The Lady Nun Vows Revenge - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

"Come on, why'd you drag me here so early?" Lawrence grumbled, still half-asleep as he stumbled into Nolan's estate before dawn.
"Wake up, wake up! You need to see this," Nolan said, sounding unusually eager.
Lawrence was still groggy—until he saw what was inside the wooden box on the table. His eyes widened, and in an instant, he was fully awake.
"Good heavens! That's a Purple Shroom!" He rushed over, carefully picking it up as if handling a priceless artifact. "And just look at the quality—absolutely top-tier! Where on earth did you get this?"
His excitement was palpable. He brought the Purple Shroom closer, almost as if he wanted to kiss it.
"Calm down," Ross cut in impatiently. "Just tell us—this is over a hundred years old, right?"
The others nodded eagerly, all eyes on Lawrence. Only Nolan remained unruffled, watching from the side.
Lawrence didn't hesitate. "Of course! Just look at its size. There's no doubt—this is a hundred-year-old Purple Shroom."
"That's incredible!" Ross and the others nearly jumped with joy. "Prince Nolan, you really found one!"
"This is amazing, Prince Nolan! One of the three rare herbs needed for your treatment—secured just like that!" said another.
Nolan raised an eyebrow. His gaze drifted to the empty wooden box on the table, his thoughts lingering on Eliza. She had handed him this gift so calmly that he never imagined it would be something this valuable.
Lawrence, still marveling at the Purple Shroom, couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Prince Nolan, where did you get this? It looks so fresh, like it was just picked."
He assumed it came from some herb gatherers and rubbed his hands together, already plotting. If he could find out where it came from, maybe he could try his luck.
Nolan saw right through him and crushed his hopes without mercy. "Don't even think about it. It wasn't from any herb collectors."
"Huh? Then where..." Lawrence was baffled.
Nolan leaned back, his voice casual but with a hint of amusement. "It was a gift."
"A gift?" Lawrence almost choked on his own envy. "Who the hell owes you such a huge favor to just give you something this rare?"
Hundred-year-old Purple Shrooms were nearly impossible to find. If one ever hit the market, the wealthy and powerful would fight tooth and nail over it.
"It's not that big a favor," Nolan said, smiling slightly. "I helped her out a couple of times and gave her some medical books. I didn't expect her to send this in return."
Lawrence's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait... Medical books? So the person you asked me for medical books for—she's the one who gave you this Purple Shroom, huh?"
"That's right," Nolan confirmed, still looking at the Purple Shroom with a thoughtful expression.
Lawrence's curiosity grew. "She wants to study medicine, huh? Why didn't she just come to me directly?"
"You?" Nolan shot him a sidelong glance.
That single look had Lawrence jumping to his feet. "Hey! What's with that look? I'm the Sage of Medicine! Do you have any idea how many people beg me to teach them?"
Lawrence was already thinking about what kind of gift he could ask from his new disciple—preferably another hundred-year-old Purple Shroom.
If not, even one a few decades old would do. As long as the quality was this good, he wouldn't complain.
Seeing right through him, Nolan said flatly, "She is studying medicine, but what she really wants to learn is poisons. Do you know much about poisons?"
"Poisons?" Lawrence immediately deflated. "I only know a little."
For all his reputation as the Sage of Medicine—able to bring people back from the brink of death and heal the gravest wounds—when it came to poisons, his skills were far from top-tier.
"When it comes to poisons, the Sage of Poison is definitely the expert," he admitted. He might have the edge in medicine, but that was a whole different field.
"Speaking of which," Lawrence added casually, "I've heard rumors that the Sage of Poison is in Hasen City right now."
Nolan's expression turned thoughtful. "Do you have any way to contact them?"
"I'm not exactly close with the guy." Lawrence shook his head.
Nolan gave him a look. "Then how did you end up competing with them in medicine before?"
"I just wrote a challenge letter and posted it on the street. The Sage of Poison happened to see it, and we agreed to a year-long competition to see who could save more people." Lawrence crossed his arms, looking rather pleased with himself. "I won by ten."
"A challenge letter..." Nolan considered this, then turned to Ross and the others. "Send people to look into the Sage of Poison's whereabouts. If you can't track them down, post another challenge letter under Lawrence's name."
"Yes," Ross responded immediately.
"Hey, hey, hey! I object! I never agreed to that!" Lawrence protested.
"It's not your call," Nolan said without hesitation.
Lawrence glared at him but huffed and turned back to studying the Purple Shroom.
As he leaned in to take a deeper whiff of its fragrance, his expression suddenly changed. "Wait a minute."
Ross and the others, who were about to leave, paused and looked back at him curiously.
Lawrence sniffed the Purple Shroom again, this time with intense focus.
Worried he might damage the rare herb, Nolan was about to stop him when Lawrence suddenly gasped, eyes wide with excitement. "It's Everlife Vine! There's a trace of Everlife Vine on this!"
If he had been excited about seeing a hundred-year-old Purple Shroom, now he was absolutely ecstatic.
The others perked up at once and turned back. "Really? Are you sure?" Ross asked urgently. "Lawrence, check again—are you positive?"
"Hold on, hold on, let me confirm." Lawrence took another deep inhale, then straightened up with absolute confidence. "I stake my reputation as the Sage of Medicine on it—this scent is definitely from Everlife Vine. No mistake."
Ross and the others practically cheered.
"This Purple Shroom must've been stored with Everlife Vine for quite some time," Lawrence continued. "Otherwise, the scent wouldn't still be lingering like this."
Ross's excitement grew. "So if we ask the original owner of this Purple Shroom, we can find out where the Everlife Vine is, right?"
For two years, they had been searching for these three rare herbs. Today, not only had they secured one, but they had also stumbled upon a lead for the second.
Lawrence waved a hand. "No need to ask her. I guarantee the Everlife Vine is definitely in her—"
"Enough," Nolan suddenly cut him off before he could finish.