Trust Circle

Upon hearing Theron, they also heard a few chirps. However, they could not figure out where it was coming from.

When Theron reached them, he saw where they were looking and he also screamed in excitement.

"Ginseng?! A lot?!"

"Yeah, and we were wondering, if this was an unexplored area, then how old would the ginsengs here be? Also, how old is this mountain then? And if we have hundreds-of-years-old ginsengs here, how much time do we need to carefully unearth one?"

"Hmmm…" The three fell into silence once again.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp…"

"Where is that bird, or pheasant or whatever?" Meara snapped.

Suddenly Theron seemed to have remembered something.

"Oh, I need you guys to be calm. I saw these unique birds hidden in an inconspicuous grotto near here when I was returning." He reached into his bag but remembered to just go into the large rock where their things were left earlier.

The two followed him and they gathered at the big stone.

Theron reached in and slowly revealed a bird whose color suddenly turned from black to skin tone. He carefully put it down in the grass and it turned green.

Meara and Calla froze. They were afraid the bird would be scared.

Theron put out the steamed bun which was barely eaten. The bird then showed its true color.

The bird is thrice larger than a quail and a bit smaller than a chicken, with a bright orange-yellow body, a crimson red neck that looks like a necklace, a crimson plume on top of its head, a white beak, and distinct three-finger-long tails in gold, silver, and bronze colors. It's like walking jewelry of some sort looking at it from the back.

It seems to drop its defenses when eating. Hence, they can see its beauty in full view.

"Do you have a book on rare animals too…?" Calla whispered to Meara.

"No…" Meara whispered back. She slowly sat on the stone. She was tired from squatting.

"Do you have an elderly you can ask?" Calla asked Theron.

"I'm living alone." He raised his hands in surrender and asked Calla back. "You can ask your mother right?"

"Okay, I will check if she has heard of any bird like this. On second thought... honestly, we can only ask trustworthy people right?" Calla also slowly sat on the stone.

The three were silent once again.

"Yes… it may raise suspicion or capture the hearts of bad people." Meara agreed.

"It looks like an elegant version of a quail… I don't think it flies like a bird either. At least not that high…?" Meara commented.

"Actually, there were others inside the grotto but this is the only one nearest, that I can hear, which ate my bun so I was able to capture it when it showed itself," Theron admitted.

"How about we get the others? I mean, how about we raise it until we know what it is and maybe we can sell it too? I wonder what its eggs taste like...?" Meara suggested.

Calla skillfully made a simple cute little cage for the bird using reeds nearby.

Theron continued feeding it.

The three went on their lunch while discussing how to unearth one ginseng.

By logic, one should be at least 200 years old. It might be a meter deep and careful uprooting is necessary. It should take hours. They plan to work on twos and maybe time will be lessened.

They looked at the 1st one to excavate. Theron loosened the surrounding soil first. Meara carefully brushed her hands gently revealing the seemingly intertwined roots on the side. The rhizome looks endless and the main root should be further down below. The soil is easy to dig. Meara only took 5 minutes to dig a foot and it gets easier as she gets deeper. In fifteen minutes she fully exposed almost one meter-long ginseng with tail roots and fiber roots all intact. Upon counting the stem or neck scars, it was a staggering 226 years old! She was dazed while looking at Theron who was holding the body while she counted. He then carefully wrapped it in wax paper and put it in his bag.

Calla on the other hand also started walking towards one of the ginsengs 6 meters away from them.

"Hey Calla, wait, don't! Come back here first!" Meara called her back. Calla went back obediently.

"The ginseng we found is beyond our expectations and very eye-catching. I'm afraid it can cause an uproar, and we three may not be safe if suddenly there are ginsengs this old in the market all of a sudden." Meara explained.

"I agree. We're all together on this expedition. One is an unfavored concubine of the Kingdom's General, one is a very young servant girl, and the third is a hunter. Let's be honest, we're like the outcasts of society. We need to handle this discreetly and meticulously." Theron seconded Meara.

"What, wait. I get Calla and me. How come you compare to us?" Meara innocently asked.

"Well, as a hunter… I kill. I have blood on my hands. My livelihood revolves around killing. Some people see that as ominous."

"Ohhhh…" Meara and Calla both reacted slowly.

"We need to discuss this. Pharmacy or Rich people? When are we going to the city? How much information are we willing to share with outsiders?"

Theron continued.

"You two, you're the closest person to me so I trust you two. I have no family, but you two do. I need you to promise me this secret is between us three."

"My father ran away. My supposed husband technically isn't my husband and treats me as property more than a human being. This circle of ours has more strength than my current relationships. So I promise you can trust me." Meara promised.

"I have a family, yes. But I need your guidance since I am so young. I trust you won't betray me just because I am not that mature yet." Calla said.

"Come on, we're like siblings 3 years apart. No hierarchy though, okay? Everything's split evenly. What do you think, Theron?" Meara looked at Theron.

"Fine with me. The ginseng, we need to decide. If our goal is a bit of money, I'm using the term bit here loosely, pharmacy is the way to go. They can research this to their heart's content and will revere this I am sure. However, if we go through the auction house, this will create a huge wave. The rich and nobles will or might kill for this. We should lay low after it's sold and we cannot harvest ginseng again for a while. I know of trustworthy people from an auction house who can help hide my identity." Theron narrated.

"If your life will not be in danger and the auction people can hide your identity, I suggest we auction off the ginseng. We can sell other medicinal herbs in the pharmacy. It will ensure our future, especially Calla's." Meara looked at Calla and sincerely advised her, "You should choose a capable man for your husband in the future."

Calla blushed and nodded. "But I will enhance my family's living conditions first if I can. My mom has suffered for so long and my sister needs to have a better childhood."

"We'll help each other okay?" Meara comforted her.

The three reached a consensus on trust.

"Meara, I think you can plant the berries of the ginseng? Can you check the book? Let's finish here and I will show you where I found the mysterious bird." Theron suggested.

"Alright". Meara flipped through the book and found the instructions on how to plant a replacement for the ginseng they just dug.

The planting is as simple as sowing the ripened berries from the plant and planting them where the previous root was removed. They also found a clearer patch of soil where they can plant far from other ginsengs. Theron found three long sticks and engraved the date on its end. He stuck these three sticks on each planted seed. They also kept other seeds and planned to stratify them and plant them somewhere else in this area.

The three started to pack up.