Chapter 224: The Past and Training

Rod was not the sort of fellow who knew how to charm a girl.

After all, with a face like his, he basically didn't need to put in any effort to get what he wanted.

The Rosalia before his eyes was a master — at the very least, a master at putting on an act.

Even if her surprise was feigned, as a Tooth Fairy with certain insect-like traits, her love of flowers was surely genuine.

Thinking this.

【Treasure Affinity】's sense suddenly activated.

Rod blinked slightly.

Following the sense, he shifted his gaze.

He immediately spotted, among the florist's blooming entrance, a shrub branch on a shelf beside the shop assistant.

It had no green leaves, covered instead in vivid, bewitching red petals curling upward, like flames held high.

Rod recognized this flower species — it was called Dragon Tooth Flower, its floral meaning Glory.

Not that he was particularly learned.

Once, when he was out buying supplies on the street, he ran into the witch Dimia, who was also shopping at this florist.

She had come here to gather material for her raunchy novels.

After all, the hero Ophiel was a flower fairy, and many of her stories were tied to flowers.

The two of them had chatted idly for a while back then, discussing the floral meanings of various flowers, and this distinctive-looking Dragon Tooth Flower had come up among them.

Rod pulled the flower branch from the shelf.

【【Treasure Affinity】 activated successfully】

【Granted item 【Dragon Tooth Flower】 treasure property: Unsullied by Dust】

【Details: Item 【Dragon Tooth Flower】 will not wilt, and can cleanse dust from enclosed spaces of any size.】

Huh.

The phrase "any size" sounded impressive, but it couldn't disguise the fact that this was a treasure of no practical use.

Rod himself had no use for it either.

But then again, a "treasure cherished in one's heart," right?

Clearly, our Forester had interest in the flower fairy, but not much thought for flowers themselves.

Then it could only be the Tooth Fairy beside him.

Not bad.

So this skill could not only find treasures, but also cater to someone's tastes?

Rod simply handed it to her, smiling:

"The floral meaning of Dragon Tooth Flower is Glory. I hope you too can become a warrior woman who fights for freedom and dignity."

Rosalia froze for a moment.

With her small hand — its index and ring fingers wrapped in dark-purple insectoid exoskeleton — she took the Dragon Tooth Flower.

The petals, growing upward like a torch, made her drift into a daze.

"Mr. Rod, have I told you about my kind?"

She said, dazed.

"No, though I did hear at City Hall about your journey, making your way here from Gemstone City."

Rod was at a loss.

"Fifty years ago, a human mage launched a campaign to capture and exterminate the little fairies. And I — the most gifted young Tooth Fairy of my generation at the time — was seen as the pride of my kin. Yet when our people suffered a devastating blow, I couldn't lift a hand to save them, and was even not recognized as a Tooth Fairy because my build resembled a human's."

She looked at Rod expressionlessly, her gaze complex and tinged with sorrow.

"Mr. Rod, do you think someone like me can still bear to accept such a gift?"

【Rage Points +10】

A Tooth Fairy carrying regret and rage within, huh.

Rod offered no words of comfort.

He only had lustful thoughts toward this Young Lady, nothing deeper, so naturally he paid little attention to her mental state.

"Of course you can. You can choose not to become that kind of warrior woman."

He said, with a touch of casualness.

A flash of shame and indignation crossed Rosalia's face, then quickly dissolved into relief, and she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

"Mr. Rod, you're the first man to fob me off like this."

"How could I be? I'm merely offering a second choice."

Without waiting to finish, she shoved the big bouquet of roses back into Rod's arms, and with one hand holding the Dragon Tooth Flower and the other lifting her long skirt, she took a few quick steps forward.

Then she twirled, her skirt hem fluttering.

"I take it back, Mr. Rod has no idea how to coax a girl at all — because I don't like roses in the slightest. Dragon Tooth Flower is just perfect."

With that, she ran off, quickly vanishing down the street.

Rod watched her pretty retreating figure and lightly clenched his fist.

Felt like there was a chance.

Though there was no telling whether this was also part of her act.

He didn't keep wandering the market.

After checking in at City Hall, Rod immediately returned to the forest.

After two days at 【Cat Fairy Paradise】 without training, he was starting to feel a twinge of guilt.

He had to hurry back and train to make up for it.

Moreover, among this batch of spoils, whether it was 【Blazing Jade】, or the 【Mana Drain】, 【Yulandy's Ice Blade Domain】, and 【A Study and Speculation on the Land Naga Spiritual Art 'War Soul'】 later gifted by the witch cat, they were all quite decent things.

There was a real need to study them.

As for 【Advanced Shadow Evocation】

this spell could use shadow substance to simulate evocation spells no higher than seventh tier — quite practical.

It would be better learned by Tally, who was skilled in shadow magic.

He arrived at the grassy field between Henry's farm and the forest.

Rod happened to spot the tiefling Sehir practicing her spiritual art on her own.

He gave her a greeting, but they didn't chat.

The two of them went their separate ways with their own training.

Rod was the first to choose 【Yulandy's Ice Blade Domain】, this eighth-tier spiritual art, to study.

Come to think of it, the tiering of spiritual arts and spells wasn't entirely based on power.

It was determined more by the spell's complexity and the ability required to cast it.

A particularly clear example was 【Light】, a low-tier spell — most mages could cast it without incantation or material components.

A slightly higher one, the sixth-tier spell 【Spatial Shift】, required a brief incantation and gestures to accompany it.

Of course, adding some material components would make the effect even better.

It could even reach a distance of around a thousand meters.

Higher-tier eighth and ninth spells required a great deal of casting time and preparation, and the power they brought was naturally greater as well.

And this was precisely where spiritual arts fell short of spells.

Spiritual arts were created by humans drawing from the innate spiritual arts of various intelligent races, who were born without any need for incantation or material components.

They relied more on their own spirituality and bloodline.

Therefore, spiritual warriors likewise favored techniques that didn't require incantation.

【Yulandy's Ice Blade Domain】 was a spiritual art whose 'complexity' exceeded its 'required casting ability.'

The main point was controlling the transformation of spirituality into something resembling evocation magic.

For other people, this was a very difficult process.

Spiritual warriors were already rather rough by nature — they couldn't pull off such delicate work without reaching high tier.

But for Rod, who had swallowed over a dozen spirit seeds, it wasn't all that hard.

In less than ten minutes.

The spirituality in Rod's hand transformed into frost.

Crack—

A sheet of blue ice crystals immediately crawled across his palm.

【Yulandy's Ice Blade Domain】 — just from the name, one could tell this was an area-of-effect skill.

Once fully mastered, it could extend into a blade-ice-crystal region with a radius of at least five meters.

And at this point, Rod had resolved the hardest part in less than ten minutes.

"Then all that's left is a matter of time."

(End of this chapter)