Chapter 209
Jin Jie and Zheng Xue exchanged glances. They had been assigned to protect Jocelyn but had never seen his real face before. Now, both were stunned.
Jin Jie thought: I didn’t think anyone could be more beautiful than Illya, but I was wrong. Still… why would Chu Feng call her ugly?
“Those are all ability-users over there!” Jocelyn tilted his head, curious—this was the first time he’d seen so many in one place.
Delice tilted her head too. “Of course. This is the Ability User Center.”
“Two people over there just fell,” Jocelyn said.
Delice puffed her cheeks. “They were scared by you.”
Jocelyn frowned and puffed up his cheeks too, feeling displeased. Was he really that scary? Just two people, and they fell over—how useless.
Shen Yutong listened to Delice and Jocelyn’s conversation, itching with curiosity but unable to understand a word.
Delice went over, picked up the fallen veil, and handed it to Jocelyn. “Here, put it back on.”
Jocelyn rolled his eyes, looking frustrated, but reluctantly covered his face again.
Watching Jocelyn hide his looks gave Shen Yutong a faint sense of loss.
“Can he not speak the language here?” Shen Yuying asked.
Delice nodded smugly. “Of course not. He’s stupid—how could he possibly learn a whole language so quickly?”
Shen Yutong: …
Delice smiled at Jocelyn. Jocelyn, not knowing she’d just called him stupid, smiled back. If he had known, he definitely wouldn’t have.
Delice glanced at Shen Yuxing. “Alright, since we’ve already settled the prices for the elixirs and potions, let’s go ahead with the trade.”
Shen Yuxing nodded. “Alright.”
Jocelyn followed Shen Yuxing to the herbal garden and was instantly stunned by the vast array of medicinal plants.
“This place is really nice!” Before coming here, Jocelyn hadn’t expected much from the plants here. But upon seeing the vast Spirit Herb Garden—filled with many rare medicinal plants even the elves had never seen—his mood instantly lifted.
“Miss Shen.” Mu Linlang walked over.
Shen Yutong introduced to Delice, “This is our National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities’s plant-type ability-user. She helps maintain the herb garden. If you have any questions, you can ask her for help.”
Delice translated for Jocelyn. Hearing this, Jocelyn looked at Mu Linlang with curiosity, studying her for a moment before nodding.
The group wandered around the herb garden for a while, and before long, Jocelyn had already picked out quite a few plants.
Jocelyn then stopped in front of a lush, towering tree. The tree stood over five meters tall, its branches heavy with clusters of unripe green fruits.
Shen Yuxing frowned. The tree in front of Jocelyn had been obtained through a joint effort between the Ability Bureau and the military.
It had been guarded by a powerful leopard, and it took several combat ability-users, along with a heavy expenditure of ammunition, to bring the leopard down.
Afterward, the military had gone to great lengths to transport the tree out from deep within the mountains.
From the available information, the mountains that appeared after the earthquake contained many natural treasures, but the rarest ones were usually guarded by some kind of creature. The stronger the guardian, the greater the value of the treasure it protected.
Since the leopard had been formidable, everyone believed this tree must be extraordinary and that harvesting from it would yield great rewards.
Unfortunately, once transplanted, the tree’s vitality had been steadily declining. Though it looked lush, that was only because plant-type ability-users had infused it with energy—it was just for appearances.
The green tree bore many fruits, but when the research institute tested a few, they found little medicinal value. Eating them brought no benefit, likely because they were still immature.
The National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities had tried various methods to revive the tree, but results had been minimal.
Its decline was irreversible. The only hope now was to somehow ripen its fruit before the tree’s life ran out.
However, the Bureau’s plant-type ability-users weren’t strong enough—their attempts to hasten ripening had little effect.
A great deal of effort had gone into this tree, and it would be a shame to get nothing in the end.
Delice looked at Jocelyn. “Do you know this tree?” Jocelyn nodded. “Yes, it’s a Bisi Jujube Tree.”
The jujubes from this tree were not only delicious but also had certain beneficial effects for ability-users. There had been one in the elven tribe, though it wasn’t as tall as this one, and its yields were small. The last time Jocelyn had eaten one was more than a year ago, and now, seeing this tree, he almost wanted to drool.
Delice, noticing his expression, asked eagerly, “Are the fruits from this tree really that tasty?”
Jocelyn nodded. “Yes! But they’re only good when ripe. Right now, they’re not. Judging by the tree’s condition, it will wither in three days—it won’t live to see the fruit mature.”
Delice frowned. “Three days? It looks pretty healthy to me.”
Jocelyn shook his head. “Just a final flare of life before death. Bisi Jujube Trees can’t be transplanted.” If they could be, the elf tribe would have had more than one.
Delice tilted her head, a bit regretful. “So we won’t get to eat any?”
Jocelyn shook his head. “Not necessarily. If we can ripen the fruit before the tree’s life force runs out, we can still eat them.”
“You can do that?” Delice asked.
Jocelyn nodded. “I think so.”
Perhaps it wouldn’t have been possible before, but in the past few days, she had absorbed several witch stones and her abilities had improved considerably. She should be able to manage it.
Delice turned to Shen Yutong and proposed a deal, “We’ll help ripen this tree’s fruit, but we want half of them.”
Shen Yuxing frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, “There’s still hope for this tree?”
Delice shook her head. “The tree can’t be saved—it has at most three days left. Bisi Jujube Trees can’t be transplanted. The best we can do now is ripen the fruit and salvage what we can.”
“Three days? Are you sure?” Shen Yutong’s assistant asked skeptically.
Delice puffed her cheeks. “Of course I’m sure. If I say three days, it’s three days.”
She trusted Jocelyn’s ability—elves had always dealt closely with plants and could judge their growth by their aura. Jocelyn, as a plant-type ability-user, was even more skilled at this.
“Bisi Jujube Tree—you know this species?” Shen Yutong asked.
Delice nodded. “Yes.”
She actually didn’t, but since Jocelyn did, it was close enough.
Shen Yuxing thought to herself: This tree must be a new species—there’s been no record of it in the country before. If these people recognize it, does that mean it grows where they live?
After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Yuxing nodded. “Alright. If you can do it, half is yours.”
“Miss Shen, this tree is extremely important. Are you sure about this?” the assistant asked again.
Shen Yuxing frowned. “Better than watching it die, isn’t it?”
She wasn’t agreeing lightly—several botanists had examined the tree and concluded it was already dead inside. Its lush exterior was just for show.
According to their estimates, the tree had at most three days left—exactly as Delice had said.
This conclusion had taken the scholars a long time to reach, and it had come at no small cost. The news of the tree’s impending death had been kept confidential, with only a few people in the know. Shen Yuxing knew; her assistant did not.
Jocelyn could tell at a glance, which showed just how capable he was…
Seeing that Delice and Shen Yuxing had come to an agreement, Jocelyn closed his eyes and extended his hands. Countless green rays gathered in his palms.
Bathed in strands of emerald light, Jocelyn looked almost like an immortal descended to the mortal realm. The tiny green motes, like fireflies, flew into the jujube tree. The tree swayed gently, and the fruit hanging from it quickly began changing color, gradually turning from green to red.
The ripe jujubes gave off a tantalizing aroma that made people’s mouths water.
Shen Yutong’s mood lifted slightly as she looked at the ripened fruit. Mu Linlang, watching Jocelyn, felt a surge of awe — he was so powerful. Jocelyn’s plant-type ability far surpassed her own.
When her own résumé had been rejected, Mu Linlang had guessed that Chu Feng already had a plant-type ability-user.
As it turned out, she had been right — and this one was so formidable, yet was apparently only the apprentice of the legendary “Divine Doctor.” Could that doctor be an even stronger ability-user?
With such a powerful ally, no wonder Chu Feng had no interest in her.
Jocelyn withdrew his power, looking a bit drained.
Mu Linlang quickly supported her. “Are you alright?”
Jocelyn shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Delice looked at her. “Want to rest a bit?”
Jocelyn nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Shen Yutong could see that Jocelyn had exhausted his energy. When ability-users overextend themselves, it can be extremely uncomfortable — in severe cases, it could even damage their powers.
Sterling helped Jocelyn over to sit down.
From his pocket, Jocelyn took out a witch stone wrapped in silken cloth spun from green silk, and began absorbing its energy. Mu Linlang was startled — not because of the witch stone itself, but because she hadn’t sensed its aura earlier when standing so close.
Shen Yuxing was also surprised. As an ordinary person, she couldn’t sense a witch stone’s energy, but the herb garden’s entrance was equipped with a detector — and it hadn’t reacted at all.
Gazing at the cloth in Jocelyn’s hand, Shen Yuxing asked, “Delice, can this fabric block the aura of witch stones?”
Delice nodded. “Yes.”
A thought struck Shen Yuxing. “If you made clothing out of this, would it hide an ability-user’s aura?”
Again, Delice nodded. “Of course.”
Shen Yutong: “…”
So… the first time they tested Chu Feng, the reason nothing showed up wasn’t because the machine was broken, but because of this fabric?
“Could we trade for some of this fabric?” Shen Yuxing asked.
Delice shook her head. “Probably not. Green silk is extremely expensive — not something ordinary people can afford to wear.”
“Chu Feng could afford it, though?”
Delice shot her a withering look, as if she’d asked something stupid. “Obviously. Chu Feng’s the boss, and he has lots of money.”
Shen Yutong: “…”
Delice muttered gloomily, “Although he’s rich, he’s stingy. Are all the bosses here so tightfisted?”
Shen Yuxing ignored the complaint, her gaze still fixed on the cloth in Jocelyn’s hand.
Witch stone auras are notoriously hard to hide, often causing fights to break out between ability-users. With this fabric, Chu Feng could quietly make a fortune.
Jin Jie and Zheng Xue exchanged glances. Shen Yutong had tested Chu Feng’s abilities twice — the first time, nothing was detected; the second, the machine overloaded. Some thought the first result meant Chu Feng hadn’t awakened yet, while others thought the machine had malfunctioned. Now, the mystery was solved.
Bored, Delice skipped around the tree, picked a jujube, and popped it into her mouth.
She picked another and handed it to Jocelyn.
Jocelyn didn’t hesitate, biting into it. The fruit was delicious, and the exhaustion from overusing his ability eased significantly.
The others who had come along looked tempted but didn’t dare follow Delice’s example.
Delice glanced at Shen Yutong. “Miss Shen, could you please count the fruit and split them into two shares?”
Shen Yuxing nodded. “Alright.”
Shen Yutong shot a look at Jocelyn, curious about his ability level…
After a short rest, Jocelyn’s spirits recovered.
The scale and variety of herbs in the Ability Bureau’s garden amazed her, and she silently marveled — the other side of the sea really was full of wonders; this trip had been worth it.
“What’s this…?” Jocelyn walked to the side and scooped up a handful of soil.
Delice looked puzzled. “What are you doing?”
A pure-blood elf should prefer cleanliness — yet Jocelyn was grabbing dirt with his bare hands.
“This soil feels… special,” Jocelyn said.
“Special?” Delice blinked.
“You don’t feel it?” Jocelyn looked at her curiously.
Feeling that Jocelyn was mocking her lack of sensitivity, Delice bristled. “Of course I do.”
“What soil is this?” Delice asked Shen Yuxing.
Shen Yutong’s expression shifted slightly. “This came from the mountains after the recent earthquake. Some transplanted plants died, but when we replaced the soil with this, their survival rate improved.”
The Soil Bureau had analyzed it and found it contained special elements that increased plant survival and accelerated growth.
The National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities’s researchers had roughly graded it into low-, medium-, and high-quality cultivation soil.
The handful Jocelyn had picked up was the finest, high-grade type — clearly, he hadn’t chosen it at random.
Jocelyn held the soil in his hands, a faint glimmer flickering in his eyes. He thought to himself: This soil seems to be spirit soil. The Tree of Life originally grew in spirit soil. As the ancient Tree of Life grew, it would absorb the nutrients within the spirit soil, leaving it barren. Nowadays, spirit soil is becoming rarer and rarer.
“This soil—can it be traded?”
Delice translated Jocelyn’s question.
Shen Yuxing nodded. “Yes, but we don’t have much high-grade cultivation soil in the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities, so the amount we can trade is limited.”
Delice said to Jocelyn, “She says it can be exchanged, but not much.”
Jocelyn puffed out his cheeks. “If the amount is small, it’s not much use.”
Delice blinked. “Then why not skip the trade? With so many flowers and plants here, trading them for a pile of dirt would be laughable.”
Jocelyn frowned. “Better to exchange for at least a little.”
After all—this was spirit soil! The soil in the elven tribe was much richer than in most places, but even that couldn’t compare to spirit soil. Jocelyn thought he could discuss this with Chu Feng later.
