Chapter 46 Aftermath

Time quickly shifted to the afternoon. After helping ‘Xier’ prepare some tea, biscuits, and pastries, Haxia found herself with a moment of leisure and returned to the jungle-themed room where ‘Butis’ resided.

Today, ‘Butis’ was squatting by the edge of the pond, teasing a bright blue poison dart frog with a glass tube while observing it intently.

“I feel like something is still missing. Is it the pigment? But that’s not what the books describe,” she muttered thoughtfully, her long emerald-wave hair swaying slightly.

Just then, Haxia walked in, treading very carefully along the way, trying her best not to step on any clumsy creatures or let anything entangle her ankles. After a short while, she finally reached the edge of the pond.

“Senior Butis~”

“Ah, it’s Dantalian. You’re here.” Butis put down the poison dart frog in her hand and pulled the young girl down to sit beside her.

“Did you sleep well yesterday? A major incident occurred in the city of Paoyin.”

“A major incident?” The young girl blinked, doing her best to feign a look of astonishment.

“Deep beneath the underground, some unexpected events occurred. Those out-of-control individuals from before were also manipulated by someone, but fortunately, the main culprit was caught this time.”

“That’s a relief.” The young girl nodded.

“However, Paoyin is now under lockdown, and I’m afraid travel in and out will be restricted for a short while,” Butis said with a hint of disappointment.

Since last night, all outgoing routes from Paoyin—whether they were the skylift terminals, surface highways, or underground tunnels and railways—had been completely sealed off. A thorough investigation was reportedly underway, and the city would not reopen until all safety concerns were fully cleared, a process that could potentially last for a month.

“I was originally planning to introduce you to a teacher, but it seems you won’t be able to get there anytime soon.”

“She is exceptional in vocal performance and would suit your temperament well. My style back then was primarily passionate rock. Purin fits that well, but if you were to learn from me, it might not suit you as well.” Despite her past as a diva, Butis was well aware of her own limitations.

After thanking Butis once more for her kind intentions, Haxia cleared a clean spot and sat down beside her.

“Was Sister Butis training that poison dart frog just now?”

“Ah, not really. Actually, I was wondering how to make that poison dart frog evolve into a Tier 4 ‘Golden Poison Dart Frog.’ That variety is extremely rare, and it produces a special substance used to make ‘Golden Venom’.”

“‘Golden Venom’ is harmless to animals, but if injected into plants, such as flowers, it can permanently preserve them in a brilliantly blooming state. Some precious garments and accessories are adorned with these ‘permanently preserved golden flowers,’ and they command a very high price.”

“Some ancient Elven families within the Federation possess the secret technique for making ‘Golden Venom,’ but they have never made it public. We can only manage to earn a bit from the raw materials.”

“Is this evolution very difficult?” the young girl asked curiously.

***

“It’s not particularly difficult, but on average, out of every two thousand Tier 3 poison dart frogs, only one manages to evolve into a ‘Golden Poison Dart Frog,’ and no one ever knows which one it will be.” Butis took a card from her pocket and inserted it into the nearby display console. Soon, various images and textual data appeared suspended in the air.

Looking at the evolved golden-yellow poison dart frog in the projection, the young girl fell into deep thought.

Golden, huh...

Afterward, Haxia and Butis fed the venomous creatures in the jungle, and then Haxia leaned back on a nearby bench to take a short nap.

Too many things had happened yesterday, and she hadn’t slept much to begin with. Compounded by the exhaustion and side effects of using her innate abilities, it all hit her at once. Within ten seconds of leaning against the chair, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

After finishing the chores with the jungle creatures, Butis had originally intended to discuss diva-related matters with Haxia, but seeing how soundly she was sleeping, she hadn't the heart to wake her.

What a lovely child.

Butis gently touched Haxia’s cheek, feeling its soft, tender texture, and then sat down opposite her, letting her thoughts drift back in time.

It had been several years since she left the circle of divas and stage performances. She had originally thought she would never touch those things again, but she hadn’t expected that upon meeting Haxia, she would find herself busy once more, leaving no stone unturned—even contacting the most accomplished among her former diva acquaintances this time.

Was this a sudden surge of kindness, or was it due to some lingering regrets and unwillingness from the past?

She raised her head to look at the simulated sky at the top of the emerald jungle, where patches of blue sky were brushed by a few drifting white clouds.

Purin Cocoa’s style was very similar to her own back then—both burning with fierce, unbridled passion like a raging fire. But back then, she had been far more rebellious, looking down on anyone who followed the rules, always feeling that such people were far too cowardly, shrinking back and lacking the courage to unleash the wildness in their hearts.

Looking back now, however, it seemed rather childish and extreme, she thought with a slight shake of her head.

While a momentary burst of passion is certainly moving, sustaining long-term progress requires a mix of resilience and gentleness; otherwise, once the fire burns out, nothing is left except a barren wasteland of ashes.

Dantalian was much better than she had been in that regard; her temperament was steady and unflustered, delicate yet strong. Yet, occasionally, she also stirred a sense of pity in others. Children who were overly well-behaved often bore the hardships of a difficult childhood, whereas pampered children tended to be much more flamboyant and boisterous.

It had been a long time since she had seen such an endearing and lovable good child. No wonder everyone liked her so much.

Pondering matters concerning Haxia, Butis felt a deep sense of emotional resonance. Perhaps this was the coincidence of fate—after she had given up walking this path herself, a successor with even greater talent had been sent to fulfill the regrets lingering in her heart.

After a while, she stood up and contemplated a training plan for this successor's future development, a vague outline already forming in her mind.

First and foremost, she still needed to cultivate the girl’s self-confidence, even though a shy ‘Dantalian’ was also undeniably cute.

***

After finishing work, Haxia walked back to her residence with brisk, light steps. Completing a busy yet fulfilling day always brought a quiet sense of satisfaction and happiness, allowing her to play video games all night with a clear conscience.

However, she wouldn’t be playing tonight; she needed to rest properly because she had to attend the preliminary examination at Iris Court Academy in three days.

Wait, the preliminary examination required leaving Paoyin City and heading to the First Northern District, but Paoyin City was currently under lockdown...

Her pace abruptly slowed down. Surely she wouldn’t be that unlucky.

Quickly returning home, she began checking the local student forums to see how everyone was discussing the situation.

Sure enough, as soon as she logged in, she saw numerous posts discussing the lockdown.

“The vacation I had planned for is completely ruined!”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime graduation trip!!”

“What worries me more is the preliminary exam. Surely they aren’t going to fail every student in Paoyin City because of this.”

“What kind of unexpected accident could possibly require locking down an entire city? Does the government have any idea how much loss this causes people?”

“My family has asked around, but unfortunately nobody knows the reason. All we know is that the classification level is extremely high.”

...

Within the bustling forum, not only students but also a small number of graduated senior students and adults were discussing the matter. Haxia even spotted the IDs of a few familiar classmates who had previously planned a trip down south.

Inside the noisy forum, all sorts of rumors flew about wildly as people speculated on the cause and course of the incident. Some claimed dangerous individuals from the wanted list had been discovered; others said there was a leak in the underground industrial zone; some believed an abnormal anomaly had occurred underground; while others argued that a special biological virus had been detected. As they analyzed the situation, some users even posted secretly captured photos and videos.

This chaotic state continued until a little past nine in the evening, when it was finally halted by the release of an official announcement.

[All local forums are temporarily suspended from posting. Resumption time will be notified separately.]

[Students required to attend preliminary examinations may report to the police station with their notification documents. After verification, they will be permitted to leave Paoyin City through special channels.]

With that, the chaotic situation was finally suppressed, at least for the time being.