Chapter 81: False Dawn 5
The warm sun cast a golden glow on Elania and Yolani’s faces as they made their way towards the mushroohum colony. Now that the lockdowns and tense atmosphere had evaporated, the streets were filled with people.
Yolani glanced at Elania, a sharp look in her eyes. “I’m definitely older than you,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Elania raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. “No way, I’m older.”
“I’m twenty,” Yolani countered.
“So am I,” Elania replied.
Yolani narrowed her eyes, a hint of suspicion in her gaze. “How many days are in an Earth year, then?”
“365.2422 days,” Elania answered with a grin.
Yolani’s frown deepened. “There are only 340 days in a Neftasu year,” she admitted.
Elania froze, her eyes widening as she turned to face Yolani. “Wait, was your birthday recent?”
“I can’t believe you’re older than me,” Yolani grumbled.
“Is your next birthday coming up soon, or did it just pass?” Elania asked again. “It’s important.”
Yolani thought for a moment before responding, “It was probably around the time the Lightbringers were invading.”
Elania rubbed her temples. “I’m so in trouble. I’m robbing the cradle,” she muttered under her breath.
Yolani blinked, confusion evident in her expression. “What?”
“You’re too young. You’re a teenager!” Elania replied.
Yolani raised an eyebrow. “And you’re too immature! I was sure I was older.”
Taking a deep breath, Elania placed a hand on Yolani’s shoulder. “A small age gap is fine.”
Yolani looked at Elania as if she had lost her mind. “Who are you trying to convince? Is this some weird Earth thing?”
Elania nodded, deciding that it really didn’t matter. “We’ll have to throw you a late birthday party, too.”
Yolani shrugged. “Celebrating your day of birth isn’t that important.”
“Birthday,” Elania corrected. Her smile grew brighter. “It is, and plus, it’s a great opportunity for a celebration that will let everyone have some fun.”
Yolani let out a grumble but conceded, “If it makes you happy, we can do it.”
Elania beamed at her, grabbing her hand and placing a kiss on it.
Yolani rolled her eyes as they started across the bridge.
The guards nodded to them and let them by without comment. When they opened the heavy metal door into the arena, a rush of warm, humid air escaped.
They descended the stairs. At the bottom they spotted Allie working alongside Tre’gat’aru at the busy alchemist station. Several apprentices scurried about, filling crates and managing the operation.
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A smile spread across Elania’s face as she took in the expanded setup. It was already responsible for a lot of good, and she considered it her one major achievement. Even if she wasn’t directly making them herself, she felt like she could claim enough of the credit herself for setting things up.
Allie waved at them, her face beaming.
“How are you doing, Allie?” Yolani asked.
“Things are going great!” Allie exclaimed. “I’m especially thankful for all the new helpers we’ve been recruiting.”
Elania nodded, her expression turning serious. “The potions are becoming increasingly important. We’re starting to need them not just for the Neftasuians but for everyone on Contia, especially the military.”
Allie’s gaze drifted to Elania’s belt, noting the potions secured there. “Even you’re using them,” she remarked.
Looking down, Elania acknowledged the observation. “I’m really grateful for them. Haven’t used them yet, but knowing I can heal people if needed is reassuring.”
Yolani interjected, “You can use your [Divine Mending] for that.”
“The mending is slow,” Elania countered. “The potions work almost instantly.”
Allie glanced between them, then turned to Tre’gat’aru, who made a series of hand gestures.
Elania blinked in surprise. “Can you communicate now?” she asked.
Allie faced Elania, her smile widening. “We can! And Trey would like to show you the new fields.”
With a nod, Elania and the others followed Tre’gat’aru into the heart of the colony, heading towards the tender huts.
She was sure she hadn’t been gone that long since her last visit, but the beds of growing glow moss had expanded to reach the arena walls. Hundreds of rows of fungi stretched out around them, the entire area teeming with dozens of new mushroohums diligently tending to the crops.
The progress was nothing short of a miracle.
As Allie chattered excitedly beside them, explaining how they had dramatically improved the yields by experimenting with different alchemical fertilizers, Elania couldn’t help but smile.
When they reached the tender hut, Elania turned to Tre’gat’aru. “Trey, do you remember what we discussed when we first arrived here?” she asked.
Tre’gat’aru released a puff of spores and gestured with his hands, indicating that she needed to be more specific in her question.
Elania nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing. “We might have a place for the mushroohums to set up a second colony on the surface underground. It will be with some humans in Freyhoi, but you would be closer to your natural habitat, and the air would be thicker there. Although I can still modify the environment to help make it more suitable for you.”
She paused, her gaze meeting Tre’gat’aru’s own. “Plus, you might dig deeper until things are more to your liking.”
Tre’gat’aru remained silent for a moment, contemplating Elania’s words. Finally, he spoke, his spores resonating with gratitude. “My people would appreciate the chance to do so if it’s possible.”
Yolani chimed in with a grin. “I can set up some containers for transport that will house them on the airships while they make the journey.”
Elania nodded. “It will be difficult, but once they are there, things should be fine.”
Elania listened as Yolani launched into discussing the specifics, with Allie acting as a translator for Tre’gat’aru.
Eventually, she excused herself, saying she would walk around the village.
She strolled through the glow moss fields, the golden light shining on her. It reminded her of her first days in Eladu after escaping the cultists.
It felt like an entirely different world and time to her. How different would things have been if Anton hadn’t attacked Relain and let her escape?
There was no way she would have made it out of the summoning circle; she’d have been forced to take a contract.
Elania sighed.
She decided to check on Tessa again, despite Arlois’ promises of treating her and the chickens well. She felt guilty for not checking in more often, but so many things had happened.
It felt like her life was a rollercoaster, running from disaster to disaster, and the stops at the station for a break were way too short.
A bunch of young mushroohums arrived and surrounded her, and she patted their heads, smiling. A warmth radiated from them. Her bond to the mushroohums was stronger than any of the others to the refugees, except for Yolani.
A few other lines might have been thicker, but they weren’t nearly as numerous as the mushroohums.
Elania checked her [Power] gauge:
[Divine Power: 14,875/50,000]
It was going up faster now; she could even see it tick up in real time as she interacted with the mushroohums.
She was still unsure how good that was. Along with checking on Tessa, she needed to ask Arlois some Demi-Divine-related questions.
Because if she didn’t figure things out, they were all going to pay the price for her ignorance.