“We are good people…”
“Every one of us should have gotten one at the very least. Why was it only given to Assistant to the Warden Fan Zhuo?”
Kyle’s face was twisted like a pretzel out of jealousy, and he spoke with deep resentment.
Lucien stopped in his tracks and turned his head sharply. His gaze looked as if he wanted to execute Fan Zhuo right then and there with Saint Light.
Yet another point of suspicion.
Elsa, on the other hand, looked at Fan Zhuo with an extremely complex gaze—one of inquiry, curiosity, and a trace of something she hadn’t even noticed herself… envy.
She also really wanted the Fruit of the Mother Tree. Given her knowledge, it wasn’t hard to see that this was an exceptionally rare and precious item.
Fan Zhuo held the fruit as if it were a hot potato. Feeling the gazes coming from all directions that seemed ready to pierce through him, he had only one thought in his heart.
Mother Tree…
Are you giving me a gift?
You’re giving me a death warrant!
The scene was dead silent.
Only the rustling of the wind through the leaves could be heard, as if mocking Fan Zhuo’s current predicament.
He felt that what he was holding wasn’t a fruit containing vast Life Energy, but a boiling hot death warrant with the words “I am a mole” written in massive letters.
“It seems… Cleric Fan Zhuo is indeed extraordinary.” Eventually, it was Elsa who broke the silence.
There was a hint of playfulness in her voice as her gaze shifted between the emerald-green fruit and Fan Zhuo’s impeccably holy face, as if she were evaluating the worth of a rare treasure.
She was a scholar who believed in knowledge and logic.
This supernatural scene had raised Fan Zhuo’s research value to a significant level in her eyes.
“Receiving a gift from the Will of the Forest… even in the thousands of years of records at the Royal Academy of Magic, this is an unheard-of miracle.”
The reporter beside her immediately seized the breaking news. The Magic Crystal Recorder in their hand flashed with an excited light, and the lens focused tightly on Fan Zhuo and the fruit.
“A miracle?” Kyle said sourly. “Who knows if some unspeakable Charming Sorcery was used. A Saint Jobholder colluding with a Demonic Entity… such a scandal—”
“Kyle!” Elsa scolded him. However, she wasn’t truly angry; she just felt his current behavior was like a sore loser and somewhat embarrassing.
As for Lucien, he just stared fixedly at Fan Zhuo without saying a word.
But that look was more lethal than any malicious words.
If looks could be transformed into the Saint Light of the Inquisition, Fan Zhuo would have likely been purified into elementary particles by now.
Fan Zhuo took a deep breath. He knew that any explanation at this moment would be hollow.
He had to steer this situation in a direction that was favorable to him, or at the very least… one that seemed “reasonable.”
He held the fruit and said word by word, “I think this is not a gift for me.”
“This is Gaia using her last strength to convey a message to all of us.”
“She thanks Lord Lucien for his ‘purification.’ Though the process was painful, it allowed her to break free from an ancient shackle and feel the mercy of the Saint Light.”
“She also thanks Professor Elsa for her concern, which allowed her to feel kindness from the outside world.”
“This fruit is the Heart of the Forest’s response to ‘peace’ and ‘understanding.’ It does not belong to me as an individual; it belongs to everyone who works for the tranquility of the Imperial Kingdom.”
He skillfully elevated the context of this blatant “favoritism,” turning it into a “thank you” from the Mother Tree.
“Well said!” the reporter immediately praised. Their gaze toward Fan Zhuo changed slightly. “Cleric Fan Zhuo is truly broad-minded. It’s a pity you aren’t the Warden.”
Elsa looked at Fan Zhuo, an imperceptible smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
This man was interesting to the extreme.
Kyle’s face turned the color of pig liver, choked for words.
Only Lucien still maintained a cold expression, though he had softened considerably.
He looked down at the fruit in Fan Zhuo’s hand with disdain. Ultimately, he only dropped a cold sentence: “I hope your piety can match your eloquence.”
With that, he left without looking back.
He had to return immediately and call upon the two Holy Paladins in the camp to carefully analyze the supreme will that had made his very soul tremble, as well as what had happened with that humiliating interruption of the ritual.
***
The storm had finally passed without further incident.
The inspection team from the Royal Academy of Magic also lost interest in further exploration. After all, the greatest “result” had already appeared.
Using the excuse of “needing to organize the data and report today’s major discovery to the Academy’s top brass,” Elsa led the team back to the temporary dorms at the B-Block Entrance.
Before leaving, she gave Fan Zhuo a long look, as if saying: We will meet again, handsome.
No one took the initiative to ask him for the fruit.
In fact, as long as Lucien didn’t demand it by force and Elsa didn’t take it under the guise of “conducting research,” the fruit belonged to him.
Fan Zhuo watched everyone leave. It wasn’t until he was the only one left in the forest that he let out a long sigh of relief, feeling nearly collapsed.
He looked down at the fruit in his hand, feeling the surging vitality within it, and a bitter smile of survival appeared on his face.
“Sigh… next time… can you give gifts privately next time? Do you have to make it so heart-stopping?”
He complained helplessly in his heart.
Returning to his luxury suite in C-Zone, Fan Zhuo felt like he had just come off the front lines, exhausted in both body and mind.
As he pushed open the door, the aroma of food wafted toward him.
Baitu was wearing an apron, carrying a plate of freshly roasted meat drizzled with a secret sauce out of the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Milina sat expectantly at the dining table, wearing Baitu’s Maid Outfit which was clearly a size too small for her.
The front was stretched tight, and a trace of glistening saliva hung from the corner of her mouth.
Seeing Fan Zhuo return, both girls’ faces lit up with joy.
“My Lord, you’re back.” Baitu’s voice was as gentle as water.
“Fan Zhuo!” Milina lunged over directly, rubbing against him like a clingy kitten. “Are you okay? I heard from Baitu that a lot of troublesome people came outside.”
This heartwarming scene instantly dispelled all the fatigue and gloom in Fan Zhuo’s heart.
“I’m fine.” He rubbed Milina’s soft black hair and then looked at Baitu. “Is everything settled?”
“Yes, My Lord.” Baitu nodded, her gaze falling on the fruit in his hand. “This is…?”
“Just a little… local specialty,” Fan Zhuo explained casually.
He placed the fruit on the table and sat down, ready to enjoy his belated lunch.
He briefly recounted the day’s events to Baitu, omitting the core details about the “Seraph of Mercy” and his “mental communication” with the Mother Tree.
Even so, hearing how Fan Zhuo defused the conflict between the Inquisition and the Royal Academy of Magic in just a few words, Milina’s eyes sparkled with worship.
“Fan Zhuo, you’re so amazing!”
Baitu quietly poured him some black tea and spoke softly, “You’ve worked hard, My Lord.”
After the meal, Milina went back to the bedroom for a nap because her energy consumption was too high from “Fan Zhuo being unable to accompany her… in her training.”
To this, Fan Zhuo could only respond…
Once an entire night… he really couldn’t keep up.
In the living room, only Fan Zhuo and Baitu remained.
Fan Zhuo picked up the fruit and examined it closely.
He could feel that this thing would be of great benefit to him, but if he ate it directly, the Energy Surge would likely be large enough to alert those fellows.
“Baitu,” he suddenly spoke, “How is the soundproofing… and the energy shielding of this suite?”
“Please rest assured, My Lord,” Baitu replied immediately.
“This is a Warden-level suite, constructed with the highest-specification materials from Zone A. The interior of the walls is embedded with ‘Silence Runes.'”
“Unless it is a full-power strike from someone at the Bishop Level, energy and sound from inside and outside cannot be detected by each other.”
That’s good then.
Fan Zhuo felt relieved.
He no longer hesitated, brought the fruit to his lips, and took a light bite.