Chapter 218: Gifts and the Preservation Art

Rod's spirits lifted.

The Emerald Tree's distance-ignoring 【Spatial Tree Form】 had always been what he wanted; it was just that the fire-scorched remnant of the Emerald had never been revived.

Even with every trick Vivian had, she could only nurture it to a state where its spirit no longer leaked, still some distance from truly becoming an Emerald Tree.

It happened that Rod had obtained 【Tree Realm Dewdrop】 from the 【Cat Fairy Paradise】, and had long wanted to try it on the Emerald remnant branch.

Cui Qian was a Rotatosk grey squirrel born in the Tree Realm; perhaps she had a better way to revive the remnant branch.

The big squirrel, seeing the 【Tree Realm Dewdrop】 Rod produced, was quite astonished.

This thing was preserved in a form resembling amber, and the thing inside looked like just an ordinary dewdrop.

"This thing loses its effect ten minutes after leaving the World Tree — to be able to preserve it like this is truly a remarkable spell. But how does one take it out?"

Rod had stepped through the mage's door, but he was still far from being a proper mage.

He hadn't seen anything unusual about this thing at all.

Nor did he know how to take it out.

Then at this point, he could only call on our Forest Queen Yuyan Elf, Lady Kali.

He had the big squirrel and Tally head to the dawn-redwood section where the Emerald remnant branch was being tended.

Rod went to find the elf himself.

There was a reason for sending Tally away — after all, the relationship between those two had never been particularly good.

Add to that the nighttime raid the other night; if it happened to upset the elf, that would be trouble.

Soon.

Rod arrived a hundred meters from the magic treehouse.

Just as he was about to speak, Lady Kali stepped out from inside and walked over toward him.

Presumably she had set up quite a few magical vantage points around the treehouse — almost the moment Rod arrived, she came out to meet him.

"Long time no see."

Rod greeted her with a smile.

The elf's face was as sour as ever, and at the same time she acted as if nothing had happened that night at all.

What impressive acting.

If I didn't still remember you shaking yourself madly on top of me, I'd have started to doubt whether it really happened.

"The forest's been without you these past two days, and even the air has gotten noticeably better."

Not only a sour face, but a foul mouth too.

Rod didn't rush to state his business directly.

He took out a small magic freshness-preserving box and unfolded the Arden cake inside.

Unlike the little cupcakes he had eaten with Little Little Bangde and Cui Qian, this one was more delicate and more suitable as a gift.

"Look, a special pastry I brought back from my business trip."

Lady Kali stiffened for a moment, and asked somewhat unnaturally: "What is it?"

Her heart was inexplicably flustered and she felt guilty.

She feared that the Rod before her had discovered what happened that night and was deliberately trying to curry favor.

She couldn't get past this hurdle in her heart.

As a traditional elf, she could not tolerate what she had done that night.

Such indulgence! What difference was there between her and the succubus at his side?!

Like?

No! I will not like a human!

An indulgent and immoral race — they are the obstacle to our elves' return to the continent!

Just like paramecia.

Yes, as an intelligent race, who would ever like paramecia?

As for that night.

It was merely because the magic potion had lost its effect.

Hmph.

"You know, whenever I go out I can't help but buy you all some gifts — consider it thanks for managing the forest for me while I was away."

That handsome yet still manly face bloomed into a sincere smile.

Lady Kali's heart still couldn't help but give a sudden thump.

But at the same time, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

At least, he didn't seem to know what had happened that night.

She took the cake.

Rod: "Try it quick — I know you don't like things too sweet, so I specially picked this one."

Lady Kali saw the delicate cake before her, and added to her jumpiness these past few days and her poor appetite, she was indeed a bit tempted.

She picked up the small wooden spoon beside it, scooped a spoonful, and put it in her mouth.

Feeling the flavors of chocolate, cream, and soft bread explode in her mouth, she suppressed herself from showing a happy smile.

With a sour face she evaluated: "So-so."

"As long as you don't dislike it."

"Hmph."

She immediately scooped another spoonful.

Only this time, a strange snap rang out.

He curiously nudged the small wooden spoon aside and was surprised to find a little trinket wrapped in oil paper inside the cake.

She froze, motionless.

Rod wanted to see her expression, but she was scowling, as if struck by a Body-Holding Spell, frozen in place for a long while.

He could only take the small wooden spoon from the elf's slightly cool fingers and dig the little trinket out.

He opened it.

It was unmistakably a finger-chain bracelet imbued with magical fluctuation, with a few small leaves dangling from it.

Seeing that she was still, aside from scowling, completely motionless.

Rod simply put it on her directly.

"I know you don't like borrowing outside objects, so I specially picked this one for you — it only has one spell, an automatic nail-cleaning one."

Lady Kali finally reacted.

"I'll put it on myself."

She pulled her hand out with a cold face. "If I'm not mistaken, you'll use the same trick six more times — Vivian, Miss Xiao Ke, a zombie, a ghoul, a succubus, and an orc?"

"Of course not, what kind of person do you take me for?"

Rod laughed. "Only three times — you, Vivian, and Miss Xiao Ke."

". What a disgusting man."

He didn't deny it either, laughing heartily.

Without much idle chat, he got straight to the point, explaining the situation over there with the 【Tree Realm Dewdrop】 and requesting her help.

"I knew you wouldn't come find me without a reason."

Her tone wasn't great, but Lady Kali's mood had actually relaxed quite a bit.

After chatting for a while about what they'd seen and heard along the way, and finishing the small cake.

The two of them arrived at the Dawn Redwood District.

At this moment.

Present, aside from the big squirrel Cui Qian, the little horse girl, and Tally, the tree spirit Vivian had also arrived.

The moment she saw Rod, she opened her arms expressionlessly.

She nestled lightly into his embrace, her little face buried in his neck, her breath tickling him.

Rod said softly: "I brought you a gift, exclusively yours — come find me at the wooden cabin later."

Vivian was rather simple and didn't think about anything else; in short, she nodded.

The elf Lady Kali heard it. She looked at Rod with a cold face, as if looking at garbage.

"Little Little Bangde wants a hug too!"

"Alright, alright, alright, come here."

Rod scooped Little Little Bangde up in one go, carrying him on one arm.

"Tally wants a hug too~"

"Get lost."

"Wooo wooo~~"

Getting down to business.

Lady Kali turned the amber 【Tree Realm Dewdrop】 Rod handed over in her fingers, and gave her assessment.

"【Fina's Amber Preservation Spell】, a seventh-tier spell."

"Seventh-tier? Can it be undone?"

"Yes, if you know the trick it's not hard. This mage named Fina was the founder of a kind of preservation and freshness magic; her philosophy was 'a preservation spell for everyone,' so the threshold for dispelling the spell isn't high."

Saying so, Lady Kali pointed at the paper-box cake freshness-preservation box sitting off to one side.

"Look, this kind of magical freshness-preservation box was all created by Mage Fina."

Rod sighed in admiration: "So there really are mages with such an ideal — it really is a remarkably convenient spell."

"As a human, her thinking is indeed worth learning, but it's a great pity that two months ago she was ambushed and killed by her own daughter during an other-dimensional exploration."

(End of this chapter)