Scholar Zhifo

As night falls, certain corners of Corona City become less peaceful.

Some people sneaked into the logistics department's warehouse, attempting to poison the food. Others set their sights on rare items at the exhibition, preparing to steal them.

These guys disguised themselves as servants, apprentices, porters, or even temporary craftsmen, using a variety of methods.

Katharine's defense forces were extremely busy. Magical fluctuations could be seen flashing throughout the Corona City, only to be extinguished by stronger restrictions and patrols.

In the large hotel where scholars lived, Su Ming left Lanmo on the roof.

He was actually quite hoping that someone foolish enough would crash into him.

Downstairs in the banquet hall, Su Ming hosted a dinner to entertain the scholars who were about to join First Sunrise.

Scholars, to varying degrees, all have their own temperaments and personalities. Su Ming wasn't part of this circle, so after making a symbolic appearance, he left Newman, Zijin others to deal with before making his own exit.

Then, he saw Robin downstairs.

The elderly scholar, carrying a shovel, squatted in the courtyard of the hotel where scholars lived, diligently digging a hole.

A lush green potted plant sat beside the pit.

This is the north, where winter plants are all a somber gray-green, or simply bare branches. This tree with bright leaves stands out awkwardly among them, like a rich young master entering a slum. "Hello!" Su Ming greeted.

"Hello, Chairman Su!" The old scholar immediately put down his shovel and bowed when he saw Su Ming.

He noticed Su Ming's gaze lingering on the potted plant and explained, "She doesn't like staying indoors, so she's here—"

"It's alright."

Su Ming walked up to him.

The tree has large, deep-colored leaves. The trunk isn't thick, but it has a gnarled texture, with layers of bark that give it a sense of age.

"Is this a fiddle-leaf fig?"

"Yes," the old scholar replied.

This is a tropical plant that thrives at temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius. Its branches and leaves have intricate, flowing runes, which are a nested technique for multiple layers of insulation, frost protection, and humidity maintenance.

This Scholar Robin has gone to such lengths to cultivate a single tree. It seems he truly loves plants.

Su Ming couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the bark of the Ficus lyrata. It felt thick and firm to the touch, with a warm and resilient texture.

To his surprise, the tree trembled slightly. The old scholar's expression changed, and he was about to speak.

Boom!

Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted above.

A fireball exploded from the inside of the banquet hall, the shockwave shattering the glass windows. Amidst the flying shards, two figures dressed in scholar's robes emerged one after the other, hovering in mid-air.

One of them had gray hair and a flushed face.

"The essence of runes is vibration!"

He spoke emotionally, his staff trembling.

"All magic and elements can be reduced to the superposition of arcane frequencies!"

On the other side was a woman.

She gracefully adjusted her glasses in mid-air, her tone sarcastic and exaggerated.

"What a primitive and crude reductionism!"

She chuckled and said, "The character "lie" means fire in the ancient Elvish language, but it means "cold" in the abyss variant. What you call "frequency measurement" is nothing more than a low-dimensional projection of the symbol network."

After saying that, the two of them simultaneously let out a burp.

Then, they all raised their staffs simultaneously.

Magic Power light shone on the two of them, one side displaying red and blue intertwined ring-shaped runes, the other a twisted and reversed gray-white spell. The two different rules tore at each other, and the Magic Power in the courtyard instantly became stinging.

Su Ming's eye twitched. Drunk scholars, are academic discussions always this heated?

Brush!

Another figure rushed out of the banquet hall—it was Zijin.

Her banquet was turned into such a mess, so naturally she wasn't in a good mood.

Zijin raised her hand and flicked it, causing a ripple to spread out forcefully.

"Natural Rhythm!"

Ripples swept across the sky, and the anti-rule spell that the two scholars were gathering was directly negated by Zijin's domain. The formed spell was stripped of its framework and completely dissipated.

Several layers of the unknown magic arrays attached to the Ficus lyrata also collapsed. "Hey, watch it!" Su Ming quickly reminded him.

As soon as he finished speaking, a thick, white dragon breath suddenly surged down from above.

It was Lanmo lying on the rooftop.

The Blue Dragon showed no intention of attacking; its breath did not condense into a bundle but spread outwards, and extreme cold poured down from the rooftop.

Su Ming deployed a shield to protect himself and the old scholar.

"Everyone, calm down, let's cool off!" Lanmo said in a deep voice.

The dragon's breath mist had an immediate effect, and everyone was shivered by the cold. The two scholars who had been arguing heatedly in the air cleared their dazed eyes considerably.

Looking up again:

The Bay Owl was glaring at them with a sour expression. Behind her lay a Blue Dragon that seemed to be trying to break up the fight, but was actually enjoying the spectacle.

The two troublemaking scholars felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water. They immediately put away their staffs and apologized repeatedly.

Zijin didn't press the matter further, choosing instead to back down and let the situation calm down.

"Wait!" the old scholar next to Su Ming suddenly exclaimed, "The tree is frozen!"

Su Ming turned around.

After all, it was Saint Rank Blue Dragon. Even with just a casual breath, a thick layer of frost covered the ground, walls, and plants in the flower beds of the entire courtyard.

These are all cold-resistant plants; if they get frozen like this, their branches and leaves will wilt for at most two days.

But the fiddle-leaf fig was different; it was frozen solid, its branches and leaves glistening, and its trunk white.

"This... old scholar," Su Ming began.

He didn't know the Robin's name yet; since the other person wasn't a formally Titled Scholar, it wouldn't be appropriate to call him "Robin" directly.

"We are very sorry for this mistake. We will try our best to make it up to you," Su Ming continued.

The old scholar reached out and touched the frosted trunk of the Ficus lyrata, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Su Ming tentatively asked, "This tree, could it be for some research project of yours, or perhaps a new variety?"

The old scholar turned to look at Su Ming, his eyes full of confusion.

He paused for a moment, then realized that Su Ming genuinely didn't know. "This is the Scholar Robin!"

Su Ming was startled and quickly looked at the Fiddle Leaf Banyan, which had become an ice sculpture.

"So, we froze the Robin to death?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

****

"How could this be!" Zijin fell from the sky.

She took her staff and walked to the fiddle-leaf fig tree, tapping the trunk without hesitation, producing a clear, resonant sound.

"Hey, Zhifo, stop playing dead, come out!"

A ring of pale green light shone from the fiddle-leaf fig, and a half-foot-tall fairy phantom emerged from the canopy.

Her entire body was light green, with two pairs of transparent, dragonfly-like wings. Each flap of her wings scattered fine magical dust.

Fairies are spiritual beings that exist between physical entities and illusions.

"You!" Zhifo spoke, her voice delicate.

But she only managed to utter two words before tears streamed down her face. The teardrops formed thin lines, then shattered into countless tiny points of light in mid-air.

"It's just... sobs... that cassava mosaic disease thing, I promised to go to Water Chestnut Island, but I stood you up Bay Owl!"

Those watching from all around gasped in shock. How dare they stand up Zijin!

That's Robin.

Zhifo became increasingly upset as she spoke, and she couldn't stop crying.

"But I didn't know you would be assassinated!"

"She's just a little forest fairy... Even if she's wrong... does it really warrant two Saint Rank... unleashing their ultimate domain attacks to attack me!"

Zhifo felt increasingly aggrieved as she spoke.

A Great Scholar sat in mid-air, clutching the frozen leaves of a fiddle-leaf fig, and burst into tears.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became subtle.

Even Zijin felt a pang of guilt. She coughed lightly and looked away.

"We made a mistake just now too." She thought for a moment.

"How about this, let's call it even if you stood me up back then?"

The onlookers were all taken aback. Belladonna was actually being so easy to talk to?

Zhifo has hit the jackpot!

The fairy paused upon hearing this, even stopping her sobs. She peeked through a crack in her hand covering her eyes, looking at Zijin.

"Real?"

She asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Hmm, I guess I'm in a good mood today," Zijin replied.

Zijin has always had a good reputation for keeping her promises.

Zhifo immediately stopped crying and laughed, saying, "That's fine!"

****

Everyone dispersed, and the scholars' banquet continued. Zijin returned to the hall to deal with the two High Rank scholars from different schools of magical modeling who had just been arguing.

Su Ming asked Zhifo:

"Zhifo Great Scholar, is this fiddle-leaf fig tree your host?"

Zhifo turned to look at the tree that had been frozen into an ice sculpture. Glistening frost covered the leaves and branches, freezing the original vibrant green color within them.

As she looked at it, two more tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yes."

Zhifo's voice lowered.

"This tree was chosen for me by my mother..."

Su Ming sighed inwardly.

"Is there any hope?" he then asked.

The old scholar who was taking care of Zhifo immediately squatted down, brushed away the frost near the roots, and gently pressed his fingers a few times at the junction of the soil and the main stem, releasing a few more rays of soft green light.

"The roots and the lower half of the main stem are still there." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, his vital energy was severely damaged, and it will take time to recover."

Please!

Zhifo wiped away her tears, then introduced her to Su Ming:

"This is Mr. Woodward, my good friend. He's been a great help throughout the trip."

Scholar Woodward nodded to Su Ming, then turned his attention back to the Fiddle-leaf Fig.

He took out several slender wooden needles and inserted them around the tree roots, then applied a layer of pale golden ointment to the cracked bark. Soon, several gentle life-based spells slowly unfolded around the Ficus microcarpa, stabilizing its life force.

****

Su Ming accompanied Zhifo to a small meeting room on the side of the hotel.

A fire was burning in the fireplace, and the frost-covered fiddle-leaf fig tree in the courtyard could be seen from the window.

Zhifo sat on the edge of the table, her two pairs of transparent wings drooping gently, looking somewhat dejected.

"As far as I know, a fairy's host body can be changed, right?" Su Ming asked. "Yes, it can."

Zhifo nodded her little head.

"I am a high-ranking fairy, and I have very high requirements for the purity of energy, so I am very picky."

Her mood calmed down a bit.

"The problem can be solved, it just takes time."

"It takes about three months for a fiddle-leaf fig to recover. If you were to cultivate a new one, choosing a suitable species and adjusting its life structure, it would take about a month."

Su Ming frowned upon hearing this.

Will this period of unemployment affect you?

"Yes." Zhifo looked down at her translucent palm. "During this time, I haven't been able to replenish my core energy, so I have to sleep most of the time."

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you," Su Ming said.

Zhifo shook his head.

"It's alright." She paused, as if remembering something.

"Perhaps there is another way."

After saying that, Zhifo suddenly flapped its wings and flew to Su Ming's hand.

As she landed, Su Ming felt a slight pressure in his palm. It was very light, like a leaf, or a drop of water falling on his hand.

It seems to exist, yet it also seems as if it might dissipate at any moment.

Fairies are not absolute energy entities; they have real weight. Su Ming roughly estimated that it was less than ten grams.

The light green light on Zhifo's body flickered, and his figure seemed to gather some energy.

"We can naturally absorb the ordinary Magic Power we use for spellcasting in our daily lives."

Zhifo explained to Su Ming.

"Only by maintaining the energy of the spiritual core can particularly high requirements be placed."

"Is that why we need to extract it from specially cultivated host plants?" Su Ming asked.

"That's how we forest fairies do it," Zhifo nodded.

Different races of fairies have different channels.

"However, we can actually use higher-level Magic Power as a substitute."

"How high-level do we need to be?" Su Ming asked.

Zhifo lowered her head, her voice softer, "It looks like yours."

She paused, then added, "And there are scholars like the Scholar Bay Owl."

"Anything else won't do."

Su Ming understood: spatial Magic Power and life Magic Power.

Very well, these fairies are certainly picky.

"I see your core resource consumption is quite low."

"So during this time, you can contact me or Bay Owl."

Zhifo immediately shook her head frantically, "No, I dare not go to her!" "But I need to go back to Radiant Holy City." Su Ming was in a dilemma.

Zhifo looked at him with some surprise. "So what? I've already joined you."

Su Ming then understood why Zijin had been so agreeable today.

So they're already on our side.

"Alright," Su Ming nodded. "Just come find me if you need anything."

Zhifo hugged her little hands and nodded gently.

"Um!"

****

The next morning, Su Ming traveled to the Sea Clearing Kingdom to attend a meeting of leaders from multiple countries.

Zhifo will continue to participate in follow-up meetings and activities, and Su Ming and she agreed to meet in the Radiant Holy City later.

The meeting was held in Cloud Joy City, a major city on the border between the Sea Clearing Kingdom and Northern Continent Province, and the topic was the upcoming joint offensive against the Plundering Clock.

The entourage wasn't large; besides Ainuobia's diplomatic team, there were also Younier and Qiluo. Given that their opponents were orcs ruled by the Plundering Clock, and considering the transoceanic landing operation, the scale of the operation was bound to be considerable.

The demand for supplies is astronomical.

As the head of logistics, Younier's work in this area has never stopped.

As for Qiluo--

This guy is now the plenipotentiary representative authorized by Queen Ghostly Flower, attending the meeting on behalf of Silver Moon Forest.

In addition, Su Ming also brought Hansite along. Su Ming remembered the travel promise he had made to him.

"Actually, it doesn't matter."

Before departing from the Radiant Holy City, when Hansite heard about this, he said quite seriously:

"Organizing the military is actually quite fun."

"During my break, I also wandered around."

"First Sunrise so big, I haven't even finished reading it yet."

"You haven't been to Cloud Joy City in the Sea Clearing Kingdom, have you?" Su Ming asked. Hansite's eyes immediately lit up.

"This Cloud Joy City is a famous tourist destination on the continent."

"I definitely have to go!"

****

Cloud Joy City has no airport.

After approaching, the C929 reduced its altitude and speed. The hatch opened, and Su Ming and his entourage disembarked one by one in the gale, descending towards the city.

Cloud Joy City is nestled among rolling hills, with a wide river flowing through it. Numerous white buildings line the riverbanks, their roofs mostly light blue, gleaming softly in the sunlight.

From the air, Su Ming saw several suspended gardens and sightseeing boats coming and going on the river.

After landing, Hansite. was free to do as he pleased.

Seeing this, Qiluo followed along familiarly, saying, "Hmm, I've heard the food here is delicious—"

Then Su Ming reached out and grabbed her ponytail.

"Princess Qiluo!" Su Ming said irritably, "You're the negotiating representative now!" "Hmph!" Qiluo tugged at her tail in dissatisfaction, "Don't you have that satellite now? Just remotely pull my mother into the video conference, that'll do."

"Queen Ghostly Flower said she's allergic to satellites," Su Ming said.

Qiluo's mane immediately bristled.

"Is my mom allergic to satellites?!"

She glared at Su Ming.

"They're allergic to your prices!"

"You're charging one gold coin for a one-minute call!"

Su Ming glanced at her, his expression calm.

"Don't you even consider how much it cost us to launch this satellite?"

"And this is a friend's price!"