The next day, Logan stood outside on a patch of land cleared of snow.
The readied terrain, adjacent to the house, was where the youths planned to build a small shed with sturdy earth walls.
The top would be made of wood, as well as the door, as they only had enough of this material for those two components.
For now, the shed would house Logan's raptor and viper, as well as his mentor's tamed beasts while she stayed on his land.
With Chloe, Kai, and his eager viper each creating one wall, the shed was completed in less than three minutes.
It took longer to cast the complicated spell that would raise the large three by ten-meter walls, which would hopefully shield his future pets from the harsh weather.
After finishing the task, they took a break while the workers prepared to complete the rest.
"I am ashamed to say it, but your basilisk did better than me… I think my wall is a little curved," Kai said, pointing to his work.
"Its fine, it's only temporary," Logan tried to encourage his knight while watching the others hard at work.
"Now then, let's hurry. I am eager to see what will be produced with the plants your mentor brought," Rubina said, pointing to Valeria, who was busy brushing her bison.
"Yeah, I think I can use just a little bit of magic today. Hopefully, it won't be needed—who knows," Logan added as the group walked to where Valeria was.
"Morning, Logan. I see your group is done with the building. Hopefully, you made room for Teria here." Valeria petted her beast, which responded with a friendly grunt.
"Sure thing, you don't even have to ask…now then, can we get to checking those plants you were speaking about?" Logan asked, trying not to seem too impatient.
"I already planted them. Try checking which one you see as a worthy candidate. There are a total of six different plants native to this region—three are small shrubs, while the others are saplings I thought would be interesting," Valeria commented as she guided the kids to an enclosed area to keep the other beasts from eating the plants.
"Well… which one do you think is the best candidate, and what makes the others worth bringing here?" Logan asked, taking a look at the six plants that were carefully planted recently.
The smallest of the bunch looked like a regular bush, yet when someone placed a hand near it, it would defend itself by pointing its sharp, needle-like branches toward the intruder.
"As you have seen, the first one has a type of reaction towards anyone who tries to get near it. It was difficult to bring without breaking it, you know. Good thing my bison's earth ability was able to pull it along with the dirt around it. Just don't ask me how I brought it here after that," she said, showing a finger that still showed signs of a wound.
"Just help me heal this later. I know you're eager to learn about the next plant. As you can see, it's a rare gem in this area. It might be short, but its flowers radiate heat. Notice how no snow surrounds this particular shrub." Valeria placed a handful of snow near the flower, which quickly melted, the drops of water enjoyed by the plant as it was showered with them.
"Looks interesting, I can see why you brought it," Kai stated, while everyone nodded in approval.
"The one after that is also a type of shrub. I didn't see it grow large, but let me tell you, it has some sort of healing ability. It regrows almost instantly. I had my bison feed on a few of them in the wild, and they didn't dwindle in size. It's pretty resilient, but it does erode the ground around it, so that needs to be taken into consideration." Valeria pulled a few leaves, which were quickly replaced by new growth.
"I did see a few nuts of some kind grow from a few mature ones, and I think they are edible, based on what some villagers said. So, it might help alleviate any food shortages," Valeria added.
"I think I saw a few kids eating some of those in the afternoon that we arrived here," Chloe remarked, recalling a recent memory.
"As for the saplings, this one can move. As you can see, I had to tie it with a few rocks. The next one, like the shrub, can regrow limbs, just at a slower pace. As for the last one… that one is very special. I don't even know how I was able to find it, even with Night's help," Valeria said, petting her black crow with pride.
"What is it?" Logan questioned, trying to figure out what was so special about the last tree—it just looked normal to him.
"Well, it's hard to point it out without having something around…" Valeria suddenly took out a few branches from different trees and began poking the tree with one of them.
"I think I know what it does," Rubina said with excitement.
"Let's have the boys guess," Valeria grinned as the plant began to change to look like the tree that the branch should have belonged to.
As soon as it transformed, Valeria poked it with another type of branch, causing the tree to mimic the color, shape, and even the smell of the newly introduced branch.
"Now that is amazing… don't tell me that would also work with fruit trees or something like that." Logan smiled widely, thinking about all the possibilities this last sapling could bring to his territory.
"Honestly I have no idea, but I am glad you approve. It took a while to find and bring each one. I think if we can understand their nature, we can find even more and soon grow a forest to help your land, or at least that's my idea," his mentor said, waiting for Logan to work his magic.