Chapter 1156
As Anton journeyed with Bear Hug, he also monitored another local friend. Liberty didn’t move much, but after breaking free from the rock that Liberty had grown into the fir never again remained in a single position for more than a week. Though it might have perhaps been better for its physical growth, being confined clearly wasn’t acceptable for the tree.
It was unclear if Liberty would get along with Bear Hug, but that was only a theoretical possibility as they were quite some distance apart, nearly a quarter of a planet distant with a sea in the way. Not something either of them could feasibly travel, and it would be more meaningful if they did it themselves instead of just being carried around by Anton.
Lacking any sort of central structure, Bear Hug clearly found it difficult to move, but still happily came along with Anton. At the same time, Bear Hug remained in their pond. There was no connection between the two, but the energies shared the same signature.
Anton could almost certainly discern the full nature of the connection if he was willing to probe deeper into his companion’s cultivation, but that would be a bit much. Observing what was displayed externally was one thing, but there was a limit to what made sense. Furthermore, Anton was uncertain if he might cause damage unknowingly. He would be fully confident with a human or even one of the cultivators of Akrys, but with the core of cultivation diverging so far from what he was used to he was cautious about interacting that deeply even aside from privacy concerns.
As far as Anton could tell, Bear Hug did not sleep. He had attempted to ask, but the concept was conflated with rest and cultivation. In short, either Bear Hug could cultivate while sleeping, or simply did not seem to sleep. Obviously Bear Hug was more active during the day when they could photosynthesize, but inactivity at other times wasn’t necessarily the same.
Though Anton had warned of dangers, they were rarely attacked. Anton didn’t completely erase his own presence, as it seemed unfair to anything acting on its instincts if something they picked as prey was suddenly strong. If they were just trying to eat, he couldn’t blame them- though he might have to defend himself.
Some things were willing to attempt to pick off Bear Hug, which likely seemed like a great boon. After all, most things wouldn’t expect even plants with higher natural energy to defend themselves. Algae might seem out of place walking around, but such oddities could be overlooked by those looking for a potential meal.
As they entered a clearing, a meter high creature with a sharp horn on its head charged into Bear Hug. Anton very much wanted to defend his friend, but his experience had told him that Bear Hug could defend themself from such things. And his reactions were fast enough to affect the situation even if it got bad.
Bear Hug turned towards the incoming enemy, but did nothing more. The algae might seem to be standing in shock, but it was simply that moving was a waste of energy. The horn pierced right through their center of mass, and the algae flopped loosely over the beast that impaled them as water splashed everywhere.