"Disperse," Xixi uttered softly.The sand instantly receded, flowing back into that little box. The rainbow light emanating from the box also faded, while a green light appeared on her hand. Both the box and the World Tree disappeared in a flash.
Freuden"s eyes were filled with approval and elation as he said, "Very good. From this day forth, you are the Great Dryad, Xixi."
"Xixi… How could Xixi be known as the Great Dryad? That won"t do, Xixi can"t do it." Xixi shook her head vigorously in a slightly panicked manner.
"The only criterion for becoming the Great Dryad is to obtain the acknowledgment of the World Tree. You have satisfied that condition even better than I was able to," Freuden said with a smile. "Compared to the simple-minded Lulu, you"re clearly more suitable for the task."
Xixi turned to Lulu, who was also looking at her with an encouraging smile. She was suddenly instilled with a sense of confidence, and could sense the World Tree radiating joy and excitement within her body. She turned back to Freuden, and nodded with a serious expression as she said, "I"ll take good care of it, and make it grow into an enormous World Tree."
"I"m sure you"re up to the task. I"m convinced that you two will be able to make the dryads reappear on the Norland Continent." Freuden nodded with a smile; his body was now becoming increasingly more insubstantial. He then turned to Urien with a smile, and said, "What did I tell you, Urien? I told you that a day would come when even you would grow old, but you refused to believe me. How about now? You"re an old man, haha!"
Urien pursed his lips with displeasure, and retorted, "At least I"m still alive! You"ve been dead for over 100 years, you old fart."
"Speaking of that, I really do envy you young people. Still, death isn"t too bad. I"ve gotten sick of living after several centuries anyway; death is a lot more peaceful." Freuden was not enraged by Urien"s words. After a short pause, he adopted a serious expression, and said, "Before you come over to join me, please look after those two. Us dryads cannot go extinct no matter what."
"How many they can give birth to will depend on them." Urien pursed his lips.
"Hahaha, you"re just as naughty as ever, you little brat." Freuden laughed heartily before completely dissipating.
Silence descended upon the magic potion shop.
Xixi stared blankly up at the roof overhead. Lulu gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but didn"t say anything, either.
Urien slowly lay back down in his lounge chair. He wore no expression on his face, but there was a nostalgic look in his eyes. Back then, he was still young, and liked to go on adventures everywhere. He wasn"t a legendary figure yet, and encountered many interesting people and intriguing things during his travels.
Urien was silent for a long time before looking up at Xixi, and breaking the silence. "If you don"t mind the low wages, you can work at my shop."
"Really?" Xixi was slightly taken aback before a hint of excitement appeared on her face.
The werewolves from the day before had already been detained, and most likely wouldn"t be released for a long time, but there were many werewolves out there who could still hunt them down. In that case, they wouldn"t be able to remain in Chaos City.
But Xixi had just found a way to help the World Tree recover, as well as to repair her body, and if they were to leave Chaos City, then they would never be able to eat Mag"s braised chicken and rice again. That was unacceptable to them.
However, if Urien was willing to employ them, then their safety would be ensured. With the legendary magic caster, Lord of Ice Urien, extending a helping hand, they wouldn"t have to fear any danger in Chaos City.
Xixi hesitated momentarily before asking nervously, "Then… Can Lulu also stay?"
"I don"t employ clumsy people." Urien shook his head. At the sight of Xixi"s dejected expression, he slowly added, "That room upstairs if for you. You can keep as many people as you want there. He"s your man, so you"d better earn enough money to keep him alive."
Xixi"s eyes immediately lit up on hearing that, and she bowed to Urien as she said, "Thank you, Master Urien."
"Thank you." A smile also appeared on Lulu"s face, and he, too, extended a grateful bow toward Urien.
They had been wandering the Norland Continent for over 100 years, slowly growing up from children in the process. They had suffered far too many hards.h.i.+ps, and what they yearned for most wasn"t revenge. Instead, they simply wanted to settle down somewhere, and truly live.
They merely wanted to have many children, so they could ensure the survival of the dryads, and to create a prosperous race again.
They had seen hope the day before. After falling into complete despair, and resigning themselves to death, Mag and everyone else stepped in to save their lives. They had thought that their life on the run would continue, but all of that had come to an abrupt end.
"We only sell potions, tonics, and ointments here… Every time a vial is sold, you have to replace it with a new one on the shelves; that will be the extent of your work. After subtracting the costs, you can take half of the profit, but there is no bare minimum wage, so your earnings will directly correlate with the shop"s earnings." Urien pointed at the magic potions on the shelves before getting up, and pulling out a dusty black magic tome from behind the counter. He tossed the book casually onto the counter, and said, "This is a guide for mixing potions. If you encounter something you"re unfamiliar with, then have a look through the book. As long as the potions you mix don"t kill anyone, the effect doesn"t really matter."
"But… Isn"t half too much? This is your shop, after all." Xixi was a little hesitant about taking such a large cut of the profits.
"Don"t expect a whole lot of income. Half of the store"s profits will only be enough to half-fill your stomachs." Urien pursed his lips, and strode out the door as he said, "Seeing as you two are all better now, you can start working today. Breakfast is on me."
"Are we going to Mamy Restaurant? Thank you, Master Urien!" Xixi"s eyes immediately lit up at the mention of food. She quickly hurried out the door with Lulu close behind her.
…
A long line had already gathered outside the restaurant. The sweet and savory factions seemed to be more antagonistic toward each other than usual, and many people were flushed with rage. Some had even rolled up their sleeves, and it appeared that a ma.s.s brawl was imminent.
"Idiots who are into sweet tofu pudding! I"m warning all of you right now; stop giving the savory tofu pudding one-star votes! Do you people not have a conscience?"
"Hmph! It"s you savory faction people that should take a good look at yourselves! Sweet tofu pudding is not to be insulted! Number 99 on the rankings is an absolute farce!"
"Fight me, tras.h.!.+"
Someone suddenly let loose an enraged roar among the crowd.
The sounds of swords being drawn immediately erupted in front of the restaurant!