Chapter 357: The Strategy of Mowing Grass

"What are you doing here?" Du Zhengyi walked over to Luo Qi's side and asked.

Luo Qi smiled and glanced at Guan Xinyue, who was holding a large handful of leaves in her hand. "Are you two here to pick leaves?"

"I've thought of a solution to the invasive species crisis," Guan Xinyue said. "These things count as an invasive species, right?"

Luo Qi nodded.

"I think these leaves look like eucalyptus leaves. You Great Mages just need to conjure five thousand koalas, and the problem will be solved," Guan Xinyue said with a straight face.

Luo Qi said, "These aren't eucalyptus leaves at all. Eucalyptus leaves are narrow and long; they look nothing like this."

"I know they don't look like them, but that's just superficial, isn't it? These leaves also have a scent, they're thick, and they look like they'd be hard to digest. My Yajian says that among the animals on Earth, besides koalas, no one would want to eat such nasty leaves," Guan Xinyue said.

Majiang was amused. "I actually think what Guan Xinyue said makes sense. Having been with you two for so long, my brain might have been scrambled to the point of being useless."

Du Zhengyi had been about to speak to Kawa Mage, but for some reason, he suddenly turned his head to look at Luo Qi.

"What's wrong?" Luo Qi asked immediately.

It was at this moment that Kawa Mage saw Du Zhengyi. "You're here. I was just about to go and invite you."

"Me?" Du Zhengyi asked concisely.

"Just now, Luo Qi suggested we draw on your experience in handling abnormal situations," Kawa Mage said, bowing his head to Du Zhengyi, presumably to emphasize his sincerity.

"Dealing with overgrown Magic Pea? Sorry, I haven't encountered this situation before," Du Zhengyi said.

Majiang laughed. "Unless the Magic Pea isn't just overgrowing, but also breathing fire..."

Kawa Mage sighed with a hint of distress for the first time. "I understand. The trouble we're facing doesn't seem too urgent, so generally speaking, it wouldn't require a special Battle Mage to handle. But we've estimated the plant's growth rate; in about three days, this place will become the territory of these plants. By then, we Mages will have to abandon this place and cede it to the plants."

This time, the group looked at each other, their expressions shifting and becoming somewhat solemn. Even Majiang retreated from his previous state of just watching the fun, becoming somewhat worried for the Highland Mages. Of course, he was also worried for themselves. These Mages who were related to Pei Shu were essentially here for political asylum; staying here in such a large group was already a major undertaking. If they could only stay for three more days at most, they would have to go find another place, which was truly vexing and made him worry about further complications.

Du Zhengyi finally said, "I understand. We must find a way to deal with these plants as soon as possible."

"Yes," Kawa Mage nodded and said. "Du Mage, your strength lies in handling emergencies and facing situations never seen before. So, I think what this situation needs right now is your way of thinking. We hope everyone can brainstorm together on how to get rid of these plants as quickly as possible."

"I wouldn't call it a strength, but I'll share my thoughts," Du Zhengyi said. "I want to ask if you currently understand why this plant is growing so fast. As far as I know, you don't actually have a way to accelerate plant growth, do you?"

"We can accelerate the growth process of plants slightly. But indeed, no one could possibly make any plant grow this fast," Kawa Mage said. "I think there must be some issue here."

"If we find this issue, it might be possible to stop the plant's growth rate," Du Zhengyi said.

"What if the characteristic of this plant is just that its growth rate is exceptionally fast?" Kawa Mage asked.

"Since it can grow this fast, why was there no sign of it sprouting in that cave before, yet it suddenly grows so fast here? If we compare the natural conditions here with those in the cave, the difference between the two should be what is essential for the plant's growth," Du Zhengyi said. He paused slightly and continued, "I think, if all plants in this world are fundamentally similar, could it have something to do with light exposure? If it has nothing to do with light, perhaps we should consider the oxygen content."

Kawa Mage turned around in a hurry, appearing impolite for the first time, forgetting even to say thank you. He hurriedly pointed to a few Mages; if Highland Mages really wanted to be efficient, they were not much slower than Qionglin Mages. Several Mages quickly passed on the message, the lights in the hall were extinguished one by one, and finally, the Highland Mages blocked the light coming in from the corridor.

They waited in the darkness for about ten minutes, and then the Highland Mages' lights came back on.

Kawa Mage hurried over from the crowd and said to Du Zhengyi, "After there was absolutely no light, the growth rate was indeed curbed. I am truly grateful to you. We thought of many complex methods, but we never thought of the most basic possibility, nor did we think this method would be so immediately effective."

Du Zhengyi nodded.

"But they are still growing, just at a slower speed," Kawa Mage said. "However, regardless, this gives us breathing room. If we seize the time, we might find a way to eradicate them completely."

"What do you plan to do now?" Du Zhengyi asked.

Kawa Mage gave a bitter smile. "I think while we continue to think of solutions, we have no choice but to use the clumsiest method. We may need manpower to cut the plants manually in the dark."

"You're going to use blades to chop them?" Majiang said from the side.

Kawa Mage nodded reluctantly. "At the same time, we will test several types of Magic that can make plants wither."

"Then you didn't try that just now?" Majiang asked.

"There are probably hundreds of ways to make different plants wither without harming people or leaving behind serious magical pollution," Kawa Mage said.

"Oh..." Majiang said. "You really are Life Mages; that sounds a bit like a Curse."

Kawa Mage glanced at him but said nothing. Given the cultivation of a Highland Mage, he didn't see any change in the Highland Mage's expression either.

Just then, everyone heard rapid footsteps; someone was running toward them from a corner of the hall at high speed.

"What's going on?" Majiang asked in a low voice.

The one who answered him was Liu Ziyu, "Huh, that direction should be our people coming up from the underground hall laboratory."

In the blink of an eye, a Qionglin Mage ran over. "Kawa Mage, the plants have spread to the underground hall."

"What?" Kawa Mage asked in astonishment. "How could they reach the underground hall?"

"The ceiling," the Qionglin Mage said. "The roots of the plants have pierced through the ceiling, and they had already spread by the time we discovered them."

Kawa Mage gasped. "Tell them to turn off all light sources first."