CHAPTER 109: GO TO NEIGHBORING MOUNTAIN

Gara’s voice wasn’t aggressive, only a soft, sad tone. But it immediately shifted the atmosphere.

Narin’s anger flared. No one had ever questioned her status as a healer. Her innocent expression vanished, replaced with sharp intensity. "Then why are you coming to the mountain, huh? Stop lying and admit it. You can’t produce water... anymore."

Her words nearly died on her lips when a stream of water suddenly flowed from Gara’s palms.

It poured so abundantly that the other Liners were ready to collect it, hoping they wouldn’t need to make the trip to the neighboring mountain themselves.

Before anyone could move, Gara lowered his hands and said with a sorrowful expression, "I’m also an herbalist. I came to gather herbs from the mountain, not to take water."

Silence fell.

Narin suddenly remembered, this black-haired young man was not only a healer and capable of producing immense amounts of water, but also an herbalist.

The other Liners had just realized Gara’s additional skill as well. No one spoke.

Some tried to ignore the fact that they had insulted him moments ago. Others felt guilty but dared not apologize outright.

As if on cue, Mohan emerged from the barracks, driving the carriage. "Everyone, get on."

The Liners quickly climbed aboard, hoping that with their absence, the earlier incident would be forgotten.

Gara stepped into the same carriage as Kian, with Mohan at the reins. Fian followed behind, silent, still watching Gara’s performance.

Though Gara’s expression was sad, his body language was actually full of enthusiasm, just like when he got an idea for his experiments.

Fian’s gaze was filled with confusion; how could a person be both sad and enthusiastic?

Meanwhile, Narin wanted to join the same carriage but, seeing Gara, opted for another, pulling Loka along.

She couldn’t control Kian or Mohan, but the simple-minded Loka still obeyed. "Come on, Loka, this way," she coaxed.

Narin hooked her arm through his, pressing her chest close to his muscular arm. Loka’s face immediately turned red, and he silently followed her lead.

The mountain they were heading to lay in another village. As the three carriages rumbled past, the villagers hurried inside their homes.

The wooden carriages, uncovered by cloth, allowed the Liners to clearly see the villagers’ behavior. Gara, however, raised a single brow in irritation.

"They’re afraid their water sources might get contaminated too," Kian, sitting in front of him, explained to the newcomers.

Another Liner added, "That’s why only Liners are allowed to collect water from this mountain. If the villagers from Bota Village came, the locals here would block them."

"They think the people in Bota Village are cursed."

"But the village does look like it’s under a curse."

"Not a curse. There’s probably some harmful substance trapped in the mountain that’s poisoning the water. That’s why the metal-based Liner lead the investigation team."

What had started as Kian giving a quick briefing on local fears gradually turned into a lively discussion among the Liners about the source of the contamination.

It was a topic they could talk about endlessly without getting bored.

From their conversation, Gara learned that Mohan’s investigation team had already sent water samples to the county for research by alchemists and herbalists.

They were waiting to see if a cure could be found.

In truth, if the situation had been addressed earlier and not dismissed as a natural disaster, many believed a cure might have already been discovered.

The investigation team was only dispatched after countless casualties and the village had nearly emptied.

Ten months had passed since the incident, and progress was painfully slow.

Amid the heated chatter in the carriage, which Gara had remained silent through, the convoy came to a halt at a steep, rocky path.

All of them stepped down from the carriages.

Some Liners began complaining, pretending to cough, feel dizzy, or even suddenly limp.

Mohan handed the reins to one of the town guards driving another carriage and headed toward a nearby shed.

"Grab your buckets," he called out, ignoring the Liners’ grumbles.

Gara followed Kian toward the shed, just to take a look.

Inside, wooden buckets lined the space, each holding about 20 liters, along with several large barrels capable of storing 600 liters.

Each Liner grabbed two wooden buckets.

To collect 100 liters, they’d have to make three trips back and forth.

As Gara was waiting for Fian who queued for the buckets, someone stepped beside him.

"I thought you spent this past year just sitting around the village doing nothing. Turns out you became an herbalist and even made friends with an elf," Orman remarked, glancing at Fian briefly before returning his attention to Kevio.

Gara shrugged. "You’re not getting a bucket?"

"No. I’m here to assist. My mission is to guide and teach, not do the work for them."

"But that doesn’t mean you can’t take on this mission too, right? If you accompany the newbie Liners and take the water-providing mission, you can complete two missions and earn more points."

"Is that even possible?" Orman looked at Gara, confused and baffled.

"You didn’t know?" Gara gave him a sympathetic look.

"If I had known, I would’ve done it."

"Looks like a D-rank Liner lost to an E-rank Liner who hasn’t even cleared their initial mission yet," Gara teased, chuckling.

Orman ruffled his hair. "I feel like I’m only smart when I’m with Madha."

"Maybe," Gara replied gently, not wanting to crush him.

Kevio, Orman’s boss’s son, approached with a clear glare at Gara. Gara, however, didn’t even notice.

"Let’s go," Kevio demanded.

"We’re waiting for Fian. He doesn’t know the river’s path."

"What does that have to do with us? Where’s his accompanying Liner? Don’t just make others do your work!"

Orman smacked Kevio on the head. "Don’t speak recklessly. The Liner accompanying him is my good friend. He’s a guard. You want to get kicked out of this village and lose points?"

Kevio pressed his lips together, eyes wide with fear.

Gara almost laughed. He had just discovered that Orman was surprisingly good at controlling people.

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