Chapter 53: The Dust Raised by the Gods of Old
Sacrificed a bit of charm.
Dark learned from Senior Pandora the location of books related to Catgrass and quickly found a copy of "Ten Thousand Mimicries in the Plant Kingdom" in the library.
The library was relatively quiet on Friday evening.
Dark poured himself a cup of unscented black tea and began to read carefully.
"Mimicry refers to an ecological adaptation phenomenon in which one organism imitates another organism or non-living entity in form, behavior, or other characteristics, benefiting one or both parties. It is a special behavior formed through long-term evolution in nature."
"The biological phenomenon of Catgrass originates from mimicry."
"A typical mimicry system consists of the mimic, the model, and the dupe."
"Taking Catgrass as an example:"
"The mimic is the Catgrass itself."
"The model is the cat."
"And the dupe is the human."
...
"The six major organs of plants: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds."
"Dividing Catgrass according to its plant structure:"
"The part buried in the soil is the root."
"The tail is the stem."
"And the fur covering its body is... the leaves?"
Dark was utterly stunned by this.
Initially, he had assumed that the "cat" part of Catgrass belonged to the "fruit."
But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
The cat fur was the leaves, while the body, limbs, and head were all part of the fleshy stem, similar to the main body of a cactus.
As for the flowers and fruits...
Every spring and autumn, beautiful flowers bloom atop the Catgrass's head.
Once the petals fall, fruits form.
And the seeds, naturally, are inside the fruits.
...
Dark continued flipping through the book, gradually gaining a more detailed understanding of Catgrass's ecology.
When they are about to bloom, they transport most of the nutrients in their bodies to the top of their heads, promoting the growth of flower buds, which develop into buds, blossoms, and finally flowers. After pollination, fruits are produced.
"This is a very important process."
Dark sketched the entire process in his notebook, then circled the top of the Catgrass's head, convinced he had found the reason.
To corroborate his thoughts, he consulted more materials. It wasn't until 9 p.m. that he borrowed a copy of "The Fashion Guru" and left the library.
Senior Pandora wasn't always in the library; most of the time, it was Ms. Bella who was on duty.
After returning to his dorm, Dark turned on the light, placed the borrowed book on the table, and then walked out to the balcony.
"Meow~"
The Catgrass waddled over on its short legs. Dark crouched down, scratching its chin with one hand while carefully feeling the [Pride] emblem on its head with the other.
Sure enough, he discovered a tiny bud in the center of the [Pride] emblem!
Feeling the protrusion pressing against his fingertip, Dark suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
What kind of fruit would the Catgrass bear after absorbing [Pride]?
"Speaking of fruits, there are countless potions made from various fruits, and even some magic spirit cards require special fruits as core materials. Before it successfully bears fruit, perhaps I can research related potions or magic spirit card creation."
Because of his expectations for the Catgrass, he once again felt the joy of "cat addiction."
The [Wrath] accumulated in his heart also dissipated a little.
After a while, he carried the Catgrass to the bathroom, washed it, and placed it on the bedside table. He then read a bit more of "The Fashion Guru" before falling into a deep sleep.
...
But Friday night wasn't over yet.
Diana and Rose were still making noise in the common room.
After the tea party, Emma was invited to the Magic Institute's book club and was pulling an all-nighter.
Pandora, after calming her mood, was preparing for tomorrow's magic duel competition.
Meanwhile, Virt and Robert, after half a night of wild fun, returned to their dorm very late.
But not long after returning, Virt quietly opened the door, peeked into Robert's room, and then slipped out of the Knight Institute's tower.
Walking into the silent castle, Virt couldn't help but recall the events of the afternoon.
Emma's final words had struck a chord.
They had almost led him to make the wrong decision.
Fortunately, Robert had suggested going to the library to study, giving him a glimmer of hope for change.
"Think of your departed parents!"
Although Virt had never met his parents, he had grown up listening to stories of heroes.
Heroes had always been his aspiration.
The day he learned from Headmaster Altair that he was the son of a hero, he had been overjoyed!
But now, looking back at his actions over the past month, he felt like burying himself in a hole!
→ When he first entered the library, that was exactly what he thought.
→ He even set a small goal for himself: to surpass Dark Demon by the end of the semester!
But two hours later, the difficult arithmetic homework crushed his resolve.
After exchanging a glance with Robert, the two brothers agreed: balance work and play!
Yes.
They had learned from Dark's teachings!
...
The sound of solitary footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Virt drew out [Forbidden Love], infused it with a bit of magic, and pink mist seeped out from the card, gradually coalescing into a blurry humanoid figure.
He hadn't forgotten his small goal to surpass Dark!
And to achieve that, conventional methods seemed insufficient. He had to take an alternative path.
Guided by the pink mist, Virt once again arrived at the small shrine he had visited the previous night.
The group of "tinkerers" who had clamored about launching a holy war were not here.
He cautiously checked his surroundings, confirming that no one was hiding in the corners like he had been the night before, before standing in front of the statue.
The statue's skin had become even more delicate, its pale face radiating a soft glow, as if it could open its eyes at any moment.
Virt pulled out "The Chronicles of the Olden Days" from his shoulder bag, which he had secretly borrowed from Robert that afternoon, and began carefully comparing it to the statue's face.
"The Chronicles of the Olden Days" recorded the gods who once ruled the realms.
They existed at least five eras ago, they came from the stars, they walked the abyss, they were once great, they once ruled the realms... They had long been forgotten by history, they were the Old Ones buried in ancient dust!
Half an hour later.
A look of delight appeared in Virt's eyes.
He had found a god whose face resembled the statue.
"She was born of the moon, descended upon the earth; she was both the Moon Goddess and the Earth Mother; she presided over the reproduction of all things, generous with the earth's bounty; she was the most beautiful goddess, the ruler of the night, her beauty eternal, sacred, noble, governing abundance, fertility, and love..."
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