Chapter 219: Treatment and the Flower Spirit

Big squirrel Cui Qian said: "Since it can be opened, the chance of activating the Jade Limb has greatly increased."

Saying this, she tossed away the empty paper cup and picked up another.

Tally glanced at her and hesitated: "Squirrel, have you gained weight? You look like a big blob now."

Cui Qian froze, quickly looked down at her body, and exhaled in relief.

"Nope! Unlike you guys, I'm an expert at controlling my diet."

Tally raised an eyebrow.

She pulled a large mirror from her spell satchel and placed it before the squirrel.

In the mirror, a plump, round gray squirrel with cream all over her mouth appeared.

Though her upper torso remained slender and narrow, her lower belly swelled like a ripe fruit, perfectly round, nearly hiding her short legs.

Cui Qian stared, then let out a panicked scream.

"A funhouse mirror! This must be a funhouse mirror that distorts squirrels!"

Bond in Luo De's arms chuckled: "It's fine, Cui Qian. Being chubby is cute too."

"I don't want cute! If my tree-world friends see me like this, they'll mock and tease me!!"

The squirrel glanced at the paper cup cake in her hand and quickly put it back.

"Starting today, I'm going on a diet! I won't return to the tree world until I can climb a tree again!"

Luo De had to remind her: "The first time we met, you couldn't climb a tree either."

"That was because of the gravity here!"

The group soothed the big squirrel until the elf promised to cast a slimming spell, and only then did they continue with the plan to save the Jade Limb.

Not long after.

The ground was marked with magical lines forming a ritual array.

At this moment, Cui Qian wiped her mouth.

She stood at the center of the ritual.

Luo De leaned over and asked Kalist: "Is this a healing array for plants?"

The elf stroked his chin, intrigued: "No, this is a summoning ritual. She's calling for help from elsewhere—quite an interesting ritual. It's not true summoning, more like a projection."

"Correct."

Cui Qian knelt on one knee and coolly pressed her left hand to the ground.

"Mr. Luo De, the Lo Tatoshk gray squirrel's network is far wider than you imagine. This is a ritual to summon my friend—a great flower spirit. Once, when a tree disease broke out in the tree world, I invited him to help!"

Whoa!

A flower spirit?

That gender-ambiguous sentient race—the same as the hero Ophir from Demiya's romance novel.

Luo De had long been curious about them, but flower spirits had never appeared on Twilight Hill.

As magical light flickered,

a shadow gradually emerged, slowly solidified, and finally became a body indistinguishable from a physical one.

The next moment, the light vanished.

A slender, handsome man stepped out of the ritual array, his expression curious.

He wore a neat, black suit resembling Earth formalwear, his entire appearance clean and sharp.

His short hair fluttered in the wind; his delicate, gentle face was unmistakably androgynous—a true pretty boy.

Except for his lifeless eyes, he was indistinguishable from a human.

A man?

Luo De felt instantly bored.

"Cui Qian? Why did you summon me to the physical dimension?"

The flower spirit asked.

Cui Qian slid on her knees to his feet, her squirrel head slamming into the ground, scattering dirt.

"Nickel! Help me! Please!!!"

"Is it a tree-world problem?"

"No, it's my pride."

Nickel helplessly shrugged: "I gave you the summoning mark for emergencies in the tree world. Why are you using it for something so trivial?"

Luo De: "."

So you're abusing your connections, Cui Qian? Where's that vast network you promised?

Cui Qian banged her head three more times, wailing: "There are trees here that need healing! Please, Nickel!!!"

"Using magic in projection state consumes more mana. You know that. Cui Qian, the Joy Court is in bad shape—I can't waste energy pointlessly."

"Double the payment! And next time you visit the tree world, I'll take you to explore two extra dimensions!"

Nickel was tempted.

Finally, he sighed: "Fine. But it's a deal. Where's the patient?"

Seeing Cui Qian point to the Jade Limb, he groaned: "How shattered is this? How am I supposed to heal it?!"

He sighed and began casting diagnostic spells one after another.

While he diagnosed, Cui Qian walked over to the forest group.

She casually brushed dirt from her forehead: "A little trick—this is how you build connections. Humans still have a long way to learn."

Luo De felt slightly guilty: "I feel bad about this. What's the payment? Let me handle it."

"No need, no need. Everything's from the tree world—you humans can't get it here. Lo Tatoshk gray squirrels are the most loyal. Don't worry, I'll take care of it all!"

Watching the big squirrel thump her chest, Luo De felt his fondness for her skyrocket.

Starting tomorrow, I'll bring you a different delicacy every day!

Over there, the flower spirit Nickel also seemed to have completed his diagnosis.

"It's been corrupted by demonic magic, subjected to 【Lightning Ring】, 【Acid Rain Storm】, 【Compressed Orb】, 【Flame Purification】, and more. Though restoring its spirit at all shows your effort as outsiders, full healing still isn't possible—you're missing nourishing supplements. Lucky for you, I happen to have some! Not ninety thousand, not nine thousand—just nine thousand Jin Along!"

He grew more enthusiastic, pulling out soaps and special fertilizer labeled items from his spell satchel one after another.

"Ah, we have that."

Luo De presented the 【Tree World Dew】.

Nickel's excited face instantly collapsed.

"Oh, I see."

He took the dew, now freed from Kalist's 【Fenna's Amber Preservation】, and poured it cleanly over the Jade Limb.

Then he began muttering "loss-making" as he set up a new ritual array.

Luo De couldn't help asking: "I know the Joy Court, but I heard they're self-sufficient and rarely interact with the outside world. Do they even need Jin Along?"

The Joy Court is a forest-dwelling race's arboreal home.

Rumor says its population is diverse, including but not limited to sprites, fairies, satyrs, water nymphs, flower spirits, swan maidens, centaurs, and fairy dragons.

If the chance arises, Luo De wants to visit.

Cui Qian answered: "The dimension where the Joy Court resides is a labyrinth nearly dead from aging. A few months ago, it was ravaged by an extradimensional aether storm. Now it's on the verge of collapse. Its residents have had to leave and find new homes—and that means earning money."

Luo De: "."

Why does this aether storm keep causing trouble everywhere!

(End of Chapter)