Chapter Ten: The Unexpected

The training of battle energy was forcibly halted. Gong Hao could even sense the pulsation of battle energy within his body; he believed that if he persisted in his training, he would eventually become an outstanding warrior.

Unfortunately, Lancelot did not grant him that chance. Perhaps, as Lancelot had said, he had no intention of bringing trouble to Purgatory Island. A boy with only the basic battle energy of a novice warrior, who hadn’t even learned combat techniques, was far safer than a more powerful servant.

Even though, as a Sky Warrior, Lancelot knew Gong Hao could never surpass him in ten years of such strenuous training, he also understood that destruction did not stem solely from one’s own strength.

Sometimes, strength was merely a medium for unleashing destructive power, just as a mage’s magic was only a channel for guiding the forces of the world; the consequences could shake the earth and heavens alike.

Lancelot thought this boy was clever. He regretted his earlier careless words, unsure if the boy had caught on to anything. But it seemed Gong Hao had shown no unusual behavior, aside from his usual diligent work.

This put Lancelot at ease.

Indeed, Gong Hao now devoted himself entirely to his work. Without Lancelot’s permission, he could only use traditional methods to train his battle energy. Progress was slow, as expected.

The magical plants in the greenhouse thrived under his attentive care. Gong Hao had nearly mastered the nuances of these magical plants, and even gained deep understanding of work in other areas.

The only thing giving him headaches was the seed of the Blood Orchid.

Gong Hao had tried dozens of methods to cultivate it, but it never sprouted.

He had examined the seed carefully to see if it had perished, but in truth, it remained smooth and intact, like an embryo in its mother's womb, yet stubbornly refusing to grow.

Mother?

A sudden realization stirred in Gong Hao’s heart.

“Damn!” Gong Hao slapped his forehead hard, realizing he had made a mistake—a mistake anyone could have made.

Magical plants were not ordinary flora; they possessed sentience. Some even expressed emotions, like the flower Lancelot had brought.

They had intelligence, sensation, desires. In essence, though they resembled plants in appearance, their consciousness was closer to magical beasts. This was the true reason they were classified as magical plants.

Gong Hao, following tradition, had cultivated the seed in isolation. Perhaps, this was a grave error.

This magical plant might not need cultivation—or rather, might not need human meddling at all. They were sentient beings, like magical beasts, with concepts of family and lineage.

Yes! That must be it! Gong Hao grew excited.

He cradled the seed, hurried to the mature Blood Orchid, and gazed at its seemingly harmless petals, whispering, “Hey, I think this is your child, right? I’m returning it to you now.”

The Blood Orchid swayed gently despite the absence of wind.

It responded!

Gong Hao carefully placed the seed into the Blood Orchid’s pot, wary of any attack. But the Blood Orchid showed no sign of hostility.

Once the seed was set down, a tendril emerged from the soil, curling around the seed and dragging it beneath the earth.

“Looks like you’ll take care of it, won’t you? I’m sorry—I thought I could nurture it, but I was mistaken. It isn’t just your seed; it’s your child. It needs its mother’s care, not interference from an outsider like me... Well, I’ll leave it to you then. I’ll find a larger, quieter space for you, so you can tend to your child in peace. Until it grows up, I won’t separate you two again.”

The Blood Orchid’s petals drooped slightly.

A smile appeared on the boy’s face. “Is that your way of saying thanks? Well, I accept it.”

Ten days later, the seed sprouted.

Beside the mature Blood Orchid, a little Blood Orchid struggled to break through the soil.

The green shoot heralded the birth of new life.

Despite all the hard work, the ultimate success came from returning to the beginning. Gong Hao did not feel his efforts were in vain.

At least, he had learned to respect life.

The Blood Orchid was extremely demanding about its environment. Gong Hao transplanted them to the flowerbed, allowing them to grow freely, though this also brought greater danger.

Once, Fink came to visit and was bitten by the Blood Orchid.

“You need to be careful, Fink, you’ve witnessed its power before,” Gong Hao said, bandaging Fink’s wound.

Fink complained, “I saw you standing beside it unharmed, so I thought…”

“That’s because I’m its friend.”

“Friend? With a plant?”

“Any living thing can be a friend if you care for it. Magical plants aren’t just plants; don’t underestimate them.”

“What about magical beasts? They’re even more sentient. Can you befriend them?”

“That takes more time and patient care. The more intelligent a being, the higher its standards for friendship,” Gong Hao replied calmly.

“Like humans?”

“Like humans.”

Fink laughed, “I’m glad I’m your friend.”

After finishing the bandage, Gong Hao said to Fink, “I’ve noticed you’ve been slacking off lately. Are you getting too comfortable here, thinking you can do as you please? I remember telling you, work hard, never be lazy. I don’t want Andrew to take you away.”

“That’s not so scary, is it?” Fink seemed unconcerned.

Gong Hao sighed. There was so much he could not say, so he simply replied, “I just don’t want to lose you. Fink, you’re my best friend. We came here together from Southwell Town, worked together. I don’t want us to be separated. Sometimes, I find myself afraid of loneliness; at night, when I sleep alone, I think of my parents. But I have no choice… I only have you, Fink. So promise me, work hard, don’t let Andrew take you. Do it for me, at least.”

Fink stared at Gong Hao, “Shui…”

Gong Hao looked at him with pitiful, helpless eyes. Fink nodded in resignation, “Alright, I promise. I’ll work hard and never leave you.”

Gong Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Three days later.

When Gong Hao came out of the library, he was still buried in his book.

“Glair, could you help me out? I’m swamped over here,” someone called from afar.

Gong Hao looked up and saw it was Bill from Area Forty-Two, a fourteen-year-old with emerald eyes.

He was new to Purgatory Island this month, and worked diligently enough. If he was asking Gong Hao for help, he must genuinely be overwhelmed.

“You know I never refuse a friend’s request for help.”

“Great! This morning Lord Andrew told me to collect a liter of Bloodsucker Bee honey for him—no easy task, and I keep running into trouble. Some Snow Rabbits are acting up, banging against their cages and need calming. And a few Green-Eyed Foxes have upset stomachs and need tending. I still have to go find Zack to get a bottle of bug-repellent potion before I can safely collect honey, so those terrifying Bloodsucker Bees stay away from me. I feel like I’m being pulled in every direction!”

“Alright, I’ll handle the rabbits and foxes. I’ll tell those rabbits that if they don’t settle down, I’ll toss them in with the foxes to teach them a lesson.”

Bill chuckled, “You’re the best, Glair. Thanks a million.”

With that, he dashed off.

Area Forty-Two housed more than thirty kinds of magical beasts and insects. Gong Hao often helped the servants there, so he was quite familiar with them—even giving each beast a name.

“Hey, Fuzzy, how have you gotten so thin in just a few days? Bill must be mistreating you, huh?”

“Alright, Benben, you’re a Wind Chicken, not a dried chicken, so there’s no need to hang yourself on the cage all day.”

“And you, Iron Shell, you wretched big lizard, don’t stick your tongue out at me. Otherwise, I’ll cut your food rations... That’s better.”

Gong Hao joked with the magical beasts as he fed them, expertly tending to the caged creatures.

Soon, Bill returned, holding a small bottle.

Not far away was a double-layered iron cage covered with a magical net, where thousands of Bloodsucker Bees flew back and forth. They fed on blood and pollen, producing a unique blood honey. This honey was used to make recovery potions and to boost the strength of blood magic practitioners, helping them restore their vitality—a vital material.

Bill opened the potion bottle and applied bug-repellent liquid to any exposed skin outside his protective suit. The potion emitted a pungent odor, causing most magical insects to avoid it. Interestingly, the main ingredient for this potion was also derived from magical insects.

Bill opened the first cage door and entered. After closing it behind him, he opened the second layer. Magical cages had two doors to prevent magical beasts or insects from escaping when someone entered.

The Bloodsucker Bees were sensitive to the repellent, fleeing as Bill entered.

However, for some reason, they didn’t flee far, instead hovering above the hive.

Bill carefully opened the hive, which was crawling with countless Bloodsucker Bees. He gingerly took out the pure bucket, preparing to collect the honey.

Blood honey was the main food for feeding the queen and larvae, and only the worker bees fed on blood. Collecting the honey was, in a sense, stealing food from the bees. As magical insects, Bloodsucker Bees detested honey theft; their wings buzzed, threatening death.

Having just calmed the moody Snow Rabbits, Gong Hao now found the noise growing intense. He turned, shocked to see more and more Bloodsucker Bees gathering above Bill’s head, forming a cloud of blood-red darkness.

Gong Hao’s expression changed drastically, and he shouted at the cage, “Bill, get out, now! The Bloodsucker Bees are about to attack you!”

“What?”

The loud buzzing made it hard for Bill to hear Gong Hao. He looked up in irritation and was stunned to see the red cloud above growing larger and larger.

The swarm of Bloodsucker Bees formed a crimson stream and dove toward Bill.

“No!”

With Bill’s anguished scream, the pure bucket in his hand clattered to the ground…