Chapter 53: Return
Huami sighed, "Without the horn, is the unicorn really okay?"
In his understanding, the horn was essential for a unicorn.
He looked at the unicorn. The broken horn emitted faint white light, continuously attaching to the broken surface.
"Is it self-repairing? But it seems the repair speed is very slow. It might take a very long time to complete," Huami wondered aloud.
His main concern was whether the vampire would revive during this process. That was Huami's biggest worry.
According to "The Adventure Guide to the Black Forest," a unicorn's horn was like its magic controller. Without it, the unicorn's magic would be uncontrollable.
"It's not definite. It depends on the individual," Xiao Zi informed him. "Powerful unicorns can still control their magic even without the horn. However, their strength might be slightly affected."
"I see," Huami nodded in understanding.
Different unicorn individuals varied in strength, much like humans' physical constitutions. The horn was akin to a wand; powerful wizards could still perform magic without it.
Retracting the unicorn's horn, Huami surveyed the battlefield again. The four corpses were now reduced to ashes by the thunderous flames, scattered by the wind.
The closest one was the resurrected corpse. It wore only a gray robe, containing nothing but rotting flesh and broken bones. Nothing valuable survived the fiery destruction.
Huami ignored it and approached the other three unfortunate beings – a sneaky thief, a blood-stained murderer, and a supposedly pure maiden.
These were the names the gray-robed figure used during the contract ritual.
The first two were fine, but the so-called pure maiden didn't seem to meet the devil's criteria. The devil claimed her soul was filled with pitiful jealousy, contradicting the gray-robed figure's assurance of her absolute purity.
Recalling last night's conversation, Huami remembered the pure maiden's hostile gaze towards him.
"It must have been then," Huami mused. This variable had led the devil to negotiate with the gray-robed figure, granting him time to prepare.
In a way, the gray-robed figure had defeated himself.
The thunder was fierce, turning most objects into ashes along with the bodies. From the apprentice's ashes, Huami found a storage ring. Consciousness delved inside, revealing a small bag of coins, a notebook, and a scroll. He decided to check these later.
The dwarf's ashes yielded nothing special, but among the thief's remains, Huami found an exquisite silver folding knife, unaffected by the flames.
Huami stored everything in his ring for further examination.
"Oh, the flower!" Huami suddenly remembered the unusual flower he saw on his first visit.
In the small flowerbed, five blue flowers were blooming beautifully – honey-producing plants. However, their scent was strange, not the usual floral fragrance but something more pungent.
"I wonder if bees will accept this scent."
Huami released the pain-inducing bees from his sleeve, letting them hover above the petals. After a moment, the bees began collecting pollen.
Fortunately, the last doubt was dispelled.
"These flowers are worth planting."
"Given their state, they should have produced seeds by now."
Huami controlled a cutting bee and sliced open one flower's ovary. As expected, it contained green bean-sized seeds. Each flower had 3-5 seeds. Huami gathered all 21 seeds.
Having completed the mission, Huami prepared to return.
"Should we say goodbye?" Xiao Zi suggested. "Leaving abruptly might be impolite."
"Let's not complicate things. What if it wakes up in a bad mood and forcefully teleports us again, like last time?"
Huami suddenly realized it might be more convenient that way, saving them a lot of travel time. However, after a moment's thought, he decided against it.
"With its current condition, who knows if it can successfully perform teleportation magic."
As he spoke, Huami felt a familiar vibration.
Looking down, he saw a layer of white light enveloping him.
"...," Huami opened his mouth to speak but vanished on the spot.
The unicorn glanced in that direction and continued resting with closed eyes.
...
"Ah!"
"Ah ah!"
Several green-furred apes nearby suddenly issued warning cries.
The unicorn, alert, immediately stood up.
A thin white mist rose from the ground in the courtyard, spreading like flowing water and soon reaching its small legs.
Within the white mist, faintly visible red bloodlines meandered, gradually staining the mist red.
A restless atmosphere gradually invaded the courtyard.
...
"Hmm."
The unicorn walked slowly towards the center of the courtyard, surveying the surroundings. Suddenly, it lifted a front leg and stomped on the ground.
A shockwave spread out from the point of impact, dispersing the eerie mist that had turned red.
The courtyard returned to normal, but not entirely. The five blue flowers in the flowerbed, initially blue with purple lightning patterns, were now tainted blood-red. The lightning-shaped patterns resembled gruesome blood vessels.
...
They hurried back.
Just as the last rays of sunlight illuminated the small wooden house, they returned.
"Though I've only been away for two days, it feels like a long time."
This journey had indeed been perilous. Huami couldn't help but feel a bit frightened as he recalled the unknown dangers in this world.
Apart from magical creatures, there were irrational lunatics and individuals willing to communicate with devils to achieve their goals.
This reminded him to prioritize strength for future explorations.
Aside from farming and honey production, cultivating powerful bee species and enhancing his own spiritual power were equally important.
The higher the strength, the more confidently he could venture further.
"The unicorn horn powder is ready. Now, we just need the elven master's help to build the greenhouse."
...
"Welcome back!"
Six pseudo-flower spirits crowded around, first dragging Xiao Zi in a lively spin, then bombarding Huami with questions.
"Did you succeed? Did you get the horn powder?"
"I guess not. The unicorn wouldn't easily let someone approach its horn."
"I told you it wouldn't work."
"You must be tired. You look pale."
...
"Listen to me," Xiao Zi finally managed to squeeze in a word. "We actually succeeded."
Huami displayed the broken unicorn horn.
Gasps echoed.
"Is this... the unicorn's..."
"Horn?"
"How did you manage that?"
"Look, it's broken in the middle. Did you kill the unicorn?"
At this statement, another round of exclamations erupted.
"My good friend..." Little Purple shed a tear.
"It used lightning on you before," Little Yellow reminded.
"Oh, right." Little Purple snapped back to reality, immediately changing her expression and waving her fist. "It's not my friend!"
"It's not dead." Xiao Zi yawned. "I'll explain the details later. Can we go to sleep now? This journey was too tiring."
So, the seven little beings bid farewell to Huami and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Huami stopped them.
Standing next to the pit he had dug, looking at the rainbow-colored flower inside, Huami showed a puzzled expression.
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