match for a Tree Spirit.

”Let me tell you, Tree Spirits are very peaceful, but because the lands they rely on for survival have been encroached upon by people, they’re feeling a greater sense of crisis in recent years, which makes them more guarded against people than before.”

The Vero Realm is a magical place where people live alongside the mysterious Tree Spirits and unpredictable Water Spirits, forming a habit early on. The Vero People’s coldness is partially due to living alongside these two species.

However, these aren’t secrets, and Perkins doesn’t elaborate much. What he wants to focus on is his role as an Apothecarist.

Being given this title by the Tree Spirits is an honor. For humans, receiving praise from Tree Spirits is a great honor.

Igor is very curious about why Perkins received the Tree Spirits’ praise and how he came by so many bizarre things, but Perkins’s stories are increasingly off-topic.

Still, Igor cannot interrupt Perkins. Firstly, he doesn’t have the habit of interrupting someone mid-sentence, and secondly, he can’t bring himself to do it because he finds Perkins’s discourse very interesting.

Whether it’s the habits of the Vero People or the Tree Spirits, Igor listens with great interest.

”Hehe, let me tell you, you really have to go out and see things for yourself. It’s not something you can understand from sitting at home. Some things you imagine one way, but when you truly see them, they’re different.”

Stan Sol nods in agreement. He finds Perkins’s words very reasonable. The downfall of his family is a prime example. Back then, his family was always dismissive of Spirit Power. They were eventually overtaken by the Gaoju Family because no one in his family examined the strengths and weaknesses of Spirit Power closely.

Now, it’s too late. Many attribute it to the Sol Family’s rigid mindset, but Sol believes there were other reasons. Although his family is downcast, they wouldn’t have fallen to this extent without the Gaoju Family’s suppression. They wouldn’t be wandering everywhere like they are now.

These are painful matters, and Stan Sol thinks he’ll only understand what truly happened when he meets Tobin.

Here, Stan Sol encountered a friend of Tobin’s. Initially, he thought Perkins just knew Tobin, but now Stan Sol realizes Perkins is a good friend of Tobin’s.

Because in many of Perkins’s stories, Tobin is involved.

In many parts of the Vero Realm, Tobin’s footprints are present. The places Perkins talked about are all locations Tobin once visited...

”Hehe, after wandering for so many years, I really miss our Luona. The people there are honest, not as brutal as Mantai, nor as cold as Vero. The people of our Luona are all law-abiding folks,” Perkins said.

Igor doesn’t know why Perkins became so sentimental, but his sentiment also tugged at Igor’s heart. Igor thought of his few friends, Fat Jack, who was learning to be a chef, and Kirk, who always dreamed of becoming a Hunter. Each was so simple and happy...

”In the past, in Luona, I thought I understood the world. To me, the world was transparent. But after traveling this round, I realized I didn’t even understand a small village,” Perkins said. He spoke a lot today and suddenly felt very tired.

In youth, one is often ambitious. As you mature, you realize the world isn’t what you imagined.

Perkins’s doubts began with these details. He became hesitant, lost his youthful decisiveness, and his dreams turned fragile.

”I once thought about traveling the world and becoming a great Adventurer. But that dream shattered because I couldn’t become an Adventurer with Class, leaving me despondent for a long time. Later, Tobin helped me a lot and made me realize that even without the identity of an Adventurer with Class, I could still travel the world.”

Igor scratched his head, ”Isn’t the identity of an Adventurer important?”

”It’s important, but also not important. Some things can’t be determined by identity. Little brother, let me tell you, the most important thing is belief. When you have that belief, everything will fall into place.”

Igor seemed to partially understand.

”My travels around the world brought me many gains. My wish is to share these gains with everyone. Sharing, that’s my belief now!”

Sharing, Igor pondered. He felt he had also gained something in this area before—the essence of the World Setting Technique was also sharing. The more one gained, the more one wanted to share. Could this be a character trait?

”Let me tell you, I now feel like a teacher at the Yonder Travel Academy, telling the youths about my travels to show them how magical, beautiful, and worthy of love our world is.”

Perkins revealed his wish. Traveling the world for such a long time made him increasingly value peace. Nonetheless, wars still broke out from time to time, which made him very sad.