Flora Bloom waited until everyone had fallen asleep, then instructed Vert and the Golden Cicada to hunt zombies and absorb their Crystal Cores outside. With that done, she entered her space to rest.

The space was a wonderful place, filled with abundant Spiritual Energy. Even the air tasted faintly sweet.

The moment she entered the space, Monkey One scurried over, leaped onto Flora Bloom’s head, and wrapped its arms around her neck, affectionately grooming her hair as if searching for lice. It had only been two days, but Monkey One had grown significantly. Its grayish-white fur was sleek and shiny, a result of being nourished by the space and its spiritual water.

Seeing Flora Bloom appear, Monkey Two, Monkey Three, and Little Armor immediately bounded over, scratching their ears and heads to show how eager they were to get out and stretch their legs. Meanwhile, Big Peacock and Little Peacock were pecking at rice grains where Flora Bloom kept her stores of grain. Their downy feathers had fully grown in, revealing patterns of stunning beauty and color. The fleshy crests on their heads were as red as blood.

Only the Behemoth, which had been nesting in the Spirit River ever since it entered the space, remained motionless. It would occasionally glance at its four eggs before falling still again, as if in a deep slumber.

It even ignored Flora Bloom when she occasionally tried to communicate with it through their mental link.

Flora Bloom let the restless Monkey Two, Monkey Three, and Little Armor out of the space, telling them to meet up with Vert and the Golden Cicada. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous in the area other than zombies, and even if there were, Vert could handle it alone. Besides, while Monkey Two and Monkey Three weren’t as strong as Vert, they were more than capable of taking care of ordinary level-one zombies.

She took a moment to admire the abundance of fruits and vegetables covering the ground before checking on the clutches of eggs by the river. The six unknown eggs that the Golden Cicada had found were still there, showing no signs of hatching.

Vert’s mantis eggs also remained unchanged since being brought into the space. They were still a brilliant, vivid green, with no indication they were ready to hatch.

Flora Bloom had assumed that since plants and crops grew so much faster in her space than in the outside world, any creatures she brought in would grow faster too. ’Looks like I was overthinking it,’ she thought.

After a brief tour of the space, Flora Bloom sent Xiao Bai out to stand guard in the living room. She then rummaged through a pile of supplies, found an alarm clock, and set it for five hours. Finally, she lay down on the large bed in the thatched cottage and went to sleep.

Flora Bloom slept soundly through the night. When she woke up, the sky outside was still dark. The moment she stepped out of her space, she saw Neal Wallace approaching with a blanket. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Flora Bloom wasn’t sure if he’d seen her materialize out of thin air, so she simply offered a faint smile. "You’re awake? How is Old Monroe?"

Neal Wallace handed the blanket to Flora Bloom and replied calmly, "He’s fine. The fever’s gone. I’m not sure what kind of superpower Old Monroe awakened, though."

Flora Bloom handed Neal Wallace a tomato and took one for herself. As she ate, she began pulling more food out of her space.

She brought out frozen meat, fresh vegetables, flour, and eggs. The kitchen was already stocked with pots, bowls, and pans, so she didn’t need to get those from her space.

Flora Bloom checked the stove, but the natural gas was out. She took a portable stove out of her space, attached a gas canister, and set everything up. Soon after, her father and mother were the first to wake up and enter the living room, followed shortly by Cynthia Grant and Caleb.

Flora Bloom laid out toiletries for everyone. After they had all finished washing up, Ethan Monroe emerged from his room.

Seeing Ethan Monroe’s dejected expression, Flora Bloom assumed he’d been unlucky enough not to awaken a superpower. But when she asked, she learned that he had, in fact, awakened the Earth Element.

"A big, strapping guy like me should have at least awakened a crazy-powerful offensive ability, like the Fire or Thunder Element! But the Earth Element? What is this garbage? Am I supposed to build houses or something? Erect fortresses?"

A brownish-yellow light—his superpower—flashed in Ethan Monroe’s palm. Clumps of earth and sand materialized, and he furiously slammed them onto the floor.

Flora Bloom walked over to Ethan Monroe, handed him a cooking pot, and gestured for him to get started on breakfast.

Then, she began washing the vegetables.

"Listen, Old Monroe, you shouldn’t look down on the Earth Element," she said. "It’s the strongest defensive element. Once you reach a high level, you won’t just be able to block attacks—you’ll be able to trap enemies. It has tons of great uses."

Ethan Monroe lifted the pot she’d given him and stared at her blankly. "Like what?"

"Well, just like you said, an Earth Ability User is a master of construction. They can use their own energy to create solid blocks of earth, which are perfect for building incredibly sturdy houses. The higher an Earth Ability User’s level, the stronger the houses they can build."

Ethan Monroe’s eyebrows shot up. "How sturdy are we talking? Couldn’t another person with superpowers just knock it down with a few hits?"

Flora Bloom tossed the freshly washed vegetables to him. "Stir-fry these with some minced garlic."

"A house built by a High-level Earth Ability User is impervious to wind, water, and fire. Nothing can blow it down, wash it away, or burn it up. You tell me, is that impressive or not?"

Ethan Monroe looked impressed but still asked grudgingly, "But it has no offensive power!"

Flora Bloom’s brows shot up as she glared at him. "Are you an idiot? You throw up an earth wall and your enemy can’t even touch you. What’s there to fight? Now stop complaining and cook already! I’m starving!"

Startled by her outburst, Ethan Monroe flinched. ’Any more complaining and I’ll really piss her off,’ he realized. He dutifully took the ingredients and went to cook without another word.

Flora Bloom wasn’t just saying that to shut him up; she really was hungry.

She’d eaten a lot last night, but who knew where it had all gone. She had woken up feeling a bit peckish, but now she was uncomfortably hungry. She quickly pulled a piece of chocolate from her space and popped it into her mouth to tide herself over before sitting down on the sofa to finish her tomato.

Caleb had been frowning ever since he’d gotten up. He hadn’t even finished the milk Flora Bloom had given him.

"What’s wrong with Caleb?"

Flora Bloom looked at Cynthia Grant, who quickly held up her hands. "I didn’t do anything to him, I swear! I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He keeps saying someone is shouting for help. He woke up several times last night because of it."

"Oh?"

Flora Bloom crouched beside Caleb and gently pinched his cheek. "Caleb, do you know where the person shouting for help is?"

Caleb thought for a moment, his expression a mixture of confusion and understanding, before shaking his head. "I don’t know. I just heard shouting, but I don’t know from where."

Flora Bloom suddenly recalled something that had happened back in Sinia City, at her house. Caleb had claimed Tianna Bloom was insulting him, even though Tianna hadn’t said a word.

Back then, Flora Bloom had assumed Caleb was just making it up to defend her, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

She carefully scanned Caleb’s body but couldn’t detect any fluctuations of a superpower. He didn’t seem to have awakened one.

"Caleb, tell me, can you still hear anyone shouting for help right now?"

Caleb shook his head and said earnestly, "Not right now. I’m not lying, Big Sister. I really heard it."

Flora Bloom patted Caleb’s head and smiled. "Don’t worry, I know you aren’t lying. I’m not mad at you." But her eyes, as she looked at him, were filled with curiosity and a desire to understand.

’If I’m right,’ she thought, ’this is a sign that Caleb is on the verge of awakening a special superpower. It’s unstable because the awakening isn’t complete yet.’ Deciding not to rush things, she had Caleb finish his milk, left him in her mother’s care, and then pulled Cynthia Grant aside.