novelonline Chapter 4205 Dragon Egg and Tree Hole
Chapter 4205 Dragon Egg and Tree Hole
Chapter 4205 Dragon Egg and Tree Hole
"So, I now have a total of nine Angel-level and Sage-level relics, including melee weapons, ranged weapons, support equipment, and spellcasting catalysts. I don't lack anything for the time being."
Besides, you yourself said that individuals shouldn't possess too many high-risk relics, otherwise containment alone would be a huge problem.
Shad concluded, and Daniste nodded:
“That’s true. Then we’ll hold off on this opportunity for now. Come back to me when you’ve decided what kind of keepsake you want. Of course, I won’t object if you want to choose a keepsake for the girls around you.”
"It seems like everyone had a lot of personal belongings on them."
Then Shad looked at Ellie, who was engrossed in reading. The unicorn girl had been driven out of the castle by the demon after awakening from the ice, and she had no possessions. Although she could use everything in the ice castle, and she had recently obtained a batch of apples by helping the church, she did not have a suitable weapon to protect herself.
"Ellie, what kind of keepsake do you want?"
He asked, and Ellie's little head peeked out from the side of the book:
"apple!"
Everyone laughed. Emilia capped her pen with satisfaction, then blew on her paper to speed up the drying process.
She explained to Xia De:
"The unicorn girls don't need weapons; they are sacred beasts and prefer to rely on their own strength."
Shad then asked Daniste:
"So, does the academy's list of Sage-level relics include a Sage-level Apple?"
Ellie looked at the administrator expectantly, but the latter shook her head.
“Shad, you really spoil her. No, and even if I did, I couldn’t give it to Ellie. None of the Sage-level relics can be eaten. If it’s just for collection, then it’s better to keep it in the academy.”
Therefore, the Sage-level relic that Shadke could choose was not selected for the time being; he planned to come to Danist when he needed it.
Having finished her thesis, Emilia and the other two set off for the central courtyard of the college. While strolling among the library shelves, Emilia excitedly shared her recent plans with Shad:
"Plant apple trees!"
The fairy maiden acted as the "translator":
"Ellie felt that since eating apples grown by others was delicious, perhaps eating apples grown by herself would be even more delicious. She has recently been learning about tree planting and plans to plant some apple trees in batches at the greenhouse of the Ice Castle and the edge of the forest south of the unicorn habitat before the end of spring."
Xia De then reminded him:
"Ellie, apple trees don't bear fruit in the same year they're planted."
Ellie had already thought it through:
"Emilia~ Growth Spell~"
The little sprite continues to translate:
"Ellie plans to water and fertilize the apple saplings herself and take care of them all summer, so that I can use the growth spell in the fall to make them bear fruit directly."
So the little unicorn just wanted to experience what it felt like to plant a tree; she didn't want to actually stand under the tree and wait for years to eat the apples she grew herself.
Although St. Byrons is located in the far north, the temperature in the academy is regulated in the spring to be similar to that near Coldwater Harbor. Now that spring is nearing its end, it's the perfect time for evening strolls and dates. Walking along the courtyard paths illuminated by the crystal streetlights on both sides, Shad thought that once things were settled in Arcadia City, he could come and wander around the academy with Daniste or Emilia on quiet evenings.
Denise didn't want anyone to notice what she was doing, so she transformed into an eighteen-year-old and put on a school uniform before going out with everyone. She didn't even need to borrow the uniform; she had recently worn it for a nighttime game with Shad.
There weren't as many people in the central courtyard of the academy as Shad had imagined. When they arrived at the ancient dragon blood tree, Daniste had already told Shad the information she had gleaned from the original manuscript of the ancient novel:
"That book was really too long, and there were too many main witches. Although it could be read quickly, I still focused on reading all the chapters related to trees so as not to miss any details."
An eighteen-year-old redhead girl linked arms with Xia De:
"After filtering, I found several plots that might be related to the answers here. I won't go into the details of the process, but I'll just state the conclusion—I suspect there's a 'tree hole curse' on this tree."
The "Tree Hole Spell" is a time-space magic that can create a tree hole in a living tree where time is frozen, allowing ordinary items to be stored.
During the Vesta Grove incident, Emilia taught Shad this basic time-related magic, so both Shad and Emilia know it. The sprites used this magic to hide easily expired snacks in the past, so they are also quite proficient in using it.
"The Tree Hole Spell can only store ordinary items; it cannot store relics or lives. Of course, the demigod witches of the past must have had ways to develop this magic even further."
Emilia looked up at the tree canopy:
"The most basic form of the [Tree Hole Spell] is to use a branch of the tree from which the spell is cast to poke the location of the tree hole, which will open the tree hole."
Denise nodded and opened the prepared cloth bag, inside which were four very short branches:
"This tree is a protected plant of the college, and branches cannot be easily collected. This afternoon, I had someone collect these branches in the name of the School of Library Management. Go ahead, try to find the tree hole."
The four of them then each took a branch and poked around on the enormous dragon blood tree. Daniste meticulously divided the bark into four equal parts, with each person responsible for only a specific area.
Of course, to prevent passing students from thinking the four were acting strangely, Denise applied for an additional "Dragon Blood Tree Maintenance" work badge this afternoon and placed it around the tree fence.
While Amelia was poking around with the twig, another interesting question came to mind:
"If that novel really was a clue left behind by Miss Feliciano and her companions, then who wrote it?"
Xia De replied:
"It definitely won't be Miss Feliananna or Britney; they're usually very busy. This matter can't be entrusted to outsiders, after all, it's of great importance. It should be Fiona and the others who wrote it. Although the novel is long, the dragon maids working together should be able to finish it quickly."
So Emilia and Shad imagined together the dragon maids huddled in the bedroom, either sitting at a desk or lying on the bed, all writing furiously together.
Shad and Emilia both smiled.
But as it turns out, unlocking the secret is not so simple. Since the academy was founded, there must have been quite a few people who, out of boredom, have been poking at the bark of trees with freshly fallen branches. To prevent the possible tree hole from being discovered by accident, Miss Felian Anna and her colleagues have most likely improved the original method of breaking the tree hole curse.
As the chosen one who best understands the "Tree Hole Curse" and possesses the power of time, Emilia is entrusted with a crucial task by Danesther in the ensuing puzzle-solving process.
Based on her understanding, the little elf took out her staff and tried various ways to break the spell on the dragon blood tree. She even brought Ellie and had her poke the bark with her horn, but of course, that had no effect.
“Shad, think about it carefully. If Miss Feliananna left you the key to the ‘safe’, what could that key be?”
"I checked everything in that suitcase, and there was no key in it."
Shad said:
"You should have checked those boxes containing the novel manuscripts at the entrance of the [Space Maze], and there were no other clues inside. Even if Miss Felian Anna is very cautious, she wouldn't have hidden the elements of the puzzle in so many different places in this incident, so I think we have the clues, we just didn't realize it."
He looked at Emilia, who was busy at work:
"Dannister, didn't the original manuscript mention anything about keys or anything like that?"
Daniste shook her head:
"That novel is too long; I'm afraid I'll have to read it through again before I can be sure."
Shad used his detection abilities, such as "Eye of Edward," "Echo of Blood," "Heart of Stone," and "Spark of Life," in turn, but apart from discovering that the tree's vitality was too strong, just like in the morning, he found no other clues.
However, he had an inspiration:
"According to Luvia's divination results 'Tree, Dragon, Moon' (4118), the normal spark of the Fifth Age is most likely with Ms. Carter now. Therefore, the tree's strong vitality is also because the spark of the Fifth Age is in the tree hole."
Daniste nodded:
"Perhaps the 'tree' card you flipped over refers not only to the teacher, but also to the source of the spark within the tree."
"What if the key to solving the mystery isn't Ms. Carter, but rather the AllSpark?"
Shad opened his palm:
“Miss Felian Anna must have conducted in-depth research on that spark. If we were to set up a puzzle for that spark and find a unique solution that I could obtain, then that solution would most likely be the spark mark on my palm.”
This mark itself originated from that spark, the two being completely of the same source. Utilizing the resonance of this shared power, even I can think of many ways to conceal items.
An eye-shaped burn mark appeared on his palm. Emilia and Ellie stepped back, allowing Shad to place his palm on the tree.
The moment the bark touched his palm, all the fiery red leaves on the canopy lit up, but only for a second. Fiery red lines burst forth from Shad's palm, flowing along the cracks in the bark, and quickly outlining an area the size of a washbasin beneath his hand.