Fate Online: Shadow

Michael opened his eyes and what he saw was the familiar garden full of herbs and flowers, along with a small house beside it.

You have arrived inside a sealed space. All communications are blocked inside.

Those words came floating in front of Michael, he just ignored it and swiped it to the side and started walking towards the direction of the small house with a smile on his face.

While Michael is making his way over to the house, he suddenly halted in his tracks as he suddenly spotted something from the corner of his eye.

It was a bunch of red flowers growing on the opposite edge of the garden from where he’s standing, and Michael hurriedly made his way over.

"This...aren’t they blood orchids?" Michael was amazed and at the same time confused at the fact that he didn’t see this flowers before when he first came here.

[Epic] Blood Orchids

A very rare herb that can grow to any climate. In the prerequisite that the soil was soaked in different kinds of blood. Hence their name.

A very important ingredient for monsters or beast who are on the verge of their evolution or for concocting high grade elixirs.

"I heard that my brother asked you to look for Blood Orchids"

"Ahh! Teacher!"

An elderly voice suddenly sounded behind Michael, which truly startled him as he didn’t even notice that someone is standing behind him.

Behind Michael was an old lady with silver like hair standing before him.

"So, did you manage to find one so far?" Sage Laura asked as she gestured towards Michael to follow her.

"I only learned their general locations so far teacher and haven’t managed to acquire even a single blood orchid so far" Michael quickly took off his hood and replied.

"So what is it that you came all the way here to see me? Are you here to ask me to give you a Blood Orchid?" Sage Laura said with a laugh, as she walked through the small steps and arrived at the front door of her house.

"Well, only if you want to" Michael laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

If Miya and the others were here, then they would probably be dumbfounded watching Michael’s action that looks like a kid who was discovered doing something bad.

"You wish little brat" Laura laughed, as she entered her house, followed by Michael.

"Actually, I also came to see you teacher because I wanted to know what would happen when a beast eats a fragment of an evolution crystal" Michael said, as he then summoned his Dual Horned Elemental Rabbit, Aran.

"Arodan!"

The rabbit quickly jumped towards one of Michael’s shoulders, as it started to curiously looked around his new surroundings. Then when its gaze locked at the figure of Sage Laura, it suddenly trembled before looking away, not daring to meet Laura’s gaze.

"Ohh, it’s actually the Empyrean Beast, the Jade Rabbit" Laura said with a bit of amazement in her voice, while her chin is resting in one of her hands.

Laura looked at Michael and said, "So this is the one you were just telling me that ate a fragment of an evolution crystal?"

"Yes" Micahel said.

Laura turned around with her back facing Michael, and then she shrugged off her shoulders and said, "It’s fine, its their trait. An Empyrean Beast like the Dragons doesn’t need to go through the process of preparing the ingredients for an evolution, and in exchange, they would need to consume a lot of of evolution crystals along the way until a.d.u.l.thood. So if you want your little rabbit to grow fast and strong, make sure it eats a lot of Evolution Crystals, and the higher the quality, the better it is for their growth"

"If that’s all, then you take your leave now as I still want to get some beauty rest" Laura said, as she started brewing some tea in a kettle

"This..." Michael started scratching the back of his head, as he tried to say something.

Laura looked at him with sharp eyes and said, "You...don’t tell me that you’re really planning on asking me to give you some of those Blood Orchids"

"Not really give Teacher, but more like lending it to me?" Michael suggested with a nervous laughed when he noticed his teacher’s slowly darkening look.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Laura started tapping one of her fingers on the table in front of her.

"How much are you selling them for?" Laura asked as she sat on her chair, while Michael just stood there at the living room facing her.

"Ten thousand gold coins a piece for Ralf, and fifteen thousand a piece for General Brigham" Michael said, as he didn’t dare to lie in front of her.

"Brigham? That old dog?" Laura asked, as she was a bit surprised that her student actually stumbled upon an old friend of hers.

*****

"So, you’re telling me that you met him just after you are finished with the expedition?’ Laura said.

"Yes teacher. I also met his daughter called Garona" Michael replied.

"I’m pretty sure he was trying hard to make his daughter acquainted with you?" Laura laughed.

"Yes, he constantly..." Michael then told her how Brigham constantly brings the name of his daughter into their conversation even though she’s already present, and how he constantly gave him hints to pursue her.

"And it seems she likes me though"

Michael remembered the way Garona looked at him, especially when he had taken off his hood. He’s not someone with a low EQ, so he knows that the woman likes him, but he’s not someone who would be interested in a woman who would immediately like a man on their first meeting.

After all, people like Garona tends to have superficial feelings towards their partners if they were that easy to like someone from the opposite s.e.x.

What women would Michael prefer are someone like Jenny. Michael once or maybe even twice already saved her, but Michael never saw anything in her eyes that indicates that she likes him.