Chapter 1606: Chapter 1606

"Destined to embrace death? I'll think about that later," Jenkins thought, pulling a pillow over his face. A tightness in his chest told him the cat, which had been curled up on his legs, had moved onto his chest. He was about to toss the pillow aside, shoo the cat off, and go to sleep, pushing the strange incident out of his mind, when he felt a cold finger poke his arm.

Just a few seconds ago, when he'd covered his face, there had been no third person in the room. If Chocolate wasn't currently pressing down on his chest, he might have guessed the cat had suddenly transformed into a human, but that was obviously impossible.

He flung the pillow off his face and shot upright, whipping his head to the left. The window was there, and the city was enjoying a fine night. Since he hadn't drawn the curtains, the twin red and blue moons cast their clear light into the room, making the little girl with the flower basket seem to glow with her own backlight.

He jumped, not because he was afraid of the flower seller, but because she was so close—right beside his bed. The source of this content ɪs Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

He scrambled to sit up completely, sending the cat on his chest tumbling onto his legs. The cat stood up, thoroughly displeased, and let out a series of meows at the girl who had appeared in the room.

The girl was clearly afraid of cats. At Chocolate's not-so-threatening cries, a look of fear crossed her face, and she took two steps back. Her ragged clothes already made her look pitiful, and now, being menaced by a cat, she looked even more heart-wrenching.

"Chocolate," Jenkins called softly. He got out of bed and scooped up the cat by the scruff of its neck.

"Good evening. It's been a while," Jenkins finally had a moment to greet the flower seller. She was a familiar face by now. "You don't have to be afraid. He looks fierce right now, but he's actually very gentle," Jenkins comforted her.

The girl clearly didn't believe him. She had already retreated to the wall by the window, her back nearly pressed against it.

"Good evening, sir," she greeted him timidly. Seeing that he had genuinely frightened someone, Chocolate perked up, even while still dangling from Jenkins's hand.

"What brings you here so late?" he inquired, though he was sure it had to do with what had just happened.

"Someone asked me to bring you a message," she said softly, sniffing and glancing cautiously at the cat. The cat stared back with its large, amber eyes, making the girl jump again. "Do not accept the gift of any reaper. Even if you can balance the powers of life and death, your essence is of destiny and life. Death will only prevent you from ever accepting life's enhancements."

"I know. I've already politely declined," Jenkins replied. Seeing that the cat in his hand was no longer "frantic," he placed it on the bed. Chocolate immediately leaped to the floor, then onto a chair, bounded onto the desk, and finally sprang up, seemingly scaling the side of the wardrobe to reach the top. It flicked its tail, turned around, and stood there, narrowing its eyes at the flower seller.

"That's good. You made the right choice. Besides, life and death are one and the same. The power of life can also bring death."

She didn't speak the second half of the thought: "and the power of death can also bring life."

"Now that I know you didn't accept the reaper's gift, I can rest easy. Sir, you are a priest of the World Tree. Even in my homeland, the Prosperous Forest, you would be among the most honored. You need not worry about your power being insufficient. Life will always favor you."

At this, the girl lowered her head and whispered a praise to the "Lord of Blossoms." Then, she reached a small hand into her little basket. Jenkins flinched subconsciously, but having long since overcome that strange emotion, he felt no fear or worry.

The girl finally took out a stemless white flower from her basket. It had five petals of equal size, a yellow center, and even dewdrops on its petals, as if it had just been picked. According to the girl's usual wares, a white flower was meant to increase one's spirit, but this one was clearly out of the ordinary, just like the blue flower that had given Jenkins his [Frost Punch] ability.

"This is a gift for you. It represents an ability," the girl said, carefully holding the flower out to Jenkins. "In mortal terms, this is the Green Life ability, [Limit Growth]. With this power, you can push a living being beyond its natural limits when you grant it life force."

It sounded very useful. For instance, it could make a human grow a third arm, cause a low shrub to grow as tall as a great tree, or make rare transcendent plants sprout more leaves or gain more potent effects.

However... Jenkins's own [Life Source] could already do that. Before evolving, his ability had been [Breath of Healing], which could only accelerate growth for healing purposes. But [Life Source] was true manipulation of life itself. [Limit Growth] was merely a side effect of his own, more powerful ability.

"May I give this to someone else?" he asked, a bit embarrassed.

"Of course," the girl said, holding the flower out to him. Jenkins casually sketched a transparent glass bottle in the air and placed the flower inside. As a transcendent creation, the flower wouldn't wilt easily, and since Jenkins could constantly infuse it with life force, it would likely last for a very long time.

"As long as you continue on the path of life, you will surely reap greater rewards in the future," the girl said with conviction. She reached into her basket again and pulled out a large bundle of white flowers—at a glance, there were at least ten.

"This is my gift to you."

These were the flowers that could increase the spirit of those who consumed them. Jenkins had eaten them twice before.

The flower representing an ability seemed to be a gift from the Lord of Blossoms, but this bundle was a gift from the girl herself. She held Jenkins in high regard.

"This is for you," Jenkins said, accepting the bouquet without hesitation. He set it aside, and under the girl's anxious gaze, he walked to the chair by his desk, picked up his shirt, and tore off the small pocket sewn onto it. From inside, he took out two round, gleaming coins. After his "shopping spree" with the woman at the banquet, he was left with only one Jewel of Ages and one Ring of Greed. After a moment's thought, he offered the prettier of the two, the Jewel of Ages, to the girl.

"This is a gift for you."