"I suggest you check out the properties of the rubber tree seedlings I gave you as a gift~" — Vez hummed while Sete changed inside her tent, preparing to head to the corrupted forest on the hillside of the refuge. She had, of course, already eaten a hearty breakfast.
— Hm. — She murmured in agreement, already planning to take a look at the magical plants she had received from the System.
After putting on her black military coat and zipping it up to her neck, Sete began searching the tent for the backpack Vez had given her as a reward weeks ago. When she found it, she sat cross-legged on the floor and took out a sparkling green seedling.
Next to the plant, a translucent blue screen appeared, listing all its characteristics:
[Magical rubber tree seedling]
Properties: Sentience, high sense of
defense.
This plant has extremely abundant
and resistant roots, with the blessing of a deity
combined with its sentience, it will be invincible,
becoming an interesting element for the defense of
any place where it can take root.
Spring, especially, due to her compatibility
with plants in general, can still communicate with
it and give it orders, commands that will be followed
with unquestioning devotion.
Sete examined the small seedling more closely, noticing that a thin root was already struggling to reach her wrist, wrapping it with... affection? The plant probably sensed the young deity's compatibility with it, just as the girl could sense autonomous intelligence emanating discreetly from the small plant.
— You will be very useful… — She whispered, and the leaves of the seedling trembled with joy at the prospect of satisfying Spring.
༻ ༊*·˚ ༺
Outside her tent, in an area near the waterfall that hid the secret entrance to the refuge, Sete dug a hole to plant the clever little rubber tree, watering it with purified water after burying the roots.
The busy heirs, in turn, only noticed the young deity's movement when her sparkling green aura completely covered the plant, causing it to grow exponentially in an instant.
However, Sete stopped infusing her powers into the seedling before it reached adulthood, as she noticed that — perhaps because it was a plant with special magical properties — it consumed much more of her strength than it should have. Even so, the young rubber tree shook its newly acquired branches with happiness, waiting patiently to receive any orders from Spring.
— Hey, Sete! — Kai approached her, followed by Agatha and the serpent egg. It seemed that the children had finally awakened. — What is this? And why does it move on its own?
— This is a special tree, it's very smart and will protect you when I'm not around. — Sete explained as the group approached to see the plant up close. — Don't forget to seek shelter under its shade if any threat arises, it's stronger than it looks and will do a great job.
— But where would you go? I mean, I didn't think you'd leave us with so many threats around… — Bianca asked quietly, tucking a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. Everyone looked at Spring doubtfully.
Of course, Sete hadn't mentioned the cleanup missions, or rather, the potentially immensely powerful beasts that inhabited the refuge. In her eyes, this was a minor detail that fragile mortals shouldn't worry about, as she would deal with such matters immediately.
— Don't worry, I just need to deal with- — The young deity's speech was cut off by an extremely deep, hissing roar, whose shockwave shook the air, coming directly from the hillside north of the refuge. — a few things.
The group paled, falling silent.
It seemed that the Lynx had sensed Sete's divine energy, especially after she had expended a good portion of her powers to accelerate the growth of the magical seedling.
— Wait for me here. — She ordered, picking up the reinforced wooden spear she had used against the bats and the mutant snake. — And don't stray far from the tree.