NOVEL WEB Chapter 305 Conquering the Cannibal Flower
Lu Yuan's Explorer's Eye, flickering with a dim light.
[Shape: 55.4]
[Qi: 31.1]
[Divine: 1.9]
[The collapse of the Meida Civilization brought about dramatic historical changes, which also allowed it to absorb a small amount of Ideal Energy from history, growing at a rate far surpassing that of normal life.]
[Ability: Poisonous Pollen, a colorless and odorless pollen that can paralyze an animal's mind, causing hallucinations.]
[Devour: It can digest nearly all flesh, providing nutrients for its parent body.]
[Tidal Absorption: It can extract a small amount of historical energy amid fluctuations of Qi Fortune.]
[Extraordinary Level: Level 9]
Level 9 life!
No wonder the former Lu Yuan, no matter what, couldn't identify it.
Especially "Tidal Absorption," that ability is quite advanced. Lu Yuan guessed that the Tree of Life probably also had this function, which is why it could only collect 40-50 points of Spirit Essence a year.
The Cannibal Flower wasn't as efficient at gathering, but it still managed about 4-5 points a year, and over time, it grew to Level 9.
Boom, boom!
The Tree of Life slowly made its way over.
As if sensing the arrival of a formidable opponent, the Cannibal Flower responded, its vines stretching out like arms. Countless Cannibal Flowers opened their gaping maws as if to completely devour the Tree of Life!
The Tree of Life, too, waved its vines, but it wasn't as wildly aggressive as before.
The Tree of Life shimmered with a holy light, and beneath the dense white clouds, it even bloomed a rainbow—Lu Yuan had to save face in front of so many soldiers!
The two trees, one large and one small, intertwined with each other.
At this moment, even though the Cannibal Flower was three times the size of the Tree of Life, it was still no match. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
The Tree of Life's Shape Attribute was as high as 65 points, whereas the Cannibal Flower had only 55 points.
Furthermore, all the Tree of Life's abilities surpassed those of the Cannibal Flower by one level.
The difference in Racial Values was too great; the Cannibal Flower was firmly subdued within just a few minutes.
"Quick! Plant Affinity, everyone together!" Lu Yuan issued a command of wisdom.
Several staff members, plus the Conch, rushed forward to placate the Cannibal Flower...
The Conch looked at Lu Yuan, watching as he put on an earnest performance, laughing unstoppably with "giggle giggle."
"What's so funny?" Lu Yuan felt like smacking her; was she that excited?
Well, this kind of pacification wasn't very useful; to domesticate such a Level 9 Extraordinary Plant, a "Plant Affinity" person would have to spend decades, even scores of years!
And always with the possibility of backlash or rebellion.
You can't expect a plant that has been eating meat for hundreds of years to understand human language and change its carnivorous habits.
Lu Yuan didn't have the time to keep soothing the Cannibal Flower here.
While these staff members were busy, he used a Divine Skill—"Control"!
That expensive?!!
Lu Yuan was a bit annoyed; why was this thing so pricey?...especially when its Divine Attribute was only at 1.9.
256.8 Spirit Essence could produce more than five thousand Pomegranate Fruits!!
But considering that the "Spirit Essence" he held was accumulated by the Tree of Life and not to be seen by humans, and also that the Cannibal Flower had the ability to absorb Qi Fortune, "controlling" it didn't mean a loss. He would break even in about fifty years...
So, Lu Yuan paid the price.
His eyes emitted a faint red glow.
"Control" was truly a legendary ability, with enough energy, it could disregard levels, a one-time payment for lifelong benefit.
In just an instant, as the red light took effect, the Cannibal Flower, the former ruler of this territory, became docile, its violent resistance ceased.
It became like a subdued sheep, and even without saying a word, one could feel that it had lost its aggressiveness.
"Phew..."
Lu Yuan let out a light sigh; using "Control," such a terrifying ability too often, might indeed corrupt one's heart.
Because it was just too convenient, almost a universal shortcut... Just think, what would happen if you controlled the Ratman during negotiations with the Shu Mi Dam Civilization?
What would happen if you controlled the lizard man during exchanges with the Rize Civilization?
Truly a shortcut!
But Lu Yuan would rather be his own blacksmith than a slave to power.
"Thinking of controlling others every day, there's always the chance of a capsized boat in the gutter..."
Once this ability got exposed, even within the human civilization, everyone would feel endangered, and the cultural atmosphere would no longer be the same as it is now.
Of course, controlling such a plant didn't violate his true nature, nor did he have to bear any psychological burden.
So, Lu Yuan covertly instructed the Cannibal Flower to continue resisting for a while, as if putting on an act.
He then turned to command the "Ground Driller," "Leviathan," "Mammoth," and other Insect Soldiers to start digging mud.
"Brothers, this tree has been subdued for now, but it's still desperately resisting! My Tree of Life is tired and can barely hold on!"
"We need a two-pronged approach, on one hand, we need to send people to soothe it, and on the other hand, we need to quickly dig up the soil around its root system. When it can't resist anymore, it'll have no choice but to be taken away by us."
"The operation must be quick!"
The Cannibal Flower cooperatively twisted around, with each of the Cannibal Flowers putting on a fierce, man-eating appearance.
"Understood!" said Sha Kan'er, saluting before turning his head and waving his hand, "All units, execute according to the plan, excavate the soil! Be careful not to damage the roots!"
The root system of the Cannibal Flower was extremely well-developed, spreading for ten kilometers.
With the help of the Insect Soldiers, it took over four months to completely unearth the main root systems.
Uproot a tree, and it dies, even though humans tried their best to ensure the integrity of the roots, many roots were still broken, leaving the Cannibal Flower with dwindling vitality—of course, a significant part of that was under Lu Yuan's orders to maintain a wilted appearance.
"This great tree might need to recover for a good while before it can regain its full glory."
"When one great tree is removed, plant ten small ones."
Lu Yuan picked up ten rather thick branches, as thick as an arm, and grafted them onto the Tree of Life.
He let the Tree of Life transfer a small amount of its Life Essence.
Soon, these ten thick branches began to take root and sprout.
Lu Yuan then broke off these small trees and planted them into the soil.
For these ten saplings to grow into brand new Level 9 Creatures, it might take thousands of years, and they might die along the way...
But it was also a small token of Lu Yuan's, having come all this way, he felt he had to leave something behind...
"Goodbye, Meida civilization," Lu Yuan said, bowing slightly to the land.
The forest remained silent; the ruins solemn.
Nature abhors a vacuum, with some extraordinary creatures gone, new dominants would soon fill the vacant niches.
...
Half a month later, the "Sky Fortress," carrying the Cannibal Flower, flew back to Sky City with great difficulty.
"The exploration team has returned!"
What they met was a huge cheer, the people had been looking forward to this for a long time.
"Uncle!" The exhausted "Sky Fortress" began to wail as soon as it stopped, and Lu Yuan had to promise good grains to eat before it calmed down.
The Cannibal Flower bore over five hundred "Rare-level" fruits and an additional eight hundred or so "Ordinary-level" and "Inferior-level" small fruits.
The promotion of Pomegranate Fruits was miraculous; these small fruits would fall off halfway through growing, and only the remaining fruits would absorb more nutrients to advance to "Rare-level."
Even the fallen small fruits were still valuable to humans.
As for consumables, their trading price depended on demand and were typically worth one-tenth to one-twentieth of equivalent-level equipment materials.
After all, consumables were gone once used, so if their function could be replaced, they wouldn't fetch too high a price.
Due to their ample quantity, the value of these Pomegranate Fruits was between 200-300 Spirit Essence.
Humans did not plan to sell all of this batch of Pomegranate Fruits to Shu Mi Dam Civilization; selling a small amount could yield a decent price, but selling a large batch would inevitably lead to discounts.
These fruits could be used to cultivate talent or make wine—humans had not yet tried the "grains" recipe they had obtained from the Ratmen!
The production of "Rare-level" fruits wasn't high, yielding just over a dozen fruits per year, while "Ordinary-level" and "Inferior-level" small fruits could produce over a hundred in a year.
Under humans' careful cultivation on their own turf, it was entirely possible to make this tree thrive even better.
"Captain Lu, where should we place the Cannibal Flower?"
"Transporting it once can still be accepted. To transport it a second time would really damage its Essence!" Sha Kan lamented. "That Hive also needs to accompany the Cannibal Flower; the bees need nectar and a vast living space."
After pondering for a while, Lu Yuan finally made up his mind, "Then let's move it to the mountain where the Sky Pit is located!"
"Choose a good spot to plant it."
"In time, we can spend some effort to move the entire mountain, that way we won't have to bother the tree again."
"Yes!" With his orders, Sha Kan left the room, running out excitedly.
Meanwhile, there were already quite a few reporters waiting outside, who were intrigued by the many animals and plants brought back.
The government needed to announce the fruits of their victory.
So a "Plant Affinity" and the Soldier captain Sha Kan'er were tasked with introducing the fruits of this operation.
"The value of this batch of animals and plants may exceed everyone's expectations...nearly two thousand Spirit Essence, with just the Cannibal Flower valued at 1300 Spirit Essence! The bountiful harvest from the ruins really surpassed our expectations. And we didn't encounter any risks."
The dignified female reporter, sporting a standard smile and holding a microphone, asked, "The Cannibal Flower could also be considered our mother tree. I believe our generation has all tasted the flavor of Pomegranate Fruits."
"Those fruits are from Commander Lu, who brought them from the distant homeland of the Meida civilization."
"Now, the Cannibal Flower has also come to our city. How should we care for it?"