_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5" style="border:0px solid">"Hold up," Lyra said, pausing mid-step. She crouched down, examining what looked like ordinary moss covering a fallen log. "Something's different here."

  Alexander stopped the team with a raised hand. They were exploring the eastern section of Floor 5's medicinal gardens, having decided to avoid the western region after Elijah's toxin incident the previous day.

  "Dangerous?" he asked, scanning the area for threats.

  "No," Lyra replied, running her fingers just above the moss without touching it. "Not dangerous. Just... deliberate. This isn't natural growth. Someone pced these varieties together."

  Elijah crouched beside her, his scanner hovering over the moss. "She's right. These species shouldn't coexist naturally. The soil chemistry requirements are completely different." He looked up, surveying the nearby vegetation with fresh eyes. "Now that I'm looking properly, none of this is random."

  Alexander followed their gaze, noticing for the first time the subtle patterns in the pnt arrangements. What had appeared as wild growth now revealed itself as a complex, deliberate garden disguised as natural terrain.

  "It's a trail marker," Lyra concluded, standing up. "These pnts are guiding somewhere."

  Riva, who'd been keeping watch at the group's perimeter, frowned. "Could be a trap."

  "I don't think so," Elijah said, examining his scanner readings. "There's no toxin signature, and the arrangement feels... inviting, not threatening."

  "Worth investigating," Alexander decided. "Riva, take point. Valeria, watch our backs."

  The team followed the subtle pnt markers—patches of deliberately arranged moss, mushrooms growing in too-perfect circles, vines that curved unnaturally along the ground. The path led them deeper into the garden, through a dense section of flowering shrubs that suddenly opened into a hidden grotto.

  The space was breathtaking. Sunlight filtered through a canopy of translucent leaves, casting emerald patterns on the ground. At the center stood a small stone structure, surrounded by concentric circles of pnts arranged with unmistakable purpose. The air smelled of herbs and flowers, with undertones of brewing compounds.

  A figure emerged from the stone structure—an elderly man with dark skin and a full white beard. His clothing seemed to be partially made from living pnts, and several small containers hung from a belt around his waist. Most remarkably, he had no visible neural interface—a rarity in the Game.

  "Visitors," he said, his voice surprisingly strong for his apparent age. "Few find my garden." His eyes moved over the group, assessing each of them before settling on Elijah and Lyra. "Ah. Seekers of knowledge. Interesting combination."

  "We're mapping this floor," Alexander expined, stepping forward. "We didn't mean to intrude."

  The old man waved dismissively. "Intrusion implies unwelcome. I pced the markers for those with eyes to see." He beckoned to Elijah and Lyra. "You two noticed. You have the sight."

  "Are you an NPC?" Riva asked bluntly, her hand still near her weapon.

  The old man ughed. "Such a crude term. I am Master Valen, herbalist and alchemist. I was here before the 'Game' as you call it, and will remain after." He smiled mysteriously. "I teach those worth teaching."

  Alexander subtly signaled Riva to stand down. NPCs in the Game ranged from simple quest-givers to complex characters with valuable knowledge. This one seemed particurly sophisticated.

  "What do you teach?" Elijah asked, his interest clearly piqued.

  "The nguage of pnts. The alchemy of healing and harm." Master Valen gestured to the garden around them. "But first, show me what you know. I waste no time on beginners."

  Elijah gnced at Alexander, who nodded approval. This could be valuable.

  "I have formal training in medical sciences," Elijah said, approaching cautiously. "Including botanical pharmacology and compound synthesis."

  Master Valen pointed to a nearby pnt with delicate blue flowers. "That one. Properties?"

  Elijah examined it briefly. "Azure nightshade. The leaves contain a powerful sedative, but the stem has stimunt properties. When combined with certain catalysts, it can create a stabilizing agent for treating neurological imbances."

  "And preparation method?"

  "The leaves must be harvested at dawn, dried in indirect sunlight for exactly three hours, then ground with a non-metallic implement. The stem requires pressure extraction rather than heat, as thermal processing degrades the active compounds."

  The old man's eyebrows rose slightly. "Surprisingly thorough." He turned to Lyra. "And you?"

  Lyra hesitated. "I'm... self-taught. Mostly practical application."

  "Show me," he challenged, gesturing to a workbench set up beneath a flowering tree.

  Alexander watched as Lyra approached the station. She surveyed the avaible tools and ingredients with a quick, practiced eye. Without hesitation, she selected several pnts, arranging them in what appeared to be a specific order of processing.

  What happened next surprised even Elijah. Lyra's hands moved with extraordinary efficiency, preparing multiple ingredients simultaneously. She crushed herbs while steeping others, maintaining precise timing without any visible counting or measuring devices. Her method was unlike the formal techniques Elijah had described—it was improvisational yet precise, wasting no motion or material.

  In less than five minutes, she had produced a small vial of green liquid.

  "Fever reducer with added respiratory support," she expined, handing it to Master Valen. "Where I come from, we can't waste time or materials on separate preparations."

  The old man uncorked the vial, wafted the scent toward his nose, and nodded appreciatively. "Unorthodox. Efficient. Multiple active compounds stabilized without standard buffering agents." He looked at her with new interest. "Necessity teaches different lessons than formal study."

  "She combined three processes into one," Elijah observed, examining her work area. "How did you prevent the alkaloid degradation without proper sequencing?"

  "Using the acidity of the berries to create a temporary buffer," Lyra expined. "If you time it right, you can skip the separate neutralization step."

  "Fascinating," Elijah said, and his admiration seemed genuine. "That would save significant preparation time in emergency situations."

  Master Valen looked between them, then cpped his hands together. "Good! One knows the why, one knows the how. Together, much to teach, much to learn." He gestured for them to follow him into the stone structure. "Come. Advanced lessons begin now."

  Alexander made a quick decision. "Riva, gather samples from the perimeter pnts. Valeria, document what you can without interfering. I'll observe the lesson."

  Inside the structure, Master Valen's workspace was a herbalist's dream—shelves lined with hundreds of beled containers, specialized tools hanging in precise arrangements, and a central preparation area with multiple working stations.

  "First lesson," the old man announced. "Theory without practice is sterile. Practice without theory is blind." He selected several pnts from his collection. "These are found only on Floor 5. Special properties for those who understand them."

  What followed was the most comprehensive herbalism lesson Alexander had ever witnessed. Master Valen combined formal instruction with practical demonstration, often having Elijah expin theoretical principles while Lyra demonstrated efficient preparation techniques.

  "The molecur structure of this compound," Elijah expined, drawing a complex diagram in the dust of the workbench, "makes it particurly effective for neural regeneration, but traditionally requires a three-day brewing process."

  "Unless," Lyra interjected, already modifying the ingredient preparation, "you use pressure instead of time to force the reaction." She demonstrated a technique using a sealed gss container and controlled heat. "In Sector 17, we couldn't afford to wait three days for medicine when someone was hurt."

  "Exactly!" Master Valen excimed. "Necessity drives innovation."

  As the lesson progressed, Alexander noticed something remarkable happening. Elijah and Lyra began working in perfect tandem—he would expin a concept, she would implement it with practical adjustments, then he would analyze why her modification worked, leading to even better refinements.

  Master Valen noticed too. "Rare to see such complementary knowledge. One with depth, one with adaptability."

  By mid-afternoon, they had created several advanced potions:

  "Neural Crity Elixir," Elijah expined as they bottled a silvery liquid. "Enhances focus and reaction time without the crash of standard stimunts."

  "Tissue Regeneration Salve," Lyra added, carefully sealing a container of pale green cream. "Accelerates healing while preventing infection. The standard version takes hours to work, but this modified formu should act within minutes."

  "Respiratory Purification Extract," Master Valen said, holding up a blue vial. "Essential for toxin exposure. Remember this one—the Garden Keeper's pollen is particurly insidious."

  That st comment caught Alexander's attention. Information about floor guardians was always valuable.

  As they worked, Lyra shared more about her background. "In Sector 17, we couldn't waste anything. Someone might die if we did. So we learned to combine steps, use every part of each pnt, find substitutes when we ran out of standard ingredients."

  "That's why your fever reducer incorporated respiratory support," Elijah realized. "Conserving resources."

  "Exactly. Why make two medicines when one can do both jobs?"

  "But how did you learn the chemical properties without proper education resources?" Elijah asked.

  Lyra hesitated briefly. "Trial and error, mostly. And we had some salvaged medical texts. Plus, when you're desperate enough, you pay really close attention to results."

  From his position near the door, Alexander noticed Valeria documenting everything, her eyes narrowing slightly at Lyra's expnations. She clearly wasn't convinced by the "trial and error" expnation for such sophisticated knowledge.

  Near the end of their session, Master Valen brought out one final pnt—a delicate specimen with crystalline structures growing alongside organic components.

  "This," he said reverently, "is Heaven's Tear. It grows only in one spot on this floor, where crystal formations meet living matter." He carefully extracted a single leaf. "The ultimate test of both theory and practice."

  Elijah examined it with his scanner. "Incredible. It has a quasi-crystalline structure integrated with organic cellur material. I've never seen anything like it."

  "The processing is extremely delicate," Master Valen warned. "Too much pressure destroys the crystal structure, too little fails to release the compounds. Temperature must be precisely controlled."

  He looked between Elijah and Lyra. "Together, perhaps?"

  Without discussion, they fell into a natural workflow. Elijah analyzed the pnt's structure, expining the theoretical requirements for extraction, while Lyra adapted her techniques to meet those requirements. Their hands moved in coordinated precision, passing tools and ingredients without needing to ask.

  Alexander watched with growing fascination. Two people from completely different backgrounds—one with formal Architect-css education, the other supposedly self-taught in an Unaligned sector—working together as if they'd trained side by side for years.

  When they finished, a single small vial contained a shimmering liquid that seemed to glow from within.

  "Perfect," Master Valen whispered, holding it up to the light. "Crystalline Essence. One dose can save a life even at the brink of death." He handed the vial to Alexander. "For your team. May it serve when most needed."

  "Thank you," Alexander said, carefully storing the precious item in his inventory.

  "And these," Master Valen continued, presenting several small books to Elijah and Lyra. "Formus and techniques for those with eyes to see and hands to create."

  As they prepared to leave, Master Valen took Alexander aside. "Rare combination, those two. Different paths leading to complementary knowledge. Together, they see the whole where others see only parts."

  "I've noticed," Alexander replied neutrally.

  The old man's eyes twinkled. "Knowledge shared grows stronger. Remember that, leader of twins."

  Alexander didn't recall mentioning that Elijah was his twin, but NPCs often had access to pyer information.

  Outside, as they followed the pnt markers back toward the main garden, Elijah couldn't contain his enthusiasm.

  "That was incredible," he told Lyra. "Your technique for the crystalline extraction was brilliant. Pressure modution instead of temperature control—I wouldn't have thought of that."

  "Only because I didn't have proper temperature regution equipment in Sector 17," Lyra expined with a small smile. "You have to use what's avaible."

  "Still, you've developed methods that aren't in any of my textbooks. They're more efficient and use fewer resources." Elijah shook his head in admiration. "We should compare notes on everything. There's so much we could learn from each other."

  Alexander, walking a few paces behind them, watched their animated conversation with interest. Something about their interaction felt almost familiar, as if they were rediscovering a connection rather than building a new one.

  At the rear of the group, Valeria walked silently, her scanner occasionally capturing images of Lyra's gestures as she expined her techniques to Elijah.

  That evening at camp, Alexander updated his personal log:

  Significant educational acquisition today. Master Valen NPC provided advanced herbalism training. E's theoretical knowledge impressive as expected. L's practical skills far exceed what should be possible from "trial and error" learning. Working together, they achieved results that surprised even the advanced NPC.

  Their complementary styles create synergy that will be valuable against the Garden Keeper. L expins her unusual knowledge as necessity-driven innovation in resource-scarce environment. Pusible expnation but doesn't fully account for the sophistication of her understanding.

  E and L continuing to build rapport. Working retionship becoming genuinely colborative rather than merely cooperative. This development positive for team dynamics despite ongoing questions about L's background.

  As Alexander finished his notes, he gnced over to where Elijah and Lyra sat together by the fire, heads bent over Master Valen's formu books, occasionally pointing out passages to each other and testing small sample preparations.

  Whatever Valeria's suspicions, Alexander couldn't deny that Elijah and Lyra worked together as if designed to complement each other's strengths and compensate for each other's weaknesses. In the Game, such natural teamwork was rare and valuable—perhaps too valuable to question too deeply.

  For now, he would watch and learn, just as they were doing with their newly acquired herbalism knowledge.