Chapter 1135: The Flower
Asad then turned to them and, after confirming that they could already move, he decided to bring them to Blue Bubble Shelter first to buy them some clothes and other necessities before traveling back to the Shelter.
The youngest boy clutched the blanket tightly as he spoke softly,
"Thank you... Thank you, Uncle Asad."
Asad’s gaze softened. He wasn’t used to gratitude from a child, but he accepted it...
He wasn’t even here to rescue people in the first place. Yet here, three fragile lives clung to him as their savior. It didn’t feel bad at all.
"You’re welcome... Phoenix Phalanx will pay for this. Every last one of them."
***
After taking care of the three, he sent two skeletons to guard them.
This made them nervous for a bit, but since they promised not to be scared, they soon calmed down and even started touching the skeletons, curious how it was moving...
Meanwhile, Asad was just informed by the Wraith Queen to check some places by himself... Because of that, he had to delay their return first...
Just like that, he continued his exploration. In the armory, he found crates of weapons, rifles, crossbows, and crude explosives. He ordered the Skeleton Kings to carry them out...
"I see... You want to show these to me..." Asad muttered as he saw various items that only Necromancers could handle.
They were cursed equipment!
Cursed Necklace, Cursed Staff, and even Cursed Cloak... They were all here as well.
"Alright, let me take care of them."
Of course, it didn’t end there... There were too many things they could loot here, and the skeletons could take them all away immediately.
Soon, he was inside the laboratories, and he saw the vials of black liquid, labeled with strange codes.
The skeletons were carefully placed in boxes to ensure that they wouldn’t be destroyed. He even took one to appraise them quickly, only to realize that they were plant tonics to grow the Corpse Flower faster.
In the storerooms, he found sacks of grain, barrels of water, and bundles of herbs.
The Mummy Lords were already carrying most of them away, with their bandages wrapping around the supplies like tendrils.
Everywhere he looked, he saw evidence of Phoenix Phalanx’s cruelty.
Torture devices, chains, and journals filled with notes about "subject viability" and "corpse integration."
"Tsk... They’re not humans..."
He soon burned the journals that he found... "No one else will continue this work."
***
Finally, Asad returned to the children.
They were huddled together under the blankets, clutching the chocolate wrappers.
Their eyes were still red from crying, but they looked at him with something new... They were now filled with hope.
He crouched again to check their condition and nodded. "Alright... Stay strong. We’re gonna leave this place now..."
The girl nodded fiercely. "We’ll follow you."
"Please bring us anywhere other than this place. We don’t want to be here anymore!"
"Take us with you..."
Asad smiled as he heard the three.
Soon, their group left, and the three children saw the burning fortress...
As for the field, Asad didn’t destroy them yet, but he left his two Doom Knights to guard this place.
They could summon three Skeleton Knights every day, so within 10 days, they should have a strong force to defend this place from any intruders.
Just like that, with his undead army surrounding him and three children at his side, Asad left the plateau...
***
Meanwhile, back at Eclipse Domain, Anna had just finished her bath when the door to her tower room burst open.
Thud!
Steam still clung to her skin, her hair was still damp and loose, when Jillian barged inside without knocking.
"Anna!" Jillian’s voice was urgent, as always.
"Asad found a bunch of Corpse Flowers. Do you need them?"
Anna froze, clutching her towel tighter. "Jillian..." she sighed, exasperated. "You never knock."
But her irritation faded quickly at the mention of Corpse Flowers. Her eyes widened. "Wait... Corpse Flowers?"
She knew immediately what that meant.
These weren’t ordinary plants. They were cultivated through sacrifice... corpses buried beneath, their essence feeding the roots, and that was a long and difficult process. To create them required cruelty!
’Right... His mission was to strike Phoenix Phalanx’s bases... I guess he found out they’re cultivating these flowers.’
Her first instinct was revulsion.
"It would be better to destroy them," she whispered. "If you knew how they were made..."
Yet she couldn’t dismiss them so easily.
For an alchemist like her, Corpse Flowers were invaluable. Their properties could be harnessed to create medicines, antidotes, and stabilizers. She clenched her fists.
"This is to help Shane," she thought.
Shane was preparing for his expedition, planning to explore the seas in search of lands untouched by the zombie plague.
Anna had heard that he also had found clues or hints on how to stop the virus from spreading further, perhaps even a way to halt it completely.
Already, they had developed treatments that prevented infection from low‑rank zombies. Survivors no longer feared scratches or bites from ordinary undead.
The real danger now came from Zombie Lords... and perhaps Zombie Kings.
If Shane succeeded, humanity might finally have a chance and end this Apocalypse World.
And if she could refine medicines from Corpse Flowers, she could support him even from afar.
Her decision was made...
She turned to Jillian and nodded. "Alright. Tell him I need those flowers."
Jillian grinned, satisfied, and left without another word.
Anna exhaled slowly. That woman was too energetic.
She then glanced at the picture frame on her bedside table.
"Aahh..."
It was Shane’s face!
Jillian had definitely seen it, but she didn’t say anything about it.
Anna’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly locked the door before dressing.
The night passed with restless thoughts because of this!
By morning, she was already moving.
She descended from her room and made her way to the marketplace.
The Eclipse Domain was bustling, survivors trading goods, weapons, and food from Wandering Merchants...
The reason she was here was simple, she needed reagents that would go with the Corpse Flower...
She had to find stabilizers, catalysts, and herbs to balance the Corpse Flower’s volatile properties. Without them, the medicine she envisioned would be too dangerous to use.
"I heard there’s someone selling those things around here..."