Li Yuxuan stared at the flower pot with confused eyes, and the three years he spent at the Gate of Hell appeared in his mind.
Song Jialin looked at Li Yuxuan with concern, trying to guess what he was thinking at the moment.
Faced with this special gift, Li Yuxuan could only say: "Thank you."
Song Jialin breathed a sigh of relief and responded with a smile.
In fact, this flowerpot is more like a trace left by an unforgettable memory.
That experience at the Gate of Hell is painful to think about.
However, with the passage of time, Li Yuxuan has gradually overcome those memories, and they no longer really affect him.
"Door of hell……"
Li Yuxuan thought silently in his heart that there were too many things happening there, too many indeed.
It was the seventh expedition to Hell's Gate, and is considered the most successful to date.
A total of 500 people bravely stepped into it, but three years later, only 47 people came out alive.
And Li Yuxuan is one of these 47 people.
One of the reasons why Li Yuxuan was able to come back alive is that he possesses a talent called "intuition".
This may sound weird, but it's true.
Growing up, Li Yuxuan always heard words like "You are so sensible" and "How did you guess that?"
Therefore, during the days at the Gate of Hell, Li Yuxuan's intuition reminded him many times of things that others could not detect, or guided him to a certain place at critical moments.
Even though the place seemed full of danger, Li Yuxuan believed there would be a better chance of survival there.
It was not until recently that Li Yuxuan realized that this was his intuitive (A) talent, but at that time his only thought was to survive from that hellish place.
And in the end, he did.
"It reminds me of the old days."
"So, isn't it beautiful?"
"I have to take care of it at home."
"Uh, really? What if the glass breaks and becomes radioactive?"
"...Do you think the Gates of Hell are some kind of nuclear power plant?"
Li Yuxuan carefully observed the Silver Spirit Flower in the flowerpot.
Information that was impossible to know about the past, present, and future came to him so easily.
He couldn't help but wonder, was the White Witch's library really just an F-level skill?
In other words, the existence of souls is more common than he imagined.
In modern society, the existence of ghosts is often regarded as superstitious.
Like ghosts, no one knows if they exist.
However, Li Yuxuan knew that ghosts and souls did exist.
He had seen a ghost once on the battlefield and had heard stories about ghosts from a very trustworthy colleague.
In other words, a person like him who has been fighting on the battlefield for 15 years has only seen it once.
Such an existence made Li Yuxuan curious about the description of "Silver Spirit Flower".
[Silver Spirit Flower: Bred from thousands of souls, it must be cultivated under special conditions before a soul can be born. 】
[Sunshine: Feeds on the energy of stars, but this spiritual flower has been contaminated with the breath of death, and too much sunlight is also harmful. Allowing it to absorb a little sunlight for 5 minutes late every afternoon is the best way to care for it. 】
[Temperature: The ideal temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. 】
[Soil: This spiritual flower grows in the land of death, so it needs to be spread with some soil from Fairy Estholton, and grind some seeds that have been listened to the leaf flute of Fairy Estholton for three hundred days. 】
[Nutrition: It feeds on negative emotions. On the contrary, positive emotions...]
[Spiritual and physical care: Fairies, dragons, and any other supernatural species, are able to converse with this spirit flower. Talk to it from time to time and check in on the mental health of the soul. Before the soul is born, it is very fragile...]
After carefully reading the books in the White Witch Library, Li Yuxuan looked up at Song Jialin.
Li Yuxuan stared at her proud smile and felt an inexplicable feeling in his heart.
He couldn't help but wonder if he had done anything to deserve her going to such trouble to give him a gift.
In a way, he felt uneasy.
Such an exchange of gifts was unprecedented in their friendship, at least between them.
He knew that the relationship between Song Jialin and him was irreplaceable, and Li Yuxuan firmly believed that their friendship was stronger than anyone else's.
Between them, giving gifts doesn't mean much because their relationship allows them to do anything for each other.
However, Li Yuxuan was confused by her persistence and didn't understand why she had to get the "Hell Gate Material" from the Tianma Guild as a gift.
Between them, that's not how the word "gift" is used.
They never gave each other meaningful gifts, at most they were throwaway trinkets.
It seems that Song Jialin has been busy running around in the past month or two, with the purpose of extorting the Pegasus Guild from the beginning.
Perhaps, the "Hell Gate Material" was not part of her plan at all, which is why it turned out like this.
Li Yuxuan looked at Song Jialin in confusion and couldn't help but ask: "Are you okay?"
"……What?"
"Tell me. If there's anything I can do to help you, I'll do my best."
Li Yuxuan said seriously.
As far as he knew, when Song Jialin acted like this, it was usually because she felt uneasy inside.
She usually behaves selfishly, violently, and doesn't care about others but herself.
But in fact, this is just her aggressive way to protect herself.
However, whenever she encounters difficulties, she becomes selfless like she is now.
Li Yuxuan has known Song Jialin for 15 years, and he can tell something is wrong from her expression...
"what are you saying?"
Song Jialin looked at Li Yuxuan with an almost pitiful look.
"What?"
"You can go to hell. Is this all you have to say about a woman who has put so much effort into giving you a gift? Are you serious?"
"No, I'm really worried about you..."
“What’s the point of suddenly worrying if you’ve never worried about someone else before?”
Looking at Song Jialin's smiling face, a thought flashed in Li Yuxuan's mind.
"You, don't tell me..."
"Um."
Song Jialin nodded, looking at Li Yuxuan's serious face, she stopped smiling and said seriously.
"Now that I'm here, can't I do this?"
"..."
"Do I need a reason?"
More than a decade ago, while they were both fighting for their lives on the battlefield, there was a promise between them.
Commit to comforting, supporting, protecting, and caring for each other, but not sharing each other's feelings.
During those days, Li Yuxuan lost colleagues, relatives and friends every day.
Taking care of yourself is hard enough, why make it harder because of your relationships.
So when someone tries to get close to Li Yuxuan, he always draws a clear line and keeps his distance.
The same is true for the other party.
It's not because Li Yuxuan is afraid of losing someone, but because Li Yuxuan knows how the other person feels when they lose him.
"That's how it used to be. But now, I've changed, and times have changed too."
Now, Li Yuxuan doesn't have to worry about tomorrow.
When sleeping, he does not have to worry about the death of his relatives, and his relatives do not have to grieve over his death.
"...Ah. You're so annoying! You have a serious brain flaw and it really breaks my heart to have to explain these things to you."
"I……"
When Li Yuxuan tried to answer, Song Jialin smiled and patted him gently on the back.
"It's okay, I'm leaving."
She said quietly and then disappeared quickly.
Li Yuxuan stood there, watching her leaving figure absentmindedly.
Only then did a surge of gratitude surge in his heart.
For some reason, he felt strangely sweet and warm.
Li Yuxuan didn't know how to describe it.
Somehow he felt like he had found something he had lost long ago.
It's a very strange and unsettling feeling, but it's not a bad feeling.
Li Yuxuan looked at the flower pot for a while, then carefully placed it on a nearby fitness bench, then turned around and saw Chen Xuewei staring at him.
"What?"
"My practice is done."
Chen Xuewei picked up the wooden sword in a hoarse voice and pointed it at Li Yuxuan.
"Uh...right."
Li Yuxuan had no choice but to raise his wooden sword.
He didn't even have time to rest.
…
After returning home, Li Yuxuan carefully placed the flowerpot on his desk and activated the White Witch's library again.
'Silver Spirit Flower...
To successfully cultivate this flower that grows within the Gate of Hell, many conditions need to be met, most of which are impossible on Blue Star.
So this is a problem.
Originally, Li Yuxuan could only move back and forth between worlds and could not bring back anything substantial.
Fortunately, the system provides a solution.
【There is a way to solve this problem. 】
"Oh? What is it?"
[If you gain the "Subspace" skill, you can bring things back from other worlds, but there are some restrictions. 】
"Subspace...?"
This is an ability that Li Yuxuan has never seen in his life.
"I think I read that in a popular novel before... Is it like storing things in another dimension?"
【Yes. 】
Just hearing the name makes me think that this skill is difficult to obtain.
"By the way, can I absorb such a skill?"
[High mages and scientists also use the warp. 】
"All right."
Well, the skills of the protagonists are not consistent with common sense.
[In addition, the speed at which the world collapses is not affected by the transport of objects across dimensions. 】
[It’s like bringing home-made food from next door without causing too much trouble. 】
[It may cause major changes in world science, but on the whole, this is only a small change, because the development of science is a natural phenomenon. 】
To sum it up in two words: complex.
If you get the subspace, you can bring back things from other worlds, and you may even be able to bring back advanced weapons.
"this is a good idea."
There are some things on Blue Star that people cannot currently imagine or make.
Although the magic equipment used by Li Yuxuan is good, its weight limits its damage to the enemy.
However, if he can acquire a "Holy Sword" weapon like the one seen earlier, that might make future battles more advantageous.
Li Yuxuan is currently helpless with this flower, but he can at least provide a better environment to nourish it.
The White Witch's library skills seem simple, but are actually unique and difficult to master. Compared with the spells of Vivian Magic Academy, they have completely different mysteries.
Li Yuxuan decided to cast an F-level spell.
This is the most basic spell, but after drawing a magic circle on the floor, he can change the concentration of the air, add energy to the soil, filter sunlight, and even filter emotions.
The fresh air blows in your face, fresher than any air in the forest.
Li Yuxuan couldn't help but be shocked that the plants in the Gate of Hell needed such pure air to grow.
Although this may seem contradictory, when Li Yuxuan saw the flower blooming in a more lively state, the burden on his heart seemed to be much lighter.
Song Jialin finally got this flower after numerous hardships and obstacles, so he decided to take good care of it.
He carefully touched the petals, and the moment his fingers touched the flower, he heard a voice.
"...I'm almost suffocating."
Li Yuxuan was startled and jumped back involuntarily, instinctively releasing the magic energy from the sword.
"Why are you surprised?"
The voice continued.
"Is it you who's talking?"
Li Yuxuan looked at Yinlinghua in surprise.
"Uh-huh."
It was the voice of a child. Although it was impossible to tell whether it was a boy or a girl, the monotonous voice gave Li Yuxuan a mysterious atmosphere.
He put down the magic sword and approached the flower, and it spoke again.
"Your reaction scared me..."
"Isn't it strange that a flower suddenly starts talking?"
"The witches should be able to hear us."
"Witch?"
Li Yuxuan muttered, suddenly thinking of a passage in the book that mentioned that "extraordinary" species such as elves and dragons could talk to spirit flowers.
So do witches also belong to this category of "extraordinary species"?
Although Li Yuxuan himself is not a witch, he has the skills of a witch, which may be why he can communicate with this elf.
"...It's such a relief."
"What?"
"I'm afraid no one will listen to me..."
Hearing Yin Linghua speak so calmly, Li Yuxuan felt something unusual.
He knew that in order to talk to the Silver Spirit Flower, one must be a species that transcends ordinary humans, but there are only humans on the Blue Star, and there is no intelligent life within the Gate of Hell.
This soul is born from death, and if it remains there, it will perish alone, unable to bear any fruit.
"But for a witch, you're a bit strange."
"Because I'm not a witch."
After Yinlinghua heard his answer, she was silent for a moment, and then spoke again.
"Yes, your spells are terrible..."
"..."
"If you weren't a witch, why did you do this...?"
Facing such a direct question, Li Yuxuan felt a little hurt.
"That...that's not what you should do."
"Um?"
The Silver Spirit Flower trembled gently, and a faint powder emitted from the flower's heart, covering Li Yuxuan's magic circle.
Then, the mana slowly flowed, and the spell he drew on the floor slowly rose into the air.
"W-what?"
Li Yuxuan was surprised to see the magic circle manifesting itself in the air. This was a sight he had never seen in Vivian Magic Academy.
Even in the entire Magic Empire, such a phenomenon is rare.
"Why are you surprised?"
"You, how did you do that?"
"not me."
The petals of the Silver Spirit Flower trembled slightly, seemingly pointing at Li Yuxuan.
"you did it."
Until this moment, Li Yuxuan didn't fully understand what this meant.
For the Witch, what it means to be an "extraordinary species" is greater and more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.
