Roland walked to the center of the garden and was stunned.
At the end of the passageway was a small room made of plants. Tree trunks and improved crops formed the walls. Crisscrossing vines hung from the top of the head, as if they had been meticulously woven. Among the green leaves, there were a few clusters of sparkling grapes. There was a bonfire burning in the middle of the room, surrounded by green furniture. If one looked closely, they would find that they were all made of strange plants that grew out of the ground. For a moment, he thought he had come to a fairytale world. If it were not for the several familiar figures standing by the bonfire, he would really think it was a dream.
"What's going on?"
Tilly turned around and showed a look of surprise. "Leaf's ability has evolved. She has turned into this garden."
"Where is she?" Roland was surprised.
"She has integrated with the plants." Tilly looked around. "Everything you see in front of you is a part of Leaf."
It seemed that it was not an illusion that he was walking in the body of a giant creature. It was just that the "giant creature" was replaced by Leaf. Roland's heart suddenly tightened. "She won't be unable to recover, will she?"
"As long as the ability is removed, I can return to my normal state." Leaf's voice suddenly sounded.
However, if one listened carefully, they would realize that it wasn't her speaking. Instead, it was the sound of rustling leaves and the rustling of branches.
Her answer made Roland feel a little relieved. "You can hear us?"
"Not only can I hear, but I can also see, smell, and touch." Leaf seemed very happy. "I can feel any changes in the garden, including the birds building their nests on the branches, the insects crawling on the tree trunks... It's hard to describe this feeling. Lady Tilly is right. I am now the garden itself. From the moment you walked in here, I noticed you."
As she spoke, a huge leaf rolled up from the ceiling and hung down to Roland's hand. It slowly bloomed, revealing a cup filled with purple-red liquid. The cup was made of four overlapping olive leaves. The stem of the leaves formed the handle of the cup, making it look small and exquisite. Roland picked up the glass and took a sip. He found that it was a freshly brewed wine. It was slightly sour with a refreshing sweetness. It seemed that both the wine and the containers came from this garden.
Roland drank the "toast" from the other party, walked to the campfire, and sat on the plant bench with great interest. The support of the bench was made of coarse bark branches, and the surface and back of the bench were covered with a thick layer of wheat leaves. Sitting on the bench was like sitting on a sofa. There was a barbecue grill next to the bonfire, and Andrea was roasting apples and corn for everyone. There was no doubt that these had all been taken from the garden.
"How did you do all this?" asked the Prince, looking up.
"I'm not sure about the process," the voice replied quickly. "I was just taking care of the newly planted crops and your flying messengers as usual, while practicing my abilities — and then they answered my call. This might be the path of fusion that I've been searching for all this time, turning the forest and the life it nurtures into a true whole. "
"What if I use my ability in the Concealing Forest? Can it also become a part of you? "
"I don't think …" She hesitated for a moment. "Even if I can, it will take a long time. It doesn't take much magic to maintain this state, and the forest can even replenish it for me. But every time I expand the range of control, I feel that my thinking is sluggish. "
"Sluggish?" Roland was stunned.
"I don't know how to describe this feeling," said Leaf. "If I slowly expand the range of control, after a few years, I should be able to become one with the Concealing Forest. But if I merge with it instantly, I'm afraid I'll lose my mind. When I first merged with the garden, I felt that my brain wasn't enough, as if my mind suddenly became very empty. It took a long time to adapt to it." She paused and added, "But the plants that I've already controlled won't feel so unfamiliar when I enter again. I can do it with just a thought."
"It's really incredible," thought Roland. Compared with Anna and Lily's evolution in the microscopic direction, Leaf's new ability was obviously a breakthrough in the macroscopic direction. If one day she could control the entire Concealing Forest, no enemy's movements would escape her eyes and ears.
"Congratulations," said Vendy with a smile. "Now the Witch Union has one more evolved witch. According to Agatha, this is equivalent to half the size of the Union."
"If she were here, she would definitely sigh for a long time." Roland smiled, then looked at the little girl who was peeking at him curiously. "Where's Paper?"
"As for her ability … I'm afraid we need to conduct further tests," replied Vendy. "But I found a strange phenomenon."
With a snap of her fingers, two bundles of packed snow quickly fell from the roof.
Vendy spread them out one by one, placing one by the bonfire and the other in the corner of the room. She then let Paper use her ability on them. "I'm currently teaching her how to use her magic power evenly to achieve a stable effect — just like what you taught me in the beginning. Although she still can't control it precisely, there shouldn't be too much of a difference in general. "
Roland noticed that the pile of snow near the bonfire quickly melted into a puddle of icy water, while the pile further away had only melted halfway.
Vendy carried the puddle of melted water to the wall and knocked on it. The tightly wrapped vines retracted to both sides, revealing a fist-sized hole. The cold wind from outside immediately poured in.
"Here, use your ability on this again," she said to Paper.
The little girl nodded and stretched out her hands. To Roland's surprise, the puddle of snow in the leaves had once again formed a thin layer of ice crystals.
"Is this … speeding up time and bringing forward the results?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he rejected his own conjecture. No, time was just a concept humans created for their own convenience; it didn't exist in itself. How could something that didn't exist affect it?
"I thought so at first, but Lady Tilly said that wasn't the case." Vendy used a vine to hang a rock and shook it in front of Paper. The latter used her ability again, but the pendulum didn't change in speed. It continued to swing left and right at the same rate until it finally stopped. "If it's speeding up time, it should swing even faster, right?"
Indeed, Roland quickly realized the nature of his opponent's ability. She wasn't affecting time, but the movement of particles. Magic power changed the energy level of particles, causing them to decrease or increase. On a macroscopic level, it appeared as freezing or melting. Of course, Paper herself probably didn't understand this at all. She was only using her ability based on what she felt, which was why she came to the conclusion that it didn't have much effect on other objects. Oxidation was a relatively long process, and it would take a longer time to see the results.
If his guess was correct, then her ability was a natural catalyst.
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