It was the morning of the next day when she had heard the knocks on her door. She knew that Yuu and the two had already left for the day after breakfast. So, it had been unusual for there to be a guest. At Xiao Li's call, she left to go and open it only to find that it was Ortho holding a strange looking pot of dirt. Ortho stood before her with a bright smile, "Good morning, Lotus!"
Seeing his smiling face, Lotus felt compelled to smile as well as she questioned, "Ortho! What brought you here today?"
"Um... Remember the seed that you put in the music box?" Ortho questioned curiously, "I examined it many times, but I can't identify it and it won't grow. Just what is this seed, Lotus?"
Seeing the innocent child, Lotus thought for a bit before responding, "I see... Strange... The moist "
Lotus took the metal pot from his hands and thought for a bit, "Did you try to use mana?"
"Mana?"
Lotus nodded, "The seed I bought from the stall seemed to have some foreign seeds. So, I placed one inside the music box. I believe it came from someplace in the east, but it's unusual that you couldn't find anything."
"It feeds on mana?" The robot boy questioned with a look of confusion.
"That's right. Normally, it wouldn't need to receive help to absorb mana from its surroundings, but it's different from the start of its life. Normally, this flower lives in large patches that would help nurture the other younger one of its own species to absorb mana. After it sprouts, it no longer requires the help and can take in mana on its own. From the moment it sprouts, you just need to keep the soil damp and avoid sunlight. Would you like to try? However, you shouldn't go overboard, Ortho. I don't know much about your mechanism and function, but control how much you dump on there for both of your sakes..." Lotus warned him and sighed, "One overblot is one thing. You'd make all of us worry if something happened to you."
"Oh, no worries! It sounds pretty easy!" Ortho called out with a bright smile, "I'll ask big brother for help!"
"I see, then that'd be a great relief." Lotus hesitated, "All right, but don't-"
Before she could finish, the robot boy quickly vanished from sight as Lotus frowned in hesitation. She grumbled and took out her phone as she muttered, "I knew my speech was never good, but seriously?"
It would seem she needed to perfect her speech once again...
Seeing the happy-go-lucky Ortho and sending her message to his brother, Lotus couldn't help but wondered how long it would be before they no longer talk with one another again. Who would've known that the moment she did not connect with them again would be the moment that all hell broke loose...
That night, she received a message from Vil and the others. All of which asked that she put aside the feast until Grim's return. With that, she took a deep breath and walked out of the dorms.
"Lotus."
She paused and turned around to find that it was Jamil and Rook. She looked to the two in surprise, "Vice-Dormleader Jamil and Rook! What brought the two of you here? Are you out for a stroll as well?"
"Actually, we came to check up on you." Jamil responded bluntly, "Kalim and Epel told me about how you took stalled time for us to escape back in the collesium. Kalim wouldn't stop worrying. How have you been?"
Lotus smiled, "Ah, you mean the poison that was used on me. No worries. I naturally figured out the cure to his poison and mashed some pills together. Naturally, I'm all right."
Surprised, Rook responded, "However, Vil's poison is very powerful. How did you..."
Lotus chuckled, "My biological family is very special, you see. As long as the poison isn't strong, we are naturally resistant to it. However, my resistence is weaker to that of my blood relatives to that I require pills to help boost my immunity."
"Your blood relatives?" Jamil raised a brow.
Lotus shook her head, "I don't know where they are now. The last I saw them was just outside of Pyroxene and they are nomadic family following the old ways of life and belief. However, I've heard from neighbors that we originated from the east and my biological mother was a woman from the east's current era, an outsider they call her. I stopped hearing more about her after her death."
"The east..." Rook muttered in deep thoughts, "How old were you when you left?"
"Five." She said without any fluctuations, "After that, I was picked up by an orphanage and my adoptive family adopted me."
"What sort of field did those nomads work in?" Jamil said with a raised brow, "I've never heard of such nomadic family before."
Lotus shook her head and sighed, "I'll just say it's the type that many do not like to talk about. Even my mother was reluctant to marry into that family. Those who are born with the greatest resistant to poison are the most promising child. As for me, I was so low and have no aptitude for magic, so I was not even placed in the ranks. The only reason they chased after me was because I stole the family's medical books to study from and scattered them all across Pyroxene's black market for money."
Lotus chuckled with a wide smile, "Now, if they want it back, they'll have to buy back their own belongings. Of course, I can't say if those books are really theirs."
"Books..." Rook raised a brow in bewilderment, "You mean, the one that you read?"
Lotus nodded, "I copied them onto paper and made it to look like theirs before selling them off."
Hearing this, Jamil grumbled, "You basically scammed your father, didn't you?"
"My father? Of course not." Lotus smiled, "I would never scam the people that saved me from the orphanage."
Hearing this, Jamil sighed, "That totally sounds like something you would do..."
"It's no use flattering me, Jamil." Lotus chuckled.
"As if I was doing that!" Jamil huffed in disdain.
Despite his looks, Lotus was only amused by his behaviour. Though he hates his master and is only working in the name of his family, it was not hard to see that Kalim's efforts this month really paid off enough to impress Jamil on the sidelines. Though Jamil was the main vocals, Kalim continued to work hard without letting his mood affect his efforts to workhard. Every night, Kalim would sneak out to practice his vocals and every night Jamil would be forced to stay in hiding as he practiced in case of an ambush.
Not to mention, every night she had to strengthen the barrier around them just so these idiots didn't get caught by anymore new intruders! Lotus even had to prepare before cultivating that she had to plan each day before going into seclusion in her ring. However, in the end, the result was worth it... Except for the outcome of the VDC. What a shame...
"How does this nomad family live their lives?" Jamil questioned in confusion.
"The nomad group huh..." Lotus shook her head and continued, "I was rarely allowed to join any family meetings and that man never visited me on his own will. From what I saw, they grow their own crops and make their own gadgets. Rather than using phones and microphones, they have someone go around the encampment every night with a small gong shouting the time and the whether. There was someone skilled in astronomy and they would calculate the weather for the next day. That man's younger brother was such a person. Every night and day, he would record the weather and temperature just by on his senses before assuming the next day's forecast. The wives in the family would educate the children in the arts of medicine and magic who had the aptitude for magic. They would later take patrols and leave the campsite. After it was done, the group would be on the move again. They despise interacting with those from the outside. Hence they did not pay attention to those who are from the outside. Those who finds an outsider that have discovered their secret, they don't really make it back in time to share anything even if they did escaped. It's a mystery as to how they were able to thrive this long."
"Would you be going back, then?" Jamil questioned.
Lotus sighed, "Do they really have any value to me to put so much effort into returning? I'd rather be out and about instead."
Seeing this, Jamil nodded, "Then, your glove. Is it fixed with Malleus's magic?"
"Hm?" Lotus looked to him in surprise before she smiled, "Ah, these gloves! As you can see, they were repaired. My teacher would be upset with me if he finds out that I badly damaged them."