That explains the smell

"Okey," she somehow felt compelled to tell the children's tale.

"Many years ago, a girl named Tika got lost in the forest. She knew she shouldn't have wandered this far, but she did what her mother had told her—gathering berries. Her basket was full, and she meant to go home. She found herself in an unfamiliar part of the forest,"

"Mind you, this was before the burning rocks fell," she disrupted the story.

"She had started to wander around, looking for something familiar. She stumbled as she smelled something foul and walked in another direction, but that was also something foul. She turned and walked on and turned again until her nose couldn't pick up any horrible smells. She walked in that direction until she came across a tiny white bloom.

"She picked the flower and started to walk randomly, but the foul smell appeared again. She turned until she couldn't smell it again and walked in that direction. After some time, another pleasant smell brought her to another tiny white bloom. She picked it up again, thinking it would be a nice gift for her mother.

Following the gentle smell and the tiny white blooms, she returned to the village she was from. She told the story to her mother, who dismissed it carelessly at first.

The tiny white blooms turned out to have significant medicinal effects as her mother was ill. She made tea for her mother using the little white bloom. Everybody said that she was too sick and wouldn't survive, but after drinking that tea. She started to get better at a rapid rate.

None believed that she had gotten lost in the forest, and none believed the story of the white blooms. But the recovery of the mother proved them wrong.

The child was templed as a heretic and chased out of the village with her mother.

Several years later, a woman named Tika made a book of that day, which turned into a children's tale.

Both survived, and Tika is the first ancestor of the Gulden family."

She finished the story and looked at the flowers placed on the table. The very first one looked to be a tiny white bloom.

She couldn't believe her eyes. 'Did I just tell a story of that same bloom? The Legendary bloom that can cure most ailments.'

She shook her head and looked at the other plants. They weren't just the flowers. Some were poisonous, some were good for healing, and some were best to make the food taste better. Some even looked like typical plants or were utterly useless for human consumption as they did nothing. Many, she couldn't recognize at all.

"The story, where did you hear about it?" Liam was curious about that too.

"My grandmother used to be part of the Gulden family servants."

"Oh, the Gulden family, are they important in this area?"

"No, sir, they occupied a part of the Easter continent, a branch family of the Eastern ruler, the Latner family. But, sir, why do you look like this?" Liona looked at Liam and saw an ugly expression.

"The Latner family?" he tried to clear the expression but failed spectacularly.

"Yes, that was what I said." she was confused by his reaction.

"Then who rules this continent?"

"The Greenvaults," the woman said, not understanding why a noble would ask something like this. He should know this, then why was he asking that of her? To test her knowledge, perhaps.

The woman could practically see the weight that fell from him as he sighed.

"Do the Greenvault or the Latners have a specific feature?"

"Yes. Both families pride themselves on blood purity and use different methods to keep it that way. Well, you could say that they are opposites. One is white while the other is black-haired, but the strongest feature is their eyes and horns. Both have the opposite colored horns."

The woman could see the ugly smile that had formed on his face. She was a bit scared by that, but as it wasn't directed at her, she felt fine continuing the job she was supposed to for the man.

"I'm sorry, I can only identify about half of them," she had turned her attention back to the table as it seemed like the man had finished with his questions.

"Hah! That's much better than I thought."

Liam had to focus hard on her words at the moment. 'The names! Why the fuck are they so damn similar?' he cursed in his head.

"Hmph! Don't underestimate us country folk," she said proudly.

"I won't dare," he hastily backed up, raising his hands. He was struggling internally to stay focused on the present.

She started to make a list of them. She checked some of them from the books they had here. Liam asked if he could read the books, trying to find some clues or just to distract himself, he wasn't sure, but he got an affirmative answer. So he hastily started reading the spines. Trying to look for some basic knowledge of the place. He found something similar: this library only held books about plants and other related means.

An hour passed in this relaxed manner that Liam even forgot where he was and why he was there.

"Huh? What is that on your face?" she asked, genuinely curious to see something she hadn't seen before. "Ah? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she suddenly remembered that this was someone with influence and she shouldn't talk like that.

"I don't mind. Those are glasses. I won't go cross-eyed reading like that." he joked. But, of course, there wasn't a reason for him to wear those. It was just out of habit now.

"Is that a luxury meant for nobility?" she asked, confused.

"I... I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Many people can't see right, but eyesight is important everywhere, and we can't use people who can't see. And those people are used as cannon fodder when beasts attack. After all, the beasts are big, and you can't miss them like that, but ... " she left it unfinished.

"..." Liam didn't say anything. 'So, this world is a bit barbaric.' It wasn't time for him to intervene. He hadn't seen anything inhuman as of yet. He knew he would do something. Right now, he was just too new here. He needed more information. He couldn't ask as these people thought him to be a noble. He now had some understanding that he could use for himself. He could say and somewhat even prove that he was a noble. The only problem for him would be that he could be considered a top-tier Noble, which he did not want. What should he do about this?

The door burst open, and a flurry of activity ran across the room, stopping Liam's line of thoughts. Its eyes landed on Liam as he ran to him.

"Stop!" he yelled in panic. "How the heck did you end up like that?"

Yong-Sun stopped in front of him. Liam knew it was him but couldn't recognize him under all that grime.

Yong-Sun stood there like a statue, unable to say anything.

Someone burst out laughing after that. Liam looked over to find Liona holding her stomach, looking like she hadn't laughed like that in ages.

Liam frowned, not understanding.

"You-You said-To say-Hahaha-Goodbye," she couldn't seem to hold her laughter but managed to say those words.

"They initiated me. They performed a Naming Ceremony," a shy voice answered after a moment. Liam had to look twice to understand that the voice came from Yong-Sun.

"Does that ceremony include you being dipped entirely in someone's shit?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I was dipped in a tank of water, but I later stumbled and fell in some of the natural fertilizer," His head was down in embarrassment.

"That explains the smell then," sigh, "Can he clean up somewhere here, or do I need to take him across the city like that?"

"He should know that he could wash most of the filth off in the sinks, but he has already done that," she answered now that she seemed to have calmed herself down.

"Then, why is he still covered in it?"

"Cold water won't take it off."

"Damn it! Sit on the ground and do not touch anything," Liam said to Yong-Sun and got up. "How much did you figure out?"

"Like I told you, about half. Here is the list. I didn't change the order of the plants."

"Thank you," he started to collect the plants, placing them as he had taken them from his book. "May I have this?" he referred to the list. Liona nodded, and he put the list just after that last plant. He fumbled for a moment and gave the woman a pouch.

"Thank you for this," he pointed at the book he was holding and nodded at Yong-Sun. He got up, and Liam handed the woman a pouch. "Think of it as thank you and a reward, and I won't take it back, so use it well," he turned and left with Yong-Sun.

"Wait, take this!" she called him back and took a book from the shelf, handing it to him. "I don't know why, but I feel like you will need this," she said after Liam took the book. Without looking, he put it in one of those pouches.

"Thank you!" and they left.

She waved them goodbye, holding the pouch. After some time, she opened it and was struck dumb. Fifty silver coins! If she wanted, she could buy someone's freedom. She had saved up enough, but what use would it be? What could she do with a fortune like that? She was left to wonder.

Several streets away, Liam noticed the flies' sudden shift in strategy.

"Yong-Sun, the flies are descending. Hide. Plug your ears and close your eyes."

Yong-Sun didn't move after those words.

"Stubborn fool," Liam muttered, pulled the two soft plugs, and stuffed them in his ears, blindfolding him a moment later. Then he tossed the kid over his back.

Yong-Sun's legs automatically wrapped around his waist while his hands did the same around Liam's neck.