Chapter 78 - 78: A different place

Words : 1696 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

After he was done with chasing and taking care of animals, Grey was being led by Jankis back towards the palace and after a few minutes of almost silent walking with Grey always grumbling and mumbling in anger, they were finally back at the palace. They passed by some elves doing menial work pertaining to the palace and they had also passed by the throne room where Grey had almost gotten killed when they finally stood in front of a door that strangely had vines surrounding, curling and beautifying the door. Slowly pushing the door, it opened to reveal a beautiful indoor garden. As Grey stepped into the spacious room, he was immediately struck by the breathtaking beauty of the indoor garden before him. The room was filled with an abundance of natural light, streaming in through the translucent ceiling, casting a warm, ethereal glow over the lush greenery. Meandering pathways, crafted from polished stone, guided him through the space, inviting exploration and discovery. Towering trees, their trunks sturdy and strong, stretched toward the ceiling, their leafy canopies a vibrant tapestry of greens. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the gentle rustle of leaves. Grey wandered along the winding paths, taking in the exotic plants and flowers from around the world. Delicate orchids, velvety roses, and sun-kissed succulents all thrived in this controlled environment. A tranquil water feature, a small pond with a gentle fountain, added a soothing background melody, creating a sense of calm and relaxation. As he walked, the gentle burble of water, the soft chirping of birds, and the warmth of the space all blended together to create an atmosphere of peaceful serenity. Grey felt his worries and concerns slowly unraveling, like the tender shoots of a newly sprouted plant. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Walking around, he was struck with awe as he could see different colours of plants and flowers giving the room a beautiful and serene environment. While in the middle of the room, a big tree lay with its leaves blooming beautifully and lush green leaves. Then by the sides, were pots of small branches implanted into a soil in the pots. Grey counted around seven pots all surrounding the tree with long thin branches in them and looking as if they were almost dead. "What are we doing here?" Grey asked with a sigh. "Am I going to become plant caretakers too?" "Something like that." Jankis replied. 'Yeah figured. I wonder how my life became this messed up.' Grey thought as he slapped his forehead loudly. 'I was supposed to become the greatest mage to ever walk the Earth but I'm reduced to nature caretakers here. What a joke!' "Your duty here is to take care of those branches in the pots surrounding that big tree there." Jankis pointed out and Grey raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Take care of the branches? Aren't they basically dead already? How on Earth am I supposed to take care of dead twigs?" Grey shouted out and old man Jankis just chuckled. "They are dead, I know. And that is where you come in, you are to bring them to life." Old man Jankis smiled. "Bring them to life? Are you kidding me? I might be a mage and a strong one at that, it doesn't mean I can bring or resurrect dead things! Have you all gone senile here?!" Grey retorted angrily. "I don't know, figure that out. Your time starts now." Old man Jankis said as he walked back to the corner of the room to watch Grey. "Okay that checks it! The elves here are all crazy, especially their strange leader." He mumbled as he walked towards the big tree. And just so you know," Jankis added with a smirk, "if you don't revive at least one branch today, Lady Charla will handle your punishment." "What?! Punishment from that frowny female elf?! How cruel can you all be darn it?!" Grey said and Jankis just chuckled again while Grey walked forward towards one of the pots. 'What can I do now? Where do I start from? None of my powers are able to do what they expect from me.' he thought as he touched one of the pots expecting something to happen but unfortunately, nothing did. "Tch!" He scoffed as he grabbed the branch again expecting something to happen but nothing did. 'Please, something should happen! Anything.' Grey pleaded in his mind as he held the branch but nothing happened. "Curses!" He shouted and a chuckle was heard again but this one wasn't from old man Jankis, it came from inside Grey's mind as Noir was laughing out loud in his mind seeing how hopeless Grey was. "You can't just hold onto it and expect something to happen, you foolish human." Noir said in his mind, still laughing. "You know, the day you actually become helpful rather than being a laughing spectator, I would listen to your words or advice you silly wolf familiar." Grey retorted back. "Now! What can I do about this?" He wondered. That was when Grey heard a sharp sound heading for his way. The sound was as sharp as a wind strike and that was how he was able to hear it as he quickly jumped away and lifted a piece of Earth to shield him but the wall shattered into a dozen pieces while the strike grazed him slightly on the arm drawing blood. "Hmph! You have sharp reflexes and senses." Jankis said. "What are you doing you senile old elf? Are you trying to kill me?" Grey shouted in anger. "No! I'm trying to help you." Jankis said as he pointed behind Grey and he slowly turned around to see his blood dripping on the branch and the curved branch stood upright slightly. "Huh?!" He said in surprise as he forgot all about the attack and walked forward a little bit to observe the branch. "It stood upright? But how? Is it my blood?" He wondered and then he squeezed his grazed arm on the branch but nothing happened as it didn't move an inch which made Grey confused. "Huh? I thought it was my blood. But it's my blood that made it stand upright right? So why isn't it reacting now? What is different now?" He wondered again as he stood up to think and reflect back to the circumstances that drew his blood. 'When I was attacked, I instinctively raised an Earth wall to shield myself but it shattered and my blood was drawn and dropped onto the branch. So what was the difference there?' he thought as he paced around the pot while Jankis kept observing him. 'I thought he was a smart kid and he picks up on things quickly seeing his performance in the forest. But him taking so long to figure this out means I was wrong.' Jankis sighed and then he saw Grey kneel in front of the pot. 'I know! Anytime I'm about to unleash my powers or magic, I always feel my mana circulating around me thereby drawing upon my magic. When I was attacked, I instinctively raised an Earth wall but it shattered and drew my blood but there was one thing, when it drew my blood, mana was still running through my body ready for an attack. Which means…' he thought as he smiled and then placed his hands on the branch with his eyes closed. "I haven't done this before, but there is a first for everything." He mumbled as he concentrated hard drawing his mana circulating around his body towards his hand and it began glowing soft white which made Jankis raise an eyebrow then a smile played on his lips. 'He figured it out! Even among the most talented elves, it always takes around a day or so before they can figure it out. Maybe it was because I interfered but he still managed to figure it out on his own so it's a win.' Old man Jankis thought. 'Shit! My mana is draining rapidly.' Grey thought in his mind as he focused hard while the branch was glowing soft white and it began to stand upright while looking slightly fresh and a little bit fat. This kept going for about ten minutes before Grey collapsed on the ground panting hard with his heart heaving in and out while he looked at the branch that was now standing fully upright and looking almost like a tree with a single branch on it and a leaf on it. The tree was looking vastly different from what it used to look like. Earlier the branch was looking like a dead dark brown twig that looked like it was going to snap at any moment but now, it was looking fresh with its colour now bright brown and lush looking with a single branch and a single leaf on it. Staring at it, Grey sighed. "Darn! My mana has totally been depleted. But this is impressive I must say, I managed to breathe life into the dead." He chuckled slightly and then he felt the mana moving towards him from the air pulling towards him. "Huh? That is weird. Usually I'm the one who meditates and forces the mana from the world to my core but now it's moving voluntarily towards me? But it still feels blocked, unable to access my core." He mumbled and then he quickly stood upright and sat cross legged with his eyes closed and immediately entered the meditating zone. Right on cue, the mana from the world rushed towards his core and began replenishing it and in less than a minute, Grey was brimming with mana again. 'And that was oldly quick! Usually it takes around five to seven minutes to replenish my core but now… this place is truly different. Oh well, back to work then.' Grey thought and turned towards the fresh looking branch.

Chapter 78 - 78: A different place

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