Chapter 84

The stick cannot speak, and Zhao Mai was certain of this. However, the fact that the stick had grown leaves was already quite magical, so if it were to speak, it wouldn't be entirely incomprehensible.

Since choosing to become a druid, one inevitably has to deal with various plants and animals. In druidic spells, there is a 1st-level spell called "Speak with Animals," a 5th-level spell that can "Enlighten" plants and animals, teaching them language and granting them intelligence, and a 7th-level spell that can "Animate Plants," allowing plants to walk freely.

All druidic spells are learned from nature, so speaking plants and animals definitely exist. Zhao Mai was mentally prepared, knowing he would encounter many magical things. However, the initial shock would still be significant.

Zhao Mai sat cross-legged and placed the "stick pot" on the ground. He took a deep breath, relaxed, and entered a state of Force perception.

When he tried this on Earth, the heavily polluted environment made him vomit and collapse. However, on Golarion, where the land is full of vitality, Force meditation is a pleasure. The power of nature is pure and harmonious, circulating between heaven, earth, water, and soil. The vibrant life force entered Zhao Mai's body, giving him a sense of lightness and comfort.

The "stick tree" was the same, absorbing and releasing natural Force. Zhao Mai carefully observed and finally noticed the difference. The stick tree absorbed a more primitive form of natural Force, but what it released seemed processed, making it easier to understand and absorb.

From the perspective of absorbing energy for cultivation, the stick tree would be more beneficial to druids. However, the amount of natural Force the stick tree released was too small to cover Zhao Mai's body, so he couldn't fully absorb it. One must always look at things with a developmental perspective. The stick tree might not be sufficient now, but that doesn't mean it won't be in the future—after all, it didn't even have a trace of energy before, and now it has at least solved the problem of going from nothing to something.

With his interest piqued, Zhao Mai began to experiment. The stick tree seemed very satisfied with its pot and was unwilling to leave. Zhao Mai suspected that his actions might have damaged the stick tree's roots, causing it to scream. Thinking about it, he didn't need to be at odds with a pot. The stick staying inside was fine; it would naturally grow out when it got bigger.

Worried about the nutrient content of the soil in the pot, Zhao Mai took some flower fertilizer from his bag and added it. At that moment, the stick suddenly sent him a wave of happy information, like a little girl giggling. This was strange; could the stick know the benefits of fertilizer?

Zhao Mai had never grown flowers or plants, so he didn't know how to use flower fertilizer. Artificially synthesized fertilizers are different from humus soil. For plants, the concentration of nutrients is very high, and it can easily draw water from the plant's roots, similar to how salt can kill slugs, potentially "burning" the plant to death. These fertilizers need to be diluted before use, usually at a ratio of about 1:1000.

The previous tenant had mixed the fertilizer himself, stored it in a bag, and knew the dilution ratio, so there was no need for instructions. But when it came to Zhao Mai, it was a "three-no" product. What should have been diluted 1:1000 was directly added to the pot, which would have killed a normal plant long ago.

However, the "stick" was not ordinary. It required a large amount of nutrients, so its growth was usually very slow. Zhao Mai kept inserting it into the soil, and it slowly woke up after being covered in dirt. It would take at least a year to grow leaves. But after Zhao Mai added the fertilizer, the large amount of nutrients immediately woke it up.

A single type of fertilizer would make a plant one-sided, but the mixed fertilizer from the previous tenant was comprehensive. Even if there was some waste, it wouldn't cause the plant to grow unevenly. This environment made the stick very satisfied, so it wouldn't leave the pot.

Zhao Mai added more fertilizer, and the stick "hmm"ed, its two leaves stretching out like a person stretching. "This is fun!" Zhao Mai, still thinking about the stick growing into a woodland staff, continued to add fertilizer with the attitude of "better safe than sorry."

The gray-black fertilizer quickly seeped into the soil and disappeared. Soon, the soil in the pot began to clump, and the dry cracks spread like a spider web. But the Ashen Lake was nearby, so there was plenty of water. Soaking the pot in the lake was no problem.

Thus, Zhao Mai repeatedly added fertilizer and water, listening to the stick's silver bell-like laughter. Right before his eyes, the stick kept growing leaves, one by one, quickly covering the stick.

It didn't grow taller or thicker, just kept growing leaves. Zhao Mai observed with great interest, feeling that this effect was more like something from a CG animation, giving him a sense of unreality. He pinched the leaves, and to his surprise, the leaves pinched him back.

His heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously extended his fingers again. The tender green leaves indeed surrounded his fingers, gently overlapping and even wiggling, like a handshake.

Oh my God, he was being teased by a stick with leaves! Zhao Mai whistled and called over his dog, dragging its paw onto the stick. Unexpectedly, the stick tree could distinguish targets, and this time, no leaves wrapped around the dog's paw. The dog sniffed it, and the stick tree actually hit it with a leaf. Although the action was light, it still scared the dog, which jumped back and let out a warning growl.

"This is too interesting!" Zhao Mai comforted the dog and then continued his repetitive work of fertilizing and watering with renewed enthusiasm. Finally, when the bag of fertilizer was almost empty, the stick groaned and began to shake violently.

Under the watchful eyes of Zhao Mai and the dog, all the leaves quickly turned yellow and dry, then crumbled and fell to the ground. The stick's outer skin began to peel off, like a wall that had lost its maintenance and was constantly flaking. The stick, over a meter long, kept shortening and disappearing, leaving only a short stub of less than ten centimeters.

With a crisp crack, the last stub split into four pieces, and a seedling emerged from the middle. It had two small, unopened leaves, and a pearl-like white flower bud was embedded between them. The moment it appeared, the surrounding natural Force became agitated and immediately converged on the small flower, rushing into it without hesitation.

Zhao Mai's own Force also became unstable, and some of it was absorbed by the flower, which then provided him with a more refined Force. The leaves then stretched out, and the flower bloomed. In the center of the five red petals, there were half-rolled yellow and pink stamens. The flower sensed Zhao Mai's presence and gently swayed left and right, as if dancing.

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