pdf-ebookys Chapter 634 A Gift from Fate
Chapter 634 A Gift from Fate
Xu Ning reassembled the original camera lens and took more than a dozen photos of Master Ji eating fish and hanging from the neck of a goose.
Seeing that Xu Ning and the raccoon seemed to be treating this place like an amusement park, Felicis wanted to reprimand them and ask them to respect the peaceful resting place of the Flower Goddess.
But considering that everything here is nothing more than a sandcastle built of lies, he sighed softly and decided to let things take their course.
Xu Ning, who was secretly whispering with Master Ji about whether her sleep quality had improved dramatically after learning meditation, suddenly saw True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng walking towards them. She quickly tugged at Master Ji and pretended to look for a good spot to take pictures.
"What are the names of the flowers growing around those seats?" Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun asked, gently pushing up his glasses.
Xu Ning has never been particularly knowledgeable about flowers and the like.
Even among the many different kinds of flowers that Qingyi planted in the garden of the cave, she could only name a handful.
However, in Xumi, almost everyone recognizes this flower; even Xu Ning has seen it several times in the Grand Bazaar.
"This is Patishalan, which should be considered the national flower of Sumeru. It is said that this purplish-red Patishalan is rarely seen on the land of Sumeru, but I didn't expect it to bloom everywhere in this eternal oasis."
Lilupal was surprised that this seemingly powerful woman was interested in Patishalan. Xu Ning then added, "Where the Flower Goddess lingers, crimson Patishalan always blooms at her feet."
Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun nodded and said, "No wonder I noticed that the positions of these flowers seemed to follow a pattern, but if it is as you say, then it is normal."
Xu Ning was stunned for a moment when he heard this.
Is there any trace? Isn't this place full of flowers? Where are the traces?
Xu Ning moved swiftly, crossing the lake surface and instantly appearing on the shore.
Patishalan is not blooming everywhere; rather, it's like a flower-lined path that stretches out along the riverbank from the entrance.
Unconsciously, Xu Ning followed the trail of flowers and ended up back at the small waterfall where the Lilupal fragment was located.
But the flower path didn't lead to the waterfall; instead, it turned in the opposite direction and ended up next to a water lily by the lake.
"I don't quite recognize these flowers. Is this big blue flower a water lily? Speaking of which, aren't water lilies supposed to sleep in the water? Can they grow while sitting by this lake?"
Xu Ning's series of questions left Lilupar speechless.
She also found it difficult to give a perfect explanation for why this water lily appeared here.
Xu Ning looked at the flower path beneath her feet.
If the legend that Padissa flowers grow at the feet of Flora is true, then Flora must have once lingered here. So what did she leave behind in this water lily?
Xu Ning reached out and gently placed his hand on the delicate petals of the water lily, slowly permeating them with his elemental power.
Sure enough, something remained in the stamen of the water lily!
In Xu Ning's perception of elemental power, among that cluster of flower stamens, there were clearly several pillars that were not real flower stamens, but rather some kind of power condensed into the shape of flower stamens.
Xu Ning separated a wisp of elemental power and touched one of the flower stamens very slowly and gently.
This delicate flower stamen is actually a symbol of power.
Xu Ning could hardly believe his senses. He had a feeling that as long as he controlled this power, he could manipulate the changes in time in this world at will.
Whether it remains still or flows, if one is willing, it is not impossible to even bring this place back to the time when the three gods gathered together.
This is the authority of "time"!
Xu Ning looked around at the space as if he had suddenly realized something, and laughed at himself for thinking that the stillness here was caused by the power of the Crimson King or some kind of mechanism.
Although the power of "time" remaining in the water lily is only a few strands as fine as the flower stamen, the power of time is the most capable of turning decay into wonder.
So what can these "stamens" be used for?
Xu Ning gently used his elemental power to "pinch" one of the flower stamens and slowly pulled it out.
Outside, above the small waterfall, a huge stone pillar on the side suddenly burst open, its collapse briefly cutting off the waterfall.
Just then, the power of that flower stamen was exhausted, and the moment when the waterfall stopped flowing was once again frozen in the river of time.
A cave behind the waterfall was then revealed to everyone.
"My lord, you are able to alter the dimension of time even in a static space. Your power is truly incredible!"
Xu Ning withdrew his elemental power, shook his head and laughed, "I don't have that kind of ability. It was the 'time' authority left in this water lily that made it. It must have extracted a 'broken flow' from a certain period in the past and formed it into what it is now."
Lilupar rubbed against Xu Ning's cheek. "Anyway, I can get another fragment back."
Xu Ning led the Lilupal sisters into the cave. Lilupal approached the fragments clustered among the flowers and slowly absorbed them into her magic bottle.
As the glittering fragments flowed into Lilupal's magic bottle, Xu Ning felt his power being drained away again, but soon, an even stronger power returned to his body.
This wasn't the same force that suppressed sandstorms as before; this force seemed to carry warmth, soft and comforting.
In a daze, Lilupal's memories came flooding back, these memories were more profound than the previous ones, as if they were engraved in Lilupal's soul.
Palaces and gardens built of red jade, where thousands of flowers bloom and birds sing.
The town spirits, displaying various forms of beauty, moved among them, offering fine wines and delicacies to their beloved masters.
Despite having heard the name of the Flower Goddess Nabu Marikata more than once, Xu Ning had never seen this most beautiful descendant of the immortals, neither in the Red King's memories nor in the Grass God's dreams.
But in Zhenling's flood of memories, Xu Ning witnessed for the first time this beautiful goddess with skin as white as moonlight.
He unconsciously walked forward, gazing at her seated on the throne, as if the beautiful spirits of the town were her delicate petals, and every fragrance originated from her.
Xu Ning was captivated by her indescribable beauty, watching her reach out her hand to him, and then their eyes met.
What amazing eyes!
Xu Ning had never seen anyone look at him like that before. There was nothing in those eyes, as if he were looking into an endless void, empty and devoid of anything.
"All of this is a gift from fate..."
Xu Ning suddenly heard someone say something, as if he were hallucinating, but before he could investigate further, the voice disappeared as if it had never existed.
Even Xu Ning wasn't sure if it was the voice of the Flower Goddess in front of him.
Gently taking the small hand offered by the Flower Goddess, Xu Ning lightly kissed the back of her soft, boneless hand.
"It is an honor to meet you, beautiful goddess of flowers."
Flower Goddess Nabu watched as Xu Ning slowly withdrew his hand, then sat up straight. "I knew you would come."
"A world that is eternally unchanging is like a stagnant pool of water that never flows, and it will inevitably decay and collapse in the end."
"Just let the new winds of the end times blow everywhere. Don't be afraid of losing anything. Everything that is lost will return in a new form in the long river of time."
Xu Ning didn't speak, but took a long breath and woke up from Lilupal's memories.
"My lord, are you alright?"
Lilupal asked Xu Ning, "What should we do about the waterfall area?"
Xu Ning glanced at the waterfall that had been smashed and stopped flowing, and the cave filled with withered branches and leaves, which were completely out of place in this beautiful oasis world.
He sighed and said, "There's no need to restore it anymore."
"From the moment we entered, the balance of this place was broken by us. Although extremely weak, a new wind will eventually blow through here, and this stagnant world will move again sooner or later; it is an irreversible end."
Xu Ning touched the water lily again, and a sudden realization dawned on him.
This was originally the place where the Flower Goddess lived, no wonder she gave me a spirit-suppressing guidance to bring me back here.
"So these are the gifts I kept for myself."
Master Ji stood beside Xu Ning and, upon hearing that the water lily was originally a gift from Xu Ning, reached out and uprooted it.
"Should we give it to Sister Qingyi so she can plant it in the pond?"
If it weren't for the red rope tied around the waist of the wine gourd, Xu Ning would have almost dropped it on Master Ji's head.
"No...no, how did you pull it out?"
Master Ji was startled by Xu Ning's abrupt action and cautiously replied, "Use force?"
Xu Ning squatted down and asked with amusement, "What I mean is that time has been frozen here... I... why is the grass all soft?"
Xu Ning then touched the grass on the ground around him and found that it was soft. He had only assumed that the grass and flowers on the ground must be hard because he had seen that something as soft as water had been turned into something harder than stone.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. If even the grass blades were fixed in place, wouldn't those sharp blades prick the person's feet into countless bloody holes?
"Alright, take it inside and let Qingyi take good care of it. There's something in the flower's stamen that can control time, so don't open it and play with it."
Master Ji nodded obediently and went back.
Knowing that Xu Ning would likely leave soon, True Lord Liuyun also turned and entered the cave.
Xu Ning walked up to Jiede and asked, "Are you planning to stay here a little longer, or are you planning to set off for the tribe immediately?"
Jade slowly stood up, stretched, and smiled, "Let's go back. There are many things that happened today that I need to report to Madam Babel! But this place is truly wonderful. I've never felt such peace and tranquility here before. Maybe I won't want to venture out anymore; I can build a small house here and spend the rest of my life here..."
Xu Ning shook his head. "This place can't stay like this forever. Once the power that's holding this place together dissipates, the yellow sand will soon bury it."
Jade walked lightly toward the magic circle she had entered through. "That's still a long way off. Anyway, I'm very grateful that you're willing to accompany me to fulfill this willful wish."
On the way back, Jade seemed to have let go of all her worries and felt incredibly relaxed.
Xu Ning, on the other hand, was earnestly trying to persuade Felicis, who had already resolved to die.
"Although you're the older sister, you're not as strong-willed as Lilupal. Your soul is intact, while Lilupal's soul was torn to pieces, yet she still stubbornly curses everyone she sees, full of energy. Although being a plumber for a thousand years must have been tiring..."
"Ah, speaking of plumbers, my grotto is getting bigger and bigger, and there will probably be more and more rivers and waterways in the future. Qingyi is a master at construction, but she may not be as experienced as you when it comes to waterways. Why don't you come and be my waterway commander..."
Feligis was annoyed by Xu Ning's nonsense and finally said, "Let me in. As long as I can't hear you, I'm fine."
Xu Ning hurriedly sent Qingyi out to take Ping'er. After they had all gone inside, Lilupar spoke up and sneered at Xu Ning, "Your eloquence is far inferior to Ahmar's. Back then, that guy managed to coax Sister Feligis into willingly entering that mechanism with just a few words..."
Xu Ning said disdainfully, "That guy is a liar who cheats girls and tricks insects. My main focus is on sincerity, so it's normal for it to take a little more effort."
The Tanit people held a grand and enthusiastic welcome ceremony for the two men's return.
However, among those who came to greet them, there were fewer and fewer familiar faces.
At the banquet that followed, Babel did not allow anyone to accompany her. She personally served Xu Ning food and wine, and even without the commemorative mirror, Xu Ning could clearly see that she was genuinely happy.
Even after Jade recounted Asarig and Adefi's betrayal to Babel in detail, Xu Ning didn't see how much she cared about it.
Babel smiled and toasted Xu Ning, saying, "Respected Master of the Town Spirit, you have helped our Tanit tribe so much this time. We really don't know how to repay your kindness. If you have any requests for us, please feel free to make them, and we will do our best to fulfill them."
Is this a way of letting me take my pay and leave?
"..." Lilupal was clearly about to make a sarcastic remark again, but Xu Ning reached out and held her hand, preventing her from speaking.
“I said long ago that my visit this time is purely because of my friendship with Jade. Jade is willing to build Futanit, and I have no objection... However, do you mean that any request can be made?” Xu Ning glanced at Babel with amusement.
Babel was slightly surprised.
She had already realized that Xu Ning actually looked down on the entire Tanit tribe, and given his slightly peculiar hobby, she wasn't afraid of him making any demands.
Even if he asks to take the spirit out of the desert, that is his freedom, and I cannot stop him, since the spirit has always disliked me.
If it could stay, it would certainly be of great use, but with the oasis in hand, losing it wouldn't matter.
"Any request! As long as it's within our power to give you..."
Xu Ning smiled and said, "Then let us stay a few more days!"
Upon hearing this, Babel's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Why isn't this guy leaving? Is he planning to do something?