Chapter 481 - 414: Still in an Ugly State
Chapter 481: Chapter 414: Still in an Ugly State
The villagers burst through the door, and their eyes fell upon two men and two women.
Their village chief was staring in shock at the ethereal, beautiful girl beside him.
The brute who had used the lightning net to stop them was now shielding his ugly female companion. They, too, were looking at the beautiful girl.
The villagers glanced from the couple to their chief, then finally fixed their gazes on the girl.
’Those are Evangeline’s clothes, no doubt about it!’
’But where is Evangeline?’
The room was too small to hold all of them. So, led by a sturdy yet skeletal old woman, a few of the taller men entered.
"You ugly hag! What have you done with our Evangeline! Hand her over!" the old woman yelled at Flora Bloom, reaching out to grab her.
Lex Cross remained in front of her and swatted the old woman’s hand away. He then turned and pulled Flora into his embrace. Her expression, which moments ago had been a mixture of joy and surprise, now froze as she heard their insults.
"You brute! If you had just taken your disgusting girlfriend and left, we might have let this slide! Where’s Evangeline?!" The speaker glared at Flora Bloom and Lex Cross, then snarled at Flora, "Why are you wearing Evangeline’s clothes? Where is she?! We swear we heard her voice just now."
When Evangeline Rook saw the villagers, she froze. Realizing they didn’t recognize her, she composed herself and stepped in front of Lex Cross and Flora Bloom.
"Everyone, calm down! I’m all right!"
Hearing the familiar voice, everyone froze, staring at Evangeline Rook in utter disbelief.
"Evangeline? Are you... Evangeline?"
"Yes, it’s me!" Evangeline Rook’s voice trembled with emotion. She ignored their gaunt, skeletal appearances and clasped their hands, overjoyed at the reunion.
Flora Bloom, however, wasn’t caught up in their emotional reunion. She walked over to the old wooden wardrobe, opened its door, and stared at her still-ugly face in the tarnished mirror.
’If this were still the beginning of the apocalypse, when she was destitute, constantly starving, and trembling with fear as she fought zombies to survive, she could have accepted it. Being dressed in rags with an ugly face would have been understandable.’
’But now, she had a good life. She no longer had to worry about survival and even had a safe harbor. She kept herself clean and tidy every day and never had to worry about her next meal. In these circumstances, she just couldn’t accept becoming ugly.’
’Especially with Lex Cross standing right there. The contrast was just painful.’
"Why is my face still... It hasn’t changed back?"
Lex Cross came over and cupped her face, preventing her from looking away. He gave her cheek a little squeeze. "Yeah, it really hasn’t changed."
Flora Bloom’s face crumpled in frustration. She stared at the mirror, then cried out anxiously to Evangeline Rook. "Evangeline! I thought the poison was neutralized! Why hasn’t my face gone back to normal?"
Evangeline Rook had been explaining her situation to the villagers, telling them everything that had just transpired.
Hearing Flora Bloom’s cry, the whole group now gathered around her curiously.
"So this is the one who saved our Evangeline?"
"To think you have such a kind heart beneath that... exterior. We misunderstood you before!"
"That’s right!" A villager glanced at Lex Cross and clapped a withered hand on his shoulder. "Young man, you’re lucky to have a girlfriend like her!"
"Exactly! You’d better treat her right from now on. She may not be a looker, but you can’t judge people by their appearances!"
Once they understood the full story, the villagers chimed in one after another, enthusiastically trying to connect with Lex Cross and Flora Bloom.
They failed to notice the miserable expression on Flora Bloom’s face as she stared intently at Evangeline Rook.
"Well... if I were at full strength, there wouldn’t have been any side effects after I neutralized the poison for you. But my superpower hasn’t fully recovered, so I couldn’t control my parasitic worm to expel all the toxins."
"What?"
"But don’t worry, it won’t be like this for long! This condition will disappear after you have your baby! So... you’ll just have to bear with it, all right?"
Flora Bloom let out a deep sigh and took another look in the mirror. "It’s a miracle my friends and family can even recognize me like this! Is there really no other way?"
Evangeline Rook shook her head. "If my parasitic worm could regain its strength, we could give it a try. But having a worm enter your body inevitably consumes some of your vital energy, so I don’t recommend it!"
Flora Bloom stared blankly at the parasitic worm resting on Evangeline Rook’s shoulder, which looked remarkably like a silkworm.
"Forget it, I..." Flora Bloom looked at Lex Cross. "I’ve become so ugly. Can you stand it?"
Lex Cross didn’t say a word. His pale lips pursed, then curled into a slight smile as he held Flora Bloom’s face and studied it carefully.
He tilted her head to the left to examine her right cheek, then to the right to see her left.
"I think it’s... acceptable."
"Just acceptable?"
The smile on Lex Cross’s lips didn’t fade. "You want the truth?"
Flora Bloom stared into his smiling eyes and faltered. "Never mind. I’m self-aware enough!"
Evangeline Rook was thrilled with her own transformation, but she was also incredibly curious about Flora Bloom. ’What kind of woman could make Lex Cross, the War God of the Star Nation’s military, treat her so differently?’
Her gaze shifted from Flora Bloom’s stomach to Lex Cross. "You said that if I helped her with the poison, you’d have a way to help me recover. So, how can my parasitic worm be restored?"
"If you trust me, give your parasitic worm to me. I can have it restored within three days."
Evangeline Rook’s eyes lit up when she heard Flora Bloom’s words. "Really?" ’In truth, she was skeptical. The peach Flora had eaten earlier helped restore her physical functions, but that only proved Flora herself possessed abundant vital energy.’
’Nina Rook’s parasitic worm had been inside her for over half a month, yet it had only drained some of her vital energy and ruined her appearance.’
’Anyone else would have had their superpower completely drained long ago.’
’But her own parasitic worm was connected to her soul and bloodline. It had been nearly destroyed in that battle, leaving it as little more than a husk. And just now, helping to expel Nina Rook’s worm from her body had completely exhausted its energy.’
’It was only because her worm was a natural counter to Nina’s, holding an innate advantage, that the expulsion was successful at all.’
’A human body recovers by replenishing its vital energy.’
’But for a parasitic worm to recover, it needs a massive amount of the specific energy they require.’
’For example, consuming other parasitic worms of its kind to replenish itself, or using the Energy Gemstones required for leveling up.’
’Having fled here as a refugee, how could she possibly have something as precious as an Energy Gemstone? But if it was a matter of consuming another worm of its kind...’
Evangeline Rook’s gaze fell on the ugly parasitic worm that Nina Rook had nurtured, now imprisoned by Lex Cross.
’It wasn’t as powerful as her own bonded worm, but as a "favored daughter of heaven," Nina Rook had nurtured it in her body since childhood, raising it on all sorts of family treasures.’
’If her Flying Silkworm consumed it, it would be a great tonic. It would be far from a full recovery, but it was certainly better than nothing.’
"Absolutely."
Evangeline Rook glanced at Lex Cross, a troubled look on her face. "When are you leaving?"
"Immediately," Lex Cross said before Flora Bloom could react. "Nina Rook is at the Morhaven base. By now, she must know something has happened to her parasitic worm. She likely has people inside the base. They haven’t found us yet, so we need to get back as soon as possible. I’m worried they’ll make a move once they find out."
"Her parasitic worm was inside me for so long... If, as you say, all the vital energy it absorbed was transferred to Nina Rook, then I’m afraid she may have already recovered."