A single stalk of Green Chip Grass cost one rune, a price already higher than what the herbal shop would pay for it.
"I can," Tialfi said after a brief moment of thought. "But Green Chip Grass isn't common. I can't guarantee the quantity. It might not be available tomorrow, or even for a long time."
"That's fine," Rowe replied. "I'll come here every noon from now on. As long as you find any Green Chip Grass, you can sell it to me."
He then added, "By the way, my name is Rowe."
Tialfi nodded. "Alright."
"Thanks," Rowe said with a smile.
Returning home from Landvety Town, Rowe immediately opened the Book of Light, donated dozens of large gold coins in exchange for piety, and left himself with just over four runes to purchase more Green Chip Grass.
Although the exchange rate of runes to large gold coins was one to one hundred, rune coins weren't truly worth a hundred times more than gold coins. Because of this, it was far more cost-effective to convert runes into gold coins and donate them.
Not just with runes—Rowe had long noticed that most items followed this pattern. Anything with a clear price in gold coins always offered a better exchange rate when donated.
It seemed the Light had a particular preference for gold.
Unexpectedly, as his donation vanished into the Book of Light, the tome suddenly glowed with divine radiance. A line of text emerged on the page:
[Piety has accumulated to 100. You have obtained the Holy Codex.]
A Holy Codex?
Rowe was stunned. He quickly flipped through the tome and discovered that the Holy Codex contained all Paladin spells. There were dozens of them, linked together like a skill tree, divided into multiple tiers.
However, most of the spell icons were dimmed, marked with [Not Acquired] beside them.
Only two spells were lit. The first was Holy Light Infusion, the foundational spell of all Paladin abilities, marked as [Acquired].
The second was Light Strike, which was on the second tier and marked [Spell Fragments Available for Purchase].
The other second-tier spells—Judgment, Divine Protection, Blinding Light—were all grayed out and had an additional note: [Deliver justice ten times to unlock spell fragment purchases.]
The third-tier spells were also locked. According to the notes, unlocking the third tier required mastery of all spells in the second tier.
Rowe continued flipping through the tome until he reached the final tier. There was only one spell there, much like the first tier.
His eyes widened when he saw it.
[Holy Shield]
In games, the Divine Shield ability was powerful but not invincible. It could be countered by certain mechanics, and in some cases, even the storyline itself could bypass it.
But in the real world? A brief moment of true invincibility could change everything. It could mean resisting an apocalyptic event or even something as devastating as a snap of the fingers.
It made sense why Holy Shield was placed as the supreme spell in the Holy Codex.
Strangely, Serenity was not part of the Holy Codex. It seemed to be an auxiliary ability outside the conventional Paladin system, much like its use in games.
After carefully studying the tome for some time, Rowe suddenly remembered that he could purchase Light Strike spell fragments directly.
He quickly checked the price: 0.99 runes per fragment.
It wasn't too expensive.
After a brief hesitation, Rowe purchased over 90 spell fragments of Light Strike, adding them to the few he already had, bringing the total to 100.
The Book of Light shimmered with golden energy. When Rowe turned the page, he found the completed spellbook entry for Light Strike.
Seeing it, he couldn't help but grin.
Finally, he could learn a proper offensive ability—though it was just a basic Paladin spell.
Excited, he threw himself into training. A faint golden light flickered in his palm as he attempted to grasp the power of Light Strike...
---
The next day at noon.
Rowe returned to the Brave Hunter Tavern. After finishing two plates of grilled lamb chops, he sat quietly, recalling the fundamentals of Light Strike while waiting for Tialfi.
From what he had observed, Light Strike wasn't much harder to learn than Holy Light Infusion. Based on his previous training speed, he estimated it would take him around ten days to master it.
After a while, Tialfi arrived at the tavern carrying two freshly slaughtered sheep.
"Any luck finding Green Chip Grass?" Rowe asked as he walked over.
"Good luck today. I found two," Tialfi said, pulling out a small cloth pouch from his waist and handing it to Rowe.
Rowe opened the bag and found two fresh stalks of Green Chip Grass inside. Smiling, he handed Tialfi two rune coins. "Thanks. I hope you have this kind of luck every day."
After parting ways with Tialfi, Rowe hurried home and got to work preparing more of the hair-restoring potion.
Since Green Chip Grass was expensive and scarce, he needed to ensure he didn't waste any. To be extra cautious, he purchased another Serenity spell fragment and used its power to properly process the herbs.
A few hours later, with the Green Chip Grass fully refined, Rowe moved on to processing the Flash Grass, finally producing two bottles of Andorov's Hair Restorer.
However, as he held the two bottles in his hands, he suddenly frowned, deep in thought.
After curing Boss Taylor's baldness, he had realized something—each full dose of the potion was actually too much.
Most bald individuals didn't need an entire bottle to restore their hair. Using the full dose was wasteful—not only of the medicine itself but also of the patient's money.
Wasting resources was unacceptable.
After considering the matter, Rowe nodded to himself, retrieved ten more empty bottles, and carefully divided the two full doses into twelve smaller portions.
One-sixth of the original dose should be sufficient for an average person.
As for the pricing? He decided to reduce the cost to two runes per bottle. Mild baldness might require just one or two bottles, while more severe cases would need more.
---
The following morning.
As they ate breakfast, Rowe suddenly spoke up.
"Uncle, I want to become a military medic."
"What did you just say?" Uncle Peter frowned.
"I want to be a military medic and accompany Asgard's forces to explore the universe."
The physical requirements for Asgardian military medics were quite lenient. As long as a person was at least twenty-five years old and in good health, they were eligible—similar to how the Boy Scouts operated.
Working as an apprentice in a small herbal shop in Asgard wasn't going to cut it. There was no opportunity to uphold justice, and even financially, the future was bleak.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he needed to step out of Asgard's safety net.
Before Uncle Peter could respond, El spoke up first.
"Why are you thinking like this? You're not even thirty yet."
Rowe replied, "I only need to be twenty-five to qualify as a military medic."
"But you're not even twenty-five."
"It's only three months away."
El placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Rowe, you have no idea what's out there. Listen to me—don't go. At least wait until you're an adult."
Rowe could feel the deep concern in her voice. She had always been overprotective, treating him as though he were still a child.
At that moment, Uncle Peter finally spoke. "Your father was ten times stronger than you. If you want to repeat his mistakes, then go ahead."
"I'm not joining the army—not yet, at least," Rowe clarified. "Medics don't fight in battles. There's no real danger. I just want to see the universe for myself."
"Not yet?"
Uncle Peter scoffed, his voice laced with anger and sarcasm.
"My dear nephew, you're certainly optimistic about your future."