The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

"We just got the oil grass like that?"

Piper looked at the bag in his hand with a somewhat bewildered expression, feeling as if it were not real.

"Why do you think that elf would help us like this? It can't be because we're handsome, can it?" he asked.

Lorraine glanced at him sideways and said indifferently, "Your confidence is certainly savage enough."

His thoughts were still immersed in his conversation with Sylvia.

After he used both sword skills and Shadow Step simultaneously, his opponent mistook him for a descendant of a battle mage.

Could it be that humans also have a profession similar to a sword chanter?

Lorraine, however, was unsure of the reason behind the other party's judgment: whether it was due to mastering both sword skills and magic, or simply sword skills and Shadow Step.

The main reason was that he had never seen any other spellcasters, and he felt that such a judgment was a bit hasty. Weren't there any other spellcasters who liked to use swords?

Perhaps there are actually many battle mages, but the places where they live are so remote that we have never heard of them.

According to Haif, every profession has its corresponding path, so what is the path of a battle mage?

There's also the claim that the other party links high elves to sword chanters, which explains her strange attitude towards high elves.

The sheer volume of information about these matters was overwhelming for him, and the lack of many crucial elements made it impossible for him to make a judgment.

"Anyway, at least you have a hammer now," Lorraine joked.

Piper nodded excitedly.

"Shall we still go catch that big fish?" He seemed eager to try.

Lorraine glanced at him in surprise.

They had just escaped from the bear's jaws. If Sylvia hadn't happened to be nearby, who knows if the two of them would be alive and well now.

This guy, on the other hand, is already thinking about his next job.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course I'm serious." The short guy nodded. "Think about it, after all this trouble, we won't have many gold coins left. This is a perfect opportunity to make some money, so why not give it a try?"

"You just want to test out your new hammer, don't you?" Lorraine rubbed his temples. "We'll see. Let's get the enchantment sorted out first, and then we'll see how good those professionals are when we meet them."

Piper nodded with a mischievous grin, his expression clearly saying, "You're already smitten."

......

They returned to Shallow Beach Town two days later in the afternoon.

The two first went to Tom's grocery store, where the herbs could be sold for a higher price while they were still relatively fresh, and they also needed to ask him to extract the kerosene.

Several bright red things, like wreaths made of dried berries and pine branches, were hung at the entrance of the grocery store.

A faded cloth strip was still wrapped around the door frame; he remembered that it wasn't there before he went out.

"Are you... pregnant?" Lorraine handed him the oilcloth bag containing herbs and asked hesitantly.

The old dwarf glared at him, snatched the oilcloth bag from his hand, and said irritably, "Didn't you see it on your way here? Midwinter Festival is just a week away."

Midwinter Festival? Lorraine was taken aback.

He did know about this festival; in the official name of the Kingdom of Ferma, it was called the Winter Feast, somewhat similar to the Spring Festival in his previous life.

According to tradition, the local lords would hold this grand feast before the end of the year to form alliances and renew covenants with other lords and exchange gifts.

For the common people in these nations, this was also a day to celebrate, as half of the most difficult winter had passed.

He just didn't expect time to pass so quickly. When he arrived in Shallow Beach Town, it was only the beginning of winter, and now half of it has already passed.

Piper peeked out from the side, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Midwinter Festival!" he almost shouted. "I'd completely forgotten, it's almost Midwinter Festival!"

Do halflings also celebrate Midwinter Festival?

"Of course! The halflings' Midwinter Festival is much more lively than this; it's a celebration..." The little man's voice trailed off, "...a day for family reunions."

Lorraine patted him on the shoulder. He didn't feel much about being an orphan for two lifetimes, but he knew Piper must be feeling terrible. He whispered a promise: "That day will come."

Piper nodded, then quickly chuckled to himself again.

"So lucky! You actually found them both, and they're in pretty good condition." Tom glanced at the two of them and chimed in at the opportune moment.

He then carefully examined the quantity of herbs in his hand, and then cautiously picked up a piece, examined it in his palm for a moment, and said:

「银叶草1片2银，止血草1株5铜，还有七株火油草，一共40金2银9铜。」

Lorraine nodded, just as agreed before.

"There's one more thing," he added. "Could you help with the extraction? We need three stalks of fire oil grass."

"After extracting five silver coins per plant, and deducting the cost of three fire oil plants, that leaves you with 24 gold, 7 silver, and 9 copper coins."

Piper gasped, "Dwarfs' ass! How come the extract is so expensive!"

"Fire oil grass can't be eaten. It's more like an alchemical material than a herb. If you don't extract it, it's just a bunch of rotten leaves."

The old dwarf slowly stood up from his chair. "Wait here, it'll be over in a bit."

He put away the bag of herbs and walked toward the side room of the general store. Not long after, a smell of grease came from inside.

The two stood at the door for a while, and then Tom came out carrying a small dark brown earthenware jar.

The mouth of the earthenware jar was sealed with several layers of oil paper, yet a strong aroma of oil still wafted from it.

He placed the jar on the counter, then took out a bag of coins and tossed it into Lorraine's arms.

"Alright, kerosene is easy to ignite, remember to store it carefully." The old dwarf yawned and went back to his chair to doze off.

Thanks.

Lorraine handed the backpack and booklet to Piper, then carefully picked up the pottery jar and gestured to Piper, saying, "Go back to the tavern and take the rest of the materials to the blacksmith. We'll meet there."

"Okay, Piper will go right away."

......

"Uncle Horton, we've found everything!"

The two men were waiting in front of the blacksmith's shop with several flammable and explosive items in their hands. An unsuspecting person might have thought they were there to rob him.

Hearing the noise, Horton came out from behind the blacksmith's shop. Seeing what they were carrying, he quickly said:

"Ouch...ouch, put it down carefully, don't break it."

He first carefully picked up the sulfur crystals and checked their purity.

After confirming that everything was alright, he opened the pottery jar and the cloth bag containing the silver powder, nodded, and asked:

"You didn't find the adamantite, right?"

The two nodded.

"What a pity, but those things are really hard to find." Horton shook his bald head regretfully, then spread his hands and said, "What about the money for the enchanting? Have you prepared it?"

"It's all here."

Lorraine pulled out a heavy cloth bag.

Inside was all of Piper's belongings, as well as some of the money they earned from gathering herbs.