It was now late in the evening, and Daniel, Alesia, and the rest of the town's cultivators had just managed their way back into the town.
At the same time, Serf had gone back into one of the laboratories within Daniel's company building to produce large amounts of antidotes for the poison of the dryads.
Daniel and Alesia stood quietly to the side, and observed the various mixture of reactions to the events of the previous few days. A few cried for the loss of their relatives, a few were happy to see their family members back alive, and most of them were relieved by the news that the dryads were not a menace anymore.
A couple of hours passed until finally, Serf came out of the laboratory while holding a bunch of vials and other items in his hands.
The cultivators already knew what these vials were, so they quickly grabbed one each, and listened to Serf's instruction on how to remove the poison from their body.
The way the dryad's poison was removed, was by breathing in an airborne solution made by the hearts of adult dryads, the blood of the young ones, and a few other ingredients. Each vial was attached to a soft mask, and a small flame was placed underneath it, so that it could evaporate, allowing people to easily inhale it.
The moment the last of the cultivators started to breathe in the cure, two different windows appeared in Daniel's mind.
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*No Time For Poisons*
First objective complete.
Reward: Karma Points 2,500,000 / Luton reputation +100% / Region contribution for the Golden Karma company.
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*Primary Quest started (Chain): No Time For Poisons*
-Description: Find a cure for the Poison of the Night Blue Thorn.
Second objective set: Obtain the saliva of a ten years old black opal snake, a fifty years old white-scaled snake, and a two hundred years old green-skinned snake.
Reward: Unnamed cure for the Poison of the Night Blue Thorn / (Optional) Partial Poison Immunity / The Poisonous Rose Reputation +75%
Time limit: 26 days
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"Fantastic.. Three more.." Muttered Daniel to himself.
"What is it?" Asked Serf from behind him. He had just finished checking that everybody was following his instructions, when he heard Daniel talk to himself.
After hearing Serf's voice, Daniel turned to look back at him, and said "It's nothing.. By the way.. Is there something more.. Specific.. that you can tell me about your family poison?"
Serf was surprised by the sudden question, but regained his wits after only a couple of seconds, and said "You actually already have one of the poisons of which it is composed. The heart of a hundred years old dryad, along with the poison of three different snake-like beasts, and two types of fishes."
"That's it? There is nothing else?" Asked Daniel in sudden relief. He wasn't sure how long the quest would take, but since he had obtained the quest for all of the three snake poisons at the same time, there had to be an occasion that would have allowed him to obtain all at the same time.
"That's all.. Unfortunately finding a cure is not that easy.. We know the ingredients, but the method of production, the method of assumption.. You know how medicine is.. Just a bit too much of poison, and you're more dead that you would have been without taking the antidote." Responded Serf with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Sewah, my options." muttered Daniel in his head.
Daniel spent a few minutes studying the various methods, until finally, he made a decision on his course of action. He then turned to look at Alesia and Serf, and asked "Ready to go?.."
"Let's sleep here for tonight.. At least to be sure that the antidote did its job." Responded Serf with a hint of worry in his face.
Daniel had already noticed that after giving the antidote to the group of cultivators, and explaining to them how it worked, Serf had received a good amount of positive karma. For him to want to make sure that the people he had helped were safe, was no surprise.
In the end, Daniel accepted to spend the night in the town, where its now healthy and joviant citizens threw a party in order to thank them of their help.
-----
"Hey.." Said Alesia while approaching Daniel from behind. "What are you doing out here?" She then asked.
Daniel, which was now sitting on a large chair placed in a garden, turned towards her, and said "I got used to spending a bit of time outside before going to sleep.. And it's better when it's with you.. Join me."
A faint smile formed on Alesia's face, as she walked towards a second chair which was already present next to Daniel.
In between the two chairs, was a small round table, and on it, were two glasses and a bottle full of dense golden liquid. Its consistency was just a bit more liquid than honey.
These were all items which Daniel had prepared while he waited for Alesia to show up, and when she did, they made her immediately understand that he was waiting for her.
As she sat on her chair, Daniel opened the bottle of honey-like liquor, and poured a glass each.
The liquor was not bubbly, but had a sweet taste. It was clear that sugar or honey were added to it, yet, they didn't mask the faint burning that one felt whenever they swallowed a sip of it.
After a couple of minutes of quietness, Alesia asked "So, are you going to tell me what we are here for?"
Daniel did not want to tell her that the poison was still within his body, but he also did not want to lie to her. So, he told her a half truth.
"You know the reason why we have entered the academy.. To infiltrate the poisonous rose. We infiltrate the poisonous rose, we damage it from within, and we get enough contribution to get a permit for multiplanetary travel." Responded Daniel plainly. He then added "I figured that producing a cure for one of their deadliest poisons would make them notice us."
"You could have told me.. Until now I thought we had come here to save this town from destruction.." Said Alesia with feigned displeasure. "Too bad I was going to.. It doesn't matter anymore."
A large number of thoughts made their way into Daniel's mind, which asked in curiosity "Going to.. what?"
"Forget it.. There is no need for you to hear that.." She responded with a teasing tone, before going back to slowly sipping her sweet wine.
Daniel spent the following minute being consumed by curiosity.. He couldn't enjoy the wine anymore, and instead looked at Alesia, which pretended to ignore him.
He said out of the blue "You know.. Even if we haven't come here to save this town.. We've still done it."
"I guess you are right.." Muttered Alesia as a faint smile appeared on her face once again. She then put the glass back on the small table, and looked at Daniel intently.
Daniel turned to look back at her, and with a righteous tone, he said "I am definitely right.."
After hearing Daniel's words, Alesia got up from her chair, walked next to Daniel's. She then lifted her leg and moved it on the other side of Daniel's thighs.
Her knees were right next to Daniel's hips, and she was sitting on his legs.
She grabbed Daniel's chin with her soft and warm hands "So you are the hero of this story?.." She asked while moving her face closer to his, and showing a mischievous grin.
Daniel let Alesia do what she wanted, and the moment her lips brushed against hers, he muttered "I am whatever grants me to conquer the girl at the end of the day.."
The smile on Alesia's face widened, as she said "That's a good answer.." She then pressed her lips against Daniel's, while he pulled her closer by grabbing her behind with both hands.
-----
Daniel woke up the next day in his bed. Sleeping next to him, was Alesia.
He did all he could to remove his arm from underneath her head, and then teleported out of bed while manipulating the sound essence into avoiding her ears. He did not want to disturb her.
When he re appeared he was in another point of his room, where he put his clothes on before leaving the room.
"Dan!" Shouted Serf the moment he saw Daniel come out of his room. His fingers were greasy, and he was using them to hold an oddly large piece of meat, which he offered with a hint of his head after seeing that Daniel had noticed it.
Daniel refused by shaking his head
"So, what now?" Asked Serf before taking a big bite at the chunk of meat.
"I need your help with finding one of the three snake poisons which are part of your family signature poison." Responded Daniel calmly.
Serf showed a confused expression. Then asked "I haven't even told you what poisons you need.."
"I already know.. I just need you to find the poison of a fifty years old white-scaled snake" Said Daniel with a dismissive tone.
The shock on Serf's face suddenly became more evident. "How did you.. Wait, the poison we use is a twenty-five years old white-scaled snake.. You've got that wrong."
"Don't worry about it, just find a fifty years old one, I'll pay you back any price you'll spend on it. Is that okay?" Asked Daniel after ignoring Serf's point.
Of course, Daniel had already imagined that he would find differences in the items Serf's family used for the temporary cure, and the cure that his system would help him to produce, after all, the system's cure was a permanent one, while the one created by Serf's family was a failed product.
"There shouldn't be a problem." Responded Serf while shrugging his shoulders.
After a good hour spent saying goodbye to the citizens of the town, Daniel opened a large portal into his company building, which he then used as a bridge to directly teleport into the capital.
The place of the capital where Daniel appeared, was the front of a run down alchemy shock which he was more than familiar with, and whose pungent smell he had now otten used to.
Once inside the shop, the kid-like broker walked in front of him, and said "Mr. Hiel, I have no jobs to report.. It seems that things have been peaceful in the capital lately.. I've done what you've asked, and sent a few letters to the family and groups of the previous victims.."
Before the kid-like broker could continue, Daniel lifted his hand in front of him, and said "I'm not here for that.. I'm here to look for your employee.." He then made a few light orbs appear from the surface of his body, and fly towards every angle of the room.
In the north-east angle of the room, a pitch black shadow appeared in the corner of the room.
Once discovered, this shadow floated towards Daniel.. It then took the shape of a dark cloud, and said "How can I help you Master Hiel?"
Daniel looked at the dark elemental, and asked "How good are you at stealing items?"
"Better than most.. As opposed to what most thieves say.. I do really have the ability to disappear in the shadows.. Hehe" said a disembodied voice which came from the small cloud of dark mist.
"I need you to steal something from me.. A poison, from an high end alchemy shop in the richest part of the city.." Said Daniel with a plain tone.
The black cloud-like elemental remained quite for a moment, then said "What do I get out of it"?
Suddenly, Daniel opened his hand in mid air, and made a large globe of darkness appear on his palm.
From this globe, the dark elemental could feel the concepts and mixes which he had never managed to feel before. What Daniel had showed him could only mean one thing.. His reward, would be a chance of comprehending more about the essence he was made of.. And maybe, a chance at evolving.