Chapter 3.2

“Haha! Fair enough. Go on, then.”

“Thanks.”

“But don’t go beyond Cloud Ridge. Monsters and predators are often spotted there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The guard didn’t seem offended by my casual tone.

Since I was already known as a healer, it appeared I had earned some recognition.

Yesterday’s incident had brought me more benefits than just money.

With no further issues, I passed through the city gates.

I had even brought a letter of identification from Jack, the innkeeper, just in case, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

—

Once outside the city, I walked for about 30 minutes.

By then, the sun had started to rise.

Considering that Haven bordered the magic zone, even venturing this far out could be considered a bit of an adventure.

However, since I was heading in the opposite direction of the magic zone and the city’s scent lingered strongly, there were no monsters in sight.

The only creatures I encountered were non-aggressive ones, like birds, rabbits, mice, and deer.

‘This world really is something else. Even in the snow-covered winter, white grass grows like this. It must be because of mana.’

The fields I reached were much easier to navigate than the city streets.

While the city was blanketed in deep snow, this area had only a light covering.

‘Looks like there’s a magic stone mine nearby.’

I could guess why the snow was shallower here.

Though tempted to explore the mine, I decided to leave that for another day.

I had no equipment, tools, or means to utilize or sell magic stones at the moment.

‘Spices… spices…’

I roamed the mana-infused fields lightly dusted with snow, searching for ingredients.

‘Spices don’t have to mean just pepper.’n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As I wandered, I looked for unique plants and roots native to this world that could serve a similar purpose to Earthly spices.

Despite the winter, life still flourished on these mana-blessed northern plains.

Snow-white weeds stretched across the landscape.

‘I found it. Northern spices.’

It didn’t take long for me to discover herbs and roots that could serve as the Northern region’s equivalent of MSG.

I immediately began collecting them, stuffing my finds into the leather bag I carried.

Rustle, rustle, chop.

For several hours, I cut plants with my dagger, picked fallen leaves, and dug shallowly into the ground to unearth roots, packing everything tightly into my leather bag.

It was a bit annoying to harvest while wearing fur gloves, but thanks to my high Dexterity stat, the process wasn’t too difficult.

—

After filling my bag to the brim, I nodded in satisfaction.

‘This should be enough.’

My haul was diverse but could be divided into two main categories: Snowflower Roots and Winterleaf.

Both were common in this fantasy world, especially in the North.

‘Next time, I’ll hire city kids or adventurers to gather these.’

Content with my harvest, I decided this wasn’t a task I’d want to repeat and started heading back to the city.

—

When I reached the city gates, a different guard was on duty.

“Ah, the healer from Jack’s inn, right? I heard about you during the shift change. You’re back already?”

It seemed this guard had been briefed about me and greeted me with familiarity.

“I got lucky and found what I needed quickly.”

“Winterleaf and Snowflower Roots? And some random weeds, too. What are you going to do with all that? Are these for medicine?”

“I’m planning to use them for cooking.”

“For cooking? You’re going to use stuff deer eat in food?!”

The guard’s reaction made it clear that spices were not yet part of the Northern Region’s culinary culture.

These plants were either dismissed as useless weeds or considered forage for herbivores like deer.

“It’s just an experiment. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll drop it.”

Not wanting to waste time debating, I brushed off the guard’s skepticism.

“Well, I don’t get it, but go on in.”

He didn’t ask for a bribe or stop me.

Perhaps it was out of consideration for me being a healer, or perhaps the North’s strong military discipline simply made such things unnecessary.

‘These Northern folks. Always complaining about scarce food and bland meals, but they’ve never even thought to use this stuff?

These could all be excellent spices and seasonings if used properly.’

As I walked back to the inn, I clicked my tongue at their lack of culinary creativity.

‘Then again, they only started eating this stuff after the Empire’s exploitation and the Great Famine.’

The thought of the North’s eventual tragedies sobered me for a moment.

Still, my steps felt lighter and easier than they had in the morning.

The townsfolk and adventurers had done an excellent job clearing the snow during the day.

—

When I arrived at the inn, I found Jack and his son, Tom, cleaning the first floor.

“You’re back? Where did you run off so early?”

Jack, with his balding head, scruffy beard, and round belly, was sweeping carefully with his bandaged right arm.

Meanwhile, Tom was busy scrubbing the floor nearby.

“I went outside the city to gather some things.”

I gestured to the bag slung over my shoulder, drawing their curious gazes.

“Did we skip breakfast service?” I asked, noting the unusually quiet and empty first floor.

“Most of our guests don’t eat breakfast here. Those who do usually take one look at my cooking and head to another place.”

Jack chuckled wryly and shrugged.

“So that means there’ll be customers for lunch?”

“Exactly. After tasting yesterday’s stew, I’m sure every adventurer and mercenary in this city will be eating here.”

Jack looked at me with hopeful eyes as I headed toward the kitchen.

Gulp.

Beside him, Tom seemed to unconsciously swallow at the memory of yesterday’s stew.

“I’ll serve up something even better today.”

Leaving the two behind, I eagerly began preparing for lunch.

“By the way, can I ask Tom to help out with small tasks while I cook?”

“Of course, as long as you pay him a little for his efforts.”

“Deal. Tom, fetch some clean water for me.”

“I’ll go draw some from the well right away!”

Motivated by the promise of pay, Tom darted out of the inn.

Just a moment later, Jack’s puzzled voice came from behind me.

“But… Why did you gather so many inedible weeds and roots? Did some new medicine get discovered while I wasn’t looking?”