Chapter 184: The Secret of Goddess Freya

Luke was back in the cave. The room he now occupied had been transformed into a makeshift Herbalist’s lab. Nothing sophisticated, just bowls, spoons, cloth filters, and other basic tools. According to Samael, the place had equipment for every profession. But Luke was currently using Kalysto’s. Anything more advanced would probably only confuse him at this stage.

“You really did bring back quite a haul,” Kalysto said, eyeing his overstuffed bag with clinical focus.

The task she’d given him had been simple: reach level five before receiving any deeper instruction. After all, there was no point teaching complex techniques to someone who hadn’t yet learned how to handle a single leaf properly.

Luke opened the bag. He had gathered everything he thought might be useful, no memorized recipes, just vague notions from the book. Many of the plants mentioned in it didn’t even exist in the forest he’d explored. He would have to adapt, trial and error would be his method.

“This book is excellent,” he said, laying it open on the table with care.

Kalysto stepped closer. “What book is it?”

“A Study in Green – Beginner’s Herbology, by Mother Freya.”

Kalysto froze. Her eyes widened. She crossed the room in a quick stride and picked up the book, handling it with utmost care.

“Do you even realize what you’re holding?”

“Yes,” Luke replied. “That’s why I said it was excellent.”

She shook her head, the way a teacher might when a student gives an answer that completely misses the point.

“You don’t understand. This material is incredibly rare. You don’t find this book in shops. It’s practically a relic.” She ran her fingers over the cover with reverence. “Mother Freya was the goddess who went furthest in the study of plants across the entire multiverse. She was the greatest Herbalist who ever lived.”

Kalysto set the book down slowly, as if afraid it might crumble. “This is something most Herbalists only dream of touching once in their lifetime.”

Luke blinked. “But… it’s just a book about plants, right? Shouldn’t this information be common? I mean, I can just use Identify and get the data instantly.”

Kalysto rubbed her forehead like someone fighting off a headache. “You are unbelievably primitive. Your universe is painfully underdeveloped. It makes you an utter novice.”

Luke wasn’t sure how to respond. He just stood there, half insulted, half confused. “Okay… fine. So it’s a super-book. Like the Wikipedia of plants, right?”

“Wikipedia? What’s that?”

He grinned, smug. “See? I’m not the only novice here.”

She ignored the jab. “Listen, guest. For a world like yours, still dependent on technology, this might sound strange. But this book… it’s more than a source of knowledge. It’s one of the few surviving personal records of Mother Freya herself. It’s like she left behind a map… for her legacy.”

Luke paused. Pieces began falling into place. “Like that thing with the coins and investments?”

“Yes,” Kalysto said, nodding. “When a deity creates something, a book, a skill, an item, they’re effectively leaving a loose coin in the universe. If someone worthy finds it… they might begin to walk the same path.”

Luke tightened his grip on the book. “So this book… could give me access to her path?”

“You’re not entirely brainless, after all.”

“Thanks… I guess.”

Kalysto took a breath and gently set the book down, her fingers lingering on the cover with reverence. “But you should know, Mother Freya’s path is… practically closed.”

Luke frowned. “Closed? What do you mean?”

“It’s just that… her path doesn’t have much material left,” Kalysto explained. “There are no known items, no famous skills, no scrolls or runes, nothing like that. No one’s ever truly managed to claim the coin she dropped. And as far as anyone knows, she doesn’t have a Divine Order.”

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“She died or something?” Luke asked.

Kalysto was silent for a moment, considering her answer. “She vanished. Officially, no one knows what happened. She disappeared ages ago.”

“So… reading the book doesn’t help anyone follow her path?”

“It’s not that it doesn’t help,” Kalysto said. “Think of it this way, a god scatters coins across the universe. The more treasures they leave behind, the greater the odds that someone, through the system, will pick one up. But Mother Freya…”

“Didn’t leave much behind,” Luke finished.

Kalysto nodded and began organizing materials on the table. “Still, this book is incredibly high-quality. The amount of condensed knowledge in it will save you from reading loads of useless junk. You’re basically learning from the best source available.”

She pushed a few sacks of soil toward him. “Time to start practicing. And luckily, you just unlocked an excellent skill at level five.”

Luke opened his interface and read the description: