Grace: "Hmm... This looks kind of familiar."
It kind of looks like a sensitive plant. But the veins in the middle of the leaves are all purplish red.
With Grandpa Gene's comment, Grace felt even more certain she'd seen it somewhere before...
"...This one's impressive." Grandpa Gene the High Saint suddenly spotted a knee-high shrub. "This is called the Tree of Destiny!"
There were some fruits on the tree, some red and round.
Others were black and flat.
"Oh? What's so special about it?" Grace asked.
"It's called the Tree of Destiny because it can influence the fetal aura of an unborn child! Just like the Reincarnation Disc in the Netherworld, it can determine the child's magical lineage."
"No way! That's really magical!" Grace gasped.
"Of course, if both parents are human, you can't just eat this and expect to give birth to something else. It's not that magical."
Grace asked, "So how does it work?"
"It's mainly for couples of different magical races. Like, if a human and an immortal, or an immortal and a god get together." Grandpa Gene explained. "For example, if I married Old Eagle, would our kid be a Goldenreed or a Red-crowned Eagle?"
"Oh... I get it now!"
"See, there are two kinds of fruit on this tree. If a pregnant woman eats the round fruit, the child's aura follows the father's. If she eats the flat fruit, it follows the mother."
"So that's how it works! The world really is full of wonders..." Grace sighed.
"You bet! Lots of people come looking for Fruit of Destiny, but it's super rare. There aren't many trees like this in all of Drake Abyss..."
Grace studied the little tree in front of her, carefully sketching it and noting down its effects.
But as she drew, she suddenly stopped.
She abruptly picked both kinds of fruit and tasted each one.
Then, she made sure to taste the flat Mother's Seed.
This taste... Yes, that's it!
Even though she'd eaten it in her previous life, there was no way she'd ever forget such a unique flavor!
"Grandpa Gene!" Grace suddenly called out.
"Hmm?"
"That Dragon's Breath Herb you mentioned earlier—does it only react to humans?"
"Nope. But if any creature with dragon aura gets close, its leaves open up—just like what you see now."
"I get it now!" Grace suddenly exclaimed.
"What did you figure out?" Grandpa Gene the High Saint asked.
"I want to go to the Celestial Palace right now," Grace said.
"Huh? Well, go ahead then."
"Excuse me, I'll come back later to ask for your advice." With that, Grace summoned Big Scarlet, hopped on, and headed straight for Evan Xiao's Radiant Dawn Palace.
But Evan Xiao wasn't there.
Instead, she ran into Rosalind, the gentle maid who'd passed messages for her last time.
"It's you?" Rosalind said as soon as she saw Grace. "Why are you here again?"
"Is the Crown Prince in? I need to speak with him."
Rosalind shook her head.
"He's not?"
"He is, but he can't see visitors right now," Rosalind replied.
"What's he doing?" Grace wondered. Surely he's not taking a bath or something?
"What the Crown Prince is up to isn't for us dragon attendants to say." Rosalind frowned. "Miss, please leave."
"...Then when will he be available? I can wait for him," Grace asked.
"Without the Crown Prince's permission, you can't wait here," Rosalind said coolly. "Please leave."