Yvlena squeezed her eyes shut and hit yes, accepting the quest.

  Risel was her friend most of all and she was determio see her quest done ae her with her brother.

  "Okay Risel I accept, you might be able to tell me some things about the Verdant Woods since you've lived here longer,"

  "Excellent!" Risel said, g her hands in glee.

  Yvlena purchased the Purifying potion recipe needed for the ke and some bottles, leaving her uo afford the potion for O'Leary's watch.

  "Ohing after the other," Yvlena said with a sigh.

  "Yvlena you've been going at it for a while, I think you o return to the Rose Manor and try to get some rest," the elf said. "Here,"

  [Yvlena Acquired

  ***

  Rexation Potion x1]

  "A little gift from me, I've been meaning to give it to you for a while." The elf said, her cheeks possessed a tinge of red as she spoke.

  "Wow! Thank you Risel," she replied w what the potion could do.

  Risel waved her thanks off.

  "I should be thanking you instead," The elf said, "You've done so much for the town during your short time here, I wish I was able to do half as much,"

  "Sometimes it is not our destiny," Another voice said, intruding into the versation. The elves turned around to see the blonde Librarian had walked into the apothecary and was now browsing the shelves for something.

  "Laurent! It's been a while," Yvlena said.

  [Affinity with Laurent +1]

  "Likewise, it seems you've been busy," the bespectacled man said, adjusting his gsses. He looked her up and down taking note of her equipment ge. "The dress suits you, something a noble might wear,"

  Yvlena realized he was talking about the Willow Dress, it seemed most people of high standing withiown were able t.

  "Thank you Laurent and you look as cssy as ever," Yvlena plimented.

  A cough resounded behind them.

  "How may I help you Laurent?" Risel asked in a pointed, clipped tone. Yvlena noticed the elf had her lips pursed and her arms folded as if in annoyance. She didn't uand why her cheerful friend's mood had suddenly ged.

  Risel was always happy to greet ers from what she had seen.

  "Well if it's not too much trouble I would like to request a head calming draught of you," the librarian said.

  Risel pced the potion on the ter for him. Laurent picked it up with a nod and paid for it instantly.

  "Yvlena don't hesitate to stop by the library if you have any more questions about the town and its heroes long past," he said, turning to face the entrand make his exit. Yvlena stopped him before he could go.

  "Actually I do have a question Laurent, do you know of any Harvest Guardians that were of aristocratic ins?"

  "I'm not too sure Yvlena, the Rose Manor is bound to have something on that, do you have any other clues? The Bloom Haven Library has aensive list of nobles withiown,"

  "I'll try to find out some more things," Yvlena said, a bit disheartened by the ck of information.

  Laurent saw her sunken expression and tried to cheer her up.

  "I think it's admirable you're tinuing Rael's work," He said with a smile. "Not many are up to the task,"

  [Laurent thinks highly of you]

  [Affinity with Laurent increased +5]

  Yvlena blushed at the words of the handsome Librarian, his surprise round of kind words warmed her heart, the game was really something else.

  'The NPCs are actually growing as people, I remember when Laurent used to think I was a nuisance,' she thought.

  "It's my pleasure," she said seriously, then with a mad dash she ran out of the store before the redness of her blush could overtake her features.

  "I wasn't even able to offer her a potion dist," Risel said, hanging her head.

  ----------

  "The AI in this game is really well designed," Yvlena said returning to the manor to meet more rown pnts.

  "I've got to take ing this pce more seriously," she said.

  [Yvlena Cast Harvest Skill: Wild Sweep]

  The sickled gleaned in the sun as Yvlena swung it like her Carrot Sword, clearing the weeds in front of her aing a few Weed Mimi the process.

  [Yvlena Acquired

  ***

  Wild Seed x25

  Fiber x20]

  "Better," she said, walking under her favorite tree to rest u. She sat in the soft grass aed her back against the tree's bark to ponder her course of a.

  "I've gotten all the ingredients for the S Balm, and now all that's left is to brew it and plete Bavga's sed task,"

  "It might actually be time to log out, it's getting pretty te. A te night gaming sessio mean an all night gaming session," she ughed.

  ----------

  Aya pulled the Revista off her head aed her ba the mattress to think. With the distra of the game gohoughts began to fill her mind. Slowly the burniion of tears stung her eyes as she thought ba the day's overwhelmis.

  "You're strong Aya, this isn't the time for tears. Lydia is not your family and you know that," she told herself sternly.

  Still, the battle to trol her tears tihe fact that the only other blood retive she might have was lost to her until she could find them through her e to the game.

  And with nary a clue Aya was fast losing hope that she ever would. Her maternal aunt hated her guts and only kept her around to steal from her and hold her as a prize she could use against someone else.

  "You're strohan this," Aya told herself again, and she was right. She would let nothing stop her from walking her new path.

  ----------

  Mars listeo Aya soft weeping from outside the door as she poised her hand to knock. She wao che Aya and see if the girl was still gamie it being past midnight.

  Instead, she stumbled upon the sound of her roommate and friend weeping softly at the family she never had.

  Mars frowned, ying her palm ft against the door and pting walking in. She shook her head.

  While she had familial problems of her own, she couldn't pare her plicated situation to Aya's.

  Aya would want to be alone now, to harden her resolve against Lydia and cut their ties as aunt and niece.

  "That would be for the best,”

  AnnouChapter 87 is now on my Patreon if you're enjoying the story you tip me here