A Cultivation Tale: The Godly Punisher

Chapter 293: Imperial Herb House

However, although he was resolute about his body and bloodline cultivation, he didn't actually know where to start from. For the body cultivation part, he was going to harmonize with duraforce energy. But he seriously didn't know how to go about that. And as for the bloodline (physique) cultivation, he couldn't detect the physiques passed to him by his mother and father.

But he had knowledge of another way to cultivate the body. And this was through the usage of cultivation herbs that surprisingly had certain levels of duraforce energy in them. And examples of these kinds of rare herbs which could be found in a mortalverse like the one that he was presently in, were strengthatenum and olioeverrine. Once he could acquire these herbs which were bright blue and dark grey in color respectively, he would immerse them in extremely hot water so that their essences would infuse into the scalding hot water. After many hours of infusion in which the water must be constantly kept at an exceedingly high temperature, he would then step into the tub that had been filled to the brim with the strongly heated water and completely submerse himself into it. This was to allow penetration of the body-toughening essences gotten from the body-cultivating herbs into the body through the skin pores which would expand to allow their entries. Then the following steps from that point are nothing but extremely agonizing pain as the body would be forcefully twisted to the extreme and then torn apart in hundreds of places. However, the pain that Alex imagined he would definitely experience couldn't cause him to back off.

After thinking of all these, he prepared to go acquire the herbs. But he wasn't sure if they would know about them, especially the herb traders in the city. They surely wouldn't know what they are and their uses. However, if he saw such an herb at any herb store, he would definitely purchase it.

After he freshened up looking all good again, he stepped out of his room and went down the stairs of the storey building. On his way to the ground floor of the building, he met few members of his organization that were standing at their guard posts. They quickly greeted with him veneration in their eyes which Alex smiled and nodded to. Everyone in his organization liked him, as he wasn't the haughty or lordly type. However, they greatly revered him because of his astonishing battle abilities and the ways that he does things which they believed even gods wouldn't be able to fathom.

After Alex stepped out of the building and into the wide street in a particular area, people passing by couldn't help but look at him in awe and discuss sweetly about him to each other. They talked about his peerless handsomeness and the way that he fights. These were topics that probably wouldn't become stale to them, as they could talk endlessly about Alex to one another for years to come, especially his fans and secret admirers who should make up 8.5/10 the population of the people living in the Smith city.

A beast-drawn carriage quickly appeared before Alex and asked "Where to, sir?"

"I don't really know my way around the city. But you know what, just take me to the biggest herb store in the city" Alex said.

"Oh. Then that would be the Imperial Herb House" The carriage driver said.

"Hmm. Is that owned by a king, or by the City Lord himself?" Alex couldn't help but ask as there shouldn't be a king in the hierarchical system of government in his city, and in every other city in all the hundreds of states in the continent.

"By a king who is actually related to the City Lord. But he doesn't have much control over anything as the City Lord is the one that gives the laws and executes offenders of the laws that he passed into constitution." The driver said.

"Hmm. Okay. Take me to the herb house then" Alex said and entered into the carriage.

The carriage driver nodded. Then speaking some words that Alex couldn't understand, the tall, wine-skinned, horse-like beasts that pulled the carriage started running into the distance at high speeds.

***

Few hours later, the beast-pulled carriage arrived before the Imperial Herb House.

When Alex came down from the carriage and then looked at the twin building of the Imperial Herb House which was towering in size and was really grand and majestic in appearance, he was suddenly hit by hundreds of strong scents of herbs that pervaded the atmosphere in this place when air currents blasted into him.

"Wow!" Alex couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Then he paid the driver twice the fare for the transport and went into one of the two stately buildings.

When he got to the tall gate of the building in which four tall and hefty men stood could be seen since they stood guards there, he decided to humbly introduce himself to them when the guards unexpectedly saluted him and opened the gate for him with radiant and welcoming smiles in their faces.

Alex's eyes glittered from their actions. Then he guessed that his fame and reputation had also spread to here. And probably to other cities in the state. So he thought.

He then stepped in and went into the building. Once he entered through a large, silver door, the flowery and herb scents that filled the air outside when the carriage first arrived in this district became extremely strong in here.

Alex couldn't help but shake his head in gladness. He had a feeling that he would definitely find those two body-cultivating herbs in here. And even if he didn't, there were still many more types of that kind of flower and herb that he should definitely find in here.

In front of him were many rows of gigantic shelves that were filled with herbs of all sorts. Some scents which he inhaled caused him to feel relaxed, some made him feel like he was in illusion, some made his mind and vision clearer. He simply experienced a lot of things from just inhaling the scents emitting from these large piles of herbs and flowers. Then he thought 'what if I prepared many of these herbs by soaking them in hot water for hours, and when their essences flow into it which I would drink, how exactly would I feel?' he couldn't help but imagine.

Allowing himself to be carried away by the scents that produced many kinds of marvelous feelings and uplifting sensations in his body, a short and chubby young lady with red hair approached him. Then with respect in her tone and reverence in her eyes, she said with a beguiling smile "Good day sir, it's so nice of you to visit our store, even if it might be just this once"

Alex who was knocked out from the numerous wonderful feelings that he perceived moving round his body quickly opened his eyes and said "What?! Nah. With all the beautiful sensations going on within me, I would surely visit again."

The young lady smiled.

Then she asked "What does good sir want from our herb store?"

"I want the strengthatenum and olioeverrine herbs. And if the store doesn't have those, it should have the flesh-tearing herb and bone-melting herb which you can prepare for me" Alex replied.

"Oh. We have all those that you mentioned in our store. So, should I bring only the first two that you asked for?" The young lady asked.

Alex's eyes glittered when the young lady said they had everything in their store.

"The store has everything? Cool! Bring me everything then." Alex said, concealing his intense delight from the young lady in front of him.

"Alright. But how many quantities of each herbs do you want?" The young lady asked.

"Hmm. Well, give me hundred pieces of each of the herbs that I demanded for" Alex responded.

"Okay. For the strengthatenum herb, a hundred piece costs hundred thousand yellow sapphirstones. The olioeverrine herb costs seventy thousand yellow sapphirstones for a hundred pieces. The flesh-tearing herb costs eighty-five thousand yellow sapphirstones for hundred pieces. Then lastly, the bone-melting herb costs eighty-two thousand yellow sapphirstones for a hundred pieces. So, the grand total for the herbs that you requested for is three hundred and thirty-seven thousand sapphirstones" The young lady said after she computed their total sum in her head.

"Okay. Do I have to make full or partial payment first before I get the herbs?" Alex asked.

"That is what we usually do. We collect payment first before giving a customer the herbs that they requested for. However, I don't need to doubt your integrity as you are someone of high reputation and one who is related to possibly the most wealthiest man in the continent. So, I will make you an exception. You can pay only part even after collecting the complete pieces of herbs that you requested for" The young lady said with a smile.

Alex became badly astonished by what the young lady said.

"But won't your employer be sad with how you are breaking the rules of the organization because of me?" Alex asked with curiosity in his tone. He didn't want the young lady to be queried or worst, fired from her workplace because of her trust and deep respect for him.

"No. She won't. She has even been hoping to meet you one of these days for something very important, but she's very busy at the moment. However, immediately she is through with what she's doing, she would come over to see you to discuss about something that's kinda paramount to her. Therefore, she would even be more happy with what I did, which is treating you better than all our other customers" The young lady said confidently.

Alex couldn't help but be taken aback again by what she said.

"And how do you know that she wants to meet me?" He asked as he gazed at her curiously.

"I am her favorite worker. So she tells me a lot of things" The young lady said.

"Oh!" Alex exclaimed with comprehension in his tone.

Then before he could say anything else, the young lady immediately added "So she was the one who told me what I mentioned to you few seconds ago. But you don't need to go meet her since you feel that you are already here. She would come to see you at the organization that you established, when the time is right for her" The young lady said.

"Okay." Alex replied.

But his eyes were filled with surprise at what the young lady mentioned.

"What exactly would she want to see me for? Well, I can't think of anything. Let me keep my curiosity till she appears before me" He said inwardly.

Then before he could talk, the young lady who was looking at him said "So, good sir, please follow me to a room where you can relax, while I send some junior workers to sort out your requests and bring you the herbs that you asked for." The young lady said and Alex nodded.

Then he followed behind her to a room where he would relax in till his requests were fully sorted out and brought to him.