"Risel!" Aya calls bursting into the elf's apothecary, the girl jumps almost spilling the potion the was handing a customer.
The customer, a nobleman takes one look at Yvlena's cloak and scoffs, waltzing out of the store with an upturned nose.
"It must be important if you barged in like this." The elf says.
"It is, the miasma spread." Aya tells her, the girl recounts all she saw within the forest including how the miasma now stood between them and the Verdant woods.
"This is bad, if it keeps spreading, it'll cover Bloom Haven." Risel says. "If only the Harvest Guardian was here, they'd know what to do."
Aya pauses. As the current Harvest Guardian, she didn't even know what she would be able to do with the current situation.
"Just what would they do Risel?" Aya asks.
"Within the Rose Manor is a book detailing the secrets of the Harvest Guardian, a plant lies there. The Ever Bloom, the flower on all of Bloom Haven's crests. It's not only beautiful but serves as a Siphon for the dark energy of the miasma. But I wonder if it'll even be enough now."
Aya gasps, if that book was still around, it had to be within the manor somewhere. But she didn't have time to go looking, with the miasma spreading it was as though she was on a timer.
"Can you tell me more about the Ever Bloom? where can I get the seeds?"
"Oh Yvlena, I don't know too much about it but maybe you can find something in the library, it's not too far from here. I'm sorry but Herb Lore isn't my specialty." Risel says, bowing her head apologetically.
"That's alright Risel, you've helped more than enough, with all this information I'm sure something will come of it."
[Affinity with Risel increased +3]
[Risel considers you an acquaintance]
The menu tells Aya.
"You're so kind to take the miasma on your shoulders." Risel says. Aya can only nod at her.
"Don't worry I won't let anything happen to Bloom Haven." Aya says. Risel puts a hand to her chin as she looks Aya up and down.
"You know Yvlena, you quite remind me of the Harvest Guardian yourself." She says.
"That's because I am." Aya says, Yvlena winks at Risel, running out of the store before she can hear the girl scream in disbelief.
Before heading to the library Aya decides she would tell Beatrice as well, just in case the woman had anything important to add to her current search for an answer.
She runs through the town, greeting Tom again and increasing her affinity with him.
Finding the cottage that belonged to the old woman, Aya knocks on the door.
The kindly old woman pulls open the door and before she can utter a greeting, Aya unleashes the torrent of Information on her.
----------
"The miasma?" Beatrice says rubbing her chin in thought.
"Do you know anything about it?" Aya asks pleading with the old woman to tell her something.
"I only know it started during the war of the gods and has been that way ever since. The previous Harvest Guardian was able to combat it but I'm unable to tell you how."
[War of the Gods 1% Completion]
[Story of the Harvest Guardian 3.5% Completion]
The game tells Aya.
"I know about the Ever Bloom, the previous Guardian used to siphon the miasma." Aya says. Beatrice nods in approval and it's enough to warm Aya's heart.
"I'm seriously getting attached to these characters way too deeply." Aya says, but she finds she doesn't mind in the slightest.
"Good job, all I know is the town library may have something. The Rose Manor had archives as well but I do not know what became of them, my dear." Beatrice says.
After drinking some tea, which to Aya's surprise restores her HP and some of her MP, Aya makes a run for the Bloom Haven library.
----------
The library is a large three-story structure within the Artisan District, gleaming white walls shine in the sun, while two pillars hold up the elaborately carved cream coloured eaves that envelope Aya in its shade.
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On the pillars are two carvings of what she now knows to be the patron gods of the town, Vaelindor, and Selendriel.
"So these are the figures the statues at the Rose Manor are supposed to look like." Aya says to herself. Walking into the library she's surprised to find it populated by a myriad of noble NPCs.
Each person she passed wears a combination of high class silk or high grade customized armor. The nobles chat amongst themselves making Aya feel out of place.
"It's just like the top floor at work." Aya says. Rows and rows of shelves meet her on the lower level, looking up Aya could the library shelves span all three layers of the building.
"Wow, this could take forever if I don't find someone I can ask for help."
Walking up to the welcome counter Aya finds a pale, white haired, bespectacled young man reading a heavy tome. He looks to be a noble himself. She gets his attention with a simple greeting.
He slams his book closed, glaring hard at Aya, the man rises to his feet straightening out his blue jacket and dusting off his white pants.
"May I help you?" He asks, with the way his voice sounds you would think Aya had slapped him.
[NAME: Laurent
RACE: Human
OCC: Librarian]
"So sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Laurent." Aya apologizes. "I'm looking for a book on a notable figure, the Harvest Guardian and it seemed like-"
Laurent cuts her off before she has a chance to finish.
"Second level, 13th shelf, row 6, H for Harvest Guardian. Second level, 25th shelf, row 15 R for Rael." He says. Aya frowns.
[Laurent is hostile]
"But I only just met him!" Aya says rolling her eyes. It seemed nobles were the same everywhere, in the game and outside of it.
Heading towards the steps she climbs to the second level to begin searching the rows. It doesn't take her long to find the first book.
Aya pulls out a thin, green, leather backed book, buried under a layer of dust.
She watches Yvlena blow the dust off the book, coughing as she does.
Text appears on the screen.
[The Harvest Guardian
***
An illustrious post blessed by the patron gods of Moon Valley.
The Harvest Guardian is the liaison between the gods and the people, a steward of nature, knowledgeable in a myriad of skills.
The role of the Harvest Guardian is a bridge between two realms, a connection that serves to see the desires of the gods through.
They are an instrument of nature themselves.
Without the Harvest Guardian, the presence of the nature gods will fade.]
"Sounds like a lot of responsibility." Aya says with excitement.
She continues to read.
[There are many stages to the growth and development of a Harvest Guardian, one does not start as a Harvest Guardian even though they are awarded the post.
They must grow, uncovering the lore of the world and performing the restorative services and wills of the nature gods.
No Harvest Guardian is like the previous one and each must forge their own path through the winding roads of fate.
Where ever there is an imbalance in nature, the Harvest Guardian must answer the call.]
[Story of the Harvest Guardian 5% Completion]
The entry ends there, flipping the book, Aya notices a page of the already thin book was missing.
"Laurent's not gonna like that." Aya says with a grimace.
Heading to the next shelf Laurent's directions sends her to, Aya finds the book almost as scanty as the first one.
Text once again pops up on her screen.
[Rael
***
Bloom Haven's final Harvest Guardian. A native of Bloom Haven and a gentle soul and caretaker to the Rose Manor.
A scholar at heart but a knight of the nature gods. In his endeavours to keep nature in balance he picked up many skills.
One that every Harvest Guardian should know. Cultivation, Herblore, and farming to name a few.
Rael was one of the most powerful Harvest Guardians-]
The book once again cuts off, causing Aya to grow frustrated. Like the previous book, Aya expects to see a ripped page, but the next couple of pages are simply blank.
Just as she's about to place the book back on the shelf, words start appearing on the page, writing themselves out in the same tale Beatrice had told Aya.
[Unfortunately during the war of the gods, the beloved Harvest Guardian of Bloom Haven disappeared.
It is unknown what happened to him.]
[Discovered: Tome of the Harvest Guardian]
[Tome will fill as you uncover what happened to Rael]
[Story of the Harvest Guardian 6.5% Completion]
"I have to fill it out." Aya says. "I didn't even get any information on the Ever Bloom. I don't want to bother Laurent again."
Aya places the book back on the shelf, satisfied she was able to learn the name of the previous Harvest Guardian.
Heading down to the reception she encounters Laurent, walking around the area, his tone with the nobles sounding just as harsh as it was with her.
Aya walks up to him once more.
"Excuse me again Laurent," she says sheepishly. "Do you have any books on the plants Rael might have used?"
[Affinity with Laurent increased+1]
Though the man scowls down at her, Aya notices the menu again.
The man's gaze does not soften at all as he speaks, but his tone is less harsh than their initial meeting.
"All the Harvest Guardian's recipes and creations rest within the Rose Manor." Laurent says.
"What about the Ever Bloom?" Aya asks.
"Within the Rose Manor." Laurent repeats himself.
"I see, thank you for your help I'll be back to look at some more books." Aya says.
[Affinity with Laurent increased+1]
"Very well." He says storming off to bark at some more nobles. Aya shakes her head wondering why the developers programmed such a mean NPC.
"Looks like I have to do my job and clean up the Rose Manor, if I don't then I can't access Rael's work with the Siphon flower." Aya says.
She exits the library, making her way through the Artisan District and towards the Rose Manor.
--------
"Did the weeds grow back?!" Aya asks on seeing the Rose Manor's front lawn. Giant weeds sprout from the area she had previously cleared and, the older weeds within the manor appear thicker and stronger than before.
"They definitely grew back!" Aya growls, equipping the scythe she takes to the weeds, cutting and cutting.
"Where would the Ever Bloom grow even if I got it with all these weeds?"
[Yvlena Acquired Fibre x10]
"I wonder what I can do with all this fiber I'm getting, maybe I can make a basket or a net or something."
She strikes a bush with more force than usual, the bush moves, leaping at Yvlena with impressive force.
A battle ensues.
"Bush mimic?" Aya murmurs, a mimic was a creature that disguised itself using common items, usually to trick players and attack them.
Aya wastes no time attacking it, dispatching the weak creature with little force.
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP:446/600
***
Fibre x5
Wild seed x3
***
Moon Points: 20]
"That was easy." Aya says. "I guess it wouldn't be an RPG without all this trouble."