Chapter 85: Blood Berry
“Wah wah, Tiya, you’re finally back!”
In the Village Chief’s Room, Talil hugged Xilutiya and wiped tears. If this maiden didn’t return, she didn’t know what to do.
“It’s fine, I’m back now.” Xilutiya hugged Talil’s back, comforting her while stroking her hair.
It was indeed her own fault. Because she didn’t understand the situation with talent abilities, she fell into the Shadow World.
After the two reminisced for a while, Xilutiya inquired of the old Village Chief how long she had been missing.
“About a day and two nights. I sent many people from the village to search for you on the Mountain, but there were no results. If we couldn’t find you today, I would have had to send someone immediately to Jiaoshi City to notify the big shots.” The old Village Chief looked worried and fearful.
“Sorry, Village Chief.” Xilutiya was still very grateful toward this old Village Chief.
When she had first stepped into this world in confusion, it was thanks to the village people’s kindness that she could peacefully integrate into the environment without any accidents.
“Alright, it’s good that you’re back. Now Talil and I can finally get a good night’s sleep, hehe.” His mood had improved quite a bit.
They rested another night at the Village Chief’s House. The next day, Xilutiya and Talil set off, returning to Jiaoshi City.
December was nearing its end, and sometime in January or February of the coming year was the day of the assessment. Xilutiya didn’t have much time left to prepare.
……
Back at Madam Fran’s Mansion, Xilutiya found an opportunity to tell Madam Fran the general events of falling into the Shadow World this time, but she omitted the matter of ‘『Melelan Ke praying in the lake』’, because this Sacred Canon involved many things, and moreover, there were currently no records circulating in the outside world about the ‘Silver Radiance Church’. Inquiring of the teacher wouldn’t mean much either.
“I didn’t expect that this time, you experienced the Shadow World ahead of time and returned unharmed.” Madam Fran looked at Xilutiya with a surprised and astonished gaze for the first time, making this maiden feel a bit embarrassed.
“Your situation actually happens occasionally in various places on the Continent, but it’s extremely rare for someone like you to fall into the Shadow World and then return on your own.”
“The reason everyone lives in cities and villages is to rely on the ritual arrays of the ‘Castle’ nature to stabilize space and avoid encountering this strange ‘falling’ phenomenon.” Madam Fran explained.
“However, after advancing in nature phase order, one generally won’t encounter such things.” She continued.
“It’s like filtering wheat flour with a bamboo basket; large particles can’t pass through. High-rank natures can’t pass through such weak space-time rifts.” Madam Fran also didn’t seem to know about ‘Alien Star’ natures.
“Have you changed from Emerald Honey to Blood Law?” She noticed another interesting thing.
“Uh, yes. Because it was too dangerous inside, the Emerald Honey class I condensed later also shattered, so I could only temporarily switch to ‘Blood Law’ to survive first.” Xilutiya replied embarrassedly.
“Blood Law isn’t anything special.” Madam Fran shook her head nonchalantly.
“In the 1-2 rank stage, nature power is unstable, so switching isn’t difficult. Many rituals can achieve it.”
“It’s just that these rituals cost resources, which ordinary people can’t afford.”
“Xilutiya, do you think gardeners have a distinction between good and bad?” She asked the maiden before her with interest.
“Can gardeners be divided into good and bad?” In her impression, the most powerful gardeners were probably like her mother, almost able to change the local climate and seasons.
“Of course, just like the difference between Black Wizards and White Wizards.” Madam Fran lightly tapped her fingers.
“What I mean is, a small portion of gardeners are particularly skilled at combining ‘Blood Law’ and ‘Emerald Honey’ for use, thereby utilizing the power of blood pulse rhythm.”
“This approach isn’t evil, but unfortunately, some paths among them are too useful and get abused, leading to a bad reputation.”
“What is that?” Xilutiya was curious why Madam Fran was being so roundabout today instead of stating it directly.
“It’s using living people as fertilizer, Tiya.” Madam Fran lifted her eyelids and looked at this maiden.
“The common evil method is to extract the enemy’s blood pulse rhythm to nourish the mutated plant in their hand, then condense ‘Blood Red Fruit’. This fruit allows people who can’t learn breathing techniques to also strengthen their physique.”
“A slightly better method is to nourish the plant with one’s own flesh and blood, then gain the ability to control a certain special plant as if it were an extension of one’s limbs.”
“The highest rank method is the legendary birth ritual of the ‘Blood Flower Fairy’. That’s using one’s own flesh, soul, consciousness, and everything to nourish a flower. When this flower blooms, the original self dies and disappears, giving birth to a ‘Blood Flower Fairy’ that possesses the original host’s memory.”
“But the two are ultimately different. The latter merely inherits the former’s memory, and ‘Blood Flower Fairies’ easily have extremely eccentric personalities, bringing great destruction.”
“Uh, teacher, isn’t there a kinder and brighter method?” Xilutiya felt unwell after hearing this.
“Hehe, let me think. There does seem to be a relatively bright method: drip one’s own ‘Blood Law’ nature into a blooming flower, imbue it with ‘Blood Law’, and finally produce ‘Blood Berries’. The juice of these berries can be used in place of one’s own blood.”
“Some physicians use this method to prepare ‘Blood Berries’ in advance for warriors’ rescue, used in dangerous surgeries.”
“If you don’t plan to continue on the ‘Blood Law’ path, I can use this method to remove the ‘Blood Law’ nature from your body, then let you re-enter the ‘Emerald Honey’ path.”
“Then let’s choose this one.”
She still wanted to continue on the ‘Emerald Honey’ path. As for ‘Brilliant Moon’, she could also change natures in the future by cultivating plants to achieve the same ability effects.
Over the next few days, Madam Fran pricked Xilutiya’s finger with a needle and had Xilutiya condense a bit of the ‘Blood Law’ nature from her own blood and expel it to nourish the berry flower she had prepared.
About three days later, Xilutiya sat back in the chair with a pale face. At this point, she had returned to the stage without a condensed nature.
“Rest well, little Tiya. I’ll be home these days, no need for you to entertain guests or tend flowers.” Madam Fran affectionately stroked this maiden’s hair.
“Mm.” She drank the ‘Blazing Sun’ flower tea that Madam Fran had prepared for her, recovering some vitality, her face regaining a bit of color.
Phew, now she had to start over again.
At night, lying on the soft big bed by the window, she recalled the experiences of these past months, ripples stirring in her heart.
Although she had left her family and mother, and the once familiar world, she had also met many good people: the stern Captain Frien, the kind Scholar Heide, the elegant Madam Fran, and those who had helped her like Winnie, Mailin, Talil, Fanderxi, and others.
This world was indeed very dangerous, whether the wild beasts in the mountain forest, the bandits at night, or the endless monsters beneath the Twilight Sea, all threatening many lives. But in this chaotic world, there was also some warmth and belief.
In distant times, the ‘Silver Radiance Church’ that initially explored the Shadow World, the resolute knights who opened up border barbarian lands, the scholars who imparted knowledge—even if they weren’t perfectly selfless—these actions ultimately brought much positive meaning to this world.
Just as Scholar Heide had taught her: even if you seek supreme freedom, would you swim in the filthy, evil ocean, or stroll through the colorful sea of flowers?
Would you be king among a group of primitives clad in rags and starving, or become a free member of a splendid civilized world, seeing countless sparks of inspiration burst forth, feeling the birth of countless novel things?
Silver Radiance Church, Knight Holling, the witches from the founding era of Regas Kingdom—these people had no connection to her now, but the traces they left back then gradually changed the current world, shaping the life she was experiencing now.
Connections of silk and strings, countless subtle accumulations.
Even though ‘Mycelium’ has dissipated, as the most ancient nature, its concept remains the foundation and starting point of everything.
