Chapter 317 - 282: Strange Leaves

Chapter 317: Chapter 282: Strange Leaves

Shire looked at the few leaves in his subordinate’s hand, which were nearly crumpled to bits. The leaves were starting to turn yellow, with a hint of green still in the center. He then looked up at his subordinate, glanced at the man’s lower back, and asked hesitantly, "Where... did you get these from?"

Broken Tooth was a bit confused. He reached up to scratch his head and then said, "From the leather pouch on my back."

Shire skeptically took the leaves, holding them up in front of him with two fingers. "They just look like ordinary leaves. Are the humans really transporting this stuff?"

Broken Tooth nodded, then thought for a moment. He counted on his fingers before saying, "Six bags."

"Each bag was about this big." He gestured with his arms, forming a large circle to show his leader the size.

Shire watched his subordinate’s gesture, then frowned. "That’s not very much. Six bags isn’t even as much as we gather in one herb-collecting trip. Why would these humans go out of their way to get this stuff?"

He stared quizzically at the yellowing leaves in his hand but couldn’t see anything special about them. Then, he pursed his lips, steeled himself, and brought the leaves to his nose for a sniff.

Amidst a faint grassy smell was a strange aroma. This aroma was unlike any other scent Shire had encountered in this world, but it was very similar to a smell from his past life.

The wisp of smoke curling between his fingers during a gaming session. The CLICK after a hearty meal, followed by a wave of satisfaction. The chain-smoked stimulant for pulling an all-nighter on a proposal.

’Tobacco?’ His eyes narrowed, his expression turning very serious. "Did you see where those goblins were collecting these leaves?"

"I saw," Broken Tooth nodded repeatedly. "From a few trees."

"On trees?" Shire repeated. He knew that tobacco didn’t grow on trees. Besides, the size of these leaves was clearly different from the tobacco he remembered from his past life. "They grow on trees?"

He thought for a few seconds, then tore a page from his notebook. He rolled the "Tree Smoke Leaves" in the paper, then waved his hand at Broken Tooth and said, "Give me a light."

Broken Tooth stared blankly at his leader, not knowing what was about to happen. But Shire quickly showed him what to do. Broken Tooth quickly took a fire-starting tool from the pouch on his lower back and lit a nearby scrap of waste paper.

Shire leaned in. Once the paper roll was lit, he took a sharp drag. A strange taste immediately shot into his lungs. "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" He coughed violently and immediately snuffed out the paper roll in his hand.

"Nope, not even close. You can’t call this tobacco. It has the right smell, but the taste when burned is too harsh," he said, shaking his head and coughing a few more times. He then reached for a cup of water on the table and took several gulps. "The burnt taste is strong, and it’s too irritating. This is way worse than even a counterfeit cigarette."

After catching his breath, his gaze fell on the snuffed-out paper roll. He then stared quietly at the ceiling, carefully analyzing the feeling. "It’s not right to say there’s no effect at all. There is *something*. I can feel a sense of relaxation, and it’s a bit refreshing and even a little stimulating. But the overall effect doesn’t compare to a Red Bull."

"Maybe it’s a processing issue. I think tobacco leaves need to be roasted and air-dried, and fermented too. This stuff has potential. We can try roasting it dry first." After staring at the paper roll for a moment, he asked Broken Tooth again, "Are these few leaves all you brought?"

Broken Tooth shook his head, then reached into the leather pouch on his lower back and started rummaging again. This time, Shire saw clearly that his subordinate’s movements were a bit unnatural. It was likely because he hadn’t fully recovered from being hit by the Feathered Serpent God’s Lightning Ball.

Although his limbs had already grown back under the influence of his [Regeneration] Ability, the muscles and fascia within were probably still having some issues. After all, according to Broken Tooth’s previous description, the situation had been very dangerous. The muscles on his entire arm had nearly been blasted into chunks of meat, leaving only the Bone intact.

Broken Tooth rummaged for a bit and pulled out several more leaves. Shire glanced at his lower back and asked again, "Is that all?"

Broken Tooth took off the leather pouch, placed it on the table, and searched through it carefully. He took out a small bag of honey, a half-eaten piece of Tree-man Fruit Cake, and a few nuts. He also pulled out a long strip of deer jerky. After rummaging a bit more and pulling out two more "Tree Smoke Leaves," he held the bag open and said, "That’s it."

"Mm," Shire nodded. He looked at the seven leaves on the table and planned to find Bai Mao later to have him try roasting them.

He had originally planned to lead a party to explore the north in the next couple of days, but he had quickly received a reply from Mary, who said the town hall had responded about the matter of the Clothing Workshop. This had forced him to change his plans at the last minute. It was a good thing he had, or he probably would have missed his meeting with Broken Tooth. Looking at the food on the table, Shire could imagine his subordinate huddled alone in the shadows, forlornly chewing his food while cautiously watching his surroundings.

Broken Tooth’s personality was still as timid as ever, but as long as Shire gave him a reconnaissance mission, he would still run off alone to carry it out.

"Go get yourself cleaned up, take a bath, and get a good night’s sleep," Shire said to his subordinate with a smile. The exploration could wait until tomorrow. With Broken Tooth’s reconnaissance, things would go much more smoothly.