Arthur bowed slightly, "I salute you, Lady Viola, but please don't call me the little lord, His Majesty doesn't like that title."
"Fine then, Lord with a little temper."
"You two can drop your guard. I, Viola, as the wisest of the dryads, certainly wouldn't mistake a friend for an enemy."
When Viola said this she puffed out her small chest, carrying an air of maturity and confidence that didn't match her appearance.
But to Chen Yu she was just a tiny bean, not even one point three meters tall.
Not much older than him.
At least they were on equal footing.
Viola glanced toward Eserin, who wore a stern face.
"Eserin, relax a little. Death is also an indispensable part of the natural cycle. As long as it doesn't bring chaotic destruction or spreading rot, there is no need to be overly wary."
"Yes, Lady Viola."
"Hahaha, Lady Viola, if there's nothing else here, then I'll be leaving." Old Bloom took the hint and left.
After he left, Arthur finally asked, "Respected Viola Lord, thank you for sheltering us. His Majesty and I came from the Eastern Swamp, and we wandered here while chasing goblins."
"May I ask precisely where Rootwhisper Forest is located among the mountains, and how we can safely return to the Eastern Swamp?"
Viola lifted a slender hand, and a thin vine immediately extended along the wall to take down the map from the bookshelf.
"That question is simple. Rootwhisper Forest lies at the edge of the Western Swamp. More accurately, it sits in the unstable seam between the Western Swamp and the Dark Realm."
"Hmm... you managed to reach here by crossing the chaotic Western Swamp — honestly, that's a miracle. To return to the Eastern Swamp the fastest route is east, through the narrow 'corridor' on the periphery of the Dark Realm."
"There sits a major goblin fortress — the Riftrock Pass. It's the key node from which they control the dungeon's obsidian mines and choke the passage. Its defenses are extremely tight."
"Going back the way you came is likely impossible too;
the Goblin Army probably knows you entered Rootwhisper Forest and will certainly set up blockades on the outskirts."
"The dungeon?" Arthur relayed Chen Yu's question, "Isn't the Gray Mist Lake Dungeon connected in all directions?"
Viola shook her head gently.
"The dungeon is indeed vast like a spiderweb, but the majority of the safe, passable main passages have long been firmly controlled by the Goblin Army, who have set up numerous sentries and traps."
"The remaining secret routes are either occupied as lairs by burrowing giant salamanders, petrifying lizards, or even more dangerous subterranean creatures, or are filled with lethal underground poison gas and magma, or harbor unknown dangers that even I cannot fully perceive."
"Hmm... with your strength it's still too dangerous to pass through there, unless... our Slime Lord possesses the guts to face every danger."
Although there was no evidence, Chen Yu always suspected that this tiny dryad was slyly poking at him.
But those green-skinned shorties were indeed annoying.
Eserin's cool voice sounded at the right moment.
"The Riftrock Pass fortress has at least twenty well-equipped goblin regiments stationed there daily, along with a slave army. Fixed ballista arrays cover the main approaches, the ground and air are laden with trigger traps and magical alarms, and the core area is reinforced with totemic spells maintained by shamans that incite group bloodlust."
"A forcible breakthrough equals suicide. The survival rate is under one percent. Even a high-tier adventurer team would need meticulous planning and powerful support to dare delve in."
Viola nodded, her little feet swinging slightly as she gave the suggestion with the hopeful excitement of a child proposing an idea.
"Eserin's analysis is very accurate. Why don't you stay in Rootwhisper Forest for a while?"
"Old Bloom's spare rooms remain available for you. Perhaps we can wait for a more favorable opportunity."
Arthur fell silent at once.
He wasn't particularly worried for his own safety.
He simply felt guilty at the thought of the outpost's flowerbed being left unattended, of those flowers being bullied by weeds.
He hadn't tended his flowerbed for several days now...
Chen Yu patted him with a tiny gel hand, soothing him, "Count Bran goes to the outpost from time to time to look after those little flowers, so don't worry too much."
"When the Kingdom army maps the dungeon routes, they'll be able to break the Goblin Army's blockade and come fetch you."
"Sorry for bringing trouble to His Majesty." Arthur said.
Seeing he had made up his mind, Viola leaned forward slightly. Her eyes, deep with settled wisdom, fixed on Arthur again with a trace of curiosity.
"Young knight, ever since you came here I sensed a faint familiar natural aura from you. Could it be... a flower?"
The soulfire in Arthur's hollow eye sockets flickered slightly, evidently not understanding how Viola had known.
But after Chen Yu's consent, he solemnly nodded, carefully taking from the inner side of his breastplate, nearest his "heart," the withered flower whose petals had once fallen.
"This is..." Eserin was involuntarily stunned.
"Yes, it is the Sunblossom."
Viola's voice carried ancient, lingering nostalgia.
"A miracle flower that only grows in lands of pure life. Its petals melt like luminous brilliance in sunlight, and its core burns like the heart of a blazing sun."
"Ancient legends say it holds a faint power to bridge the boundary between life and death. It can briefly soothe souls lost on the other side, and even... bring a sliver of reversal to those near death. For the dead, it preserves a trace of their sense of life and their deepest yearning."
"It is extremely rare, yet common in its own way — like nature's gift — choosing only the most pure and unblemished souls to bloom."
Viola stretched out a small hand;
jade-green light flowed down like a spring brimming with life, gently and resolutely enveloping the withered Sunblossom.
Under everyone’s gaze, a miracle happened.
The shriveled, blackened receptacle revived like a dead tree meeting spring, quickly regaining plump, vibrant green;
the stem seemed injected with vigor and straightened.
Then, a dazzling hint of pale yellow sprouted from the center of the receptacle like a newborn sun.
It grew swiftly, unfolding into oval petals bright as sunlight, expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In only a few breaths, a flower exuding faint warmth and pure sunlight lay quietly in Arthur's cold bony palm, its core like a tiny sun.
"It chose you, knight."
Viola withdrew her hand, the light at her fingertips fading. Her small face showed a touch of fatigue after casting the spell, but more of relief and joy.
"This is more than just a flower;
it is life recognizing and blessing the essence of your soul. You are not a common high-tier undead;
you are... a special existence favored by life's own miracle."
"Keep it safe, Arthur. It may bring you luck."
Arthur cradled the rejuvenated Sunblossom with great care. He reverently placed this miracle flower back against the "heart" area of his bones as if guarding the most precious treasure.
Viola seemed to suddenly remember something amusing. She cupped her soft-featured chin with her small hand, tilted her head like a curious child, and looked at Arthur.
"By the way, Arthur, on the way through the Eastern Swamp or on your route here, did you meet a particular crow — feathers as deep as night, eyes like molten gold, hmm... and with a somewhat prickly temperament?"
Arthur's movement stiffened slightly, but he remembered His Majesty's teachings and forced a calm expression on his skeletal face.
"A crow? Sorry, I have never seen one."
Viola did not press. She only made a soft "oh" sound and happily swung her little feet again.
"Is that so... what a pity."
Her voice remained gentle and ethereal, tinged with regret.
"That crow... once did me a small favor, and it has a little connection with this Sunblossom."
As she spoke, she produced from somewhere a tail feather that gleamed with metallic luster.
Arthur: "...I will."
A blessing of nature?
Chen Yu actually suspected it was more likely some kind of natural curse.