Spirit Taming

Chapter 199: Stalking

"Are you sure that he won't see us?" Maria, Ella, and Isa were hiding behind one of the merchant stalls watching Clark.

"I know he won't. He has to have some secrets for finding weird and perfect materials. I don't know why he bought those rocks just now but he was definitely interested in the bigger one." Isa was trying to decide what Clark did to figure out materials. Maria had come up with a genius plan to follow him.

"I think we are going to learn more about Clark's methods by doing this than anything else. Asking him to teach us would only lead to confusing lessons. If he decided to teach us." Ella had figured that Clark would not go out of the way to show them what he was doing. Mostly because he seemed to keep his methods a secret.

"Wait, he is at that fish vendor. Why would he be there?" Maria had grabbed Ell and Isa's hands to stop them from moving to the next hiding spot they saw.

While the three watched, they saw him buy five small fish. "Anchovies? Those are just cheap fish? Why would he buy those? He can't even cook them here?" Isa wasn't sure what had come over Clark. He was buying raw food that only the cheapest of students would buy.

"Wait, what do they eat?" Maria had a small idea. She had been researching in the library lately. One thing that stood out to her was that some beasts had to eat unique materials to grow.

"The wild anchovies live in fear of large beasts at the bottom of the ocean. Shallow waters. They like the roots of angler weed. But they often consume the sands around the roots digging for them." Ella didn't think this was an important detail but gave what information she knew.

"Then what if there are things caught in the roots or in the sands? Do you think Clark's addicted to gambling?" Maira remembered the rock gambling that Clark had done and worried that this was some form of addiction that he had begun to have.

"Maybe, we can go further on this later. But he is already moving!" Isa pulled Maria and Ella along as Clark weaved through the crowd to reach another stall full of jungle plants that had been dried for sale.

"Those are from the red fern jungle. They are dried for years because it takes a month to get there. But it's definitely a good purchase for alchemy apprentices. What could he want there." Since Isa had some knowledge about materials, she was able to explain where and why the materials were sold and procured.

"That's…it looks like a seed?" Ella thought that Clark was grabbing the swaying vines which could be a common water material when hydrated. But instead he grabbed a small packet of seeds while smiling wider than before. The three even watched Clark walk with an extra pep in his step.

"Where is the logic? This is getting harder." Maria felt that this attempt to understand how Clark was able to discern what is valuable and not was becoming a walking trip to watch Clark shop for random things.

"He may have seen us and is playing a joke." Ella felt that this was the most logical idea as of yet.

"No, he is about to stop at that pendant shop. They have a lot of jewelry and some refined elemental crystals. They will actually be good for beasts." Isa watched as Clark purchased a basic selection of crystals but then pointed out a bracelet with some foggy white opals on it.

"Those are spirit opals. The bracelet itself should have some spiritual energy gathering benefits. He managed to pick that out of the low priced jewelry. I can tell it's better because my older brother makes and sells jewelry of high qualities." Isa was sure that Clark had been purposefully finding the best deals in the cheaper piles of items.

"Wait, that could be for my spiritual wisp or your princess jellyfish. He's looking for items that might help us." Maria felt that this was the most plausible idea. She felt her heart beat faster. She knew Clark was someone to look up to!

"Your theory is the most likely. That means he is planning to let us help our beasts become stronger while we wait for customers. It also shows how well he can glance at an item and see its value. I will need to record more detailed notes." It was no surprise that Ella had a journal with the title, Mysteries of Clark. All of them had their theories so far.

"Now I am sure that he is looking for materials for us." Isa pointed at the stall Clark had just rushed to. He had seen the butcher stall selling basic beast meat. Some beasts had to eat meat to help them grow stronger. Specifically predators or alphas of pack type beasts. But what Clark had rushed to were the bones being sold as chew toys or materials depending on the tamer buying from the stall.

"The full skeleton of an adolescent ogre? That has to be for me." Ella was pleasantly surprised by this. She knew that her blue flame wisp's next step was to inhabit a body to become a flaming skeleton. But the type of bones used would benefit the transformation.

"I don't feel so good about watching this anymore. I feel like we are spying on his good faith." Maria started to feel slightly bad.

"No, we are learning to be better at finding materials. Clark has his eyes out for specific elemental materials based on our beasts. If we look the same way with specific things in mind we could help him." Isa had a slightly different resolve. She wanted to find materials for Devi and Crim since Clark was focusing on them while ignoring himself.

"Do you have some money with you or did you pass it all to Clark?" Maria immediately joined Isa's thought process.

"I have some and I know Isa keeps hers with her. She gave most to Clark but she is a merchant. She always has some ready." Isa nodded to Ella's facts. She was a merchant by heart. She had plenty of money stashed in her spatial ring.

"Then we will look for a dragon material and a material for Devi." Maria watched Clark wander away to another stall. Her eyes changed to a nearby stall while Isa and Maria were not very dedicated to their cause.

"Hmm, they stopped watching. I guess they got bored of watching me find what seem like random materials." Clark had seen Isa poke her head out from behind the merchant stall at first. He had only giggled to himself a little before continuing on his way. He thought that his friends were worried he would get in to trouble with the crowd.

"Sir, what Can I assist you with today?" The merchant Clark had stopped in front of was one that seemed very out of place.

"Actually, you looked very foreign so I came over here. Can I guess that you are from the north?" The man that Clark spoke to had thick clothes on even though there was a decent heat from the sun today.

"A good eye there. Yes, I am from the north. I make a ten month trip from my home to the southern cities every year. I can show off some goods from my home city if you would like to see them. They are rarer here though so be warned, the prices are a little high." The merchant recognized a student and did not want to lie to them. He had children as well.

"I was actually interested in these here. Why are they strangely shaped? Isn't it just salt?" Clark had already read this analysis but enjoyed the merchant's attitude. It was rare to meet a person so genuine and well traveled.

"These are frost salts. They form from a unique dungeon near my home. They are ideal for any ice type beast looking to drastically increase their strength. If the beast can maintain their cold even with these salts in contact with their body, they can strengthen their powers."

"Then I would like three. I will also take that ember tree core. I haven't seen them but in books and as a research student I would like to study it." Clark knew the ember trees grew in the north because they were actually a very weak beast that used the sunlight to start small fires on its body to survive the cold.

Their cores were considered a good material for any fire type beast to teach it to gain fire energies from the sun.

"A good eye indeed! Let me tell you something, most people don't even ask what I am selling and think some of these are showpieces. Take this card. When you journey to the north, or not, you can visit my wife's shop. She sells what I bring back to the city." The merchant handed a small card while packing up Clark's goods.

"Thank you very much! I hope I can meet you there when I get to travel more. The student tournaments should be held in the northern city this year. Maybe you will be home by then!" Clark set back off happily. He had made a new friend and gained unique materials that could help Isa. "Seven out of ten done.

Let's find three more materials." his focus only grew.