Chapter 71: Dangerous

"Is its quality even better than what’s recorded in the book?" Ethan asked.

"Meow-meow, it’s true, meow, the better the quality of the Mana Grass, the stronger the light it emits, meow, these are definitely the highest quality, meow~" Pearl said.

That was truly good news, Ethan felt relieved and carefully observed the Mana Grass in his hand.

"By the way, how is this thing used?"

"They are generally used after being dried in the sun, meow~" Pearl answered.

"Dried?" Ethan brought over a wide wooden board and laid the Mana Grass across it.

"Is this enough?"

"That’s what the book says, meow." Pearl nodded.

"Then we’ll leave it at that for now... How do we store the dried Mana Grass?"

"Just keep them in a cool, dark place, meow."

"Then let’s put them in the refrigerator, should I harvest the rest now?" Ethan asked.

"Okay, meow~" Pearl agreed.

Pearl was right — there was no point leaving them in the ground any longer, Ethan began harvesting, every single stalk was top-tier quality, he collected the seeds, then neatly arranged the harvested grass on the wooden board.

The greenhouse door opened.

"Is anyone here~!" A familiar voice rang out.

"Hmm? You’re here." Ethan turned and saw Leon.

Leon walked into the greenhouse with a chuckle, seeing the plants laid out on the board, he froze. "Is that... Mana Grass!!"

"Haha, yes, I had good luck — they grew very well," Ethan said.

"This is truly miraculous... May I touch it?" Leon’s eyes were shining.

"Of course." Ethan handed him a freshly harvested stalk.

Leon took the Mana Grass and examined it carefully, letting out gasp after gasp. "Wow... This is absolutely amazing! We also have some Mana Grass in our kingdom, but these are even better than what we have stored away, the leaves are so green, and the light is so strong..."

"The Elven Kingdom also has Mana Grass?" Ethan was slightly surprised.

"Yes, back when we used to trade with humans, we obtained some, the quantity isn’t large, but we have always preserved it, it is only used during national festivals or highly important occasions, so very few elves even know about it," Leon explained.

"I see." Ethan nodded.

"Are these all the Mana Grass you have planted? Or..." Leon asked.

"This is all I have for now," Ethan answered.

He had completely used up all the seeds he brought back from the southern region, but he had obtained new seeds from this batch, so he could plant more next time.

Leon looked expectant and bowed. "Then we will leave it in your capable hands."

"Alright, did you come today for a specific reason?" Ethan asked.

"It’s because of this." Leon took an exquisite envelope from his breast pocket.

Ethan opened it in confusion. Leon said proudly, "My kingdom officially invites you to visit the Elven Kingdom, of course, you can come whenever you are free."

"I see..." Ethan looked at the invitation, feeling a bit surprised.

"If you wish, we can depart right now! We will prepare everything for you," Leon said enthusiastically.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t go right now, I still have to dry the Mana Grass..." Ethan pointed at the wooden board.

"...?" Leon was stunned for a moment before he understood.

"Furthermore, I also have to make a trip to the Northern Region," Ethan added.

"The Northern Region? What are you going to do there?" Leon asked.

"I heard there is a lot of iron ore up there, I want to go and get some iron," Ethan explained.

"Iron ore in the Great Forest... Are you referring to Pure Iron?" Leon asked.

’There’s such a thing?’ Ethan looked at Pearl. Pearl nodded.

"What else could it be besides Pure Iron, meow?"

"Is there a difference?" Ethan asked.

"It is said that Pure Iron is much harder and has better elasticity than the iron found outside the Great Forest," Leon explained.

’Could it be that all the iron in the Great Forest is high-carbon steel?’ Ethan thought.

"Pure Iron is extremely rare outside the Great Forest, it is said that only Dwarves can smelt it... Do you know how to smelt it?" Leon asked.

"I don’t know, I haven’t tried." Ethan shrugged, that was exactly why he needed to go find ore and try it out.

He pointed at the Mana Grass. "Once the Mana Grass is dried and I have returned from the Northern Region, I will visit your kingdom, please wait a little while longer."

"We can only wait for you then, however... will you really be alright?" A hint of worry crept into Leon’s voice.

"Hmm?" Ethan looked at him.

"I’ve heard that the area where Pure Iron is produced is highly dangerous..." Leon explained.

To think that even an elf living outside the Great Forest knew it was dangerous? Ethan looked at the worried Leon and smiled. "It should be fine."

"Yeah, how dangerous could it possibly be?" Ethan didn’t think much of it, but Leon still looked worried.

"If you need, I can accompany you..." Leon offered.

"There’s no need, Mr. Walter will be coming with me..." Ethan explained.

"Walter... Do you mean the Vampire Lord? Hmm, with him there, I am indeed much more relieved, but..." Leon still hesitated.

But Ethan’s mind was made up; what more could he say? Leon could only nod helplessly. "Alright, since you say so, I won’t press the matter, please be absolutely careful."

"I know," Ethan agreed.

After that, they chatted about other things — daily life and some interesting events happening around the area, then Leon took his leave.

Ethan pondered for a moment and asked Pearl, "Is the Northern Region really that dangerous?"

"It’s hard to say, meow, furthermore, further north of the Northern Region is where Lady Witch resides, meow, that place is very dangerous, those without permission cannot just enter, meow~" Pearl explained.

"Didn’t you use to live there? Why are you saying it’s dangerous?"

Pearl spoke earnestly. "I am Lady Witch’s cat, so of course I’m fine, meow, but you are human. To you, that place is very dangerous, meow~"

"The monsters there do not distinguish between humans and beastmen, meow~"