Game’s Dogma

Drako Yau struggled for a while. In the end, he activated Frost Form and apologised to the old man in his mind.

Sorry, but I gotta cheat a little.

After activating Frost Form, the plants’ scent suddenly turned intense and made him choke because his sense of smell was enhanced. Still, no matter how hard he sniffed, the three scents still mixed so perfectly that he had to believe that the old man did this intentionally.

And his guess was right on the spot. Since the white mist could only shroud a plant’s appearance but not its scent, it wasn’t quite what Old Florist had in mind as his idea was to let fate do its work. To seal that loophole, he’d choose three plants that had scents that mixed well based on his decades of experience in gardening.

However, this wasn’t enough to stop Drako Yau who could enhance his smell by well over ten-fold. The scents were hard to distinguish, but after having a general grasp of their individuals, he could faintly tell the differences between the three scents.

One was as gentle as the moon at midnight, blessing the land with its comfortable brightness. The second was vague and difficult to notice, but it had a unique trait to it; though insignificant like the stars in the night sky, one simply couldn’t ignore it.

The last one was like the radiant sun, burning with passion. After blending with the gentle moonlight and insignificant stars, the intense sun was balanced out to give off an indistinct scent. Drako Yau peeked at Old Florist and thought, There are indeed professionals at everything. The neutralisation and balancing of scent are outstanding.

Normally speaking, Drako Yau should go with the plant that was like the radiant sun as he had the duo-elemental Cryoflame Style. But he simply couldn’t give up on the other two either since they both seemed extraordinary.

Seeing Drako Yau consider his choice seriously, Old Florist was in a good mood. He enjoyed it the most when his customers struggled to pick one of the three. Although he was an outstanding gardener, it still wasn’t possible to churn out treasure after treasure either. This time, however, Old Florist had brought out three exceptional plants, so Drako Yau wouldn’t end up in a loss no matter which one he chose in the end.

Drako Yau took his time. Since Old Florist had set such a rule, he wasn’t going to ruin the old man’s efforts by rashly picking one.

After a good while, he finally heaved out a deep breath and said, ‘I choose this.’

He pointed at the plant on the left, the one which was as gentle as the moon. He had wanted to choose the radiant sun, but he subconsciously recalled the final cry of Moon Gazer before it melted and vapourised due to his Flame Form: that touching moment, those final words…

Drako Yau sighed. Oh, Moon Gazer…

Old Florist smiled and said, ‘I see you’ve made your choice.’ He then fiddled with the plant Drako Yau chose, and the white mist soon dispersed.

Above the flower pot was a long blade of grass without any buds or flowers. It branched off into two thin vines at its end. So weak, so fragile that even a breeze might trample it. It was merely a plant, yet it roused the desire to protect within anyone who saw it.

‘This is Lunafilia, daughter of the goddess of flowers.

‘I specifically chose three plants that have distinctively opposing natures. The central one represents passion, the one on the right represents seclusion and laying low. The left, Lunafilia, is a gentle plant that needs protection the most.

‘Sir, seems like your fate might not be as hot-blooded as you think. Perhaps, the power to protect is why you pursue power in the first place.’

Drako Yau solemnly received Lunafilia from Old Florist.

‘You received an epic furniture item: Lunafilia.’

‘Lunafilia: Said to be the daughter of the goddess of flowers, Lunafilia is gentle yet fragile, breaking under even the slightest of touches. It is such traits that stole everyone’s hearts and as such crowned the protagonist of all plants.

Effects: Increase experience gained from battle by 10 per cent. Cultivators will not get off the deep end when cultivating with a calm heart next to Lunafilia.’

Drako Yau was stunned to find out that such an ordinary-looking plant had such overpowered abilities. The increased experience gain alone was priceless. As far as he knew, this was possibly the first-ever item that granted experience bonuses.

The part about ‘getting off the deep end’ was rather intriguing. Why’d anyone get off the deep end in a game? It could only happen to cultivators, so did this mean the game acknowledged the presence of cultivation styles?

If he had Lunafilia earlier, he could surely awaken to the Cryoflame Style even without falling into the Abyss of Durin! With Lunafilia taming his internal forces, he could then work his magic without any worries. This ability wasn’t this useful now though since Cryoflame Style had already taken shape.

Though not buffing his combat capability directly, Lunafilia was more than he could’ve asked for. The 10 per cent experience buff could at least cover for the leeching good-for-nothing, Tattered Armour.

‘Thank you. Please name your price, I will pay any price for it.’

Old Florist chuckled and waved him off. ‘I’ll soon be in a coffin anyway, I only need enough money to maintain a living. With how much you cherish Lunafilia, I’m sure she’s found a good owner. You might be more of a flower-lover than you think you are.

‘Everyone says this is just a game, just a virtual world, but I don’t think so. I’ve been just a lowly gardener since I was a child, but I do have a special ability.’ Old Florist leaned over and whispered, ‘I can hear plants talk. They repeat meaningless mutters most of the time, and they can’t even communicate between themselves. The best they can do is express simple emotions. Joy, sadness, rage.’

‘Here, I can also hear their murmurs just like in real life.’ Old Florist smiled. ‘I see no difference between this world and the real one. Gold or money, I don’t need such things. If you feel bad about it, how about this? A favour.’

Drako Yau nodded without hesitation and said, ‘As long as it’s within my capabilities.’

At that moment, he hadn’t realised that as the king of Yoda, his favour was a priceless treasure that couldn’t be measured with mere money.

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