CHAPTER 96: LINER MISSION

For a proud half-dragon, carrying dragon blood in her veins, becoming a human’s slave was shameful beyond words.

From the start, Hilda resolved to prove her worth, to show such skill and competence that her master would be astonished, so she would never be treated like common slaves.

But in the end, she was the one astonished. From Gara and Wina, she learned the meaning of true leadership, and what it meant to care for those beneath you.

Her new master wasn’t only brilliant with herbs and leading people, his marketing ability was even sharper than hers.

Hilda had been a follower all her life, never a leader. What she wanted was not to command, but to find the right leader worth following.

Now, she was determined to become the most dependable subordinate Gara could ever ask for.

...

In front of the Tulip inn, Wina flicked a tiny green seed into the air. The street was quiet, and no one saw the shimmering dome of light that wrapped around that very Inn.

"Mom, I’ll take a walk around the market," Gara said as he stepped out with Madha.

"Are you sure it’s safe?" Wina asked, worry clear in her voice.

"The beastkin powder I used is still working, Mom. I’ll be fine."

Wina knew better than anyone how powerful that powder was. During the old chase, it was thanks to that powder she had managed to bring Gara away from the druids.

"Alright," she said softly. "But still, be careful."

It had been nearly ten months since Gara last set foot in the busy streets of Falopo Town. Everything felt unfamiliar, though to him this town had always been foreign.

"I want to check what kinds of seeds they’re selling here," Gara said.

"I know a shop that carries just about everything," Madha replied, leading the way.

Along the road, Gara’s eyes caught all sorts of unusual sights, especially the glowing heart icons hovering above nearly every person’s head.

Back in the village, the only heart icon he ever saw was Fian’s, slowly ticking upward day by day. Not as high as Madha’s yet, but far above anyone else’s.

It felt weird to see this much heart icon.

They passed by the mayor’s office just as a black-robbed woman stepped outside. She looked familiar.

The woman spotted Gara and Madha and approached with a smile.

"Long time no see, Gara," she greeted warmly. It was Kala. "Are you finally here to take your initial mission?"

Gara returned the greeting but didn’t answer her question.

Kala seemed to take his silence as a yes and continued, "The mission at Bota Village I once recommended to you is still available. They’re still in desperate need of a Liner with water-based Talent."

Gara remembered that mission. He also knew where Bota Village was, northward, the same direction they were already headed.

Madha was about to cut in with an excuse to end the conversation, but Gara suddenly asked, "Madam Kala, has the situation there gotten worse?"

"You’re right, it has," Kala sighed. "There’s no clean water left. At first everyone thought the contamination came from a landslide, but even after the dry season began and almost no rain came, the water remained poisoned.

"There have already been many casualties. Some villagers have abandoned the place entirely."

Gara hadn’t expected things to be that dire. But...

"Then the village must be nearly empty by now?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Kala nodded. "Only those without relatives elsewhere, or those unwilling to part with their ancestors’ land, are still holding on.

Ironically, the place feels busier only because of all the Liners coming in and the town guards stationed there."

"The town guards too?" Gara’s brow arched.

Kala leaned closer and lowered her voice. "The contamination itself is... suspicious. The guards are there to monitor the traffic. Nothing is being ruled out. The County even sent in an investigation team."

"Since Bota Village is under Falopo Town’s jurisdiction, that means the guards there are from here, right?"

She nodded.

"In that case," Gara said abruptly, "I think I’ll take the mission."

Kala brightened, clearly pleased. Madha, however, looked utterly baffled.

After a quick chat, they parted ways and continued on toward the seed shop.

"You’re really going to accept that mission?" Madha finally asked once they were out of sight.

Gara nodded firmly. "I’m thinking of staying there. It’s a quiet village, sparsely populated, protected by town guards who also serve under Uncle Tristan.

And it’s still within County Raksa’s jurisdiction. That saves us the trouble of dodging druids from other counties.

As for the other Liners, that’s fine. I’ll just keep pretending to be a werewolf or some other beastkin. They’re the ones most often involved in cross-race marriages anyway. What do you think?"

Madha looked thoughtful. At first, he’d thought Bota Village was a terrible choice. The place was tightly guarded and constantly under watch.

But then again, perhaps that was the very reason unexpected incidents would be easier to handle. Especially with Captain Tristan overseeing it.

"I’m not too familiar with the situation there," he admitted. "But it doesn’t sound like a bad idea. We can go over the details with Captain Tristan later."

Gara gave a brief nod.

Not long after, they arrived at the seed shop Madha had mentioned. Gara bought a packet of every seed available, even rice. Its use was obvious, but he still wanted to experiment, hoping to find other applications.

He already had plenty of seeds from herbs growing in his own yard, but having more never hurt.

Still, it stung a little to leave behind the herb plot he had cared for so long. Some plants, like belladonna, took ages to grow. In their new place, he’d have to start all over again.

That evening, for the first time in nine months, Gara could finally taste freedom.

The beastkin powder pleased him the most. Unfortunately, the original powder was never meant as camouflage.

It was actually designed to leave a trail, something travelers used so they wouldn’t get lost in unfamiliar lands.

...