"You actually tried to control a group of free people?"
"That's just ridiculously absurd."
Absurd?
Yes—it truly was absurd.
Arya could not help but nod in agreement as she read the message. Leaving aside the very small number of legitimate survivors like herself—people who had managed to stay clean and avoid crimes—just looking at the criminals alone was enough to understand how impossible that idea was.
Every one of those people believed that the heavens came first, the earth came second, and they themselves came third. They followed no rules, respected no authority, and cared only about their own survival and profit.
Unless tens of thousands of people across the entire map willingly signed servitude contracts with that fellow named Sherlock, it was completely unrealistic to expect any form of unified organization to emerge.
Otherwise, forget about uniting everyone—just maintaining basic order would already be a miracle.
Perhaps it was precisely because this proposal touched upon everyone's personal interests that many people began launching indiscriminate personal attacks against Boda, the person who had put forward that terrible idea. The regional channel quickly devolved into a battlefield of insults, sarcasm, and verbal abuse.
After watching the chaos for a while, Arya found it increasingly uninteresting. She was just about to pick up her book when her eyes accidentally caught sight of a newly appeared channel. It sat quietly between the regional channel and her friends list, as if it had always been there.
The name of the channel was simple yet striking:
[Karim High Council]
Arya paused slightly. Curious, she reached out and tapped it.
Immediately, a warning window popped up on her Magic Desk.
"Prompt: Private channel. Only those with permission or invitation may enter."
"Oh?"
Arya raised an eyebrow.
So it wasn't just talk after all.
At the very least, the people behind this Karim High Council possessed the authority—or resources—needed to open a private channel. That alone gave them a certain degree of legitimacy, even if it was limited.
In a world like this, authority was never abstract. If you had power, others would acknowledge you. If you didn't, no one would listen, no matter how loud you shouted.
"Hmm…"
Arya suddenly recalled something.
Among the tool rewards she had received earlier, there had been an item called a [Channel Activation Card]. At the time, she hadn't paid much attention to it. The name didn't seem related to alchemy or potion-making, so she had simply skimmed past it.
Now, however, it seemed obvious that this item was meant for opening channels like this one.
Judging by the fact that it was a C-rank item, it was likely part of the fifty-eight S-rank scoring rewards—just like hers.
Using such a valuable opportunity simply to activate a private channel… that required either courage or confidence. Possibly both.
After giving the channel one last glance, Arya withdrew her attention and returned to her book.
Although she also wanted to go upstairs and lie down while reading, the magic broom was still at work. It was its very first time operating, and Arya wasn't in a hurry to interrupt it.
She wanted to see exactly how well it performed.
After all, this was her first time using something like this. If she didn't familiarize herself with its capabilities now, it would be a waste of resources later.
Half an hour later, the magic broom floated down from the second floor. It moved smoothly through the air, returned to the spot where Arya had first activated it, and then fell to the ground with a soft thud.
"Oh?"
Arya blinked.
"So it has an automatic return function. That's quite nice."
She picked up the broom, leaned it carefully against the wall, and then went upstairs to inspect its work.
And honestly—
Compared to herself, the magic broom had cleaned far more thoroughly.
Not only had it swept and dusted the interior, it had even cleaned the second-floor balcony, removing fallen leaves, dust, and debris that had accumulated over time.
Arya stood there for a moment, hands on her hips, surveying the spotless surroundings.
One word came to mind.
Satisfied.
Feeling that she had made the right decision, Arya took a quick shower after checking everything one last time. Then she climbed into bed and resumed reading, her mind finally at ease.
The next morning, after carefully washing all the harvested herbs, Arya spread them out neatly across the second-floor balcony. The sunlight was gentle, perfect for drying medicinal materials.
She then placed Gang Emima on the balcony railing.
"Listen carefully," Arya said seriously, tapping Gang Emima's beak with her finger. "You need to watch these things properly and make sure they don't get blown away by the wind. Understand?"
"Chirp—"
Gang Emima responded obediently, though her eyes kept drifting toward Arya, clearly sensing something was off.
After lunch, Arya began preparing to leave.
The moment Gang Emima realized that Arya was planning to go out again—and without taking her along—she immediately opened her mouth and bit Arya's finger.
"Ouch."
Arya flicked her hand lightly, shaking her off.
"Go away, go away," she said dismissively. "Little kids shouldn't get involved in adult matters."
She had no intention of indulging her.
After all, Gang Emima was still young. She couldn't even fly properly yet. Taking her outside would only increase the risk—and possibly turn her into someone else's meal again.
With that thought in mind, Arya stepped onto the balcony and flew off.
Today, she was heading out with a clear objective.
She wanted to begin searching for D-rank medicinal materials.
If possible, she hoped to attempt brewing D-rank potions or elixirs. Even if she failed, the experience alone would be invaluable.
Of course, the most important reason was that Basic Herbalism contained no records of D-rank herbs.
She needed to identify them herself.
This trip was primarily about recognition—learning their appearance, habitat, and characteristics—and collecting as many samples as possible to bring back.
Compared to digging them up slowly on her own, purchasing them later from Roy would naturally be far more efficient.
That man had managed to develop subordinates even when there were only ten thousand people on the map. Now that the population had increased to tens of thousands, his business operations would only become more expansive.
There was also the option of posting requests directly in the shop.
But doing that would only waste her time.
Things like acquisition and logistics were best left to professionals. Arya only needed to focus on making potions.
And she had to admit—
This decision proved to be the right one.
By evening, Arya returned fully loaded.
Within the Abandoned Forest alone, she had discovered more than a dozen types of D-rank medicinal materials. These included Tribulus terrestris, menthol, dark grass, plantain seeds, safflower, and Sophora flavescens.
And this was just one area.
If she were to explore the entire Abandoned Land, she might find many more. After all, the terrain now included beaches, river valleys, mountains, and lakes. With such diverse environments, different kinds of medicinal herbs were bound to exist.
Still, this thought was nothing more than a luxury.
Arya knew her limits.
Her current range of activity was only so large. Venturing any further would significantly increase the danger. Worse yet, she couldn't even guarantee that she could make a round trip in a single day.
Although the Mana Tide had already passed, the night remained filled with countless unknown threats.
And Arya had no intention of gambling her life.
Or rather, she refused to take risks for uncertain returns.
Roy replied almost instantly when Arya sent him the herb samples.
Roy: "Is this all?"
Arya could almost imagine his tone through the text.
She replied calmly.
Arya: "For now, yes. I can't go to other areas of the Abandoned Land, and I have no way of knowing what medicinal materials are out there."
Roy: "Leave it to me. I'll have people collect herbs in other areas."
He continued.
Roy: "It's nothing more than grabbing wild plants while hunting and bringing them back for identification. Not much trouble."
Roy had clearly done this kind of thing before. His response was confident, decisive, and without hesitation.
Arya: "Alright. I'll update my personal homepage later. Once you have people collecting herbs, they can check it for reference."
Roy: "Same format as before?"
Arya: "Yes. It's convenient."
After that, Arya ended the brief conversation and turned her full attention to the herbs she had brought back.
She began by taking clear photos of each herb, carefully documenting their appearance, leaf structure, color variations, and growth patterns. At the same time, she wrote down their distinguishing features on her personal homepage.
This way, anyone collecting herbs on her behalf could identify them more intuitively.
Of course, this wasn't just for others.
Arya was also making backups for herself.
These records weren't limited to the Magic Desk. She had purchased numerous notebooks and writing tools, keeping detailed handwritten notes as well.
After all, there was no guarantee that items like the Magic Desk wouldn't disappear someday—just like treasure chests had vanished in the past.
Once she finished documenting the characteristics, appearances, and relevant details of all the herbs, Arya finally let out a long breath.
Only then did she sit down, gather the samples, and begin studying them in earnest.
The real work had just begun.
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