Chapter 508 : Ocean Origin
Chapter 508: Ocean Origin
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh——"
Watching the 【Source Power】 flying chaotically around the room, Hela-Helheim, who had already made preparations, immediately manipulated the shadows to bind them tightly.
"Not bad. This time, we’ve collected a total of forty-seven units of 【Source Power】."
After securing all the 【Source Power】, Hela-Helheim quickly completed the inventory and finally revealed a satisfied expression.
Hearing Hela-Helheim’s words, both Janna and Louis-Tulan couldn’t hide the delight in their eyes.
"There are twenty-one units of 【Ocean Origin】, eleven of 【Magma Origin】, and fifteen of 【Sky Origin】——"
"I only need the 【Magma Origin】. The rest, I can give up—no need for any compensation."
After hearing Hela-Helheim’s tally, the first to speak was Louis-Tulan.
"Oh? Didn’t you previously ask for thirty percent of the total gains? Just the 【Magma Origin】 alone won’t meet your earlier demand."
"Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t really the main force this time anyway—I don’t deserve that much."
When he said this, Louis-Tulan looked somewhat embarrassed. Especially under Hela-Helheim’s half-smiling gaze, he quickly averted his eyes.
"In that case, I’ll only take the 【Sky Origin】 here. I’ll voluntarily give up the rest."
Upon hearing this, Janna—who was waiting for her share of the spoils—looked at Hela-Helheim with slight confusion.
"Are you two sure about this division? The 【Ocean Origin】 here is the main gain this time———"
"Janna, if I recall, the region you selected from 【Falling Star】 includes a large oceanic area, right? These 【Ocean Origin】 will suit you perfectly."
Before Janna could finish, Hela-Helheim interrupted her and handed over the twenty-one 【Ocean Origin】 bound by shadow power.
"The only reason we were able to obtain so much 【Source Power】 this time was entirely thanks to you and your wizard-level contracted partner. So, it’s only right that you take the larger share."
Hearing Hela-Helheim’s words, Janna pursed her lips slightly but didn’t decline further. She decisively stored all the 【Ocean Origin】 into her 【White Tower Ring】.
"Thank you."
With her keen emotional perception, Janna could clearly feel that both Hela-Helheim and Louis-Tulan’s attitudes toward her had changed significantly compared to the beginning.
Originally, the three hadn’t been particularly close. Their decision to team up to explore the 【Black Hole】 was based mainly on mutual recognition of strength—and mutual benefit.
However, after this collaboration, not only had their relationships warmed, but a rare sense of trust had also developed—especially between Hela-Helheim and Louis-Tulan, whose attitudes toward Janna had undergone a complete one-eighty shift.
If before, their understanding of Janna had only come from her performance in the 【Transfiguration Trial】, then after this mission, they now had a much more comprehensive and profound impression of her.
And this recognition was entirely built upon Janna’s own strength and talent.
For the two who deeply understood the “art of investment,” Hela-Helheim and Louis-Tulan willingly gave up part of their own benefits. Though it might seem like they suffered a loss, in truth, they laid a solid foundation for smoother cooperation in the future.
"It’s getting late. Since everything’s done, I should head back."
After speaking, Louis-Tulan was the first to stand up, turning to the other two.
"Alright. It’s been a pleasure working together. Let’s hope our next cooperation will be just as smooth."
Hela-Helheim also stood up as she said this, her gaze resting on Janna. Understanding the subtle meaning behind her words, Janna smiled and nodded politely.
"I’m looking forward to our next collaboration as well."
"Miss Janna, are you alright? You don’t look too well right now."
As Janna returned from the meditation zone on the forty-third floor of the White Tower to her dormitory on the third floor, she had barely stepped out of the magical teleportation gate when the Door Spirit greeted her with concern.
"I’m fine. Just a bit of mana exhaustion. Some rest will do."
Saying so, the completely exhausted Janna pushed open her dormitory door and quickly stepped inside.
"Finally, it’s over."
The first thing Janna did after entering her dorm wasn’t to check her spoils, but—after removing her wizard robe—
she flopped down onto her bed.
"Fortunately, this mission didn’t take too long. All in all, it only took less than twelve hours."
Because time flowed differently inside the 【Black Hole】 than in the outside world, Janna had only spent about an hour in the 【Water Elemental Plane】—while only a few minutes passed outside.
Moreover, since the 【Black Hole】 phenomenon had ended earlier than expected, by the time Janna returned to her dormitory, the mechanical clock on the wall had just struck eleven in the morning.
"Before anything else, I should eat first."
Even though she was mentally exhausted, after over ten hours without food, Janna inevitably felt hungry.
Before entering deep meditation, she took a ham sandwich she had prepared earlier from the refrigerator, paired it with a chilled cup of black coffee, and quickly finished her lunch.
Then, Janna stepped into the washroom and turned on the alchemical bathtub. After filling it with hot water, she wrapped her hair in a towel and slowly sank into the tub.
"Let’s meditate in the bathtub today—"
Hoo——inhale——hoo——exhale——
Accompanied by the rising steam within the bath, Janna entered a deep meditative state with a calm rhythm of breath.
By the time the sun dipped low and dusk cast a faint golden glow across the room, Janna had been meditating for nearly seven hours. She finally stood up from the temperature-regulated alchemical bath, wrapped herself in a towel, and left the washroom.
"Didn’t expect I’d meditate for that long without realizing it."
After casting the 【Cleaning Spell】 to dry all the water droplets from her body, Janna took off the towel and changed into a silk nightgown.
"If it were an ordinary person, soaking in hot water for so long would’ve wrinkled their skin."
Looking at her still smooth and rosy skin, Janna stretched lazily, her body and spirit fully restored to their peak state.
As a Plant-type Apprentice with high Constitution attributes, even soaking in water for dozens of hours wouldn’t cause her the slightest discomfort.