Chapter 359 - 322: Bloom (Part 2)

Chapter 359: Chapter 322: Bloom (Part 2)

He could even feel the undisguised greed in their gazes...

Their supposedly unchanging expressions now seemed to twist into an eerie smile, as if wanting to hold a grand welcoming ceremony for Lloyd...

The problem was, Lloyd had arbitrarily changed the visual effects of the Orbit to an ’old photo filter.’ As a result, the scene before him now looked like a crowd of ’Seniors’ trying to burst out of a photograph, making it all the more unsettling and bizarre...

Even the books and their pages were growing restless, beginning to bump against the protective shield as if trying to break through the barrier and leap at Lloyd.

Faced with so much Forbidden Knowledge, Lloyd would likely be overwhelmed, even with the panel’s help...

He wasn’t sure if it was because he was carrying nine instances of Forbidden Knowledge, or for some other reason, that these ghoulish things outside had dropped all pretense.

He could only grip the Short Sword-like Spiritual Blade in his free hand, ready to fight to the death the moment those ghoulish things charged.

But at this suffocatingly tense moment, the shield—which had been quite sturdy and should have held for much longer—suddenly began to waver.

The light it emitted began to dim. The ’old photo filter’ Lloyd had haphazardly applied was also fading. The yellowed tint receded, and normal colors bled back into the scene, revealing the library’s true appearance: bright and spotless.

All of this indicated that the Orbit’s power was weakening for some unknown reason.

This only excited the ’Seniors’ and books outside even more. They began to slam against the Orbit with greater frequency and speed, trying to force it open.

It seemed they wanted to complete their ’welcoming ceremony’ for Lloyd before the Spatial Storm arrived.

’And at this critical, life-or-death moment, the Tentacle Grass in my [Thought Realm] is actually causing more trouble?’

It was acting like a person losing their mind, frantically slapping its ’hands’ against its glass enclosure, desperate for Lloyd to come back and see what was happening.

’Damn it, do you even want this job?’

Lloyd cursed inwardly, but then he froze.

He sensed that something else in his [Thought Realm], besides the Tentacle Grass, was also changing.

’That might be the key to turning this around!’

So he quickly retreated a few steps, taking temporary refuge in the Shelter of the Space Elevator before entering his [Thought Realm].

The moment he retreated, the ghoulish things outside grew even more brazen, slamming against the shield with a series of loud BANGS. Spiderweb cracks spread across its surface, leaving it on the verge of collapse.

In maybe three to five seconds, the shield would shatter completely...

But at this critical juncture, Lloyd encountered a bizarre problem—

He failed to enter his [Thought Realm] properly.

Instead, he found himself in a garden of blue and white.

Before him was a giant flower bud, surrounded by clusters of small blue flowers and white coral, creating a dreamlike, beautiful scene.

The tip of the bud was split open, poised on the very edge of blooming.

But it had not yet opened. It was waiting for something.

So Lloyd took two steps forward, stopping in front of the bud.

A gentle, serene voice then reached his ears. It was intermittent, laced with a SHHH of static:

"Lloyd, complete your Enlightenment of [Manifestation]."

"[Twist] our despair, [Veto] our impossibilities, [Manifest] our future!"

"This is your [Destiny], and it is my [Destination]."

Lloyd paused for a moment, then nodded. Guided by instinct, or perhaps Intuition, he reached out and placed his hand on the giant flower bud.

Then, he opened his panel and selected the ’Yes’ option.

[Ding! Extraordinary Enlightenment complete. You have entered the [Manifestation] path. All Attributes +5.]

[Current path [Transcendence] count: 1]

[Delve deeper into the path to achieve more [Transcendences].]

As the panel prompts faded, the giant flower bud bloomed spectacularly before his eyes. It was like a magnificent blue and white rose, unfurling and flourishing, unleashing its beauty with abandon.

But something even more beautiful lay within the flower’s heart.

There, a breathtakingly beautiful girl resided. She was so lovely that, beyond the sudden racing of his heart, Lloyd found himself at a loss for words to describe her.

She was in a fetal position, her delicate body curled up as she hugged her legs, like a newborn child.

Then, just like the bud that had birthed her, she stretched her limbs, unfurling and blooming in turn.

She had a perfect face you could fall in love with at first sight, with just the right touch of youthful innocence. Her light blue eyes were as clear as the sky. Her short, deep-purple hair was styled neatly, adorned with a blue flower and embellished with white coral, making her look both charmingly cute and immaculately pure.

Her aura was a perfect match for all of Lloyd’s fantasies of a ’Childhood Sweetheart’: serene, sweet, gentle, considerate, and intelligent. She embodied all of these Attributes.

Yet her attire was incredibly daring. Only a few strips of white cloth covered her private areas, while also accentuating a slender waist that one could encircle with a single hand. Her lovely shoulders, graceful arms, and even her long legs and delicate feet were all openly displayed before Lloyd.

’She’s so beautiful...’

So beautiful, in fact, that Lloyd had no idea how to even begin to say hello.