The afternoon sun shimmered on the cobbled path as Phillip Salt—no longer the timid shadow he once was—walked back from the Lan family herb garden. The soft clink of his boots echoed between the tall buildings flanking the road, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts.
He smiled to himself, a rare, genuine smile—not of arrogance, but of satisfaction.
"Manuka Lan…" Phillip muttered under his breath, his hand casually brushing the hem of his robe. "You are not a hard target to chase. Just a matter of time, you will be in my hands."
He had played the gamble well. Dropping a heavy bag of mana crystals for a rare herb that didn't even grow within the eastern domain? It wasn't about obtaining the herb. It was bait. And the bait had caught her attention. The elusive Manuka Lan had descended from her secluded world of herbs and spiritual flora. A feat not even the noble lords of the inner family had achieved.
