Chapter 148 – Just a Touch

“Beautifully done.” Alice walked up to the unconscious Milu Rabbit and picked it up by the ears.
Then, after tying it back to her waist, she said, “I promise I'll name you next time.”

After saying so, Alice shifted her attention to the object the Milu Rabbit brought back.
Similar to her initial expectations, the object was oval-shaped and roughly the size of her palm.
It also had a pitted surface, and it looked very much like a huge walnut.

Although the object didn't look like anything special, Alice could feel that this walnut-like thing was producing mana, similar to how plants produced oxygen through photosynthesis.
No matter how she looked at it, this was a very strange walnut.
However, even if she couldn't discern its identity and origins, she would know everything after giving it just a touch with her right hand.

Gently, Alice pried the walnut out of the Milu Rabbit's mouth.
Although this walnut had been taken out from a rabbit warren, no dirt stained it.
It didn't even have a strange smell.
On the contrary, it radiated a subtle fragrance.

…

[Weapon: Seed of Nature]

[Quality: Epic]

[Effect: Mind +1000, Control +1000, Mana +1000]

[Additional Effect:

Nature's Glow (Passive Skill.
You can create mana by absorbing carbon dioxide.
Your lung capacity is greatly increased);

Nature's Benediction (Passive Skill.
You can create the nutrition your body needs by absorbing natural light.
Your ability to sense mana is greatly increased);

Forest's Affection (Passive Skill.
Your mana capacity is doubled when you are in a forest.
Your enemies will be subjected to the Forest's Ancestral Curse when present in a forest.)]

…

So this is the Seed of Nature?

Initially, Alice had wanted to crack this walnut-like object open to see what was inside.
However, she didn't expect this seemingly unattractive thing was actually a Seed of Nature, an item the elves treated as a national treasure.

But why would a Seed of Nature appear in the Milu Rabbits' warren? Alice wondered while scratching her head.
Then, she quickly concluded that the elves must've accidentally misplaced a Seed of Nature at some point, and these wild Milu Rabbits had picked it up and brought it back to their warren.

Although the Seed of Nature had many uses, the Milu Rabbits, with their tiny brains, evidently didn't know how to make use of it.
Hence, this Seed of Nature had remained in the Milu Rabbits' warren in its original state until Alice discovered it and had her unnamed Milu Rabbit retrieve it for her.

It doesn't seem as special as I thought.

Alice fell into thought as she looked at the Seed of Nature in her hand.
In her opinion, the Seed of Nature's additional effects didn't seem particularly exceptional.

However, Alice quickly shook her head and dismissed her thoughts.
The Seed of Nature might not have mind-blowing abilities, but it could serve as excellent research material.
By researching its abilities, one could potentially derive new magic formulas and principles that could aid in the development of technology.

Not to mention, other than having a high research value, the Seed of Nature might also have a vital role in special processes.
One example Alice could think of would be the reconstruction of Kristine's body.
That was the main reason Alice had sought to acquire a Seed of Nature in the first place.

Well, whatever.
There's no point mulling over this unexpected windfall.

Originally, Alice had still been worried that the elves might not agree to her request to give her a Seed of Nature.
However, it didn't matter even if the elves refused her request now.
She already had everything she needed to reconstruct Kristine's body.
All she needed to do now was return to the Gryffin Kingdom and get Hatter to find her an alchemist.

Alchemists were regarded as high-end technical personnel in every human kingdom.
They specialized in the research and development of new magic technology.
Normally, it'd be incredibly difficult to get the help of a skilled alchemist, but it should be a piece of cake for the Gryffin King.

Initially, Alice had planned to return to her room and rest for the night after ending her call with Heris.
After all, the demons would be surrounding the Elven Forest tomorrow.

However, after obtaining a Seed of Nature and seeing its properties, Alice couldn't help but have the urge to check out the situation atop the Tree of Nature.
After all, according to Lalu's statement, the Seeds of Nature didn't appear in the form of seeds directly.
Instead, it was found inside the fruit that grew on the Tree of Nature.

Only those fruits would disappear the moment they leave the branches of the Tree of Nature, leaving only the Seeds of Nature behind.
Thus, even until now, the elves have not figured out the role those fruits played.
They simply treated it as if the fruits never existed.

Since the demons would be surrounding the Elven Forest tomorrow, the elves were bound to tighten security around the village.
At that time, Alice would no longer have an opportunity to snoop around the elven village at night undetected.

In that case, she might as well take advantage of the elves' lowered guard and satisfy her urges now.

After stuffing the Seed of Nature into her pouch and filling it to the brim, Alice made her way back to the elven village.
Although the elves would notice that there was something in Alice's pouch capable of producing mana if they used Mind Search on her, it was an incredibly rude gesture to use Mind Search on someone without their permission.
The act of doing so was as rude as stripping someone's panties without permission.
Hence, the likelihood of the elves using Mind Search on Alice was low, which was why Alice dared to bring the Seed of Nature back with her.

Moreover, it was already very late at night, and the disciplined elves had long since gone home to sleep.
Other than the two guards on duty outside the elven village's entrance, no other people were walking around in the village.
Even the March Academy's students had retired to their rooms since there wasn't anything interesting to do in the elven village at night.

Meanwhile, after sneaking back into the village, Alice stopped by the towering Tree of Nature that stood in the middle of the village.

The Tree of Nature's fruits cannot be harvested before they ripen.
Otherwise, both the fruit and the seed will disappear, Alice thought as she recalled Lalu's words. But it should be fine if I only touch the fruit with my right hand without plucking it, right?