"Hmm, please help take her to Star Pavilion and hand her over to Bella," Luo Wei took out her money pouch and gave him five gold coins.
"One coin for your carriage fare back, three as paynt for delivering her, and the last one is for buying milk and rice porridge for her on the way."
"This is too much," said Hol.
"Not at all. Taking care of children is hard work."
Theodore cut in curiously, "Luo Wei, aren't you coming back with us?"
"No, Troy and I need to go to the Northern Sea."
"The Northern Sea! That's my hotown," Theodore said with interest. "What are you going there for? I want to go too!"
"Theodore!" Hol and Laura called out to him with disapproving looks.
Miss Luo Wei must have private matters to attend to at the Northern Sea. How could he invite himself along?
Theodore scratched his sideburns, "Alright, I'll head back to Siria then."
Luo Wei smiled and turned to Laura, "Laura, could you help with one more thing?"
"Of course," Laura imdiately replied, "Miss Luo Wei, what do you need to do?"
Luo Wei took out a bundle of wilted mulberry branches from her bag: "These branches were in a leather pouch but accidentally got seawater in them. Could you see if they can be saved?"
Laura examined one branch and nodded, "They can be saved. The inside hasn't withered. We can use growth runes to make them root and grow."
Luo Wei sighed, "Ah, my talent with runes isn't very good. Laura, could you help cultivate them into saplings?"
"Of course, that's simple." Laura agreed readily.
As an interdiate rune apprentice, she could draw basic growth runes ten tis a day!
"Thank you for your help. Oh, and also," Luo Wei took out another small pouch, "I don't know if you're afraid of insects, but there are moth eggs in here that I'd like to raise."
"I'm not afraid at all! I love playing with insects, especially flying ones!" Laura said excitedly.
Just like Nicole, Luo Wei thought with amusent. She then explained to Laura the conditions and thods for raising silkworms, as well as the environnt and temperature needed for mulberry trees to grow.
"I understand! First grow the mulberry leaves, then use them to feed the silkworms. I've got it!"
Laura carefully packed away the silkworm eggs and mulberry branches, wrapping them in the wool cloth Luo Wei provided. She even placed a heating rune iron piece inside to prevent them from freezing during the journey.
After Luo Wei had given all her instructions, the five split into two groups outside the Magic Beast Town.
Hol, Laura and Theodore would take Luo Lin back to Siria, while Luo Wei and Troy needed to hurry to the Northern Sea coast.
They had already delayed too long in the Magic Beast Mountains. They had originally planned to reach the Demon Sea on January 1st, but they were already a day late and needed to travel through the night.
The two sat on the griffin's back, facing the howling north wind as they flew toward the Northern Sea.
Fortunately, the Magic Beast Mountains were much closer to the northern coast - it would only take five to six hours of full-speed flight for the griffin to arrive.
Halfway through the journey, Troy asked Luo Wei with complex emotions, "Why did you save that baby?"
"Why do you think I wouldn't?" Luo Wei countered.
Troy stamred, "Well, when I tried to save people before..."
"Your attempts to save people always put yourself in danger, while mine don't," Luo Wei fixed her eyes on his. "Troy, only helping others within our capabilities can be called a good deed."
"Kindness isn't just about others, it's also about ourselves."
"Saving that baby was sothing I could do. Though troubleso, it wasn't dangerous."
"Troubleso things, dangerous things - Troy, can you tell the difference?"
Troy was stunned for a long while.
Just when he thought he understood Luo Wei well enough, she always beca mysterious again.
Perhaps he was too stupid, always failing to keep up with her thoughts. He used to disagree when people said "swordsn have no brains," but now he suddenly felt his brain might really be missing sothing.
Maybe swordsn's minds were ant to be slower than others'. That's why Troy, after barely a mont of quiet, began wondering again.
"But there were many refugees there. Why did you only save one baby?"
"They just wanted bread, they didn't ask to take them away," Luo Wei raised an eyebrow. "As for bread, the Church will provide that. Babies are different - they'll die without care."
Of course, this wasn't the real reason.
Though she didn't mind trouble, who actually likes creating problems for themselves?
Besides, delivering bread to those people would bring no returns. If even the Church wouldn't do such thankless work, why should she?
Babies were different - they had no faith, no thoughts, and could be molded as she wished.
She needed such children to beco her subjects.
She would instill in them a fabricated ancient history, making them believe they were native to that ancient country, and that their queen was the legitimate heir to that ancient throne.
Hmm, she would temporarily na it the Fog Kingdom.
A prosperous and powerful nation of the Misty Plains, unifying religion and state, with a thousand years of heritage.
When she returned from the Demon Sea, she must study transportation runes thoroughly, striving to achieve early connection between the two shores. Then she could lure all the orphans from the Western Continent to the Misty Plains!
Older children might be harder to lure, but that wasn't a problem. She rembered Hol ntioning "mory erasure magic" while teaching Rosie about dark magic. She could secretly learn it and simply wash those older children's brains.
What if the children asked why they had no parents?
That was simple - she would tell them they were the last batch of elves nurtured by the Tree of Life, who beca human after the tree's death. Children would surely believe that.
Since elves were extinct anyway, she could make up whatever she wanted.
Four hours later, the griffin landed at Sisda Town on the eastern shore of the Northern Sea.
Sisda Town was located at the easternmost point of the Principality of Kinoko, close to the small fishing village where the original owner had lived.
Luo Wei changed into an understated long dress, donned a black cloak matching Troy's, and wore a silver half-mask.
"Where's the Spiritwood?"
"Here."
Troy took out a large bundle of Spiritwood branches from his pack, including two thick sticks as thick as a baby's arm among the thin branches.
Luo Wei's eye twitched, "You didn't cut down their entire tree trunk, did you?"
"No," Troy shook his head, "I left half."
Luo Wei covered her forehead in distress. That tree had been planted by their ancestors and nurtured for thousands of years, yet he had taken half of it.
"Didn't Laura try to stop you?"
Troy looked confused, "Why would she stop ?"
Wasn't anything found in the Magic Beast Mountains free for the taking?
Luo Wei dropped her hand and asked, "Then why did you collect so many Spiritwood branches? To sell them?"
"No," Troy said, "The thicker the Spiritwood, the more precious it is. You can't even buy it in the market - no one would sell it."
"But I can't use this much."
"You can ask an alchemist to craft it into a magic wand. You'll need it in the future."
"Alright." Luo Wei found that reasonable.
The two packed up their belongings and walked toward the only tavern in town.
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