Vol 2 Chapter 18 Receives Supplies

On the first floor of the Hidden Grove association, clear, bright sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves by the window, illuminating the hall. A few scattered apprentices came and went, handling their respective affairs.

“Miss Sylutia, I must apologize again for the delay earlier, it took up some of your time.” The woman who had received her first offered an apology before continuing to explain matters regarding advancing to the Second Tier.

“Do you know the earliest origins of the Hidden Grove, Miss Sylutia?”

“I have a rough understanding.” She knew that the first to pioneer the Shadow World should have been the ‘Silver Radiance Church’.

“Coming to the Shadow World beneath the continent in the earliest days was an extremely dangerous undertaking. It was necessary to establish ‘Lighthouses’ here to maintain coordinates and prevent deviation.”

“The initial purpose was to address the interference the Shadow World caused on the surface world. The principle involves a rather complex theory of mirror symmetry.”

“It essentially means that if a distortion or mutation occurs in a certain area of the Shadow World, a corresponding part of the surface world would also undergo strange changes.”

“To curb the spread of these distortions and mutations, organizations from the surface world were forced to dispatch members into the Shadow World to resolve the root causes of these distortions.”

“At that time, traveling back and forth to the Shadow World was very difficult, so many members who came here found it hard to return.”

“This situation led to the vast majority of people being unwilling to go to the Shadow World.”

“To change the situation and compensate for such personnel requisitions, various organizations agreed to provide those willing to go to the Shadow World with supplies of various living materials and advancement resources. This gradually stabilized the situation.”

“Although the Shadow World is not as dangerous and grueling as it was back then, this supply system has been passed down.”

“When you were selecting your outpost, you should have seen the introduction about the differences in supply ratios. This will affect the actual amount of supplies you receive.”

“Supplies are distributed once per quarter, meaning every three months. Your supplies for this time were originally to be issued according to the First Tier apprentice standard. However, since you have advanced, they have been temporarily adjusted to the Second Tier apprentice supply standard for this distribution.”

“This is the list of your supplies for this time. Please verify it. I will bring your supply materials over shortly.” Her attitude had become much more respectful. Generally, apprentices would take the list themselves and go to the association warehouse to collect items one by one.

“Alright, thank you.”

With that, Sylutia picked up the list printed with dark brown ink on the table.

[First Tier Apprentice Supply Standard]

1. Provide 120 portions of Good quality food per quarter. (Mainly hardtack biscuits)
2. Provide 1 portion of ‘Blood Wine’ or ‘Meditation Incense’ per quarter. (Quality: ‘First Tier · Excellent’)
3. Provide 1 portion of ‘Blood Healing Potion’ per quarter. (Quality: ‘First Tier · Good’)
4. Provide one Black Steel ingot per year, usable for forging weapons.
5. Provide two sets of refined clothing/armor per year, one set for everyday wear, one set as light armor.

[Second Tier Apprentice Supply Standard]

1. Provide 120 portions of Excellent quality food per quarter. (Mainly hardtack biscuits)
2. Provide 10 portions of ‘Blood Wine’ or ‘Meditation Incense’ per quarter. (Quality: ‘First Tier · Excellent’)
3. Provide 3 portions of ‘Blood Healing Potion’ per quarter. (Quality: ‘First Tier · Excellent’)
4. Provide one Glittergold ingot / Magma Stone ingot / Black Rosewood per year, usable for forging weapons or armor.
5. Provide two sets of custom-made clothing/armor per year, one set for everyday wear, one set as light armor. (Quality: ‘First Tier · Excellent’)

Sylutia compared the supply gap between First and Second Tier apprentices; it was roughly tenfold. No wonder the instructor told the apprentices when they first arrived at the Hidden Grove to improve their strength as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, because the Glittergold Plains environment was safe, many apprentices came here, so the supply standard was only 70% of the normal rate.

She didn’t have to wait long before the receptionist came over carrying a wooden box made of white stone. She opened the box in front of Sylutia and began introducing the items one by one.

“The supply standard for the Glittergold Plains is lower than the normal standard. However, your performance was exceptionally outstanding, so for your first distribution after advancement, you will receive double the normal standard.”

“First, these are the ‘Herb Biscuits’ wrapped in oiled paper, a total of 240 portions.” The normal standard was 120 portions.

Inside, every 10 portions were packaged in a rectangular iron box. Sylutia opened one of them to find 10 baked biscuits with a faint herbal fragrance.

[Herb Biscuits] (Excellent): Made from high-quality wheat flour and thyme leaves, baked until crisp and slightly sweet. Nutrition is twice that of ordinary rations. It is a storable food for long-term preservation.

“Next are the ‘Blood Wine’ and ‘Meditation Incense’.” She then took out 20 bottles of red liquid Blood Wine from below, along with 20 small bundles of pale purple incense.

[Blood Wine] (First Tier – Bloodline): Medicinal wine refined from the blood of extraordinary beasts. It can enhance abilities related to the ‘Bloodline’ Aspect and is also very suitable for Breathing Technique training.

[Meditation Incense] (First Tier – Verdant Nectar): Made by blending special spices with various auxiliary materials. It can improve meditation effects, stabilize the spirit, and can also be used to assist in the initial learning of Meditation Methods.

“After that, six portions of ‘Blood Healing Potion’.” She continued to take out six test tube potions containing a light red liquid, each stoppered with a cork.

The girl curiously took one of the light red test tubes in her hand, examining it carefully.

[Blood Healing Potion] (First Tier – Bloodline): A specially formulated potion that can be used to replenish blood, restore stamina, and accelerate wound healing. (Quality – Excellent)

After that came six palm-sized pieces of different materials: the brilliant ‘Glittergold ingot’, the dark red stone-like ‘Magma Stone ingot’, and the dark-colored ‘Black Rosewood’ with its fine grain.

“Weapons forged from Glittergold ingots are exceptionally sharp and possess demon-breaking effects.”

“Weapons forged from Magma Stone ingots are exceptionally heavy, sturdy, and emit scorching fiery power.”

“Implements made from Black Rosewood allow the user to wield spells more easily and reduce the onset of mental fatigue.”

Finally, there were four sets of clothing/armor with a black base and dark red trim. Two sets were everyday hooded robes, and the other two were adjustable light armor, made from specially tanned beast hide, lightweight and tough.

[Dark Brown Robe] (First Tier · Excellent): Woven from tough reddish-brown fiber threads. It can withstand attacks from ordinary swords and blades, being both soft and resilient.

[Dark Brown Light Armor] (First Tier · Excellent): Made from the leather of First Tier beasts. It can provide good defense against attacks of ‘First Tier’ level.

After looking over these things, Sylutia made some selections. She currently had no use for the Blood Wine because after her Breathing Technique transformed into the ‘Lunar Radiance Breathing Technique’, it was no longer an ability of the ‘Bloodline’ Aspect. So, she chose the ‘Meditation Incense’ beside it. As for the forging materials, she chose the ‘Black Rosewood’. This was because the abilities she had currently learned, the ‘Flower Blooming Method’ and ‘Sylutia’s Clear Spring’, were both spell-like abilities that required mental power to cast and maintain. Therefore, ‘Black Rosewood’ was more practical.

After she finished her selections, the other woman checked off the list, then helped Sylutia pack these things away, finally closing the box and handing it over to her.

It’s a bit heavy, Sylutia thought to herself as she took the box. Yet, there was a faint sense of satisfaction and happiness, reminding her of the feeling when she received her first paycheck from her very first job.

No wonder many young people wanted to come to the Hidden Grove. If an apprentice came from a humble background, they would have no chance to obtain many resources on the surface world, and it would also be very difficult to earn such a high income.

“Finally, this is your Second Tier apprentice badge. Please accept it.” A brand new badge was handed to Sylutia.

The pattern on this badge still featured trees and vines winding around both sides, but in the center was sunlight breaking through the clouds, conveying a sense of clearing skies after the clouds disperse. The back of the badge was engraved with Sylutia’s name and the words ‘Glittergold Plains’, signifying that she spent her First Tier apprentice period here and completed her advancement.

“Thank you.” After pinning the two badges side by side, Sylutia stood up, cradled the box, and left.

The matters to handle at the association were finished. Next was buying supplies, then taking people back to the valley.

Building the windmill, adding the grain drying yard, excavating the warehouse cellar, constructing better dwellings for the toads, delivering the wheat to the bakery… all these needed to be done.

It would be somewhat busy, but also exceptionally fulfilling.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep