Chapter 219: Treatment and the Flower Demon

The big squirrel Cui Qian said: "Since it can be opened, the chances of activating the Emerald Remnant Branch have greatly increased."

Having said that, she tossed aside the paper cup she had been eating from and picked up another one.

Tally sized her up and said hesitantly: "Squirrel, did you get fat? How come you look like a big lump now?"

Cui Qian froze for a moment, hurriedly looked down at her figure, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nope, unlike you lot, I, Cui Qian, am a master at controlling my diet."

Tally raised an eyebrow.

She took out a large mirror from her spell pouch and placed it in front of the squirrel.

In the mirror's surface appeared a plump, well-fed gray squirrel with cream all over her mouth.

Although her upper torso was still thin and narrow, her lower belly was as full as a fruit, round and round, nearly hiding her short little legs.

Cui Qian froze for a moment, then let out a panicked shriek.

"Funhouse mirror! This must be a funhouse mirror that deforms squirrels!"

Little Little Bangde in Rod's arms laughed: "It's okay, Cui Qian, being chubby is cute too."

"I don't want it! I don't want to be cute! If the companions in the Tree Realm see me, they'll definitely mock me and tease me!!"

The squirrel glanced at the cupcake in her hand and hurriedly put it back.

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

Rod had to remind her: "When we first met, you couldn't climb a tree either."

"That's because of the gravity here!"

Everyone comforted the big squirrel for a while, until the elf agreed to provide a slimming spell, and only then did they continue the plan to save the Emerald Remnant Branch.

Not long after.

The lines of a ritual magic circle were drawn on the ground with magic.

At this point, Cui Qian wiped her mouth clean.

She stood at the center of the ritual.

Rod leaned his head over to ask Lady Kali: "Is this a magic circle for healing plants?"

The elf stroked her chin, somewhat intrigued: "No, this is a summoning ritual. She must have invited help from somewhere else — a very interesting magic circle ritual. It's not a true summoning, but more like a projection."

"Not bad."

Cui Qian dropped to one knee, coolly pressing her left hand against the ground.

"Mr. Rod, the Rotatosk gray squirrels' network of connections is far broader than you imagine. This is a ritual to summon my friend — a great flower demon. Once when a tree disease appeared in the Tree Realm, he was the one we invited to help!"

Oho!

A flower demon?

That androgynous intelligent race — the race of the hero Ophiel from that yellow novel by witch Dimiana.

Rod had long been curious about this, but flower demons had never appeared on the Twilight Hills.

As the magic's light flickered.

A phantom gradually appeared, then slowly solidified, finally becoming a body indistinguishable from a real one.

The next moment, the light dispersed.

A slender, handsome man walked out of the ritual circle with a curious expression.

He wore a black, neat outfit resembling a Western suit from Earth, looking clean and sharp all over.

A head of short hair fluttered in the wind, his features delicate and gentle, of indeterminate gender — a thorough cream puff of a pretty boy.

Apart from his lifeless eyes, there was no difference from a human.

A man?

Rod instantly lost interest.

"Cui Qian? What did you summon me to the material dimension for?"

The flower demon asked.

Cui Qian, meanwhile, slid forward on her knees to his feet, her squirrel head bonking into the earth and sending clods of mud flying.

"Nicole! Help me! Please!!!"

"Is it a problem in the Tree Realm?"

"No, it's a problem with my dignity."

Nicole helplessly spread his hands: "The summoning mark I gave you was for emergencies in the Tree Realm. Why would you use it for something this trivial?"

Rod: "."

So this is you abusing your authority for personal gain, Cui Qian? Where's all that talk about a wide network of connections?

Cui Qian went thump thump thump, knocking her head a few more times, wailing pitifully: "There are trees here that need healing too, please! Nicole!!!"

"Using spells in projection state consumes more magic power, as you should know. The situation in Wang Ting isn't great right now, I can't afford pointless waste."

"Double the payment! And next time you come to the Tree Realm, I'll take you to tour two more dimensions!"

Nicole was somewhat tempted.

In the end he still sighed: "Fine, it's a deal. Where's the patient?"

Seeing Cui Qian point at the Emerald Tree Remnant Branch, he let out a wail: "How can it be so broken, and how on earth is this to be treated?!"

Saying so, he threw himself into casting diagnostic spells one after another.

While he was diagnosing, Cui Qian came over to the forest group.

She gave her forehead a casual flick to shake off the dirt: "Just a little trick. When it comes to connections, you humans still have quite a bit to learn."

Rod felt a bit embarrassed: "I feel kind of bad about this. What about the payment — let me prepare it."

"No need, no need, it's all stuff from the Tree Realm, you can't get it in the material dimension anyway. We Rotatosk gray squirrels are the most loyal of friends, don't worry, don't worry, leave it all to me!"

Looking at the big squirrel patting her chest in front of him, Rod could feel his affection for her shooting straight up.

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

Over there, the flower fae Nicole also seemed to have completed her diagnosis successfully.

"It's been afflicted by demonic corruption and subjected to spells like 【Lightning Ring】, 【Acid Rain Storm】, 【Compressed Orb】, 【Purifying Flame】, and so on. Although nursing it back to sentience does show you outsiders put in some effort, it's still not enough to fully cure it — at the very least, it's still missing some nourishing supplements. How convenient! I happen to have just the thing right here — not nine hundred thousand, not even ninety thousand, just nine thousand Jin Along!"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he got, pulling soap and items labeled as specialty fertilizer one after another from his spell pouch.

"Ah, we have this one."

Rod presented 【Treeworld Dewdrop】.

Nicole's excited face immediately fell.

"Oh, is that so."

With a blank expression, he took the dewdrop — which Lady Kali had dispelled 【Fenna's Amber Preservation】 from — and neatly drizzled it over the jade remnant branch.

Then he began muttering "loss leader" while laying out a new ritual array.

Rod couldn't help but ask: "I know about this Joyful Wang Ting, but I've heard they're self-sufficient and rarely have contact with the outside world. Would they even need Jin Along?"

The Joyful Wang Ting is a forest race's home beneath the trees.

From what he's heard, the races within are numerous, including but not limited to sprites, fae, satyrs, water fairies, flower fae, swan maidens, centaurs, fairy dragons, and so on.

If he got the chance, Rod would also like to go take a look around.

Cui Qian, meanwhile, answered: "The dimension the Joyful Wang Ting resides in is a labyrinth that has already aged to the point of nearly losing its vitality. A few months ago, that labyrinth was ravaged by an other-dimensional aether storm and is currently on the verge of collapse, forcing its residents to come out and seek a new home — and earning money is naturally part of that."

Rod: "."

How is this aether storm causing trouble everywhere?!

(End of chapter)