NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183: Looted Flowers
Van simply lay there, silent and still, waiting as he confirmed that the Serpent had truly left.
'Did it really leave?' Van mused as he started thinking why.
After all, he was sure that the Serpent saw him grab the last flower just now.
Still, as he used his Ocularis Lens to review the last few moments, he confirmed that after the Serpent swallowed the mound, the serpent moved away, but it raised its head, as if triumphant, and then began to retreat—sliding back into the forest…
It didn't seem wounded—just bored, perhaps, or disinterested after claiming what it believed was its prize.
'Wait… No, what if its target wasn't the flower? Maybe the stem or the roots? It's even possible that it wanted the mound itself.' Van mused as he recalled that the dirt or ground used by the special flower was definitely special.
After all, it wouldn't grow such a rare flower without fulfilling certain conditions. One of them was definitely having good soil.
Nonetheless, it no longer mattered to Van.
At this point, the apprentices didn't pursue the serpent. They didn't even have the strength or power to take something from the Serpent's possession.
They simply watched, stunned and breathless, as the azure coils disappeared into the mist of the forest…
"…We lost everything," the brown-haired girl muttered bitterly.
"All that effort. All those injuries. For nothing."
Julia remained silent. She stared at the ruined mound where the serpent had pounced…
It's really a pity… After all, she knew how expensive or precious those flowers were.
Just one of them would surely add to her prestige…
In the meantime, Van remained still for a few more seconds, then slowly exhaled.
He was bruised, and covered in dust, and still listening to whether someone actually caught his stealthy actions.
However, none of them spoke. It seemed that they were indeed too busy fighting the Serpent and didn't notice his actions!
'Now then… ' he thought for a moment as he rose silently and merged with the group.
Thankfully, with his Ocularis Lens, he confirmed that no one was looking at him suspiciously.
Even Julia, who had finally seen him from behind, just nodded at him after confirming that he still had all his limbs intact.
Anyway, if it was Van, she wasn't really that worried, so she wasn't even looking for him during the whole battle. She trusted the young man's abilities.
"Alright… Let's return now… Looking for another batch of flowers will be useless now." Harrison said helplessly.
Clyde could only bite his lips and agreed to this matter.
Still, they managed to obtain some Serpent Scales, Beast Cores, Beast Horns, and other parts of Magic Beasts during their journey. It should at least cover the expenses or the potions and mana crystals they used during the battle…
***
The trek back to Pinewatch Relay Station was filled with silence.
Even the forest, which was usually filled with bird cries and insect hums, seemed to have disappeared—as if the earlier chaos had rippled throughout the whole forest.
They probably fled or hid themselves after the strong Mana Fluctuations had rippled throughout the forest.
Their group was no longer in a rush as they moved slowly after the skirmish with the Two-Horned Azure Serpent. There was no need to hurry, and they would even welcome any Magic Beast who wanted to block their way.
Although they haven't fully recovered yet, after fighting against the Two-Horned Serpent, they felt that a One-Horned Beast would just be a piece of cake for their whole group.
For now, the injured were supported by slaves. The uninjured Mages, on the other hand, were always keeping an eye on the surroundings to ensure that they would all be safe from ambush.
Looking at them closely, they really looked like they'd been in a war.
Everyone bore some sign of the battle—torn robes, scorched sleeves, bruised skin, or the faint trace of dried blood on the edges of their mana gloves.
At this point, Julia was observing part of her loot.
The serpent had shed thirteen scales during the battle—massive, overlapping plates of blue and silver, each one as tough as steel and faintly pulsing with dormant mana.
Even without killing the beast, this was a respectable gain.
Those scales could be sold, reforged, or used in spellcraft. It was valuable and could be considered as a rare mystical item...
After all, even if that Azure Serpent was only a Two-Horned Magic Beast right now, there weren't a lot of them. Furthermore, they had the potential to reach Four Horns!
"So pretty…" Julia commented. Apparently, Clyde had given her two of the Azure Scales that their group received.
It was to thank her properly for assisting them and of course, they wanted to look good in front of the Farrell.
***
At this time, Van remained at the back of the group the entire return trip.
He remained quiet, thoughtful, and unnoticed.
His satchel was secure.
No one asked questions.
No one suspected.
'Good…' He mused…
It was already morning by the time they reached the Relay Station.
The sunlight was still not hot, and it felt more relaxing instead.
Soon, the servants who had been left behind welcomed their arrival. They had actually been very worried, so seeing the battered group approach, they all felt glad that everyone was still alive...
Seeing that many of them didn't look that good, they swiftly worked to assist them.
Whether it was food, a water basin, a bed, or others, they were able to provide it swiftly.
"Whoo~ Finally!" Julia couldn't help but feel at ease after entering the Relay Station.
Once inside, they immediately got into their assigned quarters.
Some bathed immediately.
Others simply collapsed onto their bunks.
Then, after Julia cleaned herself, Van also took a short bath to clean himself. Of course, he made sure to leave the satchel around to make it appear like there wasn't anything important inside.
Only then did he allow himself to take a bath.
Soon, the scent of pine soap drifted through the lodge.
"What do I do?" Van muttered while cleaning himself. Well, he was still thinking whether to use the flowers himself or mention this matter to Julia.
***
After some time, Van sat on his bed, and he confirmed that Julia was already sound asleep.
Well, as a slave, he also had to work as a guard…
'Hmmm…' Van looked around his room and confirmed that no one was secretly observing…
The room was dim, with only a ray of morning light filtering through the window…
Outside, the sounds of bathing, resting, and idle chatter continued.
However, Van had no interest in relaxing.
His satchel rested on the floor beside him. It seemed as if there was nothing valuable inside.
However, aside from their collections of Mission Items, there were eight precious blooms—the Spiritual Kiss Flowers.
Looking at it closely, they were silvery-white with faintly glowing veins. They exuded a gentle, calming fragrance even through the tightly woven satchel.
'Ugh… I have to close it…' Van thought.
The satchel was actually a mystical item. It could store quite a lot of items, but because it was very low-grade, it could only store small items, and it could only carry five times its size.
Van quickly returned the container with flowers, and soon, the scent disappeared…
Still, his Ocularis Lens had already compiled more data about the flower thanks to that.
At this point, Van was sure that no one knew he had them.
Not Julia, not Clyde, not even the other servants.
And he intended to keep it that way—for now.
Van then used his Ocularis Lens, but it seemed that it needed more data.
'Fine… I just hope that the scent won't last long… You have to hurry to analyze it.' He mused.
Soon, he placed one flower gently on the bed and then allowed his Ocularis Lens to work on its analysis.
In just 30 seconds, it gathered a lot of data and soon, Van was allowed to keep it before it could attract any attention.
[ Spiritual Kiss Flower – Use and Integration Potential ]
[ Spiritual Kiss Flower: Grade-B mystical flora. Ambient Type.
Rarity: Extremely Rare.
Primary effects: Soul Resonance, Spirit Nourishment, Aura Infusion. ]
[ Cross-referencing user goals… Evaluating synergy with Level 3 Aura Knight breakthrough and Aura Void Method compatibility… Standby… ]
Van's eyes lit up. The Ocularis knew what he needed.
It was to breakthrough his shackles.
To do that, he needed to become a Level 3 Aura Knight and learn the Aura Void Method.
"Good… Good… Give me all the information I need." Van muttered.
Soon, he felt how his Lens calculated things as a stream of data surged into his thoughts as the Lens compiled the best paths based on his current physiology, aura capacity, latent soul strength, and alchemical knowledge.
"Soul strength? When did you learn how to detect that?" Van mused, but it seemed that from the data itself, the Lens wasn't capable of measuring it. It could only use his Aura, Physique, and other information to have an estimate of his Soul Strength.
It seemed that reading a lot of Magic Books from the library allowed his Lens to develop such an incredible ability…