Chapter 318: Mouse-Ear Fruit Seeds
"Damn."
Whatever. Marcus was Alana’s master, and Alana was his servant. How could a servant resist her master? That made no sense at all.
Besides, he did not believe the beauty in his arms, his Alana, would truly resist him. Resist the master who cherished her, who cared for her, who wanted her.
Intimacy Level below one hundred? That was fine. He could board the train first and buy the ticket later. As long as they became closer, the Intimacy Level would naturally rise to one hundred.
"Alana."
"I want you."
His voice was firm, leaving no room for hesitation. He ignored any resistance she might have had, holding her tighter, pulling her closer, his grip becoming more possessive.
"Master..."
Hearing the resolve in his voice, Alana, already overwhelmed by emotion, almost lost control. Her heart pounded wildly as she clung to his neck, her feelings surging beyond restraint.
"Master, Alana is your servant. Alana belongs to you. No matter what, Alana will obey. Alana wants to become your woman. Alana wants to stay with Master forever."
Her voice trembled as she spoke. She lowered her head and kissed his hair where it rested against her chest, no longer caring about shyness or a girl’s modesty. Her soft hands slid along his back, gently caressing, expressing her devotion and affection without reservation.
"But, Master," she said softly, forcing herself to calm her racing heart, "not right now."
"Huh?"
Marcus froze, confused. "Alana, what’s wrong?"
Why was it not suitable? He could not understand.
Feeling her obedient, gentle body in his arms only made it harder to stop. He lifted his head, looking into her flushed, bashful face, searching for an answer.
When Alana met his gaze and saw the familiar face of her master, her heart nearly melted. She hugged him tightly, torn by guilt and regret. His confusion pained her deeply, but for his sake, she had to refuse him this once.
"Master."
She looked at him apologetically, then leaned in and pressed her lips to his, offering him her tongue in a lingering kiss. When she finally pulled back, she spoke softly.
"Master, do you know how happy Alana has been lately? The Spirit of a Hundred Flowers inside me has been growing very quickly. I’ve made great progress. In just a few days, I’ll reach the initial mastery stage."
She spoke with quiet pride, shifting slightly in his arms until she was resting comfortably against his chest, her body relaxed and trusting.
"Initial mastery stage?" Marcus asked.
"Yes. Initial mastery stage."
She nodded gently.
"Once I reach it, I’ll be able to gradually control the Spirit of a Hundred Flowers and absorb thirty percent of its power."
As she explained, her face grew even redder, her expression bashful yet radiant. The faint floral fragrance around her intensified, and her eyes shimmered with deep affection.
Barely able to steady her emotions, she buried her face into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Holding him tightly, she whispered shyly,
"Master, after Alana reaches initial mastery, when Alana and Master practice harmonic union, the balance of energies will not only greatly benefit Master. The Spirit of a Hundred Flowers inside me will also stimulate the Peach Blossom Soul within you, allowing you to absorb more of its power."
Even saying those words made her stumble, her voice trembling with embarrassment. Mentioning harmonic union was far beyond what she would normally dare. Yet for her master, this untouched Alana willingly set aside her last trace of pride.
Although she had never experienced intimacy between a man and a woman, as a Grandmaster Alchemist she understood the principles of energy balance and dual cultivation.
So that was the reason.
Marcus looked at the woman in his arms, this brilliant and beautiful Alana who was always thinking of him, always planning for his future. She was holding herself back not out of hesitation, but to make him stronger.
His desire vanished, replaced by warmth and deep affection.
"Alana."
He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, expressing everything he could not say aloud.
"Master..."
Alana melted into his arms, murmuring softly.
"Alana loves Master. Everything Alana has belongs to Master."
They held each other quietly, immersed in the tenderness of the moment, savoring the warmth between them.
Unfortunately, the peace did not last long.
Tactical Drunkard and Invincible Strong suddenly sent messages through the mercenary group chat, shattering the atmosphere.
"Stone, we’re going leveling. You coming?"
"No. I need to gather some herbs."
They had interrupted his intimate moment with Alana, and Marcus was already annoyed. On top of that, he had not forgotten what those two had pulled earlier.
"All right, we’re heading out. But Stone, watch your back. We mainly wanted to tell you something."
"What?"
"Threeleaf FlyingCloud is looking for you."
Marcus frowned. "What does she want?"
"Looking for a date!"
"Haha!"
The two of them burst into laughter, far too gleeful to be innocent.
"What are you two idiots plotting?" Marcus snapped.
There was no doubt about it. Those troublemakers were up to something again.
"See you later."
Still laughing, they closed the chat and disappeared.
’Damn it.’
Marcus knew them too well. They were definitely scheming. Still, he decided to ignore it. They knew their limits. They would not cross the line.
"All right," he muttered. "Time to move. Let’s go catch some cicadas."
He steadied himself, rose from Alana’s gentle embrace, and prepared to head to Ghost Rain Marsh. With his current strength, he planned to gather the other two ingredients sooner rather than later as well.
The key was doing what others could not. That was how you stayed ahead. Waiting until level fifty was far too slow.
"Oh, right," Marcus said, pausing. "Alana, I picked up some Mouse-Ear Fruit seeds earlier. Do you think they can be planted?"
"Mouse-Ear Fruit?"
Alana took the seeds from his hand, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Master, these really are Mouse-Ear Fruit seeds! You’re incredible! To obtain something so precious!"
She grabbed his hand excitedly, her face glowing with pride. Unable to contain herself, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek as a reward.
"Are Mouse-Ear Fruits really that rare?" Marcus asked. "What do they do?"
Seeing her reaction, he realized he might have underestimated them.
"The effect of Mouse-Ear Fruit itself is fairly ordinary," Alana explained eagerly. "Each fruit increases health and mana regeneration by five to ten points, and the effects don’t stack."
She continued, her expression brightening.
"But Mouse-Ear Fruit tastes wonderful. It’s considered one of the most delicious fruits on the Dreamland Continent. However, it requires extremely rich energy to grow and has very strict environmental requirements. Because of that, it’s almost extinct. Even for a thousand gold coins, it’s difficult to find one."
She paused, lost in memory.
"Ten years ago, Grandpa took me to Spirit Turtle Island in the East Sea. There was a Mouse-Ear Fruit tree there. Grandpa Spirit Turtle gave me two fruits. I still remember that taste. Even Spirit Turtle Island doesn’t have especially rich energy. That tree only produces five fruits a year."
"Is it really that good?" Marcus asked, intrigued.
"Of course," Alana said proudly. "Alana will grow some for Master so you can taste them too."
She examined the seeds carefully, her anticipation obvious.
"Why not plant more trees?" Marcus asked.
"Master, there are no more seeds," she replied gently. "A Mouse-Ear Fruit tree can only produce one seed every fifty years if it grows in a place rich with energy. If the energy is insufficient, it might take a hundred years. That’s why they’re so precious."
’Damn.’
Marcus had assumed the pit was the seed. He had no idea the fruit was this rare. Now his curiosity about its taste grew even stronger.
But reality quickly set in.
Mouse-Ear Fruit trees needed places rich in energy, and he had nowhere suitable to plant them.
This was ridiculous.
"Alana..."
He looked at her apologetically. She was so excited, yet he could not even provide a place to grow the seeds.
"Master."
Alana immediately understood his unease. She took his hand, leaned against his chest, and comforted him softly.
"Master, places with rich energy are extremely rare on the Dreamland Continent. They’re not easy to find. When Grandpa and I lived in hiding before, it took us a very long time and tremendous effort to find our location. There’s no need to rush. We’ll find one eventually."
That was true. Unfortunately, after the Eight-Tailed Vixen Spirit discovered that place, Alana could never return there.
Still, Marcus’s mind raced. Maybe he could trade the Blood-Fiend Fruit to the Dragon Dynasty in exchange for a plot of land rich in energy. Or ask the Old Man or Lord Leon Drake if they had any leads. Or perhaps he could explore and discover such a place himself.
"Wait."
Suddenly, a thought struck him as he remembered something. The treasure map he had obtained back in Newbie Village.
Rabbit Path.