Davis looked at the withered tree and the viridian fruit before he landed beside it. Feeling rather nostalgic, he reached out his hands and touched the viridian fruit when an affectionate intent spread through his heart.
"Right, you’re making it difficult for me to harvest you..."
Davis couldn’t help but wryly laugh.
Last time, he had left it for the same reason, and this time, he felt that it wouldn’t be any different. When he took his hands off, the viridian fruit suddenly began to emit a dull viridian glow, making him confused. He placed his hand over its viridian surface and suddenly felt loneliness emitting from it before it turned happy.
His lips couldn’t help but twitch.
"You... You want to come with me?"
The viridian fruit’s emotions fluctuated as if it were smiling.
Its feelings were rather primal, and Davis felt that he wouldn’t be able to understand its intent much more without the help of Heart Intent. However, reading its intent ended up making him more sympathetic towards it, and considering that it perhaps looked at him like a child would towards their parents, he didn’t feel like leaving it all alone here, with no living being but only lightning in its sight.
"I know..." Davis’s eyes lit up as an idea popped up in his mind, "I’ll plant you in my home so that you would be able to grow into a new tree."
The spirit of the fruit became more emotional as if understanding and accepting his words.
Davis didn’t know much about plant life, but he knew that their spirit dwelled in the fruit seed. Unless there was a fruit seed, it was said that it was difficult for a sentient fruit to be born. Nevertheless, even if many fruits had seeds, they rarely turned into spirits even after reaching maturity.
Davis felt that Fallen Heaven’s life energy was the culprit who inevitably nurtured the viridian fruit’s spirit, not to mention that it caused the fruit spirit to be able to communicate like this when he had purely used it for helping the fruit reach maturity.
"..."
While Davis carefully harvested the fruit from the withered tree, the viridian fruit did not resist at all. It obediently stayed in his palms without flying away before it was sealed within a jade container. Nevertheless, before closing the jade container, Davis assured it and made it relax, making it glow happier.
While he did all this, the tiny crowd consisting of Nero Alstreim, Nadia, and Eldia silently looked at him with awe.
This youth was actually communicating with a fruit, which they had never seen or dared to imagine before. More so, he communicated with the fruit with compassion and sympathy, causing their hearts to soften, even melt.
’Surely, Niera should be lucky...’
Nero Alstreim was heartened, looking at the way he treated a fruit. He could see the fruit respond too, which he thought was never possible in the first place. Davis was rude towards him, sometimes considerate. However, he had seen him be ruthless to his enemies and extremely caring towards his loved ones that it probably bordered on insanity on both ends.
It made Davis look unique in his eyes, one that would make him satisfied if he left his daughter with him because he became a bit more sure that this man would never leave his daughter and wouldn’t trade her for any riches either.
The problem he had with men who had a harem was that they would see their wives as a commodity and even bargain with odd merchants to trade them for other certain riches that attracted their eyes or even other women. He certainly didn’t like them, even hated them to the core, but Davis definitely didn’t seem like one of them from the rumors as well as his actions, making him feel relaxed and assured.
"Alright, now that I took care of this matter, let’s go!~"
Davis pointed at the Lightning Sea as he neared. The aura of Blazing Thunderlight Kirin began to emit from his soul as the Lightning Sea began to part, making him laugh in satisfaction. It made him feel as if he could control this entire Lightning Sea, but considering the size of the space that parted, it was so abysmal that Davis stopped deluding himself about it.
All three of them traveled with him before they finally reached the other side.
Davis once again felt like he had arrived on a mysterious land. This sealed space was practically fit for hiding if the enemies were not suicidal enough to enter a space crack to come here. He had been thinking about making this place his secret base but ended up disputing it numerous times due to many unforeseen circumstances.
Most importantly, he did not know if the Infernal Lightning Palace or other powers knew of this damned place or not.
On the other hand, Nero Alstreim took a deep breath, trying to stop his heart from palpitating faster. He was going to see his family and take them back to the Alstreim Family and then finally reunite with Nora. Honestly, he had enough of her calling him a creep, but it was endearing in its own way that he couldn’t help but laugh whenever he thought about it.
*Bzzz!~*
Law Rune Stage undulations abruptly blazed, instantly making them all feel suppressed, but noticing the familiarity of the undulations, Davis and Nero Alstreim couldn’t help but smile, but on the other hand, Eldia abruptly appeared before him, her black-lightning crackling in an aggressive manner as its peak-level eighth stage undulations flashed.
Davis blinked before he smiled, "Stand down, Eldia. That person’s an ally..."
"Oh..."
Eldia sounded relieved before she floated beside him. However, Nadia suddenly pouted as she turned to look at Eldia.
"Hmph! I already know that these undulations are not a threat, so don’t you dare think you have protected master successfully...!"
"I have no connection with you, and I don’t need your help. I will make sure that master is protected using my own strength." Eldia haughtily replied.
"We’ll see who protects master the best..." Nadia smirked as she turned her head away.
"..."
Davis had to blink once again because he felt unreal. Why are a magical beast and elemental fighting for the rights to protect him? Well, it wasn’t like he didn’t know their reasons, but he couldn’t help but find it strange.
Could it be because that they were both females that they were trying to compete against each other? After all, Nadia never bickered with men who had tried to protect him.
’Wait... does Wills have genders...?’
Question marks emerged above Davis’s head before he pushed it away as he saw the emergence of a Ninth Stage Powerhouse wearing white robes.
He looked handsomely young, his face all smiles as he landed in front of them, looking excited just as much as Nero Alstreim.
"Nero, you’re back!"
"I have returned, grandpa..."
Nero Alstreim’s voice was full of emotions that they both couldn’t help but close the distance as they hugged.
Davis couldn’t help but smile. The way they saw it, he was either a hero or a mastermind villain who could destroy their family. Now that it was a bit certain that he was a hero, they were rejoicing that they have made the right choice.
Indeed, Ezekiel Alstreim probed Nero Alstreim’s soul and found no abnormalities. It wasn’t as if he could measure up to Davis’s prowess in the soul, but an abnormality would surely reveal itself when it concerns the soul because harmful soul techniques were rather difficult to hide.
Considering that there were no seals such as slave seals, he quickly became convinced that Nero Alstreim hadn’t been manipulated.
Nero Alstreim allowed himself to be checked, so the process was rather smooth, as if it were just a greeting.
"Well, let me be clear." Davis abruptly interrupted their reunion, "This sealed space poses no threats as I’ve cleared them all, so I’m only willing to bring four of you out. As for the others, they would have to remain here for a few years until the Alstreim Family can assure its safety."
"I understand. We’re all already dead, so it is reasonable that you want the other dead people to stay here because the risk of us being alive getting out will endanger the family."
Ezekiel Alstreim nodded his head, surprisingly not arguing about the matter.
"Right, I read Nero’s letter and heard some details from Niera that you hid from us all this time. You said that I was needed?"
’I never said that...’ Davis’s lips twitched before he smiled, "Well, the Alstreim Family does need you, another Law Rune Stage Powerhouse, to take care of itself."
"Indeed, our power has been suppressed for too long with just one Ancestor taking care of us. It’s time I stepped up to lessen the load." Ezekiel Alstreim spoke with boldness, looking manlier.
However, Davis couldn’t help but blink, "Are you serious? You do know that I have imprisoned your wife, right?"
"I’ve heard..." Ezekiel Alstreim’s expression became cold as he raised his chin, "However, she’s coming out in a few days, right? I’ll ask directly from her and address her grievances. Let me tell you that if she tells me to kill, then I’m sorry to say that we can’t become one family."
Davis chuckled, "You’re a real man, but I warn you that you would undoubtedly die if you were to be hostile to me."
"Wait! Wait! Wait!"
Nero Alstreim stood before them as he reached out his hands on both sides, looking constipated with worry while Davis and Ezekiel Alstreim stared at each other with a cold smile, not averting their gazes at all.