Chapter 122

Twilight City, Morning Wind Street.

"Please make way, make way!"

After saying goodbye to Xia Mingyu and the others, Youde ran and shouted in a panic, his thin shoulders constantly pushing through the noisy crowd as he rushed forward.

"Is that... a monkey wearing clothes?"

"It seems to be the monkey-faced pharmacist from the No. 13 potion shop in the rumors. I heard he's quite good at dispensing medicine, but because he's too ugly, no nobles or wealthy people are willing to find him to dispense medicine, so he can only make medicine for some poor people who have no money."

People who saw this scene whispered to each other.

Youde, who only cared about burying his head and rushing on his way, ignored their words and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated wooden house.

Knock, knock.

He extended his thin arms and knocked lightly on the wooden door.

Click.

A moment later, the wooden door opened a crack, and a little boy wearing linen clothes poked his head out vigilantly.

"Lord Youde, you've returned from gathering herbs!"

After seeing the person standing outside the door, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his young face, and he hurriedly grabbed Youde's arm and pulled him into the bedroom of the house.

There, a woman with a sallow complexion was lying weakly on a wooden bed, and even her breathing gave people a feeling of being incomparably difficult.

"Mom, Lord Youde is back."

As soon as he stepped into the bedroom, the boy shouted excitedly.

Hearing this, the woman struggled to stand up from the bed, looking at the dusty monkey-faced pharmacist in front of her, her expression complex.

"My lord, why go to such trouble? We didn't pay you for the medicine at all." The woman sighed.

She had never thought that this pharmacist with an ugly appearance in front of her would actually risk his life to run thousands of miles to the Southern Wind Forest just to treat her, a laundry worker.

Youde didn't speak, just silently took out the bottle of healing magic potion from his bag and handed it to the woman.

The woman hesitated for a moment, but still extended those rough hands, like withered tree bark, to take the potion.

Under the expectant gazes of Youde and the little boy, the woman drank the potion.

The next moment, her originally sallow complexion became bright at a speed visible to the naked eye, and that heart-wrenching breathing sound gradually became even and steady.

The woman felt the changes in herself with a look of amazement; she actually swayed as she got out of bed and stood up.

"Mom!" The boy threw himself into the woman's arms with great joy.

The woman touched the boy's head, and then pulled him to kneel on both knees in front of Youde together.

"Gods above, I am endlessly grateful for your life-saving grace. If you have any needs in the future, my child and I will offer everything to help you and pray for you day and night."

The woman said with a solemn expression.

Afterward, she looked hesitant, and after a long time, she still asked:

"My lord, such a miraculous medicine must be very expensive. Is it really worth it to use it on a laundry worker like me?"

"... I have also wondered about this, but there are indeed saints in this world who will selflessly help others." Youde said after a moment of silence.

"I am not a saint, but... my mother was also a laundry worker."

Youde looked at the spiderweb-like frostbite marks on the woman's palms and said with a sense of loss.

Those were wrinkles that even healing magic potions couldn't smooth out.

Just like ten years ago, when he was seven years old and his mother touched his face for the last time in a long while, he felt the pain from those frostbite marks, and only then did he realize that he had also come into this world because he was loved.

On the street.

Xia Mingyu rode his horse on the road back to Red Fox Castle with a heavy expression, forming a stark contrast with the cheering crowd around him.

"Little brother, it's not good to have a long face on such a festive day. How about I treat you to a cup of Twilight Tea?"

A kind-hearted person saw this, raised the tea bag he had just bought, and invited him.

"No need, thank you."

Xia Mingyu forced a smile and refused, patted the horse's rump, and quickly left the place.

"Really strange, what trouble is there in this world that a cup of Twilight Tea can't solve?"

The kind-hearted person looked at the young man's departing back, touched the back of his head, and said, puzzled.

However, looking at the large bag of tea bags in his hand, he soon threw this confusion to the back of his mind, preparing to immerse himself in a beautiful fantasy dream with his family.

What should I fantasize about this time? Becoming a great knight like the Red Fire of the Red Fire, or turning into a saint like the Sage, or immersing myself in the gentle embrace of countless beauties...

Hehe, I must not say the name out loud this time, otherwise my wife will go crazy again!

Red Fox Castle.

"Lord Mingyu, you have finally returned safely. May the gods bless you."

Looking at the black-eyed young man stepping into the castle, the butler Sailisi welcomed him with a joyful expression.

"May the gods also bless you. Where is Lady Rosa?"

After a simple exchange of pleasantries, Xia Mingyu asked impatiently.

"The Countess should be in the main hall living room at this time." Sailisi replied.

"I have urgent matters to tell her, take me there immediately!"

Living room.

Crackle, crackle.

The firewood in the fireplace was burning fiercely, and the bright stove fire illuminated this originally dark room as bright as day.

On the tea table sat a teapot, and in the steaming heat, the sweet fragrance of tea leaves mixed with honey drifted.

Rosa leaned on the soft sofa with a teacup in her hand, staring blankly at the portrait on the wall—"The Knight's Last Whisper."

When people get old, they can't help but reminisce about the past.

Rosa thought while taking a light sip of the tea in her cup.

In an instant, she saw that young man with a sunny smile on his face again, holding a bunch of blooming violets and walking slowly toward her.

However, Rosa, who had experienced it, understood that what followed would be the muddy water splashed by the carriage.

But what that brought was not sadness, but rather a suffocating kiss that she would never forget.

"That guy Erkus, I don't know how he cultivated such wonderful tea leaves..."

After waking up from the memory, Rosa looked at the amber, clear tea in the cup and couldn't help but sigh.

Afterward, she placed the teacup gently on the tea table, stopped drinking tea, and just stared quietly at the painting on the wall.

After all, although tea leaves are good, if you have too much, you will get tired of them in a few days.

Knock, knock, knock!

At this moment, a burst of urgent knocking came from outside the door.

"Who is it?" The leisurely afternoon time was interrupted, and Rosa's brows furrowed slightly.

"It's me." Xia Mingyu's slightly anxious voice came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, please come in." Rosa's brows immediately smoothed out, and a kind smile appeared on her furrowed face.

After Xia Mingyu pushed the door open and entered the living room, the first thing he saw was the old lady leaning on the sofa and the steaming teacup on the tea table.

The familiar, cloying fragrance of tea made him immediately realize that it was Twilight Tea!

At this moment, Xia Mingyu's pupils shrank suddenly, his lips trembled slightly, and fine cold sweat instantly seeped out on his forehead.

Because if Rosa, as the lord of the Southern Region, also became addicted to tea... then he dared not imagine what terrifying consequences it would cause!

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

After noticing that his expression was wrong, Rosa asked with concern.

"Is the journey too exhausting... You should sit down and rest for a while and have a cup of tea."

Rosa held Xia Mingyu's arm and pulled him onto the sofa, then picked up the teapot to pour a cup of Twilight Tea, wanting to hand it to him, but was refused by the pale young man waving his hands repeatedly.

"Lady Rosa, about how many cups of Twilight Tea do you drink a day now?" Xia Mingyu asked with a nervous expression.

"I usually don't drink the same kind of tea every day. As for Twilight Tea, I drink about one cup every two or three days." Rosa replied.

Hearing this, Xia Mingyu's originally tense body suddenly relaxed; he sank into the soft sofa and let out a long sigh of relief.

"What on earth is wrong with you?"

Rosa looked at the young man's appearance of being nervous one moment and relaxed the next, and asked, puzzled.

"Twilight Tea, there must be a problem with it. When we drink it, we only see memories, but after most people drink it, what they see are the fantasy dreams they long for in their hearts. Many citizens have already become addicted to tea and insist on drinking several cups every day regardless of their economic situation..."

Xia Mingyu said in one breath.

"Your Highness, the reason why Twilight Tea has two different effects on people is because of the difference in blessings. Those with noble blessings can only see memories after drinking Twilight Tea; this should be because noble blessings also have a part in resisting hallucinations."

After quietly listening to Xia Mingyu's long speech, Rosa explained patiently.

Xia Mingyu's expression froze; he didn't expect that Rosa had long known about the different effects of Twilight Tea and had even found the reason. But since that was the case, why didn't she deal with it...

"Your Highness, the effect of being able to see fantasy dreams like Twilight Tea is actually not unique; fantasy dream potions can also do it, but the price is high, and only a very small number of nobles can afford to enjoy it."

"Those commoners haven't seen much of the world, and it's very normal for them to accidentally come into contact with Twilight Tea and fall into it, but this doesn't mean they have become addicted to the tea you mentioned. After a while, when they get tired of it, they naturally won't be as fanatical as they are now."

"Moreover, in order to accumulate fame and be promoted to the Crescent Rank, Erkus has even gone so far as to lower the price of tea leaves to one copper coin per bag, so even if those commoners drink several cups a day, it won't cause an excessive economic burden."

Rosa said slowly. Judging from her past governing experience, she didn't think that this kind of tea, which had effects similar to fantasy dream potions, would cause any harm.

After all, those nobles who liked fantasy dream potions hadn't had any accidents either.

"May I ask if you know what opium and addictiveness are?" Xia Mingyu was silent for a moment before asking.

"Opium, addictiveness... what are those?" Rosa looked puzzled.

Xia Mingyu slapped his forehead abruptly; he realized an important problem—in this world, it seemed there was no concept of opium at all!

(End of chapter)