Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 583

The growing requirements Papa Oliver described were less like fertilization and more like a ritual.

"My blood is no problem, nor is Hathaway's or Alexia's spirit. A stranger's soul isn't an issue either, but... where on earth am I supposed to find a lover's hair?"

He was deeply troubled.

"A Fantasy Flower in its third stage can be consumed directly to increase one's spirit, or it can help a talented ordinary person cross the threshold into the extraordinary. It sounds somewhat like the legendary Spirit Flower, but the Fantasy Flower is clearly far more valuable than that rare blossom."

Papa Oliver continued, his expression tinged with emotion. It wasn't often he heard of something so unique.

"And only a fully mature Fantasy Flower, one that has reached the fourth stage of growth, qualifies for the designation B-01-5-0718. A mature flower will bloom completely, its stem detaching from the roots so it can be easily held. The condition for full maturity is souls—tens of thousands of them are required to nurture a single plant. The plant already possesses the ability to actively absorb souls in its third stage, which is why, in past records, all legitimate B-01-5-0718 specimens were typically found growing by chance near cemeteries." Orıginal content can be found at novel⦿fire.net

Jenkins was already convinced his flower would never reach maturity. He wasn't some heretical cultist; he had no way of obtaining so many souls.

"Each B-01-5-0718 has a different effect, its power determined by the holder's imagination—hence the name 'Fantasy Flower.' In reality, though, it's more like the wishing flower you wrote about in the 'Stranger's Story Collection,' as its effect is set the moment its holder touches it after it has fully matured."

"But the information I found made no mention of that."

Finally, Papa Oliver handed Jenkins a black-and-white photograph. It was faded and blurry; all that was visible was a man whose features were impossible to make out, holding a small white flower as he stood before a low-built house. The 'Undead Scourge' of thirty years ago had started with him.

Worried it might be identified, Jenkins had temporarily left his Fantasy Flower, still in its second stage of growth, with Alexia. He was genuinely fascinated by the plant, but he simply couldn't fathom how he was supposed to find "a lover's hair."

That evening, on his way to the Corpse Gentleman's gathering, Jenkins sought Professor Burns's advice, phrasing his dilemma in a roundabout way. The professor offered a straightforward solution:

"Then go find yourself a lover. I don't think it's particularly difficult, especially for a young man your age. Otherwise, our people would never have survived to this day."

He said it with a lighthearted air, perhaps intending it as a joke, but Jenkins couldn't bring himself to laugh.

Maintaining his air of mystery, the Corpse Gentleman emerged from a morgue drawer as usual. His warning this time was for everyone to avoid going out on nights when the red moon shone brightly. The advice immediately brought last week's blood moon to mind, and the resurgence of vampires had become something of an open secret.

Nearly everyone had developed the habit of checking the shadows of others. Perhaps some could even use this instinct to determine whether a stranger they passed on the street was an Enchanter.

At the gathering, Jenkins again made a high-priced offer for a thousand-year-old wood heart, but luck wasn't with him this time. To his surprise, the Corpse Gentleman suggested he could find a way to help, but Jenkins politely refused, using the excuse that it would take too much time.

He wouldn't dare get involved with the Corpse Gentleman in any capacity, unless he ran into a problem he had absolutely no other way of solving.

After the gathering, Jenkins and Professor Burns didn't head straight back to the city. Instead, they walked eastward, following the open fields that skirted the city's edge.

They hadn't snuck out; their excuse was that Jenkins was visiting the professor, so they had plenty of time. And as luck would have it, the professor had found another "treasure" in an ancient text.

It wasn't exactly a coincidence. According to Professor Burns, he had first heard of these ancient ruins at the age of twenty-four while writing his thesis. It had taken nearly half a century of research and exploration for him to finally pinpoint the exact location.

He had intended to report it directly to the Church, but their teams had been extremely busy lately. Besides, the entrance only opened once every twenty-four years, and he couldn't afford to miss it—he wasn't certain he'd be alive for the next one. So, he had no choice but to ask Jenkins to join him tonight.

"Perhaps we could have brought Papa Oliver along. Compared to amateurs like us, he's the real professional."

Jenkins had made the suggestion when the professor first proposed the night's expedition. He didn't mean it as a jab at Papa Oliver being a tomb raider, only that the old man could offer a great deal of useful advice.

"I've already spoken with Oliver. He has something else on tonight, something urgent. He did, however, lend me a few small tools. I imagine they'll come in handy."

The last time he'd gone exploring with Professor Burns, they had run into danger, but the rewards had far outweighed the risks. This time, their destination was an ancient burial ground belonging to a band of robbers active during the 15th Epoch. Their name was lost to history, but records clearly stated they would hide their treasures in the graves of their comrades, digging them up again whenever they needed.

The professor had spent half his life finding the general location of those tombs, which were in the mountains east of the city. With Jenkins's skeletal warhorse for transportation, it only took them an hour and a half to reach their destination.

The location was a seemingly ordinary clearing within a forest of withered trees deep in the mountains. The path was difficult to traverse, as few ever came this way. A mixture of rotting leaves and slushy, unmelted snow gave the ground a strange texture under their boots. Even Chocolate refused to jump down from Jenkins's shoulder.

The moon was full tonight. Outside the polluted city, the red and blue twin moons were clearly visible amidst a sky full of stars. While the professor confirmed their position one last time, Jenkins tilted his head back, accumulating spirit by observing the heavens. He could already clearly sense the barrier to the fourth level. It was still distant, but if he managed to encounter a Mysterious Realm or destroy a Cursed Item soon, breaking through would only be a matter of months.

The professor suddenly cried out, his voice sharp and high-pitched. He was shivering as he spoke, but his face was flushed, though it was impossible to tell if it was from excitement or the biting cold.