Chapter 480 - 413: Kind Evangeline Rook
Chapter 480: Chapter 413: Kind Evangeline Rook
Flora Bloom recovered quickly thanks to the spiritual water. Having been nourished by her space for so long, her body healed from all sorts of injuries with remarkable speed. As soon as she finished throwing up, the nausea vanished, and the discomfort in her stomach was gone.
But Evangeline Rook’s condition seemed to be getting worse.
"Evangeline Rook? Are you okay?"
Flora Bloom went to support her. She looked at the old woman before her—the energy within her body was so youthful and elegant, yet her frame was hunched and ancient. It felt as if her energy could dry up at any moment.
"Evangeline! How are you!" the old village chief cried, rushing over anxiously. He helped Evangeline Rook sit back down in a chair.
"I’m fine. I’ll be okay after a little rest!"
The old village chief watched Evangeline Rook for a moment, then, as if he had made a decision, he snatched a peach from the table and began to devour it.
Soon, he had finished the entire peach, which was larger than his fist.
The moment he spat out the pit, a grinding sound of bones scraping together came from his already gaunt body.
Following that, the old village chief’s body seemed to age even further. His frame appeared as if it had been crushed; already under 1.7 meters tall, he now looked even shorter and more stooped.
"Sir, your life aura...?" Flora Bloom stared at the old village chief in astonishment. Then, as if sensing a connection, she snapped her head toward Evangeline Rook.
"You... you look... no, not ’look,’ you *are* much better!" Flora Bloom’s gaze darted back and forth between Evangeline Rook and the old village chief. "What does that peach he ate have to do with you?"
A faint smile touched Evangeline Rook’s lips. Her frail body had improved slightly from the sudden influx of Life Force.
"My superpower is of the Life System. These peach trees bear fruit because they were influenced by my power.
Naturally, whoever eats one of the peaches must provide me with their Life Force."
As Flora Bloom was still reeling in shock, Lex Cross spoke.
"So this is how you’ve stayed alive?" Lex Cross’s voice was frigid, his expression cold as he stared at Evangeline Rook.
Evangeline Rook laughed bitterly. "That’s right. I am that cruel. In order to live, to restore myself to my original state, to restore the vitality of my aberrant creature, I have lived here in hiding for ten years!
Have you seen what the villagers look like? I’m the one who did that to them! But so what?"
Lex Cross fell silent. It truly wasn’t his problem. But after spending so much time with Flora Bloom, he had sometimes forgotten those four words: "it’s not my problem."
’So be it. Survival of the fittest. I’m the one being sentimental.’
Just then, the old village chief, despite having a portion of his life force drained, suddenly seemed to rally. Although his body looked even more ancient than before—nothing but skin stretched over a bony frame, as shriveled as a skeleton—he was not dead.
"Don’t blame her! We’re doing this willingly!"
Just then, a flurry of footsteps sounded from outside the old village chief’s house, followed by the familiar, aged, yet powerful voice of the old granny.
"Village Chief, are you alright!"
"Don’t be afraid, Chief! Even if we die, we’ll fight them to the end!"
"That’s right! We’re living on borrowed time anyway. What’s the difference if we die sooner or later!"
"Right! You two thieves! Get out here, now! Or we’re storming in!"
Seeing this, Flora Bloom’s heart stirred. "Evangeline Rook, I don’t think you’re doing this intentionally! Am I right?" She picked up a peach from the table and held it to her nose, inhaling its scent.
"This peach is filled with Life Essence Qi. Under normal circumstances, eating it wouldn’t cause any harm. In fact, it should nourish the body and strengthen one’s constitution.
Most importantly, in an apocalypse like this, with no other food around, it can stave off starvation!"
Evangeline Rook’s prickly, defensive posture slowly relaxed at Flora Bloom’s words, but her gaze remained defiant.
"..."
"You’re just too weak! You influenced the peach trees here and made them bear fruit, yes. But because of that influence, the moment these people eat the peaches, the Life Force in their bodies is immediately siphoned back into you!
Only after that do the peaches release their own energy to replenish a certain amount of Life Force for the person who ate it.
But it’s a losing trade. The Life Force they give you is greater than what they get back from the peach. And since they haven’t had any other food to supplement their diet, everyone in the village has ended up like this!"
Evangeline Rook was stunned. She stared at Flora Bloom, her aged face twitching with emotion. "How do you know that?"
Flora Bloom tossed the peach in her hand. "This told me!"
The peach was large and round, with a rosy blush that made it look tender and juicy.
Before anyone around her could react, Flora Bloom took a large bite.
Lex Cross stood by, shaking his head in resignation. Evangeline Rook, however, was shocked and panicked.
"What are you doing! Don’t you know that eating these peaches will make you lose some of your Life Essence Q—"
But before she could finish, a dense wave of Life Essence Qi suddenly erupted from within her, then began to pour into her body in a continuous stream.
Flora Bloom finished the entire peach and took a large gulp of spiritual water.
When she’d eaten the peach, a force had indeed tried to absorb her Life Essence Qi from within her. However, she used her powerful spiritual power to redirect it into her space.
The Space Spiritual Energy, converted through her body, flooded that force with a massive amount of Life Essence Qi. Then, the draining force vanished.
Not only did it cause her no harm, but once the draining effect was gone, the peach’s own natural Life Force flowed into her body, making her feel light and invigorated.
"You... how could you..." Evangeline Rook stared at Flora Bloom in disbelief for a long moment, until the changes in her own body began to accelerate.
The long-forgotten sensation of her spine straightening was a shock to her muscles, bones, and meridians. Her body emitted a series of CRACKLES and POPS as her skeleton shifted back into place.
The sheer volume and effect of Flora Bloom’s Space Spiritual Energy were truly astonishing.
In an instant, the old woman’s stooped back straightened. Under the flow of restorative energy, her wrinkled, aged body and skin slowly became as delicate and shapely as a young girl’s, her complexion turning rosy and vibrant.
No wonder Flora Bloom had thought the name Evangeline Rook didn’t suit the woman who was an old crone just moments before. To think that after receiving Flora’s Spiritual Energy to restore her Life Force, Evangeline Rook would turn out to be such a stunning beauty.
Her expression was lively, and she exuded an aura of universal renewal—a quality unique to a Life Ability User.
"So this is what you really look like! You’re beautiful!"
With such a vibrant aura, she was like the most beautiful spirit of nature—ethereal and transcendent, as if she didn’t belong in the mortal world.
Evangeline Rook never expected that Flora Bloom would just eat her peach like that, helping her recover her Life Force.
She raised a hand, staring at her long-lost slender fingers and graceful figure. She desperately caressed her newly smooth cheeks, her entire body suddenly beginning to tremble with emotion.
Her alternating between sobs and laughter stirred up the crowd of villagers gathering outside.
"Evangeline! Don’t be afraid! We’ll get justice for you, even if we die trying!"