Jenkins shrugged. "It doesn't matter. While I've always respected won and believe in 'ladies first,' I think I should go ahead in this situation."
As he spoke, Miss Miller, positioned so that only he could see, pointed to her left, drew three circles in the air, and then held up the number one.
"Mr. Pollo..."
It took Jenkins several seconds to realize that Miss Stuart was calling his na.
"It's alright. We ca to rescue you, so we certainly can't let you take the risk."
He touched his nose to hide the discomfort on his face, disgusted by his own words.
"I choose that pot. Yes, the first one in the third outer ring on the left. Could you get it for ?"
The old man shifted the angle of his oil lamp but didn't move his feet, rely focusing the light on the flowerpot Jenkins had chosen.
"Is that alright?"
he asked again.
The old man just stared at him, his gaze so intense that a chill ran down Jenkins's spine.
"This Mysterious Realm isn't that simple," Miss Miller warned. "I'm afraid it involves so combat."
Jenkins was starting to understand. He guessed that while the plants closer to the center grew more readily with blood, retrieving them ant enduring attacks from the outer plants, which were not as easy to grow.
If this were the material world, he had plenty of ways to kill these bizarre things, but the rule here was that each ability could only be used once. And besides...
He glanced over at Miss Stuart, who stood worriedly behind Miss Miller like a frightened little animal.
"I also have to be wary of her. I have no idea who she is, so I need to be careful... No, wait. My abilities aren't all I have."
With a flash of insight, brilliant flas instantly erupted, enveloping his right arm.
He slowly leaned out to grab the pot Miss Miller had indicated, and just as expected, the surrounding plants sprang to life. Green vines shot out from the soil, slithering toward Jenkins like snakes. Fine powder sprayed from the plants, diffusing into the air. Leaves launched out like throwing knives, and so plants even climbed right out of their pots, pouncing at him like mutated green animals.
But a plant's fear of fire isn't a trait that's easily changed. The flas rising around his arm easily repelled the first wave of attacks. The mont his right hand grasped the flowerpot, only a few fine particles had managed to settle on his clothes.
He gripped the pot and pulled back quickly. With a soft whoosh, a black vine shot out from the left, instantly broke through the flas, and wrapped around his arm.
He frowned, then swung his left fist and struck the vine. Frost rapidly spread out from the point of impact. The pulling force on his right arm lessened slightly, and with a sudden tug, he finally pulled the strange potted plant free.
"Stay back!"
he told the two ladies, frowning as he watched the sleeve on his right arm corrode. It seed Magic Miss had truly perfected "projection." He just wondered if the actual garnt would be in the sa corroded state when he returned to Nolan.
He deftly took a small knife from his pocket with his left hand, cut off the section of sleeve, and dropped it to the ground. After a series of hissing sounds, it quickly corroded into a puddle of yellowish-brown bubbles.
"Are you alright?"
Miss Miller asked.
"I'm fine. You two should be careful as well. It's best to hold your breath; that invisible powder is potent."
The flower Jenkins had chosen at least resembled a flower, unlike the other bizarre plants. However, its stem, leaves, and petals were all an icy blue, and the hand holding the pot could easily feel the chill emanating from it.
Speaking of the chill, the temperature here seed to be dropping.
"This looks like a Frost-Proof Flower. If you drop its petals into water, it can keep a large body of water from freezing for two years. But it doesn't seem like the type that needs blood to grow."
Miss Stuart said uncertainly.
"It is a Frost-Proof Flower. This must be a special rule of this Mysterious Realm."
Miss Miller affird, nodding at Jenkins. He cautiously knelt and placed the pot on the ground. After glancing up at the old man lighting his way with the oil lamp, he positioned his now completely bare right arm over the flowerpot.
Avoiding the artery, he used the sa small knife to make a shallow cut on his arm. Blood quickly seeped from the fair skin.
The mont the first drop of blood landed on a closed bud, the entire plant began to tremble. A few seconds later, before the second drop could fall, the plant slowly grew a couple of inches taller. Nine buds blood simultaneously, revealing their strange, icy-blue flowers to the three of them.
The flowers were rhombus-shaped, and upon closer inspection, one could see transparent, light-blue veins transporting a pale red nutrient within the petals.
"That simple?"
This was completely different from what Jenkins had guessed. He'd originally thought that getting both pots would cost him at least half his life.
He turned his head and saw the sa confusion on Miss Miller's face.
"Perhaps the difficult part was just getting the flowers."
Miss Stuart guessed cautiously.
"Impossible. That would go against the very purpose of a Mysterious Realm."
Miss Miller shook her head, then asked the old man, "Is this all that's required?"
"Yes."
The aged voice was exceptionally deep.
"Should we put it back?"
"It belongs to you."
Jenkins understood again: high risk ant high reward. The great danger of this Mysterious Realm ant the rewards were also greater.
It was Miss Miller's turn. Without asking any more questions, she copied Jenkins and reached her right hand toward the round table.
Her movents were much cleaner. Intricate characters swirled around her arm, and none of the attacks landed on her.
"Eversleep Herb, the main ingredient in a powerful soporific. If ingested raw, it's equivalent to a common sleeping pill and was often used as an anesthetic in ancient tis."
She gave a simple introduction, then took Jenkins's small knife and made a light cut on her fair wrist. The blood dripped, but the plant showed no change.
"Hmph. Just as I thought."
She glanced at Jenkins. Both of them rembered the imnse life force his body had absorbed back at the Pounton Winery. That was likely the reason his blood was so effective.
She pressed down hard on her wrist, squeezing out more blood. The process didn't last long. When a green sprout broke through the soil and began to grow vigorously, her face showed no signs of discomfort.
After standing up, she tore a strip of cloth from her clothes and pressed it against the wound to stop the bleeding. Then, they both looked toward Miss Stuart.
She nodded, knowing that they had already tested the waters for her, and that was the most they could do. She didn't expect them to risk themselves to retrieve a flowerpot for her.
Though she was a princess, she was also a capable Benefactor.
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