Chapter 851 - The Flower
A few days earlier.
In the middle of a bustling city, a child carrying a basket full of flowers ran around the city, selling the flowers. The colors varied and even a black one was there.
"Anyone want to buy a flower for two copper coins?" The boy asked around, but not a single of them spared even a glance.
He was only a small boy, a bit younger than Mithra, but he was strong. No, he needed to be strong.
"Anyone, please buy a flower for two copper coins."
He continued running around, finding not a single person buying his flower. Dejected, he slowly walked his way toward his house, finding a middle-aged man sitting on the bed.
He put down the basket of flowers and fixed his white hair before putting on the biggest smile as if his sad look was a lie.
*Cough Cough!* The middle-aged man coughed up blood as he looked at the young boy who did everything he could during the day.
"Father, are you alright?" The little boy asked.
"I am sorry, Ellas. To think I would become the burden. Your mother has left us because I can"t do anything now…" The man looked at him, disappointed in himself.
"I am fine. Ellas will continue working hard until Father recovers." The little boy smiled and pumped his fist. "I will try to work it out somehow. When Father has recovered, we will show mother that leaving you was the worst thing she could have ever done!"
The man smiled and patted his head, moved by the resilience shown by this boy.
The boy decided to go every single day, selling flowers.
Meanwhile, Alex didn"t check the city when he came. In fact, he didn"t even come close to the port or even took a look with his Spirit Eyes and headed toward the sea immediately.
"Alright. Let"s start by following this line," Alex commanded.
Since the king said he threw it into the sea, there should be somewhere nearby because a Foundation Rank monster shouldn"t be capable of living for too long after swallowing a Divine Item.
That was why he believed the flower was in the bottom of the ocean, and he needed to search the sign before diving.
"Sir Alex, we have found three fishes floating on the water surface near each other," Mithra informed him, who was sitting in a lotus pose and closing his eyes.
He gradually opened his eyes and rose, nodding to Mithra to thank her. Ian flew toward the spot before Alex jumped into the sea while activating his Spirit Eyes. He swam to the bottom of the ocean without any problem and looked around, finding nothing but pitiful monsters.
They tried to attack him, but he killed them in a single hit. Sighing, he swam to the surface and returned to Ian"s back, asking them to fly to another place.
Unfortunately, they didn"t find the flower and the dragon king was on the verge of advising him that it was not here and asked him to give up, but Mithra suddenly opened her mouth. "Sir Alex, do you think the flower is actually in the town we saw yesterday?"
Alex furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a moment. "Although the weight of that flower is not that big, I think the flower will still sink to the bottom of the ocean, so I think it"s not possible unless there is a third party. Whether it is intentional or unintentional… Unintentional?"
Alex seemed to have realized something and patted Mithra"s head, telling her good job while asking Ian to go to the town. "I hope the flower is still there."
Meanwhile, behind the dock in the harbor, the young boy was staring at the flower that just blew him away.
"What just happened?" Ellas furrowed his eyebrows. "That black flower… I remember I got it floating around the sea, so I took it before Father got injured. What is happening right now?"
The flower before him was floating in the air, releasing some sort of charm as if asking him to come closer and touch him.
"Do you want me to touch you? Can I gain power if I touch you?" The boy muttered as he slowly stepped forward.
He stretched his hand with a bland face. It seemed his soul was already charmed by this flower.
When he was about to touch the flower, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, stopping him from touching the flower.
"Young Man… It"s better for you to not go past this."
The young boy looked at the golden-haired man and snarled. "Shut up. I need power!"
"Why do you need power?" Alex asked. His calm voice tried to soothe the boy"s heart.
"You don"t know anything! Not a single thing. Do you know how harsh it is for my father to be betrayed by my mother as soon as he got injured?" The boy shouted and tried to push his hand to touch the flower, but Alex didn"t budge even an inch. Instead, Alex slapped the flower away.
"What are you doing?!" The kid got even angrier, not realizing Alex just saved his life.
"Listen to me, Kid. I am here because you possess that dangerous flower. Since you are the one who found it, I will grant you one request. Whether you want to be rich or revenge, I shall grant it."
The boy"s body shook as he heard Alex"s words. He needed money the most because he wanted to take his father to a doctor. But words stuck in his mouth. Revenge flashed in his mind, but there seemed to be something he actually wanted from the bottom of his heart. It was the most important thing he held dear, and it was…
"I just want my father to be healthy again," the kid answered from the bottom of his heart. His tears were swelling up in the corner of his eyes.
"Ellas!" Suddenly, a voice resounded in everyone"s ears as they looked at the source, finding a middle-aged man approaching the boy before hugging him. "You silly boy!"
"You are…" Alex looked at the man. He had noticed his presence since long ago but didn"t realize his ident.i.ty until he recalled what the kid wished again.
He took another look at the man with his Spirit Eyes. There was black energy in the man"s arm and leg, sucking his energy away to the point he was crippled. And yet, this man managed to drag his body to this place. It was quite a surprise.
"Are you his father?"
"Yes. Thank you for stopping my son, Sir." The father nodded.
"Still, your injuries are related to the flower, right?" Alex narrowed his eyes.
The father opened his mouth in surprise, but the one who was shocked the most was Ellas. "What?"
"Since the boy wishes to help you, I will restore your full health while taking the flower into my custody. What do you think?" Alex asked.
The man glanced at him and Ellas before nodding his head. "I understand."
"Father? Is what he said true? Was the flower the one injuring you this whole time? That means… I…" Ellas"s face turned pale.
Just like Alex predicted earlier, the fisherman caught the fishes in the sea, and the flower was somehow stuck on the net before reaching the ocean floor.
At that time, the fisherman immediately threw it away because he thought it was a waste. It was on the sh.o.r.e, and the boy found it. Surprised by the weight of the flower, the boy brought it home and showed it to his mother and father.
And not long after that, his father turned into like this without apparent reason. His mother left their side a few days after because she couldn"t stay with a disabled person because she had a long life to go, leaving only Ellas and his father in the house.
Ellas didn"t know about this and tried to fix anything. Meanwhile, his father also had no reason for saying everything was his fault. After all, his love for his child was immeasurable.
"Looking at your muscle, I can see that you are a strong person.
The father only sighed after Alex found out. "Yes. When Ellas brought the flower home and presented it to me, I was happy. But one night, I found that Ellas acted crazy and saw the flower floating above him. I tried to save him and used my body in exchange… And this is the result."
Alex smiled and nodded. Even the dragon king and Ian slightly nodded their head, showing their respect to this man.
Ellas"s tears flowed down, feeling all the guilt. "Father… I…"
"Silly kid. I only want you to smile forever… How can I bear to see you cry like this? Do you know that the happiest moment in my life is not when I became strong or married your mother, but when you were born into this world?" The guy smiled, weeping Ellas"s tears.
Alex sighed and walked toward him. He gathered enough Spiritual Energy and channeled it inside his body, creating a torrential wave that ripped the sucking force from the flower. "The flower has stayed alive because it keeps sucking your blood. I am taking it out now, so you don"t need to worry about it anymore."
The father felt the warmth of the Spiritual Energy as his power started recovering.
"Thank you, Sir. I think I have recovered my previous strength." The guy kneeled before him. "I don"t know how to repay you for this. I was the mayor"s guard captain but was kicked out after getting inflicted by this, and I have spent all my money. I really can"t pay you for this."
"I have simply fulfilled the wish of the boy. Despite having the chance for riches and revenge, the boy loved you more than anything else. He is a good son."
"Yes, of course. I have never once felt disappointed in my son. He is my pride and joy." The man smiled as big as possible.
Alex waved his hand and grabbed the flower before taking another look with his Spirit Eyes to confirm everything. He found the Divine Energy in this and was satisfied with the result. He threw it inside his Inventory, asking the system to plant it somewhere else.
"Since I have fulfilled his wish, it"s time for me to go." Alex raised the two kneeling men. "You are a good person, and I am sure that your son will have a bright future with you as his father. Hence, I will give you one last thing."
He put a pill inside the boy"s mouth.
The boy didn"t know what it was, but he felt he couldn"t open his eyes. The pill was also trying to expel something from his body as the smelly odor started lingering around the area.
"That is…" Mithra stared at it with amazement. She had experienced it at one time. It was Alex"s gift because she was able to train for seven days straight. She took the pill at the same time and expelled all the impurities in her body, becoming the most stinky girl alive at that time. That was where her teasing came from.
Still, the effect of that pill was extraordinary. His muddy skin got cleared a bit. Because he originally had tanned skin, it remained there, but it looked so smooth like chocolate—brown and sweet.
Mithra was wondering why Alex would give the pill to the boy as an extra reward because she realized that Alex was someone who only traded according to the deal.
"I have something to tell you later." Alex sent a thought transmission to the girl before taking out a water gallon and pouring it to the boy to wash away those filths.
"This…" The father was amazed and had no words to express.
"Rich and revenge can be achieved if you have enough strength. However, you shall never go on the evil path, slaughtering innocent and feeling nothing. With a father like him, I believe you can reach a higher level, so I wish you luck on your journey." Alex said his last piece before flying to the sky again with his companions.
The father and the boy looked at him until they couldn"t see him again before kneeling once again.