Bab 16: Rhandus Flowering Grass
Byron J Mallory sat in his office writing a record of the events of the last day. He reread his most recent line: "The current Reinhold is either the product of a complicated delusion implanted by a terrifying entity or a miracle of fate sent to save our family. Either way, the entity responsible has horrifying means."
Byron rubbed his left wrist. For the last year, this arm would go numb each night and he would feel sharp pricks in it each day. He never told anyone about this. Yet, today the boy pointed it out! According to Reinhold, in his memories, Byron would die in two or three years due to this strange disease that first manifests in the left arm. He also proposed the cause and a cure for it.
One part Fairy Lemon Juice and two parts Violet Crystal Nightshade Dust. Consume while circulating Qi according to the <Valiant Lotus: Third Meditative Stance.> (1)
This treatment made sense considering the proposed cause of his illness: A flaw in the Mallory family's <Ten Tundra's Ice Circulation Technique,> which caused a blockage in the lymph nodes. The offending blockage and Qi could be mitigated by the prescription. The fairy lemon juice could stimulate the lymph flow and the soft yet abrasive particles in the violet crystal nightshade dust could deliver the <Valiant Lotus's> fiery Qi to eradicate the buildup without complication.
Furthermore, the punitively flawed technique entered the family's library in Byron's generation, and testing it was only recently completed. He was also the farthest along in cultivating it. Flaws that take years to manifest like this are rare but also a real possibility.
Byron finished writing: "I will keep him in my care for now. His knowledge of cultivation, alchemy, and the supposed future is remarkable. I will learn this knowledge myself and for now, I better keep his existence a secret."
* * * * *
I arrived at the estate a month ago. My former family will take a while to trust me— they even have me wearing a mask to hide my identity.
They brought an expert to remove my slave collar a few days ago, however, the expert could only change the ownership and remove the pain function. He could not remove the collar altogether. Thanks to the truthstone I had in my pocket at the time, I know the expert was not lying. It only adds more questions about who put this collar on this body. Granduncle Byron believes the Malbec fellow constructed a special collar with a tracking and life monitoring function.
Shaking my head, I finish pulling out various common herbs from the storeroom. Granduncle Byron will come for me, so I can instruct him on alchemy later in the day. His ability has improved greatly under my instruction... But why does it feel so wrong to be a little boy teaching a relative of my grandfather's generation?
Oh well. I finally have this! I pull out a prescription for a high-level herb signed by Granduncle Byron. I walk to the vault— they don't trust me enough for me to enter it myself— and hand the prescription to a guard. The guard rings a bell and soon Ronald appears reading the note.
He confirms, "Oh yes, His Honor mentioned this to me."
The guard and Ronald take out a key each which they place into the door and turn simultaneously. Creek! The door opens a crack. Ronald slips inside and the door thunks closed
Soon a rhythmic knocking prompts the guard to reinsert his key and the door opens.
"Here." Ronald drops a beautiful potted Rhandus Flowering Grass into my hand.
"[Careful! Careful! Don't bruise me!]" the words appear to be coming from the Rhandus Flowering Grass.
It can talk! Or, I should say, only I can understand it!
Excited, I rush back down the hall. If I wasn't wearing a mask the butler and guard would have been shocked by my expression.
"Don't run in the halls child," yells Ronald at my back. He still hasn't come to terms with the idea that I— a child— am his master's teacher.
Although I don't have a truly private place, the guards never stop watching me, the fountain in the inner courtyard can mask my whispering voice. I don't even need to conceal my lip movements due to my mask.
What sort of knowledge might a spirit herb have?
"Hello, Rhandus Flowering Grass."
"Human, I would like to drink fine dew under the moonlight"
"Uh..." This spirit is straight to the point. "Do you regularly converse with others?"
"You are the first human. However, I've talked with some relative spirit plants. Even unawakened plants can send messages through the air."
"Regular plants send messages through the air?"
"Yes, you can smell the pheromones."
Smell is not an enhanced sense for me. No surprise— I can't understand what regular plants say.
"What sort of knowledge do you have?" I ask the Rhandus Flowering Grass spirit."
"My knowledge is focused on the parts of my body. I also remember the place I gained a spirit before being brought here."
"Ever heard of alchemy?"
"No, can I have moonlight dew now?"
Although discovering a new application for my abilities excites me... The application is not very useful. At most, it could act as a supplement when raising spirit plants. Perhaps if the grade and spirit of the herbs are stronger, conversing with them will yield more practical information.
As the conversation devolves due to the spirit plant's lack of knowledge I notice Granduncle Byron bustling in my direction with a ream of documents.
It's too early for lessons so something unusual is clearly going on.
"Reinhold! We've received a shipment of unidentified artifacts from Alphonso's Plain. Please, follow me and see if you can identify them."
In his hurry, he didn't question why I was examining an herb near the fountain.
This sort of excitement is rare in the estate! I jump up and follow. "How far has the expedition reached?"
In his business tone Granduncle Byron replies, "Sorry, this needs to remain confidential for now."
I frown. I don't have any contact with the outside. Why does he worry about me spilling the info?
I'm led through several unfamiliar rooms and down a set of stairs past a heavily-fortified iron formation-door. The door is shut. A large wheel like the helm of a ship spins in place locking it.
My eyes adjust to the light. Several long tables are stacked with items. Each item sits on a label with some sort of code possibly indicating where it was found. There are jade slips, books, ornate boxes, metal spheres with runes, various magical-looking weapons, and on the far table a mixture of rare alchemy ingredients.
"Let's start with these." Byron motions to the alchemy ingredient table.
I recognize most of them. It's the other items I may not understand.
* * * * *
While Reinhold was appraising items Duke Fairchild arrived at the gates to Byron's seething with anger.
"You dogs of the Mallory family! What have you done with my prisoner, Reinhold?"
The guards atop the gate recognized the Duke but remained silent.
The Captain came forward shouting, "Surely there's been a mistake." At the same time, he sent a man back to inform the higher-ups of the estate.
"I have it on good authority that you took my prisoner out of the dungeon. The only place you could take him is here. Let me in at once. If I search the estate and find nothing I will apologize to old Byron," the Duke Bellowed.
Soon, Butler Ronald appeared at the scene. "You call us dogs, but you seem to be the one barking. Why must the Mallory family drop its face for an equal ranked family?"
"Lord Mallory may be a Duke, but the Honorable Byron is not one. Let him respect the hierarchy and let me in! I'll give you five minutes if you fail to listen to orders don't blame me for using force!"
(1) Technique names in my novel will be written inside less than and greater than symbols for clarity. eg "<Technique>"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
NitrogenousBeing
NitrogenousBeing The convo I wrote originally. (I don't hate systems only bad stories.)
Hi, Rhandus Flowering Grass!
Stupid human, I inherited the Maximal Strongest Peak Apex Godly System Greater Than Mount Tai and will rule the world!
...What's a System?
I'm only joking. I've never communicated before. For my sanity, I imagined I had no redeemable character, so I got a system to make me God for no reason and without any effort... It's a best seller!
That's dumb/insane.
It is... The current trend is Paths.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone