Chương 18

Alistair and the others froze. They turned toward the voice and found Elara standing behind them.

"Boss, you really know Pest Ward?" Alistair swallowed.

"This isn't something we can take chances with. If the art fails, the infestation will get worse, and once it starts spreading, none of us will be able to control it." It wasn't that he didn't trust Elara. Pest Ward was one of the more demanding basic gardening arts, and its effectiveness depended heavily on proficiency. Nearly half of all qualified Rank One Spirit Gardeners failed to master it. Among apprentices, someone capable of using it reliably might appear only once in a hundred.

If Elara had specialized in pest treatment, Alistair might have believed her without question. But the art she had demonstrated yesterday had turned solid ground into a trap and nearly buried eight apprentices alive. Nothing about that suggested she had also devoted herself to a delicate art like Pest Ward.

"Enough worrying. I said I can do it, so let me handle it." Elara waved away his concerns.

"Do you have someone else you can call right now? Or are you planning to empty your family's treasury hiring one of your competitors to help you?" She had no time to stand around arguing with them. Once even a single plant in a spirit field became infested, it had to be treated as quickly as possible. By the time they found and hired someone else, the pests might have spread throughout the entire plot. At that point, the cost of treatment would be far higher.

Elara walked over to the affected Mindveil Grass and carefully examined its leaves. The faint purple speckles made the signs of infestation extremely difficult to detect. Only after comparing the markings several times did she notice a few hair-thin black lines hidden among the purple spots. Blackiron Threadworms. They were the same kind of pests that had attacked the Glowmist Grass in her courtyard. The only difference was that the Mindveil Grass's natural markings concealed them much more effectively.

"It's Blackiron Threadworms. I can handle this." Under the anxious gazes of the surrounding apprentices, Elara brushed the dirt from her hands and calmly began forming the necessary seals. Pest Ward had already reached Level Two. Its hand seals were so familiar that they had become almost instinctive, and her fingers moved fast enough to leave faint afterimages. Qi gathered around the infected plant, transforming into invisible hands that swept gently across its leaves.

Thin strands of black mist began rising from the purple-speckled surfaces. They were the impurities left behind as the Blackiron Threadworms died, and they quickly dispersed into the surrounding air. [Pest Ward successfully cast. Proficiency +2.] [12/100]... The entire process took less than fifteen minutes. As her proficiency increased, Elara found the art increasingly easy to control.

"It's taken care of. It wasn't anything serious." Without so much as glancing at the stunned apprentices, Elara turned and walked away. Between tending the spirit plants and handling the other routine work, they spent only a little over two hours in the fields. Although noon was still some time away, they were already free to leave. Elara had no intention of remaining there any longer than necessary.

She replenished Prim's qi and allowed him to continue roaming within the permitted section of the fields, then returned to her courtyard to cultivate. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Once the Ember Sanctum's cooldown ended, Elara crafted another entry talisman and went back inside. This time, she didn't attempt the next trial. Instead, she spent all three available days cultivating. She had consumed several high-grade pills in a short period.

If she kept rushing from one breakthrough to the next without taking time to stabilize her cultivation, even Elara would begin to worry about the strength of her foundation. Cultivation was a path taken one step at a time. There was no reason to force everything at once.... Early the next morning, Elara returned to the spirit fields outside Valehaven. After only a few days, she had already grown accustomed to the routine.

But when she reached the small wooden cabin that morning, she found all the apprentices gathered outside. Garrick was sitting inside. Hadn't he said yesterday that he would remain in the Rank Two growing area for the next several days? Something about the atmosphere felt wrong. Elara quietly joined the group and stood behind the other apprentices without saying anything. She couldn't help wondering whether this had something to do with yesterday's Pest Ward.

But the affected Mindveil Grass had been completely cured. Surely Garrick wouldn't call everyone together over something so minor. Garrick surveyed the assembled apprentices, unusually grave.

"Now that everyone is here, I need to tell you something important. Once this assessment period ends, the Moonwatch Sect may punish me. At best, I'll lose my current position. At worst, I may be expelled from Valehaven." The apprentices exchanged disbelieving looks. Garrick had been a certified Rank One Spirit Gardener for many years. He was reasonably well known among Valehaven's Spirit Gardeners and maintained good relationships with several of Dawnmere's managers.

Unless he had committed a serious offense, the Moonwatch Sect would never impose such severe punishment.

"Master Garrick, can you tell us what happened?" Alistair clasped his hands respectfully.

"We can speak with Dawnmere's head manager on your behalf. My father has some influence with him as well." If Garrick lost his position, the apprentices under him would suffer too. Another Rank One Spirit Gardener would take over these fields, and the apprentices would be reassigned. If that happened, they would almost certainly lose their chance to qualify for the Moonwatch Sect's selection and become formal outer disciples. Garrick was their direct supervisor and the person responsible for recommending them.

Any other Rank One Spirit Gardener would already have favored apprentices of their own, whether promising juniors or the children of family friends. When the quarterly recommendation slots became available, the newcomers would never be chosen. If Garrick fell, everyone beneath him would be scattered.

"If any of you can convince your families to help me through this, I will never forget the favor." Bitterness crept into Garrick's voice as he explained what had happened.

"I've been tending a grove of Flamewyrm Fruit trees. Three are elite-grade specimens with exceptional growth, and I specifically reserved their fruit for one of the Moonwatch Sect's inner disciples. But sometime last night, all three trees became infested with a strange kind of pest. Small black insects with hard shells have burrowed into the trunks and are feeding on them from the inside."

"I tried using Pest Ward whenever a few of the insects emerged, but the moment the art touched their shells, the qi was repelled. I've dealt with more infestations than I can count, but I've never encountered anything like this. I even asked several Spirit Gardeners I know for help, and none of them could do anything."

"If I leave the infestation untreated, it could spread through the entire grove, and the Moonwatch Sect will hold me responsible. But even if I destroy the three affected trees to contain it, I'll offend the inner disciple who was promised their fruit." Elara understood the situation now. The three elite Flamewyrm Fruit trees had originally been intended to earn the favor of an inner disciple. Instead, they had become a threat to Garrick's position.

No matter which option he chose, the consequences would be serious.

"Small insects with black shells?" Elara considered the description.

"That sounds more like someone released them deliberately." The Rank Two growing area was protected by maze formations. Ordinary insects couldn't simply wander in. Even if a few somehow attached themselves to one of the trees by chance, why would they appear on exactly the three elite-grade specimens Garrick had reserved?

"Master Garrick, Elara might be able to deal with them!" one apprentice suddenly blurted out.

"Her Pest Ward is incredible. Yesterday, she treated the Mindveil Grass that I—" He stopped halfway through, belatedly realizing that finishing the sentence would reveal his own mistake. Garrick had already understood what he meant. Under normal circumstances, he might have demanded an explanation for why the apprentice had failed to report the infestation during yesterday's inspection. At the moment, however, Garrick had far more serious problems.

"Elara, I didn't realize your Pest Ward had reached such a high level. If you can treat an infestation in Mindveil Grass, then you should do well even if you're assigned to another Spirit Gardener." For an experienced Spirit Gardener like Garrick, treating pests in Mindveil Grass was routine. A newly recruited apprentice capable of handling the same problem was certainly impressive, but it did nothing to solve his current crisis.

"Master Garrick, perhaps I really can help," Elara said.

"At this point, what do we have to lose?" The matter directly affected her own future, so she had to at least make an attempt. Elara knew her Pest Ward proficiency might not be as high as Garrick's. But if those insects possessed hard shells, perhaps the shells contained metal-aspected qi. If they did, she might be able to use Metal Gathering Art to draw the pests out of the trees.

Note: On August 24, I revised several character names and surnames, so you may notice some differences in the earlier chapters, mostly involving surnames. For example, Elara's surname has been changed to Lin. The story and plot remain completely unchanged.