Chapter 120: Eyeball Fruit
Life in Jiaoshi City is pretty good, but Xilutiya lacks friends with whom she can have deep communication. Much of the gardener knowledge, insights, and little hobbies she has studied, when told to Komiya and others, they don’t understand. Madam Fran definitely understands, but she is an elder and often not at home, so Xilutiya can’t keep pestering her to talk, and often tends to the flower field alone.
She has long been accustomed to loneliness, but having a friend with a compatible nature is an even luckier thing.
The two walked through the forest grassland on the eighth floor. This floor’s hall has special spherical bright lamps, like small suns, providing light for the planted flowers and grass.
“Tiya, which kind of flower do you like?” Florera squatted in front of a Sunset Chrysanthemum, her fingers carefully touching it. The small Sunset Chrysanthemum swayed slightly, then emitted faint ripples of floral fragrance.
“I probably like them all.” Xilutiya recalled; she hadn’t encountered any flowers she particularly disliked yet.
“But speaking of which, Florera, do you know about ‘Cornflower’?”
“Cornflower, let me think, I seem to have heard of it somewhere.” Florera lightly pressed her finger to her chin, her light pink eyes slightly closing.
“I remember now. A certain elder from my family brought back a potted plant when traveling back from the First Continent. It’s said to be a rather rare flower.” After saying that, Florera described to Xilutiya the appearance of the Cornflower she had seen.
“It’s a blue-violet flower, radiating from the center in all directions like slender funnel-shaped flower petals, with the petal edges softly unfurling like feathers.” Florera’s memory is very good; she could describe in detail flowers she had seen many years ago.
Hearing Florera’s description, a surge of joy welled up in Xilutiya’s heart. She had always wondered if this world didn’t have Cornflower, but fortunately, someone finally told her that such a flower exists.
Although she still didn’t know where she could see it now, at least it definitely exists in some corner of the world, which put her mind at ease from her previous worries.
“Then does Florera know where it can be found now?” Xilutiya suppressed the anticipation and excitement in her heart.
“The elder at my old home might have some planted, but that’s on the Second Continent, very far away.” Florera herself had taken several years to come here, but fortunately, elves have long lifespans and don’t mind this bit of time spent.
“Alright.” Xilutiya suppressed the regret in her heart, then quickly decided.
Once she reached Third Order and had some self-preservation ability, she would undertake a cross-sea journey to the Second Continent to search, or go to the native place on the First Continent.
“Does Xilutiya really like ‘Cornflower’ that much?” Florera noticed this maiden’s rare emotional fluctuation and couldn’t help but inquire curiously.
“Yes, not only do I like it, this is also related to my background, Florera.” The maiden’s one wrist bent, her fingers brushing through the silver hair before her, her tone carrying a bit of nostalgic reverie.
“So it’s such an important thing.” Florera decided to remember this well. Next time she wrote a letter home, she would ask that elder to mail her some Cornflower seeds.
Afterward, the two finished walking through the plant garden on the eighth floor and arrived at the ninth floor.
It was clearly much livelier here, with many temporary stalls and small shops selling various things. The ones doing business were mostly new academy students from the Camel Building.
“Refined steel curved sabers from the Clay Rock Mountains, incomparably sharp, only 1 gold coin~” A man wearing a golden long chain held two gilded long sabers and shook them in the air. The gleaming blades reflected cold light, attracting many passing students.
“Meditation Incense, 5 silver coins each, 1 gold coin for 30.”
“Healing Medicine ointment, 30 silver coins per bottle.”
“Eastern heat-insulating essential oil, 1 gold coin per bottle.”
“Finely brewed Blood Wine, an excellent item for training Breathing Technique, 2 gold coins per bottle.”
Xilutiya observed the things these students were selling; their prices and qualities varied, some seemed very affordable to her, others a bit high.
For example, that bottle of Blood Wine was slightly inferior in quality compared to what Scholar Heide had rewarded them before, but the price was twice as high. Probably because many students here needed it and supply was limited, driving up the price.
“Eyeball Flower seeds, after cultivation, can form Eyeball Fruit to help you fight enemies, 10 seeds for 1 gold coin.” At this moment, a voice from the noisy stall caught Xilutiya’s attention.
It was rare to encounter a plant directly involved in combat, so she couldn’t help but feel tempted.
She walked over with Florera and found it was a girl about her age selling them. The other had yellowish-brown skin, wore simple thick cloth clothes, with several pockets on the clothes convenient for holding things.
On the stall right now was a potted plant with a fully formed Eyeball Fruit. Its plant’s lower half was similar to most flowers and grass, but uniquely, within the wrapping of the upper flower petals was a semi-transparent fruit, resembling a peeled lychee, with faint black spots inside like an eyeball.
First Order·Emerald Honey: A plant said to assist in combat.
At this point, not only Xilutiya, but other interested students were gathered around.
“Can it really fight enemies? What’s its combat power like? It won’t just be tickling, right?” Someone was skeptical.
“Such a small flower fruit, how much power can it exert? Won’t you have to distract yourself to control it in battle?” Some students familiar with plant cultivation shook their heads.
“Can you demonstrate its power?” Finally, someone couldn’t resist asking.
The girl first raised her hands to quiet everyone.
“It’s normal that everyone doesn’t quite believe it, because this is a new plant discovered in my hometown. It’s said the earliest one was brought back from deep in the swamp by an adventurer.”
“The fully mature Eyeball Fruit is Second Order. This one of mine hasn’t reached the complete stage yet, but I can show everyone its potential ahead of time.” After saying that, she took out a thick wooden board and placed it several meters away, having the other students scatter.
Then the girl activated the ‘Emerald Honey’ nature within her body, interfering with the Eyeball Flower Fruit before her. Only to see the semi-transparent fruit among them emit light, like a lit small lamp, followed by an orange-yellow beam shooting out, hitting the wooden board not far away and leaving a half-centimeter deep charred dent.
“What everyone sees now is it firing the beam on its own. If you learn the gardener inheritance’s ‘Flower Blooming Technique’ and assist in activating it yourself, the power can instantly increase tenfold, enough to pierce through the wooden board instantly and impale enemies of the same order.”
After hearing her explanation, many students nodded slightly.
“Indeed, if using Flower Blooming Technique to activate it, expanding the effect tenfold like that would really be very practical.”
“Because it’s a beam, not only is the shooting speed extremely fast, but the power is also very concentrated, several times stronger than other flame aura-type plants.”
“However, the only issue is how to learn ‘Flower Blooming Technique’ at First Order.”
“I’ve heard that among gardeners, the vast majority can only master this ability after advancing to Second Order. Fewer than one in ten can learn it at First Order, and it takes a lot of time.”
“My teacher said that he learned Flower Blooming Technique at First Order back then, but it took a year, delaying his advancement progress, and he regretted it later.”
“At First Order, just focus on cultivating plants first, condense the basic apprentice class, then use meditation to boost mental power, pair it with suitable spiritual medicine, and enter Second Order as early as possible is the way to go.”
“Useless at First Order, and at Second Order there will be more choices; cultivating Eyeball Fruit is a bit redundant.” As the gathered students discussed, most slowly walked away, no longer interested.
