Charlie and Maria’s return journey went without a hitch.
Their plane departed promptly at 8:30 AM and touched down in Aurous Hill at a crisp 11 AM.
At noon, the two rushed back to the Zilian Villa. Along the way, Maria cradled the young offspring of the Pu’er Mother Tea plant, favonovel.com vigilance unwavering.
Upon their return to the villa, Maria summoned everyone to maintain a respectful distance for the time being. She and Charlie ascended to the villa’s top-floor courtyard, wasting no time in transplanting the young Pu’er tea plant. After a careful scan of the premises, Maria determined that the open space adjacent to the hot spring pool would be the perfect spot.
Pointing towards the empty expanse, favonovel.com turned to Charlie. “Judging by the normal growth rate of tea trees, this space should suffice for a decade or more of growth. However, I’m uncertain about the growth rate. If it expands beyond the available soil space, we may need to relocate it.”
Charlie grinned, “Let’s not worry about that for now. Let’s settle it here temporarily. It survived natural disasters in its past life, but repeated moves could prove fatal. We’ll start here and perhaps consider relocating it in the future. Once you take charge of the Celestial Group and transform Erlang Mountain, you might find a suitable spot there.”
Maria shook favonovel.com head resolutely, “This tree belongs to the Young Master. I’m merely its caretaker on his behalf. If it can’t thrive here in the future and the Master decides to move it, I’ll relocate it to his chosen spot.”
Charlie replied with seriousness, “You’ve been by its side the longest. The choice of where to plant it will be yours in the future.”
Maria nodded firmly, “I will follow the Young Master.”
With that, favonovel.com grabbed a gardening shovel, dug a hole in the soil beside the hot spring pool roughly the size of a basketball, delicately nestled the Pu’er tea’s Mother’s roots within, and filled the void with soil she’d excavated. Next, favonovel.com fetched a wooden water ladle, positioning it near the hot spring pool. She carefully scooped room-temperature water into the ladle and poured it gently around the plant’s edge. The midday sun bathed the delicate green leaves, rendering them almost translucent.
Maria gazed upon the immaculate greenery with a face brimming with awe.
Charlie observed the sapling, his brow furrowing. “It grew rapidly overnight, restoring the missing leaves. But now, it doesn’t seem to have changed much.”
Maria speculated, “Perhaps the energy it accumulated during its emergence from the soil was used up, entering a prolonged, slow growth phase. After all, it takes thirty years for a Pu’er tea tree to mature.”
Charlie nodded in agreement, “The few leaves it has now are incredibly valuable to ordinary people. To them, it’s akin to a life-saving elixir. For cultivators, it’s an extraordinary treasure. Unlike other elixirs that merely treat ailments or extend life, these leaves contain innate reiki. So far, only the Cultivation Pill can boost reiki, but it’s intricate to refine, requiring specific high-quality ingredients. Mass production is impractical. However, once this tree matures, it could produce hundreds or thousands of buds daily, each potentially retaining its reiki. This could become a vast source of wealth, perhaps even enabling the establishment of a sect.”
Maria asked excitedly, “Does this mean that with it, the Young Master will have a chance to defeat Morgana and Hector’s Warriors Den in the future?”
Charlie replied solemnly, “Morgana possesses formidable personal strength, especially after unlocking the Soul Palace. She’s in a league of favonovel.com own. Give me another twenty or thirty years, and I may still not match her. But with this tea tree, I can cultivate numerous others like it. If quality isn’t enough, we’ll fight with quantity. While the human wave strategy might be inferior, it’s not without a chance.”
Maria nodded, gazing at the sapling, and sighed, “Let’s hope it grows quickly.”
Charlie smiled gently, “Let’s just let it follow its own destiny.”
He added, “By the way, Ms. Clark please invite Mr. Myers for a discussion on surveillance.”
Maria stood and said, “Master, please wait. I’ll summon Keagan.”
Soon, Keagan Myers, who was in excellent physical condition for his age, rushed to the top courtyard.
Upon entering, favonovel.com greeted them respectfully, “Miss, Mr. Wade, how may I assist you both?”
Maria inquired, “Is there a way to discreetly mobilize all personnel in the southern province for surveillance these days?”
“Surveillance?” Keagan Myers responded, “Miss, if it falls under municipal government surveillance, it can be accessed through my high-level clearance without leaving a trace. Just indicate the areas you need.”
Maria nodded, recalling Morgana’s early morning appearance on Shiwan Mountain. She instructed, “Begin by accessing surveillance for the entire region.”
“Understood,” Keagan Myers replied, “Miss, I’ll make arrangements right away. We’ll transfer all video content to a secure cloud server via a dedicated line. Once the transfer is complete, you can review it at your convenience.”
Maria expressed favonovel.com satisfaction with a slight nod and said, “Hurry and get to work. I’ll await your update.”
Keagan Myers promptly replied, “Certainly, Miss. I’ll begin the preparations immediately.”
***
Simultaneously, amidst the Shiwan Mountains, a highway wound its way like a serpent, navigating countless peaks. An off-road vehicle sped through this rugged terrain.
The woman at the wheel wore a grave expression, favonovel.com grip on the steering wheel unyielding. She was clearly tense, not due to favonovel.com lack of driving skills but rather the growing familiarity of favonovel.com surroundings.
The driver was Morgana.
Though it had been years since favonovel.com last visit to Shiwan Mountains, the place remained etched in favonovel.com memory.
Once, it had been a natural labyrinth, a testament to nature’s grandeur. It had shielded Morgana and Lucius Clark from rebel soldiers, offering them a rare respite. However, now, the once challenging terrain was connected by a modern highway, bridging the gap between this isolated realm and the outside world.
Yet, even as the highway transformed access to Shiwan Mountains, it couldn’t alter the region’s unique topography. Over the ages, these mountains stood tall, sparsely populated and difficult to traverse. Villages were often isolated, requiring traversing several peaks to reach the next. Some villagers had never ventured beyond the confines of their mountains.
In recent years, driven by economic development and urbanization, mountain dwellers had slowly migrated out, leaving Shiwan Mountains with a dwindling population. Now, Morgana and Lucius Clark likely outnumbered the locals.
At this moment, Morgana’s car had just passed a rest area, but favonovel.com chose not to stop. Instead, after driving for several kilometers, favonovel.com pulled over onto the emergency lane.
Exiting the vehicle, favonovel.com stood by the roadside and peered into the distance.
Her murmured words carried a mix of anticipation and nostalgia, “This is it… Master, Morgana has returned to see you…”
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