NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 349 – Rearranging Plants
Once again on the road, Jason quickly makes his way towards the gate in the direction he needs to head. Even though he had already starred a stat, Lily still needed to work on it and Jason wasn’t planning on stopping at just one star either.
Of course, the rest of that day’s travel was peaceful. Jason had stayed in the city long enough they had cleared the recent swarm problems. In fact, it takes a few days of travel before Jason comes across the first signs of trouble. Even then, it is only on the level of trouble that he feels safe with leaving entirely up to Lily.
Something Lily is more than happy to manage. The poor swarm of flies never stood a chance as she charges her fur and hops right through their space. Each bounce killed hundreds of the bugs. While she doesn’t clear them up as fast as a fireball or similar. She doesn’t then have to rest to recover her Energy either and so the two continue on their way.
Though that was truly just the first signs of trouble. From then on, one swarm after another would be found wandering the area. Some familiers creatures such as cats, flies, and other natural animals changed by the area. Some less so as strange monsters swarm around the two. From a scaled pseudo-cat mixed with a toad to a much more frightening collection of random disembodied mouths that floated there and used acid attacks.
As Jason and Lily settle down to camp again, Jason can’t help but grouse at Lily. “I’m getting tired of swarms, you know? The kingdom has completely culled any of the larger predators, thankfully as I don’t think we could have handled them. But on the other hand, my best techniques are meant for fighting more powerful folks. It’s a little hard to get a combo off when the enemy dies in the first couple hits.”
Lily, of course responds by just looking up at him while munching on some grass. She had a vague understanding of what he was ranting about but none of it particularly pertained to her and so she ignored it. Though she too felt the swarms were a bit tiring.
Jason settles down soon enough after spending some time petting her and then turns his attention to his portable planter. While he had been keeping things in order, his time at Peter and Gregor’s house had other worries. Now, though, after a few days on the road to clear his head, he settles in to do a little spring cleaning. Despite the lack of any knowledge of the local seasons, and how it was actually mid summer irl.
The plants being grown hadn’t changed, with the planter still containing Energy Herb, Gloom Weed, Focusing Tea, Ginseng, and Bloody Lingzhi. Even the location of each plant had stayed the same, and it was this that he felt needed to change. While his skill Herb Farming had only gone up a couple levels, the time spent using it had given him more insights.
When first placing all the plants, he had some vague idea of how the powers should flow. Now though, after increasing his understanding of the world and his own cultivation he had a new plan. One much more inline with his core.
Gloom Weed to represent the outside and so he transplants it to make a perimeter. His favorite Energy Herbs inside of that to make a wall. Within the Focusing Tea and Bloody Lingzhi representing the duality of life as well of the mind and body through the affiliations with Mana and Qi. Then at the center of it all the humble Ginseng. Currently, the most normal plant in the whole planter, yet they contain so much potential and so would represent future potential.
Satisfied with his work, Jason sits back and observes the planter. “Much better”, Jason nods, happy with the results. Sure, the current flows were messed up and lacking compared to the previous set up. However, that was more to do with him needing to transplant so many of them to new locations. Once they settle down, he can tell that things would be improved.
Not that his previous set up was wrong. He could tell that wasn’t the case. Jason had seen to the core of some basic concepts of the power being used back at the start and placed things accordingly. In fact, he highly doubts that this new set up would be of much benefit for anyone else.
An ice mage might grow magma lotuses but they would never be of the same quality as those taken care of by a fire mage. This would be true even if they did the same things and didn’t use a single iota of mana around the plants. So while this new layout will show great returns because of Jason’s cultivation technique. Others would find chaos as the various elements fought each other without his presence to mediate things.
In fact, the longer Jason observes the planter he can feel a greater connection to the Ginseng. Maybe it is his Herb Farming skill that he can tell has gained a couple levels or it could be his cultivation reaching out. Whatever it was, he feels that the Ginseng will grow faster the greater his own cultivation is.
Still, there is something blocking his way from fully embracing the plants and he knows the answer. Not only has the System infested both the plants and his own body, but it also is acting to keep the two separate. While Jason isn’t sure of the details, something tells him it is in the name of a so-called balance. An act by the System to restrict his ability to affect plants outside of his farming skill.
With time, this attempt to block him will prove futile. For now, though, Jason is willing to let things settle for the moment. Yet a promise burns in his heart alongside so many others, that to come back to this and correct things to match how he feels they should be.
