SWNOVELXO Chapter 1241: Alterra’s Letter
This old man was someone that even the damned Lord had to be careful about.
The man was an extremely rare Class A Alchemist, and the money the lord made by reselling the man's potions through the decades was astronomical.
Heh, speaking of that, they wondered what those people would think when they realized their prized alchemist was gone?!
Would he be so angry? Would he die from anger? Too bad they couldn't be there to see!
Thinking of this Obi, they couldn't help but feel vindictive, partially reducing their fear of the old man.
Obi even leaned over a bit, started to act casually around him. "How did Miss Althea convince you to go?" he asked.
Obi was known to be stupidly brave at times. The people beside him scooted away from him, just in case.
Hoffen fortunately did not throw anything poisonous. He simply patted his beard in thought, recalling the contents of the letter.
…
...
…
A few hours ago, Bleulle City
Hoffen studied the envelope for a couple of moments. He touched it with his rough fingers, feeling its surface.
"Maybe your handwriting will be more eligible if you use this," Gregor said. The meaning was that his writing really was difficult to decipher, but Hoffen was too curious about the letter that that jibe flew over his head.
"It's really smooth and thin, not like the papyrus or the parchments we have," he said, narrowing his eyes. "It is a lot like the writing sheet from Papell Town, yeah?"
Gregor agreed. "But this is much thinner and much better quality."
Hoffen nodded. "The Papell sheets also yellow and degrade quite quickly, which is why I still use parchments for works I need to last."
Papell Town was a very old Town located in the far west. They developed a cheaper alternative to papyrus and parchments, though the fast degradation was a problem.
People in this continent generally weren't literate, and those who were would want their works to last the test of time. This was why this product never really spiked in popularity outside of certain circles and nomadic groups.
They wondered if the Alterra place was related to Papell Town or not, though in the end, it captured Hoffen's attention enough to open the envelope.
He then turned back to the unusual dried flower, which was what had caught his attention in the first place.
It was a purple flower—a rare color in Xeno—and had unusual leaves. "All my years, I thought I had seen all the plants of this planet..."
Xeno's biodiversity wasn't that great. If one had enough resources and connections, it wasn't difficult to gain access to every type of known plant in the Human territory.
A lot of the payment he received for his potions was not in gold, but in terms of plants and other materials. His Level 3 Space Stone had cabinets filled with various materials and the information he had on them or what he knew so far.
More than a hundred years of practice had made Hoffen confident he had seen most of what he could, so seeing one he had never encountered before was naturally intriguing.
He used his assessment skill to study the plant without touching it. For one, so it wouldn't be damaged. Second, for safety. There had been a few times he received poisonous plants, some mixed in with the 'payments'. Though some weren't to harm him on purpose, there were some that were, so he had a habit of being careful around strange plants.
Of course, he also had an instinct with poison in general, but it wouldn't hurt to be safe.
[Used! Appraisal Skill. Orchid. Alien Plant]
His eyebrows rose, not expecting it.
He placed his fingers over the plant to get a feel of it. Interestingly, in order to get the flower without damaging it, one had to unravel the letter in the process.
Whoever made this letter knew him well enough—or at least knew his type of person—to know how to get him to open the letter and read its contents.
Interested, Hoffen succumbed and he finally read the letter, which surprised Gregor and the cook.
From: A fellow curious mind, Althea Witt
To the Esteemed Grand Master Pharmacist Hoffen Astor,
My name is Althea, a fellow pharmacist. I'm sure you don't have time for small talk, so I'll go straight to the point.
Would you be interested in having an exchange of knowledge with me?
Though I have only been one for less than a year, my training from a different world might prove interesting to you.
I believe that growth of knowledge should not be too strict, that it can be shared. If not among the trusted, it should at least be done in the context of an equivalent exchange.
Due to some circumstances, I cannot leave my home. At the very least, I would like to exchange letters with you.
To begin this exchange, I will share some knowledge first.
Do you know? All things are made of things that cannot be seen by the naked eye, not even by someone at level 70.
It is these little things that interact and change and get manipulated.
For example, do you know that extract from the common plant, Amerie— when heated at the same temperature needed to burn a person—would become poison?
We actually have a tool here in my home, which allows us to see these things. It's quite fascinating, seeing them change at such a small scale that we otherwise would've missed.
This happens everywhere at all times, yet we do not witness them. Don't you think that is unfortunate?
You can choose to respond by letter, if you wish, but if you decide not to continue I understand.
However, if you ever change your mind, my name is Althea Witt and I live in Alterra Village some 3000 kilometers Northwest of Bleulle. You can send a Post to me via the Ferrol Town Post Office, though we will also have our own when we upgrade in another month or two.
Sincerely,
A Fellow Champion of Knowledge and Higher Learning
P.S. I have a lot more plants that you have never seen before.
...
Smaller particles present everywhere, but invisible at the same time? Better: A tool that could let us see beyond the limits of the naked eye?!
In fact, Hoffen had long thought of this.
His level was not low, so his eyesight was also pretty good. Combined with the various skills he awakened, he could see the clumps and depressions in many surfaces that most would deem smooth.
His instincts were telling him there was more, but he had reached his physical limitations!
Also, more unknown plants!?
He shot up and looked at Gregor. "Get me the Golds!"
Instead of following his orders, however, Gregor—and Saffron—looked at him with a complicated expression.
He frowned. "What is it?"
"That… might not be possible, Master," he said. "They… had just been banished earlier."
.
.
.
And so was the current scene.
"She didn't convince me, I came here of my own accord." He said this like a stubborn old man. "Anyway, my lab's wasted, and I'm too lazy to fix it now. Might as well explore my horizons."
The Golds smiled a bit, having an idea about what had happened.
It looked like even a Class A Alchemist wasn't immune to Miss Althea's charm.