Chapter 198 - 187: Extraordinary Plant Seeds and the Soon-to-Advance Wally

Chapter 198: Chapter 187: Extraordinary Plant Seeds and the Soon-to-Advance Wally

"These are Blood-sucking Thorns."

Count Lumbar assumed Vili didn’t recognize this species of Extraordinary Plant, so he explained its abilities in detail. In return, he was met with Vili’s "shocked" gaze.

"I have already transplanted many of these Blood-sucking Thorns to the front lines," Count Lumbar said, highly satisfied with this defensive Extraordinary Plant. "Once they grow, they will become a natural defensive barrier. I won’t demonstrate their abilities to you now. You can take your time studying them when you plant them yourself."

Next, Count Lumbar led Vili to the location of the third Extraordinary Plant.

It was another grove. The soil here was also sandy, showing that the Count had indeed considered White Bear Town’s planting environment when selecting the rewards.

Compared to the Bursting Fruit Trees, these were taller, and the fruit they bore was much denser. A Bursting Fruit Tree only yielded about a dozen fruits, whereas this tree had nearly thirty, almost double the amount. Vili merely glanced at the tree and immediately recognized its species.

"These are Fog Fruits. When thrown during a battle, they emit a grayish-white smoke that can block the enemy’s line of sight," Count Lumbar explained.

Although Vili had already identified the Fog Fruits, he feigned ignorance.

"However, the Fog Fruit has certain flaws on the battlefield," Count Lumbar said, a hint of regret showing on his face. "Its smoke releases too slowly, and the area of concealment is quite limited."

Because of this, Count Lumbar had not yet deployed the Fog Fruits onto the battlefield.

Vili stood silently to the side. In truth, ever since obtaining the Middle Level Gatherer title, he had an excellent method for improving this exact flaw. But he couldn’t reveal it now; otherwise, it would undoubtedly arouse Count Lumbar’s suspicions.

"I will give you a bag of seeds for each of these three Extraordinary Fruits." Count Lumbar turned to look at Vili. "This is your reward."

"Thank you for your generosity," Vili expressed his gratitude.

In truth, giving Extraordinary Fruit seeds as a reward was incredibly generous. Right now, White Bear Town was slowly bolstering its top-tier strength, but it still lacked a solid core. Obtaining these three types of Extraordinary Fruits would provide an exponential boost to the town’s mid-to-high-level combat power.

"You should know, however, that cultivating Extraordinary Plants is a very difficult task," Count Lumbar warned. "Back then, the Court Alchemist personally bred and planted these for me, which was the only reason they survived. But even so, the survival rate was barely one-third. Therefore, you must put a lot of thought and effort into planting them."

"I will provide you with detailed records on cultivation methods. As for how to actually grow them, you’ll have to figure that out on your own," he added.

Vili gave a hum of acknowledgment. Count Lumbar had already gone above and beyond.

As for planting these three Extraordinary Plants, Vili would have definitely had a headache over it before. But after obtaining the Middle Level Gatherer title, he felt entirely confident. Although these were all Extraordinary Plants, they were merely foundational ones. The Middle Level Gatherer title was more than enough to handle their cultivation and even make certain improvements.

Nearly three days later, after wrapping up his stay in Golden Flower City, Vili embarked on his journey home.

Before his departure, Kirk threw a special farewell banquet in his honor. Vili took the opportunity to have Kirk procure a large batch of books for him. And so, with a carriage full of books and three bags of Extraordinary Seeds, Vili returned to White Bear Town.

"It feels great to be home."

It was early evening, and the sea breeze brought a slight chill. Smelling the familiar scent of the ocean, the travel-worn Vili felt a sense of comfort.

"Lord Baron."

As soon as Vili returned to the manor, his personal guards stepped forward to take over the carriage and handle the goods.

"Have the servants organize these books and arrange them in my study. If there isn’t enough space on the bookshelves, you can add another one."

After giving his orders to the personal guards, Vili entered the manor house.

"Vili, you’re back?" Vilia, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, looked at him with eager eyes.

"Where are Father and Mother?" Vili asked casually.

"They’re in the dining room, getting ready for dinner," Vilia explained, though she was noticeably distracted.

She furrowed her brows, seemingly wanting to tell him something.

Vili immediately noticed that something was off. "Do you have something to tell me?"

Vilia bit her lip and nodded emphatically. She motioned for Vili to crouch down, then leaned close to his ear. "I’ve been having strange dreams lately."

"Strange dreams?" Vili’s eyes narrowed slightly; he seemed to have an idea of what was happening.

"Every night, I feel like I’m flying up into the night sky. I walk and dance on the stars, and I can even leap from one star to another. Whenever I get tired of jumping, I end up in this vast, white place where there’s absolutely nothing. It’s so boring and empty." Vilia’s tone carried a hint of helpless exhaustion. "I’ve had this dream for five days in a row now. Every time I wake up, I feel like I haven’t slept well at all."

Vili glanced at Vilia and noticed that the bags under her eyes were indeed quite heavy. At the same time, he confirmed a certain fact.

The Star Speaker among his blood relatives was Vilia.

"Maybe it will get better in a few days." Vili patted her on the head. In truth, he didn’t know much about the awakening process of a Star Speaker’s abilities either.

"But..." Vilia pouted. Vili’s answer was exactly the same as their parents’.

"Alright, let’s go eat." Vili tugged lightly on Vilia’s braid and headed toward the dining room.

The awakening process of a Star Speaker was probably quite similar to that of a Silent. Going from the initial spark of an ability to becoming a true Transcendent would likely take a long time. Therefore, Vili simply acknowledged Vilia’s ability without drawing too much attention to it. Doing so would only put more pressure on her.

"Father, Mother," Vili greeted as he walked into the dining room.

"Vili, you’re back!" Lake and Mrs. Shaven broke into proud smiles as they watched him enter. Every time they saw their son, the couple felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

"Let’s get ready to eat." The dining table was already laden with food.

"Wally?" It was then that Vili noticed Wally lying in front of his meat bowl not too far away.

Wally looked completely listless. Upon seeing Vili, he only let out a low whimper. His eyes brightened for a brief second before dimming again. Seeing this, Vili understood why Wally hadn’t enthusiastically greeted him earlier.

"Wally seems to be sick. I even called a vet specifically for him, but they didn’t find anything wrong after the examination." It was Mrs. Shaven who spoke. Although she was usually quite strict with Wally, she had still taken the initiative to fetch a doctor the moment he fell ill. Looking at Wally’s current state, a trace of heartache flickered in her eyes.

"I forgot to tell you earlier, but Wally is feeling really unwell..." Vilia mumbled.

However, she knew full well that Wally definitely wasn’t sick. Vilia was acutely aware of Wally’s terrifying abilities.

"Wally?" Vili walked over to him, a hint of worry in his eyes. He stroked Wally’s smooth bear fur. "What’s wrong?"

Wally let out another low whimper and stopped moving, looking incredibly pitiful.

"This..." Something suddenly clicked in Vili’s mind. Looking at Wally’s current state, he thought of a possibility.

"Could Wally be... advancing?!"

Vili observed Wally’s condition carefully, growing increasingly certain of his theory.