Elemental Earth was not just any soil dug up outside. It was a special substance close to the very essence of the element of earth, found naturally almost exclusively in the elemental planes, elemental creatures, and certain enchanted minerals.

The ancient earthen, ancestors of the dwarves, had been composed almost entirely of this pure substance.

Now Jess understood. The formula essentially reproduced the way a dwarf's body resisted poison. Simple and brutally direct.

As Jess remembered it, killing living earth elementals yielded Elemental Earth only rarely. Those creatures wandered through exceedingly dangerous places, so with his abilities, there was no point even thinking about finding it himself.

Back when he played the game, Jess had made his first fortune early in an expansion by using Elemental Earth to craft Elemental Sharpening Stones. Even in that world, full of terrifying champions capable of defeating young dragons alone, Elemental Earth had been quite expensive.

He flipped back and forth through several pages, but the book did not explain how Elemental Earth was obtained in this world or what it cost. He could only ask at Alchemy Needs.

When he entered the shop, Ruth was not there. A young blonde woman was tending it instead.

"Hello. What do you need?"

"Are you Maria Lumere?" Jess asked.

"I am. Mother went out, so I'm watching the shop for her. I remember your voice. You're that herbalist, aren't you?"

"Yes." Jess relaxed slightly. If Ruth had been there, she might have guessed that he had contracted undead poison and mocked him for it.

"I'd like to know the price of Elemental Earth."

"Elemental Earth?" The young woman opened her mouth in surprise. "Do you... want to place an order? I can tell Mother and have her write to Dalaran or Lordaeron, asking whether any alchemists there have some in stock that they're willing to sell... It may take two or three months. I can't give you an exact date."

Jess recognized the feeling at once. It was the same one he had experienced at Duncan's Textiles while the proprietor explained where that seven-gold outfit came from.

He was no longer particularly interested in the price. Just writing letters, contacting alchemists in several cities, and waiting for months involved far more effort than he had imagined.

"Never mind." Jess waved a hand and started to leave, only to turn around again.

"Do you know a good way to cure undead poison?"

"Cure undead poison?" Maria said. "You could ask at the Cathedral of Light."

Of course... Why hadn't he thought of finding a priest?

Jess suddenly felt like an idiot. He thanked her and rushed out of the alchemy shop.

It was just past noon. Although the sky was somewhat overcast as he hurried along the broad street beside Stormwind's canals, Jess felt as though everything had acquired a halo.

Perhaps it was caused by the ripples on the canal, or perhaps now that he understood the symptoms of undead poison, he had begun paying closer attention to every unusual sensation.

Now his entire body felt wrong, as though he might turn into a zombie at any moment. Once the thought occurred to him, even his legs grew unsteady.

The sunlight seemed increasingly harsh, and his skin almost hurt beneath it. Was he about to transform into a vampire on the spot and create the San'layn more than a decade early...?

Would walking quickly cause the poison to spread through his body faster? Jess remembered hearing that someone bitten by a venomous snake should avoid strenuous activity or they would die sooner.

As he thought about it, everything before his eyes seemed to grow blurrier.

Cathedral Square had originally stood at Stormwind's northernmost edge. With the surrounding expansion and reconstruction, the city had spread farther north, leaving the square near its center and surrounded by construction sites.

During the war, the cathedral had served as a refuge for displaced people for a long time. Even now, many citizens whose homes had yet to be rebuilt still lived in Cathedral Square.

The Cathedral of Light remained magnificent despite being unfinished, with scaffolding and ladders densely covering its high towers and white walls.

Jess admired the cathedral's imposing silhouette as he crossed the newly repaired canal bridge. Before he even reached the archway leading into Cathedral Square, a guard stopped him.

"The king and queen are visiting the sick and suffering refugees in Cathedral Square. No unauthorized persons may enter."

"I'm sick too," Jess said. "Seriously sick... I need a priest's help."

"What illness?"

"I've been poisoned. It may be undead poison."

The guard lifted Jess's chin and examined his neck.

"I can't say what it is, but something is certainly wrong with you... You may pass, but don't go into the square. The people there won't let you enter anyway. Some priests are caring for patients in that building on the left. Try your luck there."

"Thank you very much."

After the guard let him through, Jess intended to head straight for the small building he had indicated. Then he suddenly grew curious about what King Varian Wrynn looked like while he was still a teenager.

As he passed the entrance to Cathedral Square, Jess peered inside. Rows of guards and richly dressed nobles blocked the way.

Beyond the crowd, blue banners emblazoned with lions slowly moved forward amid intermittent cheers and praise. That was probably where the king was, but Jess could see nothing from here.

Several guards blocking the street stared at Jess as he craned his neck to look inside. Not daring to linger, he headed toward the building.

What a shame. He had not managed to see the king.

Jess felt almost like a fan chasing a celebrity. He had been transported here without a cheat ability or powerful bloodline. Was he not even allowed to see one of his idols?

Inside the small building where sick citizens had been temporarily housed, many patients waited for treatment. Crowds surrounded the priests. A tall man—Jess could not tell whether he was a paladin or a guard—was trying to maintain order, but he did not appear to be having much success.

Just as a female priest finished speaking with an injured man being supported by someone else, Jess squeezed directly toward her.

"Hello... Priest, do you have a moment?"

"Of course. How can I help you?"

Jess remembered visiting public hospitals before his transmigration. Doctors faced dense crowds of all kinds of patients asking every imaginable strange question, yet somehow managed to remain composed. It had not been easy.

The priest here was even more remarkable. After speaking, she actually smiled at Jess. Fatigue and sweat showed on her face, and the smile vanished after only a moment, but it had been there.

"I think I've contracted undead poison..."

"Undead poison? Are you certain, sir? Where could you have gone to contract it? Ordinarily, you would have to be attacked by a ghoul..."

"I went to a cemetery and cut my hand."

The priest lowered her head doubtfully. She pulled back his sleeves and examined the veins on his neck and arms, her gaze shifting slightly.

"Come with me."