Chapter 98: Greenhouse Upgrade
Blindly searching won't lead anywhere.
Hua Mi pondered, deciding to temporarily halt his plan of finding the tree spirit and check on the situation at the Unicorn's place instead. He shifted direction toward the ruins of the Black Castle.
For this journey, Hua Mi prepared a light sponge cushion for himself, letting the bee swarm support it underneath while he sat on top—not just sitting, but even lying down comfortably. It didn't make him fly faster, but it surely made the journey more enjoyable! This was what he called a bio-powered flying carpet.
He wasn't far from the Black Castle ruins. Over an hour later, he entered the Unicorn's domain.
This time, the Unicorn didn't teleport to greet him. Creatures like the green-furred apes within the territory were accustomed to him, giving a passing glance before ignoring him, allowing him to fly towards the Unicorn's location.
Hua Mi smoothly arrived at the small courtyard, landing and gathering the bee swarm and cushion.
The Unicorn remained there, resting with its eyes closed. Sometimes, Hua Mi thought this Unicorn stayed here to suppress vampires, enduring such a long time. Just the thought felt tedious. Yet, considering the long lifespan of creatures like Unicorns, a few hundred years might be a fleeting moment for them, not to be measured by human standards.
Immediately, Hua Mi noticed the Unicorn's broken horn had notably grown longer since his last visit. The newly grown part surpassed the previous length.
"Looks like the Thunder Flower Honey really works."
It didn't fully restore it immediately but certainly sped up the recovery process.
He glanced around the courtyard. "Where's Clark?"
The Unicorn opened its eyes, giving him a glance but remained silent.
"...?"
Hua Mi suddenly had a bad feeling. What if it had attacked him!
It hadn't mentioned being able to reverse the vampire curse, only saying it would keep him here. Solve the problem or solve the person causing it? Vampire derivatives weren't as immortal as the actual vampires. If the Unicorn made a move, he wouldn't last.
"Hmm? What's that smell?"
Hua Mi detected a burnt odor in the air, like roasted meat, something he hadn't smelled here before. Unable to pinpoint the source with his human nose, he released a scouting bee to locate the unusual scent.
The effect was immediate. Hua Mi identified the smell coming from a collapsed room behind the courtyard.
He envisaged unpleasant scenes and controlled the scouting bee to fly in that direction.
The room seemed like a hall, quite spacious. The top had collapsed, offering a view of the blue sky and drifting clouds.
He spotted a familiar figure in a purple robe, back turned, wearing a hood, squatting on the ground. In their hand, a stick held a skinned small animal, roasting over a fire...
Several green-furred apes stood nearby, salivating.
The scouting bee reached the figure's front, revealing their current appearance.
Pointed teeth, pale complexion. Their eyes, originally sapphire blue, now tinged with crimson, like blood-soaked sapphires, exuding an eerie aura.
All these signs indicated they had become a vampire derivative. But their demeanor appeared normal and clear-headed, unlike the crazed depiction in books.
"I'll go talk to him."
Hua Mi glanced at the Unicorn, which remained indifferent, seemingly permitting it.
He was used to this attitude from the Unicorn, so he headed through the corridor, stepping over several broken stone columns, entering the room.
He noticed a bloody animal carcass lying nearby. Hearing footsteps behind, Clark turned, smiling, waving at him. "Hey, you're here. The meat's almost done, want to join in?"
Quite optimistic.
Hua Mi approached him. "Are you okay?"
"Not quite. You see," Clark bared his fangs, pointing at his two vampire teeth, "I'm now a full-fledged vampire derivative. The Unicorn couldn't reverse this process. Curses like these are stubborn."
"But you don't look like it."
"Well, first, I didn't directly transform from the original vampire, so I'm a lesser derivative. Therefore, the mental impact is weaker compared to common derivatives. And the Unicorn's domain can suppress my instincts to some extent. After these days, I feel calm, almost like a regular person. Spending a bit more time by the Unicorn's side, and I think I can leave."
"But in your state, returning to human society..."
"Tomorrow's worries are tomorrow's concerns. I'll continue the survey here, then bring back the report. If the guild doesn't accept me, I'll just resign. It's an early retirement. Living secluded like you, tending flowers, doesn't sound bad either."
Hua Mi felt Clark should worry less about the guild's acceptance and more about potential reactions. Vampire derivatives weren't viewed kindly by the public. Even if he retained his sanity, the stress could be unavoidable.
"You can send the report, no need to visit in person."
Hua Mi subtly hinted. Clark understood, smiling ruefully. "I have family in Modu. Some things need to be clarified face-to-face."
With that, Hua Mi refrained from further comments.
"In fact, if it's just this, it's not a big deal." Clark sounded cheerful, "Setting aside the change in my appearance, internally, I'm still the same. A mere curse can't change me."
Saying so, he snapped a leg off the roasted meat, biting into it vigorously. After some effortful chewing, he spat it all out.
"Ugh!!"
He vomited it out.
"Well, maybe there's a change in my diet... but these are trivial matters, right?"
"Hmm."
Clark suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I promised to help you find the tree spirit before, never fulfilled that. How about we search for it now?"
...
Like an excited child eager to go out to play, after getting the 'approval' from the 'parent' Unicorn, Clark joined Hua Mi, departing to search for the tree spirit.
Although his state hadn't stabilized, a brief absence wouldn't be an issue.
Becoming a vampire derivative hadn't robbed him of his observation skills.
"If anything, it's strengthened," Clark remarked.
Seated cross-legged on the flying carpet, he closed his eyes and, upon opening them, they transformed into slit pupils, different from the previous light-yellow. Now, they were crimson.
Seeming more eerie and intimidating, the vampire's curse had taken its toll. Yet, it had enhanced his observational abilities.
He might be the world's first vampire derivative observer.
His slit pupils scanned an area, swiftly locking onto a direction.
"There."
...
With Clark's assistance, Hua Mi quickly found the first tree spirit. It stood rooted somewhere, motionless, its crown devoid of leaves, almost completely bald, with only a few leaves hanging.
Hidden among the woods.
With the naked eye, without careful observation, it was challenging to spot.
Approaching it closely, escaping might not be possible.
In a sense, it was a treacherous predator.
Dealing with this tree spirit, third-tier Scission Bees were sufficient.
Hua Mi controlled the bee swarm on the flying carpet, initiating a dive attack.
The unfortunate tree spirit couldn't react; its arms were severed in two strikes.
Immediately after, it was dismantled entirely.
The first Enlightening Heart acquired.
All the
live wood was collected and stored in the magic box to take back.
Clark mentioned that these special woods were rich in magical elements, unsuitable for construction but excellent as top-quality fertilizer when thrown into the greenhouse well.
Next was the second, then the third...
Before dark, they had harvested a total of five Enlightening Hearts.
According to the adventurer's guide, Hua Mi had slain nearly half of the tree spirits in the Black Forest.
Clark had also reached his limit.
His body started trembling uncontrollably. "The Unicorn's craving, I need to go back..."
As they entered the Unicorn's domain, Clark's symptoms eased.
Jokingly, he said, "Staying by the Unicorn for these days, I feel like I've become divine."
You, a vampire derivative, how does that relate to divinity? Hua Mi scoffed inwardly.
However, he admired Clark's optimistic attitude.
Before leaving, Hua Mi left a few bottles of Thunder Flower Honey for the Unicorn, boosting rapport.
The Unicorn was proud, its rapport increasing slowly.
Yet, Hua Mi believed in sincere efforts yielding results.
This time, the Unicorn seemed to have slightly elevated its fondness for him.
...
The next day, Alyss arrived to modify his greenhouse.
Integrating the green liquid generator's function into the greenhouse's main control system.
Hua Mi witnessed the prowess of a master architect once again.
In just a day, the modification was completed, without affecting the flower fields inside.
The green liquid produced by six Enlightening Hearts was enough for the two flower fields to be sprayed twice daily.
The growth rate and quality of the flowers significantly improved.
The flawless completion of the renovation left Hua Mi feeling almost guilty for not compensating her.
She didn't lack money.
Nor was she interested in it.
Her entire focus was on architectural design, seemingly undisturbed by worldly possessions.
"Keep an eye out for architectural information. If I get any related intel or items, I can give them to her," Hua Mi thought.
For now, he simply gave her three bottles of honey.
One bottle each of three types of honey, not as payment, but as a gift.
Neighbors living in the Black Forest, exchanging gifts was normal.
...
The upgraded greenhouse was more convenient, requiring just a press on the console to spray the green liquid into the flower fields. It saved him a lot of time.
Everything proceeded systematically.
After a few days, Xiao Hong shared some good news with him.
The Mother Goddess blessed the field, showing signs of a budding Flower Core!
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