'Do I need to fall in love? What the fuck?! Exclaimed Wain to himself.

He didn't understand how such a condition was even possible. He was ready to go after some soul or another unique item like the Ring of Damned, but Wain couldn't expect the condition to be love.

That was a big problem because Wain understood that he would only get the fifth form when he truly fell in love.

Wain wasn't going to betray himself and his ideals and try to love someone for profit forcibly.

In fact, Wain understood why many people talk about love as something magical and the most important thing in the world. Stories, poems, whole stories, and even wars were dedicated to love. It was a great power whose properties no one has yet unraveled.

Wain had nothing against love, but he never intended to love anyone. He did not want to command his heart, which was equivalent to losing freedom. However, at the moment, he found himself in a problematic situation.

Wain had specific tastes. This was due to his past, the things he had seen in his childhood, especially in his teenage years, and many other factors.

Erza was trying to capture him, and partly Wain liked her, but she had too many unacceptable traits for him. Her madness attracted him, but it was an unconscious faux pas born of desperation and hopelessness.

Wain appreciated a girl's character and qualities, but he realized that looks were just as much an influence.

Many said that the most important thing is not the appearance, but what a person is inside, it was true, but all these people forgot about one thing.

When two people meet for the first time, the first thing they do is assess the external qualities of each other.

If there was sympathy between them and was a reason to talk, they could get to know each other better.

In this case, a suitable appearance worked as a catalyst to start communication between the two people, and it could not be denied or changed.

"Damn, this is such a headache. All I can do is hope for luck." Wain muttered grudgingly.

His only option was to accidentally meet a girl who would make his heart start beating harder. Wain was confused, but he had no other choice. Sooner or later, he had to meet a similar obstacle.

"I shouldn't dwell on it. Maybe I'll get lucky." Whispered Wain and closed his eyes.

He decided to try something. Previously Wain had always been able to know the approximate location of his target. He knew it seemed like nonsense, but he had to try to figure out where his next target was.

"Damn..."

However, as Wain had anticipated, his venture proved unsuccessful. This time he would have to do something unique to go higher and get new powers.

"Eh, life always surprises at the most unexpected moment." Mumbled Wain and walked over to the cauldron.

All the while, the goblins worked diligently, picking fruit and crystals and stirring them.

Wain looked into the cauldron and saw a blue, bubbling liquid with small, bright shards of crystals floating in it.

"Hmm, I'm no expert, but the color of the decoction doesn't seem bad. Maybe it really will make something unusual and valuable." Mumbled Wain and walked out of the garden.

He decided to head towards Frigus, who was supposed to be digging a tunnel with the Trolls at the time.

...

Wain reached the right place with the help of the map. In front of him was a long tunnel, more than ten meters wide and incalculably deep. Wain was surprised that a few dozen Trolls could do something like that.

He knew that the Trolls were masters at this and could dig faster than moles, but still, the size of the work done amazed him.

Frigus helped the trolls by carving massive ice blocks, but the trolls did most of the work.

It also helped that they had to dig through the ice rather than rock or soil. The ice was less dense and solid, and it made the work much faster.

Wain nodded and stepped forward. He walked down the tunnel for about ten minutes until he finally saw the Trolls and Frigus in the distance.

The tunnel was lit by energy crystals, which Frigus and the Trolls had not mined. They decided to use them as endless torches.

"Frigus!" Wain called, approaching them.

The monsters immediately turned around and saw Wain smiling contentedly.

"Oh, you're back already." Frigus muttered. "It's good to see you."

"Me too." Wain nodded, "Any luck?"

"Unfortunately not." Frigus shook his head, "We're already under the Snow Desert, but as you can see, there's still ice here. I'm not sure if there's anything underneath the tons of snow and sand."

"Hmm, I see, too, that you have recently entered Snow Desert territory. Perhaps you should change course and try digging up or down?" Wain suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, but I think, in that case, we might be off the right course. Honestly, the Trolls are already pretty tired, I give them an increased amount of crystals as an exception, but it's not enough. They need a long rest." Pronounced Frigus.

The trolls behind him continued to work. After the evolution, they became much stronger, and their attribute changed to ice.

They were tall and muscular, and their eyes were full of confidence in their cause. Their spirit and steadfastness would have been the envy of anyone.

"You're right. It's probably not worth the risk in this situation. Well, stick to the plan. Sooner or later, you'll definitely find something." Said Wain and headed for the exit of the cave.

"Good." Frigus muttered.

"Argh! Argh! Argh!"

Suddenly one of the Trolls started shouting something vigorously. Everyone turned to him. Sand began to fall from where the Troll had just broken a piece of ice.

"Looks like luck is on our side this time." Wain muttered and walked over to the crack.

He put his palm to the ice, and the next moment, from all his might, he struck one point with his fist. The impact of such power made the cave shake and made the Trolls feel as if an earthquake had begun.

Crackling.

Wain made a large hole in the cave and shattered massive ice blocks. A huge wave of sand washed over them the next moment, knocking the Trolls to the ground. Only Frigus and Wain remained in place.

"AHAHAHA, great! You didn't work so hard for nothing!" Exclaimed Wain looking ahead.

This was the entrance to the underground desert tunnels. Some of the caves were covered with snow, some with sand.

In the Snow Desert, like the Ice Caves, the average temperature was quite low, so icicles were hanging from the ceiling of the caves.

Wain stepped forward and looked around. The caves consisted of rock similar to a mixture of stone and sand. It was pretty solid. Wain turned around, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

In the distance, he saw a glowing root growing from the ceiling. It was small and had several bright, yellow spots that looked like gold grains.

Wain approached the root and touched it to see information about it.

[Desert Earth Root (First Chronicle, Rare Rating)

This root grows at great depths, in dark places with low temperatures. A prerequisite for this plant is plenty of sand and sandstone around it.

Otherwise, Desert Earth Root will have no source of energy and nutrition to grow.

Desert Earth Root can be eaten raw to raise energy levels, but this method has many side effects. The rind of the root has no health benefits and can seriously harm any organism.

Desert Earth Root is best suited for use in alchemy.historical

???]

'Hmm? Part of the information is blocked? It looks like one would have to be an alchemist to learn more about this root, or one would have to experiment and thus increase one's knowledge of this plant.' Wain thought.

He did not cut down the root. It was not necessary at the moment. First, he had to figure out how many roots there were in the territory of Snow Desert and what they could be used for.

"Frigus!" Said Wain.

"I'm here."

"All right, let the Trolls rest, they've done their job, and we've finally hit the caves under the dunes. Let all the not busy monsters go here and explore the area. They shouldn't touch anything, especially those roots and other resources if they're here." Wain instructed.

"I got it. I'll get it done right away."

"Ah yes, if you need it, use the energy crystals to light the area. This root is the only source of light in this cave. They probably grow slowly and are quite scarce."

Frigus nodded and headed for the exit of the ice cave.

Wain pondered. He was glad to find the first growing resource in the Snow Desert. Wain didn't know if anything else was growing in Snow Desert, but he was already pleased with the result.

Unlike Energy Ice Crystals and Delicate Icefruits, Desert Earth Root was Rare Rating, which was good.

'Hmm, perhaps apart from these roots, there is nothing here. As I understand, the quantity and quality of resources depend on the rank of Void and the peculiarities of the soul of the owner of this territory. Two Common Rating resources grow in Ice Caves. Possibly, it would be logical that in Snow Desert, there is only one resource, but it Rare Rating.' Wain pondered.

Something was bothering Wain. He realized that his Voids would grow and increase over time, leading to new resources, and their numbers would increase greatly.

It was good to have many resources, but Wain didn't know how to use them all and what the most efficient ways were.

To do this, Wain needed someone who knew about potions, medicines, herb interactions, and so on.

"I need an alchemist, and I need to find one as soon as possible. Black Rabbit is mixing fruit and crystals right now, but he's not a specialist in this. It's just his idea, and it can't even be called a potion. It's a simple concoction and nothing more. Black Rabbit is not an alchemist. He is more suited to the role of manager or steward." Wain muttered.

When Wain first saw Delicate Icefruit, even then, he realized that for the good progress of Void and monsters, you need an alchemist. One would be enough, but one who knew and loved his business.

Usually, Wain never looked for anyone or offered to cooperate. He was a loner, and others always wanted to be in a group with him because he was strong.

However, this situation was completely different. He was ready to spend time and effort to find an alchemist. Moreover, Wain would make the alchemist a lucrative offer if his skills were worthy.

"Hmm, maybe in Last Light, there is someone with the soul of an alchemist, but I can't and don't want to bring a human from Restanta here. It would greatly weaken the organization. There's no point in thinking about it, though, since there probably hasn't been an alchemist in Last Light yet." Wain muttered.

"I require more information. I must find out which races are the best alchemists, though only skills matter. Anyone can be a talented alchemist, but I have yet to meet one so far. I need to spend more time exploring the World of Darkness." Wain decided and headed upstairs.

During this day, Wain was very tired. He had not yet fully recovered from his wounds and needed to rest.

There was one place in the Ice Caves where Wain was already used to rest and heal his wounds. It was the ice lake.

...

Splash.

Wain plunged into the cold water and closed his eyes. He wanted to let his body recover as well as to sort out his thoughts.