Single Spell Sorcerer-Chapter 132: The Celestial Bloom’s Purpose

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Chapter 132: The Celestial Bloom’s Purpose

Jax arrived at the hermit’s shop early in the morning, but found the front doors and windows locked. The place seemed completely deserted for something that was so lively during the afternoon and evening.

He went to the window and knocked on it. "Hello? Sir Wine. Are you there?"

"You’ve arrived? Great, It’s just about ready. Come inside," came the hermit’s voice from somewhere within, high-pitched and child-like as always.

The front door opened by itself, and Jax stepped inside. It was his first time inside the Wine Hermit’s shop, and as soon as he walked in, he could smell a hundred different odors, all ina a cacophony.

He went past the hallway and saw a door open at the end with some shadows moving inside. He walked in. A small cushion had been placed on the floor near the door, with another one placed a bit beyond.

"Sit there. I’ll be out in a second," the hermit’s voice came from another room.

Jax settled onto the cushion as instructed.

He looked around the room, made up of wood throughout, with no furniture or decorations of any sort. It was a barren room.

At least, it didn’t smell much.

He heard sounds from the door and turned.

An old man appeared, with a long gray beard and gray hair hiding inside a thin hat, carrying a steaming jar and two decently sized cups.

The old man placed the cups before Jax and walked over to the other cushion before sitting.

Jax’s eyes were wide in shock the entire time through. He had expected the hermit to be a child based on his voice, but it was clearly an old man.

And yet, the weirdest thing was its size. The hermit barely even came to Jax’s waist. It was so incredibly short.

"What species are you?" Jax asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"I’m a Nombian," the hermit replied matter-of-factly.

"A Nombian?"

"Yes."

Jax remained dazed. "I’ve never heard of Nombians before."

The hermit shrugged. "I’m not surprised. There aren’t many of us to begin with. If it helps you, we’re a close cousin to Gnomes in terms of species."

Jax wasn’t sure if that helped him a lot. Although, he had heard about Gnomes before, so there was that.

"What’s a Nombian, Gemma?" Jax asked in a whisper.

"A species of people, just like any other in the carriage. They were specifically created by the Navigator, so you won’t find them outside throughout the universe. There are also not many of them since most of their homeland was attacked and captured. A lot of them were killed in a genocide."

’Genocide?’ Jax thought with a frown. He hated the concept so very much. To kill entire groups of people, that was horrible.

While Jax was distracted, the Hermit poured hot liquid into both cups, and immediately Jax could smell the rich aroma of wine, though the alcohol content seemed faint.

Next, the hermit produced a single vial filled with blue liquid, clearly the result of his find yesterday. He poured a quarter of the vial into his own cup, then another quarter into Jax’s. He saved the rest.

Jax watched in fascination as the blue liquid swirled through the wine, creating patterns that almost seemed to glow. He could only imagine what incredible benefits such a rare and difficult-to-obtain ingredient would provide.

"Drink up," the hermit said, raising his own cup.

Jax nodded and took a swig. His eyes widened immediately. It was like his mouth had become a battlefield where flavors he’d never known existed were waging war, and every single one of them was winning.

He gulped down the liquid, and it left behind a pleasant coolness in his chest. For a moment, he forgot where he was entirely, overwhelmed by how good it tasted.

Without thinking, he immediately took another swig, feeling absolutely blessed to experience this.

"Slow down, or you’ll run out," the hermit warned gently.

Jax forced himself to savor the drink afterward, taking small sips and letting each one linger on his tongue. When he finally finished, he had to admit it was the best thing he’d ever consumed in his entire life.

"What does it do?" he asked as he placed down the empty cup.

The hermit looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"What does this concoction do?" Jax clarified.

"It tastes good."

"Yes, but what else does it do?"

"That’s it. It just tastes good."

Jax stared at him in surprise. "That’s it?"

The hermit shrugged. "What else did you want it to do? Didn’t it taste good?"

"It did, but I expected more given how difficult it was to get. I fought a boss monster for this."

"But it was worth it, wasn’t it?" the hermit asked.

Jax considered the question and nodded slowly. Despite his disappointment, he couldn’t deny the truth of it. "I’m quite sad I’ll never get to try it again, though."

The hermit noticed his disappointed expression and seemed to take pity on him. "Wait a moment. Let me give you something."

He disappeared into his back room and returned after a while, carrying a small object. He handed it to Jax.

It was a medallion with intricate writing that Jax couldn’t read. "If you ever want more of this drink, hand this medallion to any Nombian you come across in the above carriages, and they’ll take you to our homeland where you can find these flowers growing in everyone’s back garden. This tea there is just that readily available."

Jax looked at the medallion in surprise. "Is it that abundant in the upper carriages?"

"That and so much more."

Jax accepted the medallion gratefully and tucked it away into his Inventory. Should he ever wish for this tea again, he would have to find a Nombian it seemed.

He thanked the hermit and left the shop, still thinking about the taste of what he had consumed this morning. However, by the time he returned to the tavern, his mind already turned to the journey ahead.

It was time to finally leave Oak Village and venture the world outside.

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