"As it is, Atasha, is the meat ready for little Lunaria?"

"Yes, my Lord, they will bring it in any moment."

"Thank you, and thank you too, Zalika, you've been a great help."

"Of course, my Lord, but I would like to draw your attention to an issue."

"What would that be?" Alex's voice sounded intrigued.

"We've used most of the common medicines we've found, and while I wouldn't want to trouble the Lord with minor matters, some of the boys brought me this flower recently. It's an incredibly potent medicinal herb. If the Lord finds more of these during your travels, it would be very helpful if you could let us know."

"Oh, I see. It's true, now that you mention it, I do have a strong affinity with this forest. If you show me what to look for, it will be much easier to find useful resources here."

"Yes, my Lord. I've prepared a selection. There are five types of common herbs useful for the camp. You don't need to collect these but rather remember their locations. However, these three are very special."

Zalika emphasized those particular herbs.

"These two are called Moon and Sun Spherules. They are flowers of the same family, and their differences are minor, but their effects are very powerful. There's the Moon Spherule and the Sun Spherule. As you can see, they are small in size. One is silver, and the other is golden. The first has a sweet aroma, while the other is spicier. Both have the same shape, and where one grows, the other is usually found nearby. They don't grow in large quantities and take a long time to mature."

Zalika handed the flowers to Alex for him to observe closely, albeit with some apprehension that he might damage them since these were the only ones they had. It had been a stroke of luck that they had found them.

"The third is a forest endemic flower that has not been found anywhere else. It's called the Deep Forest Flower. We don't have the actual flower, but it looks very similar to this one. Its petals have a deep violet tone that almost appears black in the forest's dim light. Its scent is mysterious and earthy, like a blend of moss and wood. Not much is known about its growth patterns."

Again, Alex examined the example flower, although it didn't have the specific scent, making it much more challenging to identify with such a vague description.

"And what are these herbs used for, Zalika?"

"They are essential for training elite warriors. Moon Spherules greatly alleviate the effects of overtraining, while Sun Spherules help improve muscle adaptation speed. When taken together, they are known to enhance the body's innate energy production."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That's quite useful. My current ash energy production is very low, so my training is progressing very slowly."

"The best one is the third, although we're not sure since our people have never been able to obtain one. We've heard rumors that this flower can help create and strengthen energy circulation circuits, a key element for the fundamentals of any warrior."

"Oh, thinking about it, I haven't had time to properly manage my training. I've been stumbling blindly without really knowing where I'm going or what to do. By any chance, do you know anything about that?"

Zalika seemed confused and evidently didn't know how to guide Alex, so she looked at Atasha. She thought about the question for a moment and then had an idea.

"There's a special warrior here. He was injured in the battle that led to our camp being taken prisoner. Since the arrow had toxins, he was in very bad condition until recently. Maybe he can help you, my Lord. His name is Raknar."

"Very well, could you show me where he stays?"

"Right away, my Lord." Atasha made a slight bow. She had started doing such things recently. It seemed that her behavior was becoming more and more formal, and it was starting to rub off on the people around her.

Alex followed Atasha through the camp, and as he looked around, he could see a real settlement beginning to emerge. There were many more tents made of leaves and some obtained leather. There were also some makeshift tables. However, it was clear that they couldn't progress further without specialized tools. They needed axes, scythes, hammers, nails, and all sorts of things to work properly on building a settlement here.

"Raknar, Lord Alex would like to speak with you."

"And what does the little Lord need?" Raknar's voice was defiant, leaving both of them astonished.

"Raknar, show more respect for your leader," Atasha responded, annoyed.

"You may be the matriarch of the Sha clan, but I belong to the Ra clan, and you would do well to remember that. I don't follow your orders, only those of Matriarch Atarra," Raknar retorted to young Atasha and then faced Alex. "And you, if you really want to lead this group, you must first earn that position. Fight me and show me your skills."

"Very well, if what you need is for me to hit you, I'm willing. How will the duel be?"

"To the death with our fists," Raknar replied with a malicious smile, of course not wanting to kill his savior. He was only putting up a facade to intimidate Alex.

"Very well, get into position. We'll start at Atasha's mark," Alex responded casually, accepting the challenge without even batting an eyelid.

Raknar was left speechless. He thought he could easily intimidate the human, but the reality was far from his imagination. He thought Alex would be a pushover, and Atasha exaggerated his skills to attract more gnolls to her clan. Only now did he glimpse the possibility that everything said about him might be true.

"Well?" Alex raised an eyebrow when he saw that the gnoll warrior wasn't taking his position.

Raknar, on the other hand, began to regret his actions and looked to Atasha for a way out. She knew exactly what he needed, but she made him wait a little before intervening.

"Lord Alex, Raknar's wounds have only recently healed, and in view of his great deeds defending his people, it might be better if the duel were not to the death. It would be a shame to lose such a skilled fighter in an internal squabble."

"Eh," Alex was slightly confused. "But it was he who asked for the duel on those terms. Well, whatever, if you don't feel well, we can fight when you recover."

Raknar became emboldened by the situation and decided to try something else.

"Hey, kid, I didn't say no to the duel; I just don't want to kill the one who saved us. What if we fight until one surrenders or is knocked out?"