Chapter 139: The Golden and Silver Trees

In the potions room, Kael set up his cauldron and lit the flames. He added dew collected on a full moon night to the pot. When the water boiled, he added two spoonfuls of wormwood extract, stirred clockwise six times, then counterclockwise six times. Then he added six drops of earthworm juice, stirring once clockwise and counterclockwise with each drop until the earthworm juice completely dissolved into the liquid. At this point, the mixture turned green, emitting a bitter scent mixed with the fresh aroma of earth. Having reached this step, Kael reduced the heat, then added ten drops of dragon blood in sequence. The liquid turned red, then simmered at low temperature for three days. Three days later, Kael added figs and continued cooking for another day. After stopping the fire and filtering three times to remove impurities, he cooked again, adding seven drops of giant spider venom, stirring clockwise seven times and counterclockwise once. After boiling vigorously for fifteen minutes, he added seven strands of hair graciously contributed by Legolas. This step should originally have used unicorn hair, but since this world had no unicorns, Kael improvised by choosing Elf hair, and unsurprisingly succeeded. He then removed the cauldron from the fire, letting it cool naturally and waiting seven days. On the seventh day, the liquid had become a bright silver fluid like mercury. Thus, the growth potion for catalyzing magical herbs was complete. Kael poured the potion into crystal bottles, filling three bottles completely, which he placed in another empty potion cabinet. Growth potion was a very specialized potion, specifically used to catalyze magical plants. Except for plantation owners who grew potion herbs or herbology masters, most people were unfamiliar with this potion. Kael had only learned how to make this potion after acquiring the knowledge and memories of Professor Sprout, the herbology master. With the potion complete, Kael eagerly took one bottle and left the potions room. He directly left the tower and went outside. The dwarf craftsmen were busily working on building the castle, using various mechanical pulleys with great skill. The foundation outline of a magnificent castle covering the entire mountaintop was gradually taking shape. There was also a dragon who, to save money, was flying back and forth transporting giant stones and timber from distant places, directly saving most of the labor, manpower, and material costs. Kael didn't disturb them and went alone to the garden area that had been designated and divided by the castle designer, Balin. In the center of the garden was an area protected by magic. No one except Kael himself could approach here. This was precisely where the White Tree and mallorn tree seeds were buried. The planting area had been deliberately surrounded by Kael with stone bricks to form flower bed patterns. In the two flower beds spaced one hundred meters apart, two small sprouts that had just broken through the soil emerged. Both sprouts were extraordinary. At first glance, one could sense the tremendous life force contained within them. The golden mallorn sprout reflected golden light in the sunlight, radiating warm energy like a sun tree. The silver-white White Tree sprout emanated a holy, cool aura throughout its body, like a tree from the moon. Looking at the two sprouts, Kael's eyes were full of anticipation. Ever since burying the seeds, Kael had regularly watered them with the stream water given by Lady Galadriel, but the two seeds had been slow to break ground, once making Kael think something had gone wrong. It wasn't until a few days ago when the sprouts emerged that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Kael took out the freshly made growth potion and first dropped one drop on the mallorn sprout. The potion was quickly absorbed by the mallorn sprout, and under Kael's expectant gaze, it began growing at a visible speed. In just a few breaths, it grew from a sprout that had just broken ground into a small tree half a meter tall. One drop of growth potion equaled one month of growth effect. Seeing the mallorn tree could grow so quickly, Kael's eyes lit up, and he immediately dropped ten more drops in succession. Soon, the mallorn tree grew larger and larger, quickly surpassing Kael's height, growing continuously as if time were accelerated. The dwarf craftsmen working nearby were at their tasks when they inadvertently noticed something blocking the sunlight. When they turned to look, they immediately widened their eyes and opened their mouths, their faces full of shock. A tree twenty meters tall had appeared in the garden center and was still growing at a visible speed. The tree was tall, straight, and extraordinarily beautiful, with silver-gray bark and broad fan-shaped leaves like beaten gold, reflecting dazzling golden light in the sunlight. The entire tree was brilliant with golden light, making the dwarves who saw it so amazed they couldn't look away. This tree perfectly matched the dwarves' aesthetic! The eldest, Balin, was equally amazed. With his extensive knowledge, he quickly guessed the tree's species. "This is a mallorn tree from Lórien? It truly lives up to its reputation!" What surprised him even more was that Kael could actually grow a mallorn tree at Weathertop and make it grow so rapidly. But soon, another scene that shocked Balin and the other dwarves appeared. One hundred meters away from the mallorn tree, a silver-white tree was also rapidly emerging and growing taller. The silver-white tree wasn't as straight as the mallorn tree but was graceful like a dragon, with dense leaves of dark green like jade. The undersides of the leaves were bright silver, reflecting a hazy, cool radiance in the daylight, emanating a noble, sacred aura. One golden and one silver tree appeared in the garden, making the surroundings much brighter, and even the air around seemed to become fresher. Kael, who was close by, experienced this even more clearly. Around the twin trees, the magical energy had become much more concentrated. Especially the White Tree's power began influencing the surrounding environment. Wherever it was, everything would flourish. Grass leaves would be lush and evergreen, flowers would bloom perpetually, and bodies would be light and healthy. Kael still had half the growth potion left, but he didn't continue catalyzing the two trees. Growth potion wasn't a cure-all. Over-catalyzing would consume the trees' essence and foundation, which would be counterproductive. Then Kael picked some leaves from both the White Tree and the mallorn tree. The White Tree's leaf juice could heal wounds, alleviate toxicity, and dispel dark magic. The mallorn tree leaves were used by Lórien's Elves to wrap lembas bread, allowing it to be preserved for long periods. Lembas was made from mallorn tree fruit, rich in nutrition, able to nourish the will, replenish energy, and help users recover from injuries faster, and one piece could sustain a full day of travel, truly the "Middle-earth version" of compressed biscuits. So Kael prepared to use the White Tree and mallorn tree leaves as backup potion-making materials. After catalyzing the two trees, Kael didn't leave but rather disgustedly took out a space bag. He cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself to block the smell, then controlled the bag to pour its contents at the roots of both trees. What he poured out was dragon dung fertilizer, the most soil-enriching kind. The Herbology classes at Hogwarts used dragon dung fertilizer to help magical plants grow. Professor Sprout favored this fertilizer. Dragon dung from Smaug naturally had stronger effects than dragon dung from the wizarding world's fire dragons. To make the White Tree and mallorn tree grow better, Kael could only hold his nose and apply dragon dung fertilizer to them. For this, he also had to endure that stupid dragon Smaug's strange looks while specifically designating a toilet area for him. After burying the dragon dung fertilizer at the tree roots and covering it with a layer of soil, Kael quickly left the area and cast several Cleaning Charms on himself but still felt there was a faint odor lingering. Returning to the tower, Kael came to the herb garden on the sixth floor. He first entered the room where Athelas was planted. A warm breeze greeted him, and what met his eyes was a space several times the size of football fields. The ceiling, too high to see, was covered with blue sky and white clouds. Warm sunlight illuminated the space, gentle breezes stirred, creating ripples across the lake surface, and water plants and water lilies swayed continuously. The environment in the space had undergone tremendous changes, becoming vibrant with life. The ground was covered with grass, flowers, and shrubs; butterflies danced among the flowers, and fish could be seen swimming in the lake. The hundred or so Athelas plants growing not far from the lakeside were no longer in the wilted state they'd been in when first planted but had become lush and green, even sprouting new leaves. Kael conjured a watering can, dropped growth potion into it and diluted it with water, then sprinkled it on the Athelas. With the diluted growth potion's irrigation, the Athelas grew rapidly, blooming and producing seeds. When the seeds matured, Kael waved his hand to collect them, then scattered them on the other side and watered them with the can. The seeds quickly broke their shells and sprouted, growing rapidly. In just a short while, the original hundred or so Athelas plants had grown into a field. "With so much Athelas, I won't need to worry about running out of herbs anymore," Kael said with satisfaction. Then he scattered dragon dung fertilizer to help the Athelas grow better. Then he remembered something and waved his wand. "Point Me!" A line of light shot from his wand, going straight toward the hillside on the other side of the lake. Kael walked around the lakeside to the location the spell indicated, stopping right at a plant hidden in the grass. Seeing this, Kael smiled. "So you're hiding here!" He grabbed the plant's head and forcefully pulled it out. What was pulled out was the mandrake he had originally cultivated. After Kael had established the herb garden, he had also planted this mandrake in this room. Seeing it was this human pulling him out again, the mandrake was very angry. He struggled hard, trying to break free from the human's clutches, while emitting deadly cries from his mouth. Kael had already cast a Imperturbable Charm on himself and playfully teased it, ignoring its angry little eyes. After teasing it enough, he directly used a dropper to feed three drops of growth potion into its mouth. The mandrake stopped crying, smacked its lips, felt the taste was good, and looked at him with expectant little eyes. "What a little glutton!" Kael smiled and shook his head, then fed it three more drops of potion before placing it on the ground. As soon as it touched the ground, the mandrake instantly burrowed into the soil with a whoosh, then grew rapidly and bloomed purple flowers. The flowers quickly withered and then produced three orange fruits resembling small apples. When the fruits were nearly ripe, Kael picked them and used a silver knife to cut open the fruits and extract the seeds. Mandrake fruit was also a rare, top-grade potion material. Kael stored the pulp in crystal bottles for preservation, then buried the seeds in the soil and watered them with growth potion. Soon, three new mandrake plants broke through the soil and grew. These three newly born mandrakes were naturally magical plants and didn't need Kael to cultivate them with magic power as he had before. Kael didn't forget to sprinkle dragon dung fertilizer on them to help them grow well. After finishing all this, Kael left the area. The Athelas and mandrakes here were now on track and didn't need his additional attention. Then he went to other rooms, first using growth potion to catalyze plants, then using dragon dung fertilizer to strengthen the soil. By the time he emerged from the herb garden again, Kael had used up all the growth potion and dragon dung fertilizer he'd brought. But the results satisfied him greatly. From now on, he would never lack magical plant herbs and could be completely self-sufficient!