Chapter 714: Chapter 714

Those trees were native to a remote forest in the shade of a God Tree, a place with many tall trees obscuring most of the light, so the young saplings adapted to growing under such conditions, in turn becoming weak to light. That was the main reason why Vanessa kept failing to grow them.

“I had no idea plants like that existed…”

Vanessa stared at the seeds in shock, and Mira tried to comfort her saying, “They’re extremely rare seeds, so they require special treatment.”

Martel was also a bit taken aback that one of her plants had become so weak to light.

At first, she had created those trees with the intention to feed animals in a place where the only things in reach were dead and rotten leaves.

The forest around the God Tree was thick and dark, protected by a divine power that made it a paradise for animals. But as one got closer to the God Tree, the darker it got, and the harder it was for trees to bear fruit. The stronger animals would usually stay in the outer parts, but the weaker ones had no choice but to venture deeper to stay safe.

So Martel created a fruit so the weakest animals could eat properly as well, one that did not require light to ripen properly. As time passed and the trees became accustomed to that environment, they began to lose their strength against light while young.

Martel had been in a rather good mood as she told that story, as she also enjoyed seeing how her creations changed and evolved over time in different environments. She was also rather proud that the fruits had a much stronger scent now, making them easier to find by animals.

“By the way, how long does it take until they grow to three meters tall?”

“Around two years. But it’ll take three to six years more before it starts to produce fruits.”

It would take at least five years, during two of which the tree could not be exposed to light. It really was a tree not meant to grow in the same environment as people.

“So at least five years…and the first two are the most important…”

Despite the difficulty, Vanessa showed no signs of giving up. Rather, she was already thinking about building a pitch black room to keep the saplings in for two years, and the best way to care for them in the darkness.

“Oh, you won’t have to worry about that too much.”

Saying that, Mira held her hand over the three seeds, letting out a faint glow that was absorbed into them.

Vanessa looked anxious at the seeds, and Mira explained, “I’ve invigorated the seeds, so they should grow to three meters tall in just a week.”

That was the result of Martel’s kindness, and her severity. She had seen how much Vanessa wanted to grow those trees, and she did not want to allow any more saplings to dry out.

“Think of this as a gift from a plant spirit I’ve formed a Contract with. Take good care of them.”

Mira did not specify that she was talking about an Originator Spirit. It was already a known fact that she had contracts with plenty of spirits, and she was not lying either, so it was a safe way of talking about it without risking revealing too much.

“Thank you, thank you so much! I promise I’ll grow them into tall and strong trees!

After passing on Martel’s thoughts in a roundabout way, Vanessa thanked her and then added, “Also say thank you to that spirit for me,” while repeatedly bowing to Mira.

‘Oh, you’re very welcome.’

Martel sounded almost embarrassed, but still happy as her response echoed in Mira’s head.

After nearly destroying the garden of the Adams Residence, it was rebuilt to look even better than it did before, while fitting even closer to Vanessa’s ideal vision.

On top of that, the Mist Quill trees that Vanessa had been struggling with had grown into large magnificent trees, and then she even learned how to take care of the mystery seeds that had put her in such a conundrum before.

By the end of that, Mira had gained the respect and trust of Vanessa, who happened to be a maid in a high position, so in the end, her opinion of Mira was shared and spread amongst the other maids as well.

(Alright, I think I managed to gloss things over!)

Thanks to their work, there were no signs of their fight left in the garden, and they would not be questioned about it anymore. Or at least, Mira hoped so as she let out a sigh of relief. She could only imagine the scolding she would get if word spread and Solomon caught wind of it.

Her fight with Meilin did have a strong effect on the people of the mansion though.

Meilin had been staying there for a while, training the children of the mansion in exchange for housing, so they had taken notice of Meilin’s incredible strength. Now they had seen Mira fight Meilin on equal footing, which left a strong impression on them.

Now that she had gained the respect of so many of them, the Adams Residence would always welcome her.

There were no objections to letting her come in too, and now she was in Meilin’s room, alone with her.

“By the way, why did you come here, *Grandfather*? Are you also going to take part in the tournament?”

All that fighting and gardening had taken a toll, so they sat exhausted on a couch, and those were Meilin’s first words. Grandfather…that was not really the way one would address a girl like Mira. But Meilin had not stuttered, so Mira dejectedly replied, “So you could tell it was me.”

“Of course. The way you shift your weight when stepping forward, the way you run, and the way you’re constantly looking around, it’s all exactly the same as before. You can change how you look, but you can’t deceive me.”

Meilin explained how she had seen through Mira, while also emphasizing that those were just a few examples of the tells she noticed.

And she had not even needed to see any of the summons to know that much, which usually were the easiest way to tell Mira was Danbulf. Mira’s demeanor alone was enough.

“So you could tell from just that… You never cease to amaze me.”

Meilin had not lost any of her keen perception, so Mira commended her on that before standing up straight and saying, “So about the reason why I’m here…”