Aethelgard: The Survival Game (Chloe) novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99 Withered Soil and Dried Branches

Since she was already here, Chloe figured she might as well settle in.

When she got the planting quest, Chloe wasn’t as reluctant as she’d expected.

Plus, she was curious about what kind of reward the Juvenile Wishfish would give her.

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Just as Chloe was thinking about it, she saw the Juvenile Wishfish floating above her territory flicker with mottled green lights.

Countless specks of light gathered together, and for a moment, Chloe could almost hear the Juvenile Wishfish’s soft, low hum.

This corrupted, Legendary creature-one said to exist only in stories-disintegrated into stardust, converging into a mysterious star-shaped cluster.

Then, it descended into Chloe’s territory.

The notification read: [Congratulations, Player. You’ve received a special blessing: the Juvenile Wishfish’s Blessing of Life.

[You’ve also unlocked a companion reward: the Juvenile Wishfish Juvenile Egg.

[Juvenile Wishfish’s Blessing of Life: A solitary Juvenile Wishfish, wandering the abyss, yearns for peace, for nature, and for its own kind.

[It places its hope in you, granting you its blessing, and wishes your territory will flourish with the power of

life.

[Blessing Effect: With the Juvenile Wishfish’s Blessing of Life, whenever you successfully grow high-quality, high-vitality crops in your territory, there’s a chance to obtain Primordial Essence.

[This can be used to purify Corruption, restore withered stats, and rejuvenate withered soil.

[Companion Reward-Juvenile Wishfish Juvenile Egg: Contains the spirit and life force of a young Juvenile Wishfish. If your environment reaches high quality and high purification rating, there’s a very rare chance it will hatch.

[Quality: Special.]

As the Juvenile Wishfish faded into the air, its light briefly scattered the mist, and stardust seemed to fall from the darkness, as if the night itself was shedding its stars-the scene was truly awe-inspiring.

Chloe stared at the withered branch and the strange patch of soil that had appeared in her territory, completely stunned and at a loss for words.

The notification read: [Unknown Withered Branch

[Current Health: 2% (Near Death)

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Aethelgard: The Survival Game

[Unknown Withered Soil

[Current Health: 1% (Near Death)]

:

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This time, the reward didn’t go into her System Panel. Instead, it appeared directly in her territory.

As if it instinctively sought out the spot with the strongest life force and vitality, the patch of soil was placed in the nearest small open space next to the Arcane Soil Purifier.

It settled right in the gap between the Fire Element soil and the Purifier.

Chloe walked over, and at first glance, she thought some scraggly branches or weeds had suddenly sprouted in her territory.

The withered branch reached up to her calf, covered in dry, knobby lumps, completely devoid of moisture, as if it had been dead for years.

And the yellow soil beneath the branch was so visibly corrupted that even without the Flora Whisperer’s Cap, Chloe could see the contamination with her naked eye.

It looked as if someone had poured sticky, oily petroleum all over the ground.

A faint, foul stench lingered in the air.

Just a quick look, and Chloe thought the patch of soil and the little branch might as well be dead.

Chloe had thought this special Lord quest was like winning the lottery, but after seeing the soil and branch only had 1% and 2% Health, that hope disappeared real quick.

When the Fleece-Grass nearby saw the withered branch and the foul-smelling soil, it started shaking its leaves like it was silently freaking out.

It instantly turned and tossed a small Fireball right at the little branch.

If Chloe hadn’t reacted quickly and doused it with Aqua Sphere, no one knew what kind of disaster might have happened.

Right now, that little branch was her last hope-her only shot at survival.

Chloe didn’t doubt the power of the curse, not even for a moment.

Chloe was sure that if the branch and soil got destroyed-even if she had no clue how the Juvenile Wishfish would pull it off-her whole territory would be wiped out for sure.

Chloe hurried over, and as soon as she got close, she understood why the Fleece-Grass had freaked out.

The withered soil reeked so badly it was almost unbearable, and the black Corruption slithered across its surface, making her stomach turn just from looking at it.

As for the withered branch, it looked like bugs had chewed it hollow, and the Corruption had sunk deep into the wood, spreading like rot beneath the bark.

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‘Can this thing even survive?’ Chloe thought.

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She let out a deep breath, thinking to herself, “These so-called quests are nothing but a nightmare. Whether it’s stealing Shana’s core knowledge or trying to revive this branch in the Lord quest.

‘They’re all a total rip-off. And the rewards? You never know what you’ll get.’

Chloe pinched her nose, feeling the stench, and walked over to the Fleece-Grass. “Don’t burn it. Actually, you need to protect it.

“Every time you help protect it, I’ll toss in some extra Vitality Fuel to make the soil purify faster.

“Look at it doesn’t it remind you of your own withered kin, corrupted and eroded just like your kind? Give it a chance, alright?”

As an Epic creature, the Mutated Fleece-Grass was actually pretty smart for a plant.

By nature, it was terrified of Corruption-especially when it came across something this heavily tainted, which to its eyes was basically a zombie plant, enough to make its roots shiver in fear.

Chloe spoke softly, reassuring the Fleece-Grass. “I promise, I’ll work hard to give you a better environment. I won’t let the Corruption from the soil get anywhere near you, alright?”

The Small Fireball above the Fleece-Grass flickered, uncertain and wavering.

Chloe said, “If you’re okay with it, shake your leaves up and down. If not, shake them side to side and I’ll move the branch and soil farther away.”

The Fleece-Grass hesitated for a moment, then nodded its head.

‘Adorable,’ Chloe thought..

She had to reach out and gently stroke its leaves with her fingers.

Chloe kept watching the withered soil. If things started looking bad, she’d move all her Arcane plants straight

into the Arcane Vault.

As she stood up, Chloe felt totally overwhelmed for a second.

Honestly, compared to the reek of the withered soil and the withered branch, the smell of compost was barely noticeable.

She glanced at her System Panel. Besides the usual territory buildings, Health, and level, there was something

new.

At the very bottom, a colorful blessing appeared in a completely different font color. [Juvenile Wishfish’s Blessing of Life]

Chloe stashed the Juvenile Wishfish egg in the Arcane Vault.

What Chloe really cared about was what the Potential Lord title actually did for her.

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