V3: Chapter 56: Don't Eat It
Liang Lin and Liang Di handed Philomena over to Bellica, and without even saying a word to Carol, followed Gladys into the Magic Tower.
"Octaville, how are you? Gladys said you were injured."
Liang Di was very concerned about her foster mother. She rushed to Octaville, her eyes filled with concern and anxiety. She looked Octaville up and down, but to her surprise, Octaville was all smiles, as if nothing had happened. She struck what she considered a very cool and dashing pose, as if the fierce battle just now was nothing to her.
"Me? What could possibly happen to me? I'm the Tower Master, I'm the strongest."
In this respect, Octaville and Liang Lin were indeed somewhat similar; they both possessed a unique confidence, sometimes even bordering on arrogance. They always thought they were the most amazing people in the world, capable of easily overcoming any difficulty or challenge with their own strength.
Seeing Octaville still able to chat and laugh so easily, Liang Di and Liang Lin finally felt relieved. Their brows gradually relaxed, and smiles involuntarily appeared on their lips.
However, Octaville's eyes were covered with gauze, wrapped several times, making it look like her eyes were injured.
Liang Lin, as always, was not good with words, and the first thing she said was:
"Hey, Octaville, are you blind?"
Hilary gently patted her younger sister Liang Lin, her tone tinged with reproach and helplessness: "Liang Lin, how can you talk like that? You still can't speak properly." Her eyes showed both love for her sister and worry about her straightforwardness.
Liang Lin, startled by the pat, froze like a child who had done something wrong, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes. She didn't actually think her words were inappropriate, but her tone had inexplicably become strange, leaving room for misunderstanding, as if she hoped something bad would happen to Octaville—definitely not her intention.
Octaville waved her hand dismissively, indicating she didn't care.
"Not blind, how could I be blind? My eyes were filled with tears; I thought it was blood too! It scared me to death! I thought I'd never see my dearest wife again."
Even though she couldn't open her eyes, Octaville still accurately located Hilary's position, wrapped her arms around her wife's waist, and buried her head in the softness of her chest.
Liang Lin: "....."
Octaville took another big bite.
"Oh dear, so many people are watching."
Hilary said shyly, a blush rising on her cheeks, seemingly from the embarrassment of being watched, or perhaps from being touched by Octaville's intimate gesture.
However, despite saying this, Hilary didn't push Octaville away. Instead, she hugged the other's head tighter, as if savoring this rare warmth and intimacy. Her fingers gently ran through Octaville's hair, softly stroking her scalp, conveying silent love and affection.
"Alright, then we won't bother you two anymore."
Liang Lin and Liang Di felt they were just wasting their time watching others show affection. Since that was the case, they might as well go back to their own time, be lovey-dovey, or play house with the two children.
"Wait a minute."
Octaville called out to them.
"Liang Di, we brought back some strange fruits. You should wait a bit before you leave. Once Prescott figures it out, we'll see if we can find out what these fruits are used for in the books, and whether they have any harmful effects on the body."
Octaville decided to keep it brief and recount everything that had happened.
“We encountered a monster, a tentacle monster, a purebred tentacle monster. I had knocked it to the ground, but after eating a fruit, it was fully revived, even more energetic and powerful than before. I could feel its strength increase, probably ten times its previous strength.”
Upon hearing this, Liang Di stopped in her tracks. Being a half-tentacle, half-human, she had some tentacle blood in her veins, and this fruit might be very useful to her.
“Oh? There are such amazing things?”
She immediately became interested and turned back.
“Where are these fruits now?”
Octaville replied, “They’re with Prescott. He’s researching them right now. His daughter is looking up information; he’s studying the components of the fruits and whether they’re harmful to humans.”
Liang Di nodded thoughtfully, then eagerly said, “I’ll go take a look too.”
Upon hearing this, Octaville became alert.
“Don’t eat it right away! Until we find out if it’s harmful or what’s in it, you absolutely can’t eat a single bite.”
“Don’t worry, Octaville, I’m not a child anymore. I won’t do anything so risky.”
After hearing this assurance, Octaville pointed to a room on the right.
“Go into this room, then go through two more rooms, and that’s it. When you get there, don’t disturb Professor Prescott. He doesn’t like being interrupted or disturbed too much when he’s doing his research.”
“Okay.”
Liang Di pulled Liang Lin along, and they dashed towards the room. As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw Prescott doing his research.
Prescott had aged considerably. His face, which had previously had few wrinkles, now showed some lines. He was fiddling with bottles and jars containing some strange-looking liquid.
He stood there, his daughter beside him. In the surrounding environment, the table was piled high with books, like small mountains of knowledge. The books were diverse, covering various fields of knowledge, but the majority were encyclopedias, clearly prepared to investigate the origins of these mysterious fruits.
His eyes darted among the books, occasionally pausing to pull out a thick encyclopedia and quickly flip through it. His daughter stood quietly beside him, her eyes revealing a deep interest in the books and the mysterious fruits. She and Prescott were working diligently to unravel the mystery of these fruits.
Liang Lin and Liang Di approached the two without saying a word.
Prescott's daughter looked up at them. Seeing them, she smiled, then lowered her head again, continuing to peruse her book without pause.
Prescott, however, didn't even look up, completely absorbed in his own world, continuing to fiddle with the bottles and jars.
Liang Di pulled Liang Lin over to look.
The fruits on the table lay there silently, yet they seemed to carry an ominous aura, impossible to ignore.
Their skin was a deep, almost ethereal black, devoid of light, covered in uneven bumps and nodules, like the gruesome marks of some ancient skin disease, a horrifying sight. Interspersed among these bumps were fine, elongated cracks, like the sinister smile of a demon, sending chills down one's spine.
Even more unbearable was the thick, sticky liquid covering the fruit's surface. The liquid was a dark green, seemingly composed of decay and toxins, emitting a nauseating stench. With every breeze, the liquid trembled slightly, as if alive, releasing an indescribable stench that seemed to corrode the soul, making one want to flee the space.
And the tops of the fruits were even more terrifying. There was an irregular opening, like the gaping maw of some creature, waiting to devour any living being that dared to approach. The edges of the opening were covered with sharp, serrated protrusions, like the fangs of a demon, gleaming coldly, as if warning all creatures attempting to approach.
Even more unsettling was the low, humming sound that emanated from that opening. The sound was like the whispers of some creature within the fruit, or the stirring of some unknown evil force, as if it might break free of the fruit's constraints and descend upon the world at any moment. These fruits were undoubtedly among the most bizarre and dangerous beings in the world.
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