Drunken Dance

Sitting on a large tree branch to cool off, Du Ke silently studied the small lump of yellow powder compressed in his hand.

He could now basically confirm that the so-called Devil Explosion Flower was a fungus-like organism rather than a plant. The yellow powder was the Devil Explosion Flower's spores, which were propelled by explosions to scatter and reproduce.

"Half an hour has passed, and my body hasn't had any adverse reaction. I can basically confirm that Devil Explosion Flower spores aren't poisonous and can be eaten." He opened the test tube, scraped off a little, and put it into his mouth.

The spores melted the instant they entered his mouth, turning into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and body.

A sweet-and-sour flavor spread through him, making his entire body feel wonderful. The taste was simply incredible. Du Ke felt it was more delicious than any food he had ever eaten. No wonder every animal in the forest had rushed to snatch them after the spores erupted. Before he realized it, he had eaten every spore he had collected. The warm current swept through his entire body, and even with the Nano Armor's air-conditioning system cooling him down, he still felt overheated.

It was as if he had endless strength that needed to be vented.

He could not help jumping down from the tree and twisting about wildly on the ground. He materialized a Great Sword and swung it without any form whatsoever, sending shrubs, weeds, and branches flying everywhere. It took a full ten minutes before the overflowing strength finally subsided and he returned to normal. "Devil Explosion Flower spores really are good stuff. They pack quite a punch, like eating tiger penis for a boost."

Of course, Devil Explosion Flower spores replenished strength, while tiger penis replenished... that.

It was already afternoon. The two suns began sinking westward one after the other as Du Ke searched near the forest. After nearly an hour of painstaking searching, he finally found a second Devil Explosion Flower growing on a tree trunk. It was slightly smaller than the previous one, its stamen likewise swollen into a round ball that seemed ready to explode at the slightest touch. This time, Du Ke smiled.

He quickly materialized a metal box and enclosed the Devil Explosion Flower within it.

Just as he was about to poke it open, he suddenly thought of something.

He swiftly caught several large insects in the forest, each one as big as a palm, and firmly pinned them one by one to the surrounding tree trunks. Only after finishing all that did he poke open the Devil Explosion Flower. With a boom, the metal box hanging from the trunk was warped by the massive explosion. Fortunately, it did not crack, and not a single bit of Spore Powder leaked out. Du Ke collected it all.

After removing a few wood chips, the remainder was high-quality pure Spore Powder, weighing over two pounds.

"This should be enough for me to eat for a week, right?" Du Ke happily put away the Spore Powder, then took out some portions that looked like impurities and smeared them over the insects pinned to the tree trunks.

Very soon.

New Devil Explosion Flowers sprouted, swiftly sucked the insects dry, and then grew upon the tree trunks.

"This is what sustainable development looks like." Having done all that, Du Ke still was not satisfied and expanded his search farther out. He felt that this Spore Powder was not merely tasty; it should also have considerable nutritional value and might serve as his provisions in the Fantasy World. However, he searched until it was nearly dark and still did not find a third Devil Explosion Flower, so he could only give up.

"Two options now. First, set up camp nearby and spend the night. Second, return to the South Lake Sea of Flowers and sleep in a tree." After glancing at the sky and considering briefly, Du Ke chose to return to the South Lake Sea of Flowers.

Who knew what dangers lurked in the forest at night? It was safer to keep the flower fairies company.

The Nano Armor swiftly extended and materialized a Mountain Motorcycle. Before long, he passed through the forest and brush, returning to the blue reeds. He chose the same large tree as last night and materialized a nest-like dwelling on it.

After waiting a while.

A magical sight appeared.

The flowers atop some of the blue reeds gradually gave off a faint glow, then blossomed open. The flower fairies curled within them stretched out their bodies and wings as though waking from sleep, then began dancing happily through the air. Upon seeing Du Ke's nest-like dwelling, they swarmed over to enjoy the air-conditioning. Even at night, the temperature remained above thirty degrees, and the flower fairies still felt hot.

"Du Ke."

"Du Ke."

"Du Ke."

The flower fairies had already learned how to call Du Ke's name.

"Hello, everyone." Du Ke waved, and his mood immediately brightened. With the flower fairies keeping him company, the night no longer felt lonely or frightening. Even though he was countless light-years away, he still felt carefree and at ease.

"Du Ke, have you been here the whole time?" Shawa Shawa held her Heart Flower Stamen and spoke slowly in the flower fairy language.

She deliberately slowed her speech, allowing Du Ke to understand her without communicating through Touch of Mind. Still, the flower fairy language itself was simple, as were its meanings, so Du Ke had to polish the translation in his own mind.

Otherwise, a literal translation of that sentence would have been just four simple words: "Du Ke, here, always, question?"

"I came back from the south to spend the night here." Du Ke also tried answering in the flower fairy language.

"What is in the south?"

"There are many wild beasts."

"The sea of flowers has them too."

"There are Dodder Vines... vines that kill people." Du Ke chatted cheerfully with Shawa Shawa.

At that moment, a pale-blue phantom of a Displacer Beast suddenly charged over, with Xise Xise standing atop its head. This advanced flower fairy was extremely proud. Having such a powerful Displacer Beast Spirit made her feel majestic at all times.

"Xise Xise!" she shouted her own name, then rode the Displacer Beast Spirit and vanished in a flash.

This little interlude did not affect Du Ke's conversation with Shawa Shawa and the other flower fairies. Borg Borg, Lusa Lusa, and Azo Azo had all gathered together. They were advanced flower fairies and considerably more intelligent than ordinary flower fairies.

They chatted happily.

Du Ke said, "Oh, right, Shawa Shawa. I brought you all a little gift. Do you know what this is?" He took out a small cup of the Devil Explosion Flower Spore Powder he had collected.

"Wow!" Shawa Shawa immediately cried out. "It smells so good!"

"What is this? It looks delicious."

"I want to eat it, Du Ke."

The flower fairies were quickly drawn to the Spore Powder.

Du Ke said to Shawa Shawa, "Do you think you can eat it? I saw many small animals enjoying it, and I've eaten it myself. But I don't know whether you flower fairies can eat it."

"We can eat it. Flower fairies can tell what is dangerous," Shawa Shawa said.

"You have that ability too?"

"Mm."

"Then this is for you to eat, Shawa Shawa."

After receiving permission, Shawa Shawa and the other three advanced flower fairies immediately scooped a little Spore Powder from the cup and sucked it in as though drinking dew. Each flower fairy took only a tiny amount before stopping. Then Shawa Shawa and the other three wobbled into the air as though drunk. Remembering how overheated he had felt at the time, Du Ke was not worried.

About two minutes later, the four flower fairies returned to normal. Borg Borg and the other two shook their heads and stopped eating. "We're full."

"If you're full, call the other flower fairies over to eat too," Du Ke said generously.

The flower fairies had such tiny appetites that they could not eat much Spore Powder at all.

At that moment, Shawa Shawa suddenly said, "Du Ke, can I eat a little more?"

"Of course."

"I feel like I'm about to advance if I eat it," Shawa Shawa said. Then she took another mouthful of Spore Powder, wobbled into the air, and danced together with the other ordinary flower fairies.

Very soon, the area around the nest-like dwelling was filled with "drunken" flower fairies. Every flower fairy could only take a small mouthful, and the more than four hundred flower fairies happened to finish nearly half a cup of Spore Powder.

Only Shawa Shawa continued drinking, taking four mouthfuls in a row before she finally stopped.

After her "drunkenness" passed, she plopped down on the windowsill of the nest-like dwelling, looking somewhat frustrated. "I can't eat any more today. If I do, I'll burst from being too full. But it seems I still can't advance."