Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1417: Summer Blossoms
"What do you want?"
Iluna asked impatiently:
"I donโt like riddles, and I dislike staying in this stinky place even more."
After all, this was a sewer, and the only lighting was the light orb Iluna had swapped out.
So the girl pointed at Shard: ๐ป๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ธโฏ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐โฏ๐ญ.๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ
"I want his blood."
"My blood?"
Shard, who hadnโt spoken all this time, raised an eyebrow and asked before Iluna could voice any objection:
"I can give you my blood, but youโll have to tell me why you need it."
He frowned slightly:
"Iโve authenticated my lineage with a peculiar relic before. As far as I know, Iโm a hundred percent human."
The young flower seller pursed her lips, holding back laughter to prevent the moon from falling down and hitting her while walking at night:
"Iโm just a flower girl, I canโt understand what youโre talking about. Give me your blood, not much is needed, then I will leave this city. The twisted soil and noble blood will nurture the most beautiful flower, and thatโs all I want."
"Shard, the witches said you just recovered from a serious illness a few days ago..."
Iluna hesitated and looked at Shard, who shook his head and continued speaking to the girl:
"By not answering me, youโve actually already given me an answer. What makes my blood different from othersโ blood?"
The girl blinked:
"Well... Thereโs a great power within your soul, which in turn gives your blood a power beyond ordinary people... thatโs it, yes, donโt overthink it, youโre just a regular human, my words didnโt give you any answers."
She seemed somewhat afraid as she spoke, while "she" beside Shard laughed, but this time the laughter was a bit odd.
"Alright, Iโll take it as that."
Shard said softly, raising his wrist:
"How much do you need?"
"Just drip it into my flower pot, and once it blooms, thatโll be enough."
"Let me help you."
Iluna said worriedly.
So the two of them and the little girl went to the corner of the room, near the table by the brick wall, where the girl carefully jumped onto a stool to see the flower pot.
Iluna took out a small knife and carefully cut Shardโs finger, then squeezed out a drop of blood.
"Iluna, arenโt you being too conservative? Shouldnโt it be the wrist?"
"Youโve just recovered from a severe illness, no need to try bloodletting therapy, that should have been obsolete in the old days."
The seventeen-year-old girl said.
The first drop of blood fell into the flower pot, and the small seedling rapidly grew, quickly becoming a tall stalk. The second drop of blood fell into the flower pot, branches grew, and buds appeared one by one. The third drop of blood fell into the flower pot, and white daisies bloomed.
At least, they looked like daisies.
"My blood has such an effect?"
Shard was puzzled by this and decided to try it himself with a flower pot when he had time.
"Normally, it wouldnโt, itโs my flower pot and my power that brought about this result."
The girl watched the flowers bloom in the pot, also appearing very happy:
"Those four girls, you can take them, I donโt need them anymore. Iโm leaving this city now, after all, something big is about to happen here, leaving early to avoid trouble is good."
She picked up the relatively large flower pot with a bright smile on her face. But then she thought of something else and put the flower pot back down:
"And hereโs a gift for you."
"I donโt want your gift."
Iluna huffed, the girl smiled without speaking to her.
She reached into her little basket and took out garden scissors:
"Since you donโt want my gift, then both gifts will go to this gentleman. Can you give me a drop of your blood? To dye this pure white flower with your color for the gift meant for this gentleman."
Iluna reluctantly stretched out her hand, dripping a drop of her blood into the flower pot, onto a freshly bloomed white flower. The blood quickly stained the petal with the red hue of the summer sun.
Then the flower-selling girl cut the small flower from its stem and handed it to Shard:
"This is a summer flower born from the twisted earth. Eating this flower might bring the power of this newly adult girl to you."
She repeated Ilunaโs words about her age with a smile, and as Shard took the flower, he immediately felt warm all over.
"With this flower, you wonโt fear the cold of winter. Born from the twisted earth, born from Wise Manโs Blood, born from the fate heroโs blessing. Itโs the most beautiful flower, the bravest flower."
She said in a sing-song voice with her childish tone. Then, picking up her little flower basket, she cradled the large flower pot:
"Also, I chose this place because thereโs a piece of twisted earth nearby. If youโre interested, you can go have a look. Farewell, fated hero, next time we meet, donโt be so angry, being angry makes young girls age faster."
"You..."
Iluna felt like she couldnโt control her temper today, while the flower-selling girl smiled and asked Shard:
"Sir, is there anything else you need? If not, Iโll be on my way."
For some reason, Shard felt as if he saw the shadow of [Desire] in this girl. It wasnโt that the girl in front of him shared [Desire]โs immense charm, but rather, as humanoid relics, neither of them quite behaved like relics.
"Desire?"
The girl suddenly asked, startling Shard:
"Can you read minds?"
"Of course not, but you might as well have written your thoughts all over your face."
The little girl said with a sweet smile:
"But your line of thinking is correct; autumn is a season of harvest and bounty, quite like the power that [Desire] represents. If youโre looking for autumn flowers, you can seek her help."
After saying this, she bid farewell to Shard and the still-upset Iluna:
"Goodbye then, Iโm looking forward to our next meeting."
With that, she hugged her flower pot, picked up her little basket, and skipped away through the iron gate. By the time Shard followed her outside to see where she went, her figure had already vanished, leaving behind a song that was like a nursery rhyme:
"Praise be to the earth and you,
Praise be to the earth and me.
Buy a little flower,
Reap a heartfelt fruit.
Bless the flower-selling girl,
The Deities of another world protect us.
May the earth be with you and me,
May our childhood, like a tender flower, never fade away."
The latter part of the song was unclear, and Shard did not catch the entire lyrics.
"Do I look... old?"
Iluna wasnโt at all concerned about the girl earlier, but hesitantly tugged on Shardโs sleeve.
Shard fiddled with the flower in his hand:
"Why would you think that? Even Princess Angelina, who is the same age as you, looks a bit more mature."
"Why does it feel like youโre not complimenting me... forget it."
She clasped her hands behind her back, hesitantly asking Shard:
"Knight, could you give me some help? To let me... have more confidence in my charm."
Shard also looked at her:
"Iโve always found you very charming, even compared to the Grand Witches... alright."
He leaned in closer to Iluna, and as she closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly, he kissed her.
And so, the case of the "missing flower seller" was officially closed, and Shard thereby obtained a summer flower. After completing the "Worm Cave" Time Key task, the white flower composed of petals gifted by his friends was a spring flower, thus gathering a part of the sacrifices for the Chosen One Ceremony.
Of course, they couldnโt leave the sewer area yet, as the flower-selling girl had mentioned, thereโs twisted land nearby, indicating the presence of the "Crazy Earth."
Since they didnโt know the exact location, Shard and Iluna could only search along each side of the sewer pipe after ensuring the safety of the four sleeping girls. Even for Shard, he could only sense the presence of the "Crazy Earth" after coming into contact with it.
Unfortunately, the search on both ends wasnโt successful, and neither Shard nor Iluna found anything unusual.
After regrouping in the small sewer room, Iluna proposed another line of thought:
"Since that annoying girl wanted to use the power of the twisted land to grow flowers, it means her planting spot should be very close to the Crazy Earth."
So Shard cast his eyes on the stone brick wall behind the table, walked over to touch it, but found no sign of the Crazy Earthโs power:
"Could it be that the space behind this wall is empty?"
"Why not try opening it to see?"
Iluna eagerly suggested, prompting Shard to move the table aside:
"Iโve learned a new trick recently, watch."
She rubbed her palms together and then had Shard step back a bit, facing the brick wall herself:
"Watch meโha!"
She thrust her palm forward, sending out what seemed like white mist flying from her palm. An invisible force field formed a powerful impact, causing the wall to cave inwards:
"It really is hollow behind, one more timeโha!"
Iluna struck again with her palm, and this time the wallโs bricks finally dislodged, flying backward and causing a resounding echo in the empty sewer.
This move somehow reminded Shard of the time he got hit by Long-Haired Luvia in the Night Shrine.
Behind the brick wall was a sealed, windowless chamber with no other exits, and as Shard bent down to crawl through the opening, he immediately sensed the Crazy Earth power.
The situation wasnโt severe here, probably even undetectable from the city ground above. Since the ground was covered with a layer of black mud, Shard didnโt let Iluna come in; he instead lit his fingertip with moonlight to examine the chamberโs general condition and then said to the girl outside the wall:
"I donโt see any particular trait of the Crazy Earth here; it seems to be merely pollution."
