Heartfelt Intentions

August 28.

As usual, Anvis sat in the Library, reading magic books.

In four days, he would leave Moonrise Fortress for Pamir Academy.

As he turned the pages, Anvis mentally reviewed the good things available at Pamir Academy and the conditions required to obtain them.

One person's strength was ultimately somewhat insufficient, and there were certain crucial matters for which it was inconvenient to draw on the family's power.

Perhaps he could recruit some talented people at the academy and establish a small secret society to handle matters he could not conveniently deal with personally in the future.

And the magical versions of the Mass-Energy Conversion Weapon and Electromagnetic Weapon projects also needed to be put on the agenda...

"Creak—"

The sound of the doors opening suddenly came from afar. Anvis paused and turned his head toward it in confusion.

Standing in the doorway against the light outside was the dazzling figure of the golden-haired girl.

"Brother—"

Fiona walked lightly to Anvis's side, looking as though she were in an exceptionally good mood.

Ever since her confinement had ended half a month ago, Fiona had taken Annie out every afternoon, though no one knew what they were doing.

Having gained permission to read books on prophecy, Anvis had spent every day in the Library lately and had not paid attention to where the girl went.

"Hi, dear Fi. What brings you here today?"

Seeing the girl so full of enthusiasm, Anvis looked puzzled.

Had the sun finally risen in the west? "..."

Hearing the surprise in Anvis's tone, the girl immediately felt a flare of irritation. She huffily planted her delicate hands on her hips, her soft pink lips pouting.

But she soon realized that her posture was somewhat improper and hurriedly lowered her hands, merely glaring at Anvis in dissatisfaction with her watery eyes.

"Ha ha, just kidding! Don't mind me, Fi. It's wonderful that you came. Otherwise, with only me in the Library, it really is rather lonely."

Knowing he had said something inappropriate, Anvis hurriedly changed his tone and soothed her.

"Hmph—"

Fiona gave a soft snort, letting Anvis off this time, though her mood unknowingly brightened again.

Then, the girl sat beside Anvis and revealed why she had come.

"Brother, do you know about Wind Chime Grass~?"

"Wind Chime Grass?"

Anvis raised a hand to pinch his chin and thought for a moment.

"Wind Chime Grass, scientific name σ①, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Plant Kingdom—Ordinary Plant Division—Natural Plant Class—Flowering Plant Phylum—Dicotyledon Class—Sympetalous Subclass—Wind Chime Grass Order—Wind Chime Grass Family—Wind Chime Grass Subfamily—Wind Chime Grass Genus. It commonly grows in clusters...

"The entire plant is hairless. Its leaves are basal, linear to linear-lanceolate, narrow and flexible, approximately eighteen to twenty-four centimeters long and 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide. Its flowering stalk is twenty to thirty centimeters tall and curves slightly outward, while its bracts are lanceolate and shorter than the pedicels.

"The pedicels are 0.8 to 1.2 centimeters long. The inflorescence is racemose and drooping, with white bell-shaped corollas approximately 1.5 centimeters long and 1.2 centimeters wide. The lobes are ovate-triangular, sharply pointed at the tips, and each has one vein. Its flowering season lasts from Scarlet Rain Month to Flowing Gold Month..."

"The seeds are obovate-lanceolate and dark brown, approximately 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters long and 1.8 to 2 millimeters wide. The upper portion has small spines, while the lower portion has rows of small tubercles. The tip gradually narrows into a conical to cylindrical beak base about one millimeter long. The beak is slender, 1.4 to 1.8 centimeters long. The pappus is white, approximately 0.8 to 1.1 centimeters long. Its fruiting season lasts from Mid-Sun Month to Hearthfire Month..."

Listening to Anvis's explanation, Fiona felt slightly dizzy, as if she had returned to a Demonized Material Science class.

"No... I meant something else... like legends."

"Legends?"

Anvis froze. He truly did not know of any legends concerning Wind Chime Grass.

After all, it was merely an ordinary plant. Botany books would not include unverified folktales in their descriptions of it.

"Well, I really don't know."

"Hehe—so there are things even you don't know, Brother? Actually..."

The girl smiled smugly, then told Anvis the story she had heard from the Old Man who sold Straw Weaves, as though presenting a treasure.

"Whoever finds a nine-flowered Wind Chime Grass will receive happiness and longevity..."

Anvis could not help smiling. He knew that nine-flowered Wind Chime Grass was extremely rare, but to say that finding one could grant happiness and longevity...

Neither the School of Prophecy nor the field of Occultism had any similar claim.

If it truly had such an effect, then in nearly ten thousand years of human magical history, how could not a single great scholar of the mysterious have discovered it? Anvis was more inclined to believe that it was a logical fallacy caused by subjective personal judgment.

What brought a person happiness and longevity was not a nine-flowered Wind Chime Grass, but the good fortune of the person who found it.

After all, being able to find the rare nine-flowered Wind Chime Grass itself proved that a person was incredibly lucky.

And what was strange about a lucky person being both happy and long-lived? It was like that famous saying from his previous life: "People who love to smile are never unlucky."

In truth, it was not because they loved to smile that they were lucky. It was because they were not unlucky that they loved to smile.

How could someone plagued by bad luck all day possibly smile?

"That's impressive, Fi. This is the first time I've heard that legend."

However, as a reborn person with a little understanding of both etiquette and psychology, Anvis did not bluntly express his own opinion. Instead, he smiled gently and took the opportunity to praise Fiona's knowledge.

"Hehe... it's nothing."

Receiving Anvis's praise, the girl proudly raised her little face and revealed an adorable smile. Her soft, sunlit long hair naturally fell along both sides of her face.

Then, under Anvis's somewhat surprised gaze, the girl took a small breath and suddenly removed an object from her Ring, placing it on the Desktop.

It was a rectangular prism, seventy centimeters long, forty centimeters wide, and sixty centimeters high. Its entire structure was formed from light brown vines as thick as two fingers, coiled together, with tender green new leaves growing from some of them.

A pale green Crystal the size of a thumb was embedded in the center of its upper surface.

"What is this?"

Anvis looked suspiciously at the vine-covered rectangular prism, then cast an inquisitive glance at the girl.

But the girl did not immediately answer Anvis's question. Instead, she extended a small hand with a mysterious smile and lightly tapped the pale green Crystal, injecting a thread of Spiritual Power into it.

The Crystal was immediately activated, radiating a pale green glow as a steady stream of Life Mana flowed into the body of the box.

As though it had triggered some chain reaction, the previously dim vines gradually lit up from top to bottom, their texture becoming as smooth as jade.

The vines on the upper layer began to unfurl, sprouting tender leaves composed entirely of light. Clusters of green crystal-like flower buds even appeared at their tips.

In the end, the rectangular prism transformed into a flowerpot formed from blooming vines of light. At the center of the flowerpot, a vibrant Wind Chime Grass swayed gently.

Dewdrops clung to its emerald leaves and white flowers, refracting wondrous gleams beneath the light of the Magic Crystal chandelier.

There were exactly nine swaying "wind chimes"—not one more, not one less.

"Fi, this..."

Looking at the Wind Chime Grass before him, Anvis was completely stunned.

"Well? Amazing, right—"

Fiona proudly lifted her head slightly and looked expectantly at Anvis. Her two lake-blue eyes did not blink, as though they plainly said, "Hurry up and praise me!"

①: The original text is a variant of High Elven Language, even harder to learn than Latin.