Chapter 440 - 383: Asking for a Favor
Chapter 440: Chapter 383: Asking for a Favor
Shawn Hale and Rita were dumbfounded from the moment they stepped into the villa complex until they reached the courtyard of Flora Bloom’s own home.
’What on earth is this place?’
Not only were there massive swarms of bees, but also giant peacocks, monkeys, and pythons.
Their shock turned to apprehension, and when they finally saw Flora Bloom sleeping on the back of a snow-white tiger, the last thread of their composure snapped.
Flora Bloom yawned and lazily mumbled, "Sit." Then she continued to lie there.
Stunned, the two did exactly as Flora Bloom said, sitting stiffly on a nearby bench. They stared at her, unable to stop themselves from gulping.
The surroundings were beautiful and the air was fresh; it was easily the most pleasant spot in the entire Morhaven villa complex. It was also the most peaceful, free from any trivial disturbances.
’It would be so wonderful to live here.’
Rita couldn’t help but think. She suddenly felt a pang of envy for the stunningly beautiful, yet heavily pregnant, woman before her.
"Go on, what did you come to see me about?"
Flora Bloom’s languid voice drifted into their ears, pulling them back from their thoughts.
Shawn Hale didn’t look much older than Rita, but he was decidedly more composed. He steadied himself, his expression turning serious.
"About yesterday... Rita was too impulsive. We came today specifically to apologize. I hope you won’t hold it against her."
Flora Bloom let out another yawn. "I’m not bothered." She then glanced nonchalantly at the bag at their feet.
The mother rabbit seemed weak from giving birth, and the little kits were clearly lethargic.
After all this time in the apocalypse, it was hard to believe there were still rabbits that had resisted the zombie virus. They hadn’t turned, nor had they evolved—they were just ordinary little wild rabbits.
’But won’t they suffocate stuffed in a bag like that?’
In Morhaven’s current environment, it was very difficult for little creatures like these to survive. This litter of rabbits was quite precious.
But they were precious to Flora Bloom. To anyone else, they were just a single meal stewed in a pot. Once inside her space, however, they could grow and eventually produce an endless supply of rabbits.
Rabbits were naturally prolific and bred quickly. Besides, it had been a long time since she’d eaten rabbit meat.
Flora Bloom patted Whitey’s rump. The tiger habitually lowered its body, making it easy for Flora to slide off its back.
Flora Bloom walked over to them and sat down, casually lifting the six rabbits—one large and five small—out of the bag and onto the tabletop.
As she stroked the little rabbits’ fur, she secretly used her fingertip to feed them drops of spiritual water.
The litter of wild rabbits, which had been completely listless just moments before, suddenly perked up. They hopped off the table and scurried into the nearby grass to forage for food.
"Hey! Were those rabbits just playing dead? They looked so sick a second ago. How are they so energetic now?" Rita exclaimed, watching the rabbits hop into a patch of grass and hide. Her face was a mixture of confusion and indignation.
Flora Bloom paid the rabbits no mind. Anything that entered her Villa No. 3, dead or alive, couldn’t leave without her permission.
"I’ve accepted your gift. Now, tell me what you want."
Flora Bloom’s tone was placid, with no hint of condescension in her words. And yet, Shawn Hale and Rita felt embarrassed.
"It’s like this... a few of my men went out hunting yesterday and haven’t returned. I was hoping... you could lend me some people to help me search for them," Shawn Hale said with sincerity. Rita, however, didn’t think they should be acting so subservient.
’She already took our gift. Is she really not going to help?’
Flora Bloom was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you know where your men went missing?"
Shawn Hale shook his head. "We usually hunt in the woods near a large sycamore tree. There are a lot of beasts in that area, but as long as we run to the tree, they won’t attack. So it’s not usually that dangerous for us."
"The sycamore tree? You’ve all been going there recently?"
"Sigh... if I hadn’t come back for Rita yesterday, I might not be sitting here today either."
"Shawn, don’t blame yourself! Rowan and the others will be fine!"
Shawn Hale’s brow furrowed, his eyes deep with worry. He knew that if he’d been there, he might have ended up missing too. But on the other hand, if he’d been there, maybe his men wouldn’t have disappeared at all.
Hearing that it was near the sycamore tree, Flora Bloom instantly felt that something was wrong.
The golden sycamore tree was now linked to her spiritual power. However, because of the Golden Crow’s True Sun Fire and the phoenix egg, the spiritual connection to both the crow and the tree was shielded whenever she wasn’t physically there.
Still, she had been there before. And while the area outside the Morhaven base was now blanketed by a strange magnetic field, she didn’t believe there was any risk of getting lost.
For people to go missing, it meant they had either encountered an exceptionally powerful beast or plant. In that case, their chances of survival were minuscule.
"Go back for now. I’ll send someone to investigate and let you know what I find. Don’t go out for the time being."
Shawn Hale hesitated for a moment, then rose to his feet, pulling Rita up with him. "Then we’ll be counting on you! Once this is resolved, I’ll be sure to thank you properly!"
"We can talk about that after I’ve figured out what happened."
Shawn Hale had only taken a few steps, still pulling Rita along, when he turned back. He began hesitantly, "Um, there’s one more thing..."
Seeing Shawn Hale hesitate, Rita couldn’t help but jump in. "Shawn, what are you afraid of! Uh, Captain Bloom, can you tell Captain Sepherdine’s Guard Squad to stop blocking us from the trading market?
I know we offended you yesterday and you don’t like us, but you don’t have to be so ruthless! If I’d known you were this domineering and petty, I just wouldn’t have messed with you in the first place!"
Flora Bloom gave Rita an unconcerned look. "If your boyfriend ever finds he can’t survive in this base, it’ll be thanks to that mouth of yours."
Shawn Hale frowned and grabbed Rita. "Rita, apologize to Captain Bloom! How can you be so rude?"
"What did I say that was wrong? It’s not like we’re asking for a free handout! What’s she got to be so arrogant about? This base doesn’t belong to her. Other people are out there busting their butts hunting every day while we’re all crammed into a single villa. And look at her—this huge, empty place. What gives her the right?"
Flora Bloom turned away, ignoring her. But Whitey suddenly rose, blocking Rita’s view of Flora.
"ROAR!"
BANG! Whitey reared up as if to pounce on Rita, but then twisted in mid-air and landed again, letting out another roar at her. The color drained from Rita’s innocent face, and her legs gave out, causing her to collapse to the ground.
"Th-that... Shawn, q-quick, save me!"
Mustering his courage, Shawn Hale helped Rita to her feet. Seeing that the giant white tiger wasn’t actually attacking, he quickly led her away from Villa No. 3.
But the reason Flora Bloom hadn’t bothered with Rita’s baseless provocations was simple: today, after two days of waiting, one of Vert’s nine eggs had finally hatched.
She had no time to waste on insignificant people. She immediately returned to her room and stepped into her space.