The boys genuinely believed that throwing up after an intense workout would make them stronger, and Lucian didn't try to correct their way of thinking. He needed them to pull the wagons.
After ordering them to switch their roles with the sleeping horse inside their wagon, Lucian entered the wagon with his goodies.
Scanning the saplings and potted plants, he decided to show Leaf and the rest how to check on their health.
"Out-of-season flowers and fruit have a high demand among the nobles. They will pay any price to obtain them," Lucian said, "I'm hoping that we can breed even sweeter and more fragrant variations than the ones available in the market."
They had a long trip ahead of them, and Lucian needed to make the most out of their time.
"I don't understand…anything," Leaf said, scratching his head after Lucian explained to him the basics of cross-pollination and hybridizing.
"..." Lucian's mouth twitched.
Fishbone was the next to be taught.
"Pollination is a process that allows plants to reproduce..."
"..." Fishbone frowned, trying to concentrate on the potted flowers, "What part of a plant is male and which one is female again?"
Lucian's eye twitched.
The next one to try was Goblin, and it went even worse than he had anticipated. The kid was like a rock that couldn't absorb any water.
The last one was Jax, who didn't have the right attention span for the job.
'All the plants in the south are being wasted on these people.'
'...' Lucian wanted to smack his head against the wall of the wagon. He was a good negotiator, a good merchant, but teaching was not one of his strong points.
The boys didn't seem to be interested in the art of gardening and plant care. Manual work like pulling a wagon, yes, but not something that required care and patience.
'They can have fresh fruits all year round, but no, they would rather fight over a stupid golden rock that will make them rich.'
In the North, there were four seasons and a short summer. Winter lasted the longest. Spring and Autumn were only there in name. The plants that could grow in such harsh weather were limited.
'...' Lucian was getting more and more excited about his future greenhouses (trying to calm himself with the failed teaching season). He couldn't draw the designs, but he could clearly picture them in his head.
'Voice, imagine being able to have a cup of tea with a freshly picked mint leaf or a piece of fresh fruit in the middle of greenery... during winter.'
'Why should I?' Voice asked. It was as disinterested as the rest, giving Lucian no choice but to enjoy his hobby by himself.
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While the four boys sat at the front of the wagon, already recovering their strength through the sun's light, Lucian hid in the shade of the wagon, cooling himself with a wet towel on his forehead.
'Voice. Warn me if I fall asleep, I want to see the sunrise,' Lucian said, closing his eyes.
If it weren't for the Voice's ability, he would have died a long time ago.
Especially the first time he ventured into the Southern Alliance on his own and got sucked into a sandstorm for almost two months.
Lucian never experienced that type of hunger before or after that.
Begging for scraps and digging in the trash bins for food in the foreign town afterward was an experience that would haunt Lucian for the rest of his life.
It made him wonder why he was so persistent in going south. The answer to that question was simple: Celine Rochefort.
Her presence was everywhere in his life, always showing up when he least expected it.
"..." Lucian covered his eyes with the towel. It was too hot to think about her.
'She must have been promised to someone else by now.'
'Her father wouldn't let such an eligible bride sit around collecting dust, and she would have to accept. Especially if her partner has a high status.'
'What should I do?'
'I can't just barge into her wedding and kidnap her, can I?'
Lucian chuckled, imagining himself in a black suit, climbing the church walls, breaking through the glass to take Celine away before she could say "I do".
Lucian's laughter faded away when he realized that he would have to kill the groom, because the man would surely fight him for his bride.
The voice was silent, not bothering to comment. That boy loved to daydream to escape his reality, but it never went far enough for him to lose touch with it. A fantasy was not worth losing your life over. And yet, Lucian would still try to live in his fantasy world whenever he could.
'Can't I just poison him?'
The voice sighed, but Lucian didn't hear it. His mind was already thinking of ways to poison the poor groom.
"Boss?" Fishbone asked, pulling at the reins, "Which way?"
"Ah, right," Lucian used the Voice's eyes to point to the correct direction, "That way, past that hill."
'YOU BRAT,' the voice screeched at him, 'You are taking advantage of my kindness again.'
'Please, teach me more, Voice,' Lucian asked politely, his eyes still covered by the towel. It was hard figuring out the extent of the power on his own.
He had been wondering how Voice watched over him during sleep when his eyes were closed.
'You can't expect me not to be curious about the power you possess, Voice. You can read my mind. You know I will not misuse it. You can trust me.'
'...' the Voice was silent for a long time. So long, in fact, that Lucian fell asleep from exhaustion.
His body couldn't contain the ability for long periods of time. Even after trying to raise his endurance through regular training, the ability would still drain him quickly.
If only Voice revealed to him how to strengthen his body, he would.
"Boss!" Goblin's voice startled Lucian, causing him to jolt awake. The young boy peeked his head from the back of the wagon to look at him, "It's our turn to pull the wagon."
"..." Traveling with companions was not something Lucian was used to, but they did help him with daily chores, so he couldn't complain. Could He?
The sun was already setting, casting a golden glow across the land. They came to a halt at a riverbank, where a small village could be seen in the distance.