The instant the black flower caught his eye, Leon's eyes widened, and even his breathing grew noticeably quicker.
"No wonder this is where the Bone Demon slumbers..." Leon flipped himself into the pit, ignoring the suffocating stench all around. He crouched before the black flower, using the priceless Soulbound Staff to gently dig around its edges.
Leon moved with painstaking care, extracting only a tiny bit of earth with each dig. One minute passed, then two, then three... ten minutes went by, and it looked as if he had made no progress at all. Yet his face showed no hint of impatience—he remained focused, slow, and meticulous.
Because Leon knew this was the Obsidian Bloom, the legendary Source of All Evil. Even the slightest damage would be a loss too great to bear.
Even in the golden age of magic, few master mages had ever seen a living Obsidian Bloom. Born from the resentment of countless undead, it represented the vilest evil in existence. Each petal contained a poison for which there was no cure—a mere touch could kill a Magus instantly.
Moreover, it was said that anyone killed by the Obsidian Bloom's poison would have their soul trapped forever, condemned to eternal pain and torment.
Yet the fruit that blossoms from the Obsidian Bloom is among the most precious magical materials in existence. It produces three kinds of fruit, each capable of miracles in alchemy.
Leon recalled that, about five hundred years from now, a luckless craftsman named Lawrence would lose everything at the Stormsea market—left with only a hundred gold coins. Lawrence spent them all on a shriveled fruit, and at the time, everyone thought he was finished.
But no one expected that, just a year later, Lawrence would use that shriveled fruit to craft his first true Magic Relic, earning his place among the Worldshapers.
Only then did people realize that the shriveled fruit Lawrence bought for a hundred gold coins was the Heart of Radiance—one of the three miraculous fruits borne by the Obsidian Bloom after it flowers.
This is the alchemical miracle born of the Obsidian Bloom...
It let a desperate craftsman ascend to the ranks of Worldshapers in a single leap.
It took Leon thirty minutes to excavate the Obsidian Bloom. He dared not touch it with his bare hands—only after pulling out a pair of gloves woven from mythril thread did he reach out and uproot the entire flower. As its long roots left the earth, a chilling wind swept through, and countless vengeful spirits rose from the pit, wailing in the sky. In that moment, the world became savage and sinister.
Leon knew these were the resentful spirits born from the Obsidian Bloom itself.
He didn't panic. A Mindguard spell came first, followed by a banishment of evil.
In an instant, the cold wind ceased, the spirits dispersed, and the world was quiet once more.
After finishing all this, Leon gripped the Obsidian Bloom in one hand and the Soulbound Staff in the other, climbing out along the edge of the pit.
It was time to head back...
As he climbed out of the pit, Leon cast one last look at the black wasteland.
Then, Leon noticed something strange...
"So many Skeleton Warriors?"
It was strange—after the Bone Demon, master of the black wasteland, died, the number of Skeleton Warriors here hadn't decreased. In fact, more had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
Seeing these thriving Skeleton Warriors, Leon's eyes lit up.
Originally, Leon had planned to take the Alchemical Golem back to Northend for repairs. But with such an abundance of Skeleton Warriors, he couldn't resist—leaving them unharvested felt like a waste of this fertile black wasteland...
After a moment's thought, Leon issued two new commands to the Alchemical Golem.
One: hunt nearby. Two: collect Necrotic Essence.
For the Skeleton Warriors of the black wasteland, these two orders were nothing short of a nightmare...
Of course, none of this had much to do with Leon anymore. After setting the Alchemical Golem's tasks for the next month, he brushed the dirt off his robe and began reciting the incantation to open the Plane Path.
Next time he returned to the Undead Plane, he'd begin mining the Nether Iron Vein—and search for the shortcut to the Death Tome.
After a brief spatial distortion, Leon was back in Northend. This time, instead of counting his spoils in the secret chamber, he hurried to the garden and planted the Obsidian Bloom.
And then—the entire garden was doomed...
There's a reason the Obsidian Bloom is called the Source of All Evil. Its toxicity is enough to kill a Magus instantly—how could a tiny garden withstand such devastation? The moment it was planted, the garden underwent a drastic transformation: trees withered, flowers wilted, and within moments, every plant was dead.
For a moment, even Leon was at a loss.
After much thought, all Leon could do was inscribe two Alchemical Arrays at the garden entrance to contain the toxins, and warn the household staff to stay away. Only then did he breathe a little easier, though he knew this was just a temporary fix. For now, it might hold, but once the Obsidian Bloom fully flowers and bears fruit, those arrays wouldn't be enough. Then, his only option would be to evacuate everyone.
But until he found a better solution, this stopgap was all he had.
Of course, if he got lucky and found a Parasitic Tree, things would be much simpler.
Plant a Parasitic Tree alongside the Obsidian Bloom, and not only would it absorb the toxins, but the Bloom would bear twice as many fruits!
"Looks like I need to find a chance to explore the Dark Highlands..." Leon muttered, rubbing his nose. He returned to his study and began tallying up his haul.
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Next chapter coming before midnight!