books44 Chapter 283 [Empire] Foraging
Chapter 283 [Empire] Foraging
This planting class, which should have been a fulfilling one, turned into a study session, and I became the focus of everyone's attention.
I have no doubt that if we continue like this, we won't be able to grow a single tree.
In the classroom, there were posters depicting plant growth and tutorials on planting, but it all seemed a joke. Everyone's flower pots were empty, devoid of even a hint of life. The remains of soybean seeds had been swept away, leaving only silence and helplessness on the table.
"Forget it, I think we'll just fail the planting course this semester." A classmate shrugged, his tone full of resignation.
I looked down at the seedling on the table, my feelings even more complicated than theirs. This green monster stood there, like a vibrant banner, proclaiming its unique vitality. And its very existence seemed to have doomed all our efforts: as long as it remained, no other seeds would have a foothold.
I'm seriously considering taking this seedling away. It's already a source of disaster for my planting class.
But the question is - where to take it?
Wen Ya's place was a non-starter. His keen sense and his attitude toward combat plants made it clear to me that this seedling couldn't possibly survive under his watch. Not to mention, he'd undoubtedly question why I continued to care for it, and I wouldn't be able to justify myself. Just thinking of his serious expression gave me a headache.
What about the villa? The place Dan Qi arranged for me is indeed one where no one interferes with my freedom, but the atmosphere there hasn't been quite right lately. That man always treats me with an inexplicable attitude. Lately, he's been acting like a gunpowdered person, provoking an argument with the slightest word. I really don't want to keep such a "dangerous toy" in his presence, let alone live with him day and night.
I looked down at the seedling on the table. It looked innocent, and its green leaves even reflected the sunlight.
A dandelion floated in through the window on the breeze and landed gently on my desk, right next to the green seedling. Its white umbrella exuded a soft luster.
However, just as I was staring at it in a trance.
The dandelion's silk began to tremble gently, as if sensing some invisible force. In a matter of seconds, its pristine whiteness dimmed, its edges rapidly shrinking, as if consumed by a silent flame. Before I could react, it had crumbled to a pile of ash, collapsing limply on the table, completely devoid of its original vitality.
I stared blankly at the pile of ash, then turned back to look at the seedling. Its leaves were still green, as if nothing had happened.
"You really are...you don't even let go of those who float in." I muttered in a low voice, my tone full of complicated emotions.
This seedling may not only suck away the seeds of plants that are close to it, its influence is obviously far beyond my imagination.
Looking at the pile of dandelion ash, a cold sweat broke out on my back. An uneasy premonition spread through my heart, and I suddenly felt that the growth trajectory of this seedling was far more dangerous than I had imagined.
"If it grows bigger, what else will it eat?" This thought pierced my mind like a thorn.
It is no longer the tiny sprout that relied on me for feeding. Now, it seems to have acquired a primitive "foraging ability", whether it is soybean seeds or dandelions blown by the wind, it can accurately absorb nutrients.
Its "evolution" is clearly accelerating, and it no longer even requires my direct support.
This should have been a relief, but instead, it made me feel even more stressed. Once it became completely independent, would it become uncontrollable? Or was it using this "experiment" to expand its territory, gradually becoming familiar with and mastering everything around it?
I looked at it—its verdant leaves swayed harmlessly, as if mocking my belated realization. I instinctively retreated a little, keeping my distance, but I knew it was pointless. Its growth was proceeding in unpredictable ways, and I, its first "nutrient," might still be its target.
My hands gently gripped the edge of the table, and my fingertips turned white from the force.
But the problem is, I have no way out. I must feed it and raise it - the key to the magic book, and perhaps my only answer.
But if it grows bigger, will I still be able to control it?
I never had control over it.
When this thought came to my mind, I actually smiled bitterly.
Looking back on this seedling, from its germination until now, it has never truly belonged to me. My so-called "feeding" is nothing more than complying with its will and being forced to meet its needs time and time again.
"Control" it? The idea is ridiculous. Each time, its growth is based on my sense of powerlessness, and each "progress" is a proof of its power to expand outward.
Even this trivial foraging trip today was completely unnoticed by me—it no longer needed my permission, no longer depended on my hand. It was growing into an independent predator.
I tried to force it, but found myself powerless.
Even though I'd tried nearly every method imaginable, even resorting to those notoriously overbearing contract techniques, the result was still a blank—like hitting an invisible wall. All spells and mental energy vanished before it. I could clearly feel the rejection, not a vague, passive one, but a clear, active rejection.
It didn't give me any chance to break through at all.
This was completely beyond my comprehension. Even if a contract spell failed, there would usually be some feedback, a hint, even the slightest mental rejection, to let me know the reason for the failure. But with this, I felt nothing. It was like chanting into an abyss, with no response from it at all.
Is it because of its special nature, or is it because its level is too high?
I stared at it, its green leaves trembling slightly, as if mocking it, and it suddenly occurred to me that this might be a plant far beyond my reach.
As a contractor, I know very well that the failure of a forced contract usually means two possibilities: either its nature is special and beyond the scope of conventional contract techniques; or its life level is far above mine and it is not something that a low-level contractor like me can easily tame.
But this makes me feel even colder.
What exactly is it? It's only a sapling, yet it's already defying the pressure of the contract spell, growing in my hands into a being I can't comprehend. If even a contract can't be concluded, then what is the relationship between me and it?