Feeling Jealous and Green

"Evan Xiao! Are you alright?" Grace asked.

"Don't worry," Evan Xiao replied. "Leon Zane detoxified me. I'm fine now."

Grace glanced at Leon Zane. He didn't look too well...

Was he exhausted from last night?

"We have to attend court. You go ahead and do your thing," Evan Xiao said. "If you have time this afternoon, come by the General's Manor."

Grace didn't say much, just nodded.

Evan Xiao got into Leon Zane's carriage, and the two left together...

Grace watched the carriage disappear into the distance, suspicion in her eyes.

Why do I feel so... green with envy?

...

After leaving the Imperial Advisor's Manor, she headed to the Spirit Alliance.

There are many countries, big and small, on this continent.

But there's only one Spirit Alchemist Alliance, usually called the Spirit Alliance.

The Spirit Alliance has a headquarters, and beneath it are regional branches, with even more sub-branches below those. Depending on the country's level, they're spread out like branches of a tree.

The Spirit Alliance is a fairly independent organization—no country can interfere in its internal affairs.

But that independence is relative.

In reality, the Spirit Alliance has close and deep ties with all the various countries.

Take the Blue Moon Spirit Alliance, for example.

The Blue Moon Kingdom provides them with land, security, money, and all sorts of support. In return, the Blue Moon Spirit Alliance supplies the kingdom's army with a set amount of elixirs.

They're mutually dependent, like allies.

So, to fulfill the army's elixir quota or complete tasks assigned by the higher-ups, the President delegates responsibilities, and everyone does their part. It's a pretty healthy cycle...

Today was Grace's official first day at the Spirit Alliance.

Sophie Sun gathered seventeen Spirit Alchemists, including Grace, and assigned everyone their tasks for the coming days.

Basically, everyone had a task, even Zachary Stone, who joined the Alliance the same year as Grace.

Except Grace.

So Grace asked her, "President, do I not have anything to do? If not, I’ll just head home."

"How could that be?" Sophie Sun flashed the same smile as yesterday and said, "With your Celestial Five-Element Root talent, you should be doing the most important job!"

"The most important job?" Grace guessed she’d be asked to refine high-level elixirs.

That would be easy for her.

"Come with me," Sophie Sun said.

Grace followed her.

There was another Spirit Alchemist with them, but Grace didn't recognize him.

They exited through the Spirit Alliance's back gate, and soon reached the north city gate. After leaving the city and riding for about half an hour, they finally arrived.

It was a stunning place—two entire mountains covered in terraced fields.

On the terraces grew lush medicinal herbs: Black Ginseng.

Black Ginseng is a widely used spiritual herb.

It's used in both low-level and high-level elixirs.

"Wow! So much Black Ginseng!" Grace exclaimed. "There must be at least a hundred thousand plants!"

"The Vermilion Spirit Alliance provides us with advanced training and rare herb seedlings," Sophie Sun explained. "All these Black Ginseng seedlings came from the Vermilion Spirit Alliance—a full hundred acres."

After the autumn harvest, seventy percent goes to the Vermilion Spirit Alliance, and we keep thirty percent ourselves.

"Oh..." Grace looked at her. "So, President, are you asking me to cultivate and take care of them?"

"Yes," Sophie Sun replied.

Grace patted her chest and said, "Don’t worry! I’m great at growing spiritual herbs. Leave them to me—no problem!"