Chapter 170: The Lure

Chapter 170

The Lure

Ellie watched the man who had been whipped and sent flying with an empty gaze. She had wanted to stop him, but it couldn’t be helped...he had rushed in without waiting for her to say anything.

"M-My lady, be careful. Ugh!!"

Seeing the man cough up blood right in front of her, Ellie turned back to look at the dark green orb once more. Finally...this city had become genuinely interesting.

- Microbial Spirit Orb, Level 5: Attributes - Collects and decomposes plant and animal remains into valuable fermented water. Plants in the vicinity of the installed Microbial Orb have a 1% chance of evolving into plant monsters. Has its own spirit, and does not allow anyone to approach it. Its attack power can kill beasts below level 4.

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Option One: Channel botanic magic power into the device to enhance the efficiency of the fermented water.

Option Two: Channel botanic magic power into the device to increase the plant evolution rate.

Option Three: Channel botanic magic power into the device to use the botanic whip to attack enemies.

Special Option: No spirit contract made yet. Once contracted, it can be stored in the spirit or summoned directly for use. -

After channeling botanic power to inspect it, the options appeared. Ellie was very interested in this orb. It had extraordinary abilities, and it was no wonder the Metis king dug around this pond to create a water basin. In the end, he could use the orb to his advantage without having to move at all.

Naturally, the distance between the pond and where the king anchored his trunk was considerable. Ellie initially thought the king might extend his roots around it, so he didn’t need to be close to the extraordinary pond. Now she understood why such a distance was necessary. This orb not only enhanced the properties of the fermented water but also possessed a dangerous ability to strike enemies dead. Any beast or person with power below level 4 would die if they meddled with it.

Ellie channeled her botanic power to inspect the Microbial Spirit Orb. It seemed to recognize her as a user of botanic power, but unlike the rake, which immediately accepted her as its master, Ellie could sense that the orb resisted considerably. It acted as if it was perfectly content with its current existence and didn’t need a user of botanic power to activate it like the rake.

Ellie didn’t mind much. She knew it wouldn’t form a bond with her, which, though unusual, was not unacceptable. At least the information indicated it had its own spirit, so it wasn’t surprising whether it accepted a master or not.

"Now that this city belongs to me, if you want to stay here peacefully, you’ll have to help out. Otherwise, I’ll have someone with immense power capture you and throw you out of the city. I know you like this place. Suddenly having a foolish king pampering you by providing a pathway for plant and animal remains to fall to you—can you imagine having such special days if you were outside?"

Ellie didn’t rush in like the large man, who was now trying to fetch out a healing potion to drink. She knew these objects had their own lives. After all, they were remnants left by high elves. How could they be ordinary?

The large man, feeling better, seemed like he wanted to say a few words to Ellie. He wanted to suggest that negotiating with the orb was pointless and that he could use his power to obliterate the area, ensuring no future problems. After all, his duty was to protect this young lady, and he couldn’t let a dangerous object like the orb remain in the city.

However, before he could say anything, the orb glowed slightly, and something emerged from the green pond water—a soft lump about the size of a handful. At the same time, the green pond water became lighter in color, as if its concentration had transferred to the soft lump.

Seeing the orb’s response, the large man was greatly surprised. His respect for the future mistress increased manifold.

It seemed he shouldn’t underestimate her...

Ellie walked forward and used a wide-mouthed bottle to collect the soft, light green lump. The orb didn’t attack again, though it acted like it was displeased. The girl could only smile at its behavior. It appeared the orb had been spoiled by the king.

"Consider this as repayment for your help and...a gift for our first meeting," Ellie said, taking something from her dimension. The item made the large man’s eyes widen and his hands tremble involuntarily.

He knew what this item was and how valuable it was. Naturally, so did the orb. It was as if he could see drool dripping from its mouth, even though it didn’t have one. As soon as the "Tesenes herb," a level 4 herb, appeared, the orb’s reaction was truly astonishing.

From its original place at the bottom of the pond, it slowly floated upward as if weightless. Unfortunately, it didn’t have hands or limbs, so it couldn’t lunge to grab the level 4 herb. However, this Microbial Orb wasn’t foolish. It knew how to control the king, so it also knew how to curry favor with Ellie.

Initially, it was unwilling to offer the green water distilled from the remains of dead plants and animals to Ellie. But this time, it was all too eager.

The soft green lump floated up again, making Ellie smile. She sighed theatrically and tossed the Tesenes herb into the pond. Level 4 herbs weren’t easily found in cities on the 4th floor, making this a high-energy resource the orb had rarely encountered.

After collecting the green lump the Microbial Orb offered in exchange, Ellie stepped back a bit to maintain some distance. Unexpectedly, the girl sighed as if deeply disappointed, yet the corners of her mouth curled into a victorious smile.

"It’s a real pity you don’t want to form a bond with me. Following me means you’ll never go hungry," she said, pulling out a level 5 herb. And yes! This was the herb Ellie had instructed her little spores to gather before Nara could reach it in the forest.

The "Pure Flame Dragon herb" was an herb that helped the users of fire elemental power became stronger. Although it didn’t increase magic levels instantly, it helped refine fire elemental power, making it purer. As mentioned earlier, if Nara had found this herb before the event, she could have used it to gain entry without Ellie’s help.

That mountain was practically Nara’s ultimate cheat. Ellie didn’t know if there were any secrets hidden there, but the author hinted that the heroine was deeply beloved by the mountain and forest. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, every time the heroine needed something, she just had to enter the mountain and would always come back with what she needed.

Even the Tezetrons plant, with its flowers ready to bloom, could appear, so a level 5 herb like the Pure Flame Dragon herb was no exception!!

"My lady, this is..." The large man seemed to want to say something to the young girl. He thought that the green lump of energy wasn’t worth the level 4 herb she had given earlier. And now, with the level 5 herb she was holding, he felt it was even less worth it.

Of course, Ellie thought the same. However, her goal wasn’t that green lump of energy. The level 4 herb was just bait, but the level 5 herb—this was the main course!

If the Microbial Orb still refused to form a contract with her willingly, then it could continue soaking in the remains of level 1 and level 2 plants and animals. She wouldn’t mind parting with a level 4 herb like the Tesenes herb since it wouldn’t take long to grow more. But a level 5 herb? No way she’d give it up!!

"As you know, this is a level 5 herb called the Pure Flame Dragon herb. I’ve heard many people are searching for it, especially those who use fire elements, right?"

"Indeed, my lady. The master himself has been looking for it to help Young Lord Aman enhance his power," the large man said openly. In fact, he wanted to ask for it himself. Although he was completely loyal to the eldest young lord and a devoted slave, he was also a member of the Setter family. It wasn’t surprising he wanted to help the Setter family grow stronger, and this was also what the eldest young lord wanted.

He didn’t know the exact relationship between the future mistress and the master, but given how well they treated each other and how much the master dedicated to her, it wouldn’t be strange for him to ask the future mistress for the herb, right?

"So, you want to take it for Aman, don’t you?"

"Yes, my lady. Young Lord Aman will certainly repay you generously."

"I understand, but...actually, I wanted to give it as a welcome gift to a new member. However...the new member I want doesn’t seem to want to be with me," Ellie pretended to be deeply saddened as she extended the level 5 herb to the large man.

Before Ellie could let go of the herb, the Microbial Orb suddenly showed signs of agitation. It started thrashing about—No! It was using its whip to lash around, trying to grab attention, as if saying, "No, don’t make that decision, foolish woman! Giving it to me would be much better."

"What is it? Why are you acting this way? After all, you’re just a resident of the city. Such a valuable item should be given to a friend," Ellie said with a wicked smile. The orb seemed to realize it had fallen into the woman’s trap. But still...

Would it ever have another chance to encounter such a valuable herb? Thinking it through, even its previous master couldn’t provide high-level herbs like this.

Of course, that was to be expected. The former masters, the elves, had been stuck on the 4th floor of the tower for a long time. How could they find herbs higher than level 4? They might become stronger afterward, but of course not while they were still on the 4th floor. The orb had been left behind during the relocation, so it never had the chance to absorb the energy from high-level herbs.

The orb floated back and forth in the pond. The large man wanted to draw Ellie’s attention back to himself rather than the orb, which was desperate for the herbs. But he didn’t have the courage.

It seemed that the future mistress intended to make the orb submit to her. This meant she never had the intention of giving the valuable herb to Young Lord Aman from the start! Though he was disappointed...the future mistress’s wishes came first. This was the command he had received from the master. He needed to always remember that whatever the future mistress wanted or intended to do, he just had to follow along...What seemed like an easy command at first had become increasingly difficult after he had encountered many incidents!!

In less than a minute, the proud orb finally realized what choice it should make.

The round orb floated to the edge of the pond, curling itself as a signal for Ellie to accept it as an ally. The young girl didn’t hesitate. She channeled her botanic magic power into the orb again, starting the contract process, which didn’t take long.

Finally, Ellie acquired another valuable weapon—a spiritual weapon, but not as “Ellie.” Since everything here was a secret, she could use this orb as “Luke.”

"Option three: Channel botanic magic power into the device to use the botanic whip to attack enemies."

Ellie tried giving a command to the orb, targeting a large underground rock. A dark green whip, almost black in color, appeared and struck the rock, shattering it. Seeing its power, she nodded with satisfaction.

"Since you’ve agreed to bond with me, take this." She tossed the level 5 herb to the orb without much thought, then letting it return to its favorite pond.

She intended to let it continue its life as usual, producing fermented water for her to use on plants in her secret dimension. Of course, on days when she needed to disguise herself as Luke, she would summon it back into her spirit dimension. Besides...she didn’t use her Luke identity frequently, so letting it produce fermented water here would be more beneficial.

The orb swam around happily in its fermentation pond, gradually releasing its energy to envelop the level 5 herb. Previously, Ellie hadn’t been able to sense its emotions clearly, but now, after the bond, she could feel that the orb had quite a childlike demeanor.

“Let’s go,” she said to the man behind her, leaving the Spirit Orb to its pond. They still had more areas to explore. The man behind her didn’t object; he just nodded sadly....