Chapter 67: Chapter 67 Holy Tree Elf Fuzzy Ball
Entering the Secret Realm Fragments, Richard was immediately greeted by an intensely vibrant fragrance of flowers.
He looked around and saw that the entire Secret Realm Fragments spanned about three hundred square meters, shaped like a hemisphere. The sky was several hundred meters above the ground, which was covered in a plethora of tiny blossoms. At the edge of the realm, a black barrier protected the fragments from being torn apart by chaotic spatial currents.
“The Magic Power level is about twice that of the Wizard World but far less than the Great Wizard’s Secret Realm Space. The temperature is around twenty-six degrees, humidity about forty percent; the air composition is dissimilar to the Wizard World, with no harmful substances. Besides that…” Richard assessed the Secret Realm Fragments based on his instincts, then directed his gaze toward a particularly large flower bud at the center of the flowerbed.
He stepped forward and gently poked the flower bud.
The bud opened, releasing a white Fuzzy Ball with transparent wings.
“Is this… a Flower Elf?”
Richard attempted to communicate with the Fuzzy Ball using his spiritual power, but what he received was a wave of fear.
“Don’t eat me!” the Fuzzy Ball sent out a mental fluctuation, “I’m very useful!”
Richard stroked his chin. Did he really look like some sort of demon?
However, he didn’t realize that the Fuzzy Ball perceived the world not through sight, but through life perception.
In its senses, Richard, a Wizard Apprentice performing Bloodline Alchemy, was indistinguishable from a Suture Monster.
“Tell me your use,” Richard communicated using his spiritual power.
“I can… I can do many things! I can make flowers grow better and bloom more vigorously. I can also… also…”
The Fuzzy Ball was at a loss on how to convince the creature before it.
It was just a lowly Flower Elf, only capable of hastening the ripening of flowers to provide nectar for the Nobles Elves.
But the creature in front of it looked like it ate meat!
Feeling the Fuzzy Ball’s trembling, Richard was somewhat puzzled.
Although he indeed had thoughts of dissecting the Fuzzy Ball, he intended to observe its behaviour over the long term and conduct some non-lethal tests first.
Who would start by dissecting their only sample?
“Hehehe, hastening the ripening of flowers, what use is that! Besides flowers, what else can you hasten?”
Richard suddenly burst into a menacing laugh, pretending to be fierce.
“Hastening other things? I can! I can hasten many things, except the Holy Tree, I can hasten everything else!” the Fuzzy Ball said in panic.
This monster indeed had no interest in nectar!
“Then prove it to me.”
Richard took out a seed of Egla Grass from his pocket and placed it on the ground, thinking that if the Fuzzy Ball could hasten its growth, he could make a fortune.
The Fuzzy Ball flew in circles above the seed, sending a faint Magic Wave into Richard’s perception.
“Hmm? This little thing uses primitive Magic Power just like a Wizard,” Richard thought to himself, surprised.
According to Wizard records, most creatures in the Star Realm modify the nature of their Magic Power based on their Bloodline or Soul, achieving various strange effects.
Yet this little creature using primitive Magic Power was indeed rare.
A spark of excitement flashed through Richard’s mind.
If it weren’t for the fact that he had only this one, he would want to dissect it and make it into a specimen right now.
As the Magic Fluctuation ended, Richard suddenly noticed that the seed on the ground developed a small crack, and a tender green sprout emerged.
“See! I didn’t lie to you!”
The mental fluctuation from the Fuzzy Ball was weak, as if the hastening had drained a lot of its energy.
“It did hasten the growth, but this effect is still not enough!”
Richard continued his eerie laughter, nearly causing Fuzzy Ball to stop flapping its wings and crash to the ground.
“What, what, what else do you want!”
A sly look flashed in Richard’s eyes, and he then pulled out a slave contract from his pocket.
“Sign this, and I won’t eat you.”
“…Really?” Fuzzy Ball landed on the contract, “How do I sign this?”
“Just leave a mark with your spiritual power.”
“…Fine! I will sign, but you must keep your promise!”
Fuzzy Ball left a mark on the contract using its spiritual power, while Richard also signed his name on it.
In a blink, the sheepskin scroll turned to ashes, and an invisible force formed a bridge between Richard and Fuzzy Ball.
The contract was established!
“Now that you’ve signed the contract, things will be easier. Starting today, you are my gardener, and your task is to hasten the ripening of these seeds I’ve planted.”
Hearing Richard say this, Fuzzy Ball felt relieved, its small life seemingly saved. It didn’t know what a gardener meant, but it was familiar with hastening the ripening of seeds.
That had been its previous job.
“Alright, just don’t eat me!”
Richard nodded, satisfied, “Good! Very spirited! Now I’ll give you a name, from now on you’ll be called Fuzzy Ball.”
“Yes, from now on I’ll be called Fuzzy Ball!” Fuzzy Ball responded with equal enthusiasm.
Being the lowest of the Flower Elves, it had no name; only nobles had such a privilege.
And Richard had given it a name!
Clearly, Fuzzy Ball’s brain was somewhat overwhelmed, and it had already forgotten how Richard had intimidated it earlier, now even starting to like Richard somewhat.
“Hehe, Fuzzy Ball. I have a name now!”
Richard planted some Egla Grass seeds he had collected in the Secret Realm Space on the ground. Though Fuzzy Ball could hasten the growth of Egla Grass, it was still uncertain whether they could grow in the environment of the Secret Realm Fragments.
Then, Richard asked Fuzzy Ball many questions, including the name of its race, its history, social structure, and how they reproduced. Fuzzy Ball wasn’t very smart, often giving tangential answers, and it took over an hour for Richard to gather some useful information.
From Fuzzy Ball’s words, Richard learned that it came from a race called Holy Tree Elf, which practiced a feudal system, and Fuzzy Ball was the lowest tier among them, a Flower Elf, responsible for tending flowers and collecting nectar, akin to an old farmer in human society.
Holy Tree Elves reproduced asexually, splitting off seeds during their life that, once planted in the soil, would grow into an elven flower where a Holy Tree Elf would reside.
Moreover, although Holy Tree Elves weren’t highly intelligent, their memories could be inherited.
A split seed would inherit all its progenitor’s memories, which were initially sealed and later unlocked when the Holy Tree Elf reached adulthood, utilized in a form akin to a database.
If a Holy Tree Elf acquired a skill, then its offspring would also possess that skill.
This feature had significantly solidified the social structure of Holy Tree Elves—lower elves were forbidden from accessing any ‘magic’ of other specialized elves, and any elf using magic that didn’t match its status would be executed.
Nobles remained nobles, and old farmers remained old farmers.
After acquiring the knowledge, Richard left the Secret Realm Fragments.
The number of Holy Tree Elves was too few to be of significant impact for now.
But the future was promising.
Wizards did not wage wars for Great Wizards without compensation—with enough merit, acquiring a piece of land from the Otherworld was a trivial matter.
And since this Holy Tree Elf could hasten the growth of plants, he might later be able to establish a stable Magic Stone income through cultivating medicinal herbs.
Wizards had long lifespans, and long-term gains far outweighed short-term benefits.