Chapter 39: Chapter 313: Of All Things to Steal, Eggs

While Neal Wallace and Oscar Owen were worrying about her, Flora Bloom was galloping through the mountains on a remarkably majestic horse.

This was the very horse Shelton Underwood had raised, and to her surprise, it still recognized her. Flora could clearly see its hooves kicking up the wind; when it reached top speed, all four feet left the ground.

This was clearly an evolved horse.

After dismounting, Flora Bloom saw a familiar woman holding a handful of hay, feeding an exceptionally tall horse.

The horse’s coat was as white as jade, without a single blemish or discolored hair. It was a stunningly beautiful animal. Its eyes were bright and spirited, and there seemed to be a small protrusion on its head. Though not obvious, Flora Bloom looked again and again, confirming that it was indeed a bump. It wasn’t an injury; it looked just like the sharp point of a nascent horn.

A dozen or so brown and black horses stood nearby, but it towered over them, standing twice their height. It was even much larger than Shadow, the horse Flora had just been riding.

’So this must be the Boss Marshall the White Tiger Cub was talking about?’ But Flora couldn’t sense anything unusual about this horse at all. Previously, she could sense the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy from the White Tiger Cub, which allowed her to gauge its level.

But this horse’s energy was completely contained. Aside from its exceptional beauty and the sharp point of a horn on its head, there was nothing else special about it.

With no detectable superpowers or energy fluctuations, Flora Bloom couldn’t see through this horse king at all—a creature capable of injuring her White Tiger Cub.

’What’s even stranger is that evolved creatures will attack humans who get too close, even if they don’t eat them. So how is Oscar Owen’s mom just leisurely feeding horses here? And they all seem to know her. They don’t attack at all; they’re as docile as pets around her.’

Flora Bloom picked up some hay from the ground and tried to feed it, but she was warned off by a threatening snort and the motion of a backward kick from the horse king.

Lianne Kendall was stunned the moment she saw Flora Bloom. She had met Flora a few times before and had a neutral impression of her. But seeing her now, she was incredibly excited.

"Mrs. Owens, Oscar sent me to bring you down the mountain. He’s waiting for you at the base."

"But these mountains are full of dangerous beasts. Getting down is easier said than done."

Flora Bloom fought to suppress a smile. ’Those "dangerous beasts" are all out collecting things for me right now. If she runs into them later, she’ll probably be scared half to death.’

"Mrs. Owens, don’t worry. The area has been cleared of any danger, so you can head down the mountain safely. Oscar is waiting for you at the stables."

"Are you serious?" Lianne Kendall asked skeptically. As a veteran of the business world, she could usually tell if someone was lying at a glance. But Flora’s expression was earnest and her eyes were sincere; she didn’t look like she was lying in the slightest.

As she spoke, Flora Bloom gathered a cluster of Space Spirit Water in her palm and slowly approached the great white horse, offering the water to its mouth.

The snow-white horse tensed as Flora approached, even snorting a warning through its nostrils.

But the moment the spiritual water appeared in Flora’s hand, all its defenses vanished, and it began to drink from her palm.

Flora thought to herself, ’If Lianne Kendall weren’t here, this horse king would be mine right now.’

After Flora fed it a handful of water, Boss Marshall seemed to warm up to her. It lowered its massive head and began to nuzzle against her.

Flora soothed it by stroking its head and said softly, "Now is not the time."

Just then, a series of calls for help came through Flora’s soul link from the White Tiger Cub, Monkey Two, and Monkey Three.

Flora looked at the intelligent Boss Marshall and Lianne Kendall. ’There’s probably no creature in these mountains powerful enough to threaten Boss Marshall,’ she thought. ’Lianne Kendall will be very safe here.’

"Ma’am, something has come up and I need to leave for a little while. Please don’t wander off while I’m gone. I’ll be back for you shortly."

"Hey! Didn’t my son send you to get me? How can you just leave like that!"

Lianne Kendall watched Flora’s retreating figure as she turned and ran off without another word, and felt a strange flicker of anger.

’That girl is so unreliable, just coming and going as she pleases. When I see my son, I’m definitely going to have a word with him about this.’

Meanwhile, Flora was using the location from her soul link to race toward the White Tiger Cub, Monkey Two, and Monkey Three.

Along the way, she learned that Vert and the Golden Cicada were nearby and had both found something, so she ordered them to come to her location.

Flora bypassed a thicket of bushes and followed a winding mountain path until she reached an area thick with reeds.

The area looked flat and open, but the air was thick with the smell of blood.

Vert and the Golden Cicada now appeared in Flora’s line of sight. Vert had a long, coffee-colored worm dangling from its mouth, its segmented body squirming and struggling desperately.

A closer look revealed what it was. ’Holy cow,’ she thought. ’This thing looks just like a snake, but it has no eyes. It’s an earthworm as thick as my arm!’

Flora patted Vert’s abdomen, took the earthworm, and stored it in her space, releasing it into the dark soil by the river.

The Golden Cicada, meanwhile, was clutching a plump, round egg. From its description, it had found it in a tree hollow. ’What is it with this cicada and eggs?’ Flora mused. ’It’s completely obsessed.’

Flora took the egg and placed it by the river. She was just about to lead Vert and the Golden Cicada toward the White Tiger Cub’s position.

Just then, however, she saw the White Tiger Cub racing toward her at full speed, with Monkey Two and Monkey Three right behind it.

But as they drew nearer, Flora realized something was wrong. The ground suddenly began to shake violently. The tremors grew stronger and stronger as the White Tiger Cub and the monkeys approached her.

When the White Tiger Cub finally appeared before Flora, she saw that its once snow-white fur was matted with blood. Monkey Two and Monkey Three were in an even more wretched state.

Each of the two monkeys was clutching two eggs as big as their heads. Upon seeing Flora, they began screeching wildly, "SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"

It wasn’t until Flora saw the enormous creature behind them that she understood why the three were in such a state. Even the White Tiger Cub was injured and bleeding.

A crocodile the size of a small hill was hot on their trail.

This giant crocodile was as large as a small mountain, vastly bigger than even Vert. The tremors she had felt earlier must have been caused by it chasing after her companions.

Flora stared at the giant crocodile’s massive jaws. Each of the sharp teeth inside was nearly the size of her own head.

The sheer difference in size was overwhelming.

The giant crocodile was furiously chasing the intruders who had stolen its young. Even after spotting the addition of a human and two large insects, it paid them no mind.

Despite its clumsy, mountain-like body, it suddenly leaped into the air and lunged forward. Its target was the exact spot where Flora and the White Tiger Cub stood.

Flora’s mind went blank. Seeing the enormous shadow about to crash down on her, her first instinct was to run. But as the giant crocodile lunged closer, her feet felt as if they were locked to the ground, completely immobile.

She glanced at her companions and saw they were in the same predicament. ’This giant crocodile has some kind of paralyzing superpower?’ The thought gave Flora a massive headache.

The gigantic shadow was about to land, and getting hit would undoubtedly turn them into meat paste. She had no choice. With a single thought, Flora first recalled the White Tiger Cub, Monkey Two, Monkey Three, Vert, and the Golden Cicada into her space.

The next second, she followed them, returning to the space herself.

Flora looked at the four large eggs in the hands of Monkey Two and Monkey Three and finally understood why the giant crocodile had been chasing them so desperately.

’You two monkeys,’ she thought in exasperation. ’You could have stolen anything, but you had to go and steal its children. Of course it was going to chase you!’

However, looking out from her space, she saw the giant crocodile, having missed its target, now turning in circles, searching for the enemies who had stolen its young. Seeing that massive body, Flora couldn’t help but eye it greedily.