The Legendary Mage novel Chapter 10

In some of these special locales, precious herbs would sprout of their own accord.

Thus, the Protégés tasked with guarding Botanic Haven had to routinely scour the area, searching for any missed Elixir Herbs.

After half an hour, Alavin stumbled upon two Ordinary Elixir Herbs, which he promptly stuffed into his mouth and swallowed whole.

He was taking a risk, a great risk! On the surface, he appeared nonchalant, but inside, his heart was in his throat, wondering if he might find a precious Elixir Herb grown in secret.

"Who goes there?" A patrolling Protégé spotted Alavin.

"I'm just delivering goods. Mariela has seen me; she bid me leave, but I seem to have lost my way," Alavin replied, not dodging or hiding but instead striding briskly forward.

"Mariela?" The Protégé eyed him suspiciously.

"I met her at the edge of the herb garden."

The Protégé approached to personally inspect his stone urn, searched his person, and glanced over the list. "Follow this path down, and don't wander off. If I catch you here again, you won't get off so easily."

"My thanks." Alavin quickly departed, vanishing into the mist. However, once he was well away from the Protégé, he slowed his pace and began to wander again, muttering to himself about Elixir Herbs.

An hour passed with little to show for his efforts, save for one Ordinary Elixir Herb and encounters with three patrolling Protégés, one of whom nearly dragged him before an Elder.

Alavin dared not linger any longer, but he was not ready to give up. Gritting his teeth, he ventured once more into the wild. This time, his persistence was rewarded.

Near the base of the mountain, there was a cliff some fifty meters high, draped with dark green ivy. In a secluded nook amid the jumble of bizarre rocks, he glimpsed a blood-red fruit, shrouded by fog and ivy, visible only from a certain angle.

"At last, a bit of fortune," Alavin murmured, seeing no one around. He set down the stone urn and drew out a rope, securing one end before cautiously descending.

The cliff was slippery, the vines thorny. Alavin quickly reached the spot, but suddenly, from among the ivy, a massive python lunged out, its gaping maw aiming for Alavin's head. It was dark green, camouflaged within the vines, striking without warning.

Alavin's heart skipped a beat, but instinctively, he swung a punch, landing a blow on the serpent's head with the force of several hundred pounds. The python hissed wildly as it plummeted down the cliff.

But before Alavin could catch his breath, rustling sounds emerged from the vines below, and one by one, more massive pythons awoke, flicking their tongues and setting their sights on him.

"Indeed, a treasure," Alavin exclaimed, far from frightened, now exhilarated. It was said that beasts often guarded precious wild Elixir Herbs, and the more numerous and powerful the guardians, the more valuable the Elixir Herb.

The ivy on the cliff wall shook violently, not just with pythons but also venomous snakes.

"I've got it. Could this be Viper's Berry?" Alavin gasped in delight. An Advanced Elixir Fruit? This was an Advanced Elixir Fruit! What a stroke of luck; it was well worth the risk!