Chapter 43: Mana Stones

Hutson forced a small smile and said, "Not much better than you guys, barely found anything."

Miken, who had been sweating profusely from exhaustion, seemed relieved at that answer. "That's normal. It's your first time—you'll get better at it."

Hutson nodded absentmindedly, though his mind was elsewhere.

He glanced at his storage ring—inside lay fifty-five Sleeping Mushrooms.

And with them, a potential problem.

If he turned in this many at once, it would be far too suspicious.

Few, if any, apprentices could harvest this many in a single day—it would definitely draw attention.

"I need to be discreet about this."

Exchanging them all at once would invite questions. Splitting them into five separate trades might lessen suspicion, but it would still attract notice if done too quickly.

Still, waiting too long wasn't an option—he needed mana stones now.