Chapter 562 - 559: Secret Passage

Chapter 562: Chapter 559: Secret Passage

"All right, this is the place."

The Administrator led the group to an open, grassy field. He glanced around before looking up at the sky.

Thick clouds and mist obscured the view, making it impossible to see what was above, but the Administrator’s gaze seemed to pierce right through the heavy cloud layer.

"This is a good spot," he said flatly.

"Where’s the secret passage?" Xi asked, confused.

Li Luo was also looking around. There was indeed nothing in this open field that resembled a secret passage.

The Administrator didn’t answer. He simply plucked a leaf from a Pot Bell Grass on his bracelet, rubbed it in his hands for a few moments, and when he opened his palm again, the leaf had transformed into a pea that was half-wrinkled and half-smooth.

The moment Xi saw the pea, he exclaimed in surprise, "Mendel’s Peas?"

"Mendel’s Peas?" Li Luo froze, hearing the familiar name.

’How did Mendel get here?’

Xi noticed Li Luo’s astonishment and quickly explained, "Humans brought this type of pea to the Hua Sheng Islands, so we adopted the same name they used."

’Is that so?’ Li Luo took out her electronic screen and began searching for information on the pea. Since humans had brought it to the Hua Sheng Islands, the database was bound to have a record of it.

Sure enough, Li Luo quickly found the data on Mendel’s Peas...

It was a wondrous species, somewhere between a relic and a living organism.

When planted, this pea would rapidly grow in the direction of the planter’s desired destination. A giant stalk would then carry the planter right to where they wanted to go.

Because of this wondrous property and the fact that it required no price to use, humans had brought it to the Hua Sheng Islands.

The healers were also curious about the plant’s properties, so they had obtained a few from the humans to study. It seemed they were now able to mass-produce them.

’It can grow to wherever you imagine?’

’Could it grow all the way to the Bottom of the Abyss?’

Li Luo read on, only to discover her idea was far too naive.

Although the stalk of Mendel’s Peas was very thick and could grow to great heights, it couldn’t grow infinitely. At most, it could be used to travel between different Sky Islands. Any farther and the stalk would collapse completely.

Reading this, Li Luo understood the Administrator’s plan.

’So this isn’t a "secret passage" at all. The Administrator plans to use Mendel’s Peas to send us to the Central Island.’

"Are we really going to use this?" Xi asked, confirming with some apprehension.

"Yes, it’s the fastest way," the Administrator said earnestly, holding the pea.

"But..." Xi was clearly afraid and seemed reluctant to use this method. Nevertheless, he reached out and took the Mendel’s Pea from the Administrator’s hand.

Li Luo could see Xi’s worry and quickly asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Of course." Xi gazed at the sky. "The distance might be too great."

"Why wouldn’t it be enough? Is it too far?" Li Luo asked, confused.

"No, it’s because of the pea." Xi weighed the Mendel’s Pea in his hand. "Mendel’s Peas have a fifty-percent chance of growing a tall stalk and a fifty-percent chance of growing a short one. We can only reach the Central Island from Senluo Island if it grows a tall stalk. If it’s a short stalk..."

Xi paused, then said, "We’ll be stranded mid-air."

Hearing this, Li Luo nodded and comforted him, "It’s okay. We can still ride Block up."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Block, and Block immediately quivered.

Seeing Li Luo’s confidence, Xi felt much more at ease.

"Then if it’s a short stalk, you have to promise you’ll save me."

"Of course."

After getting her affirmative answer, Xi made up his mind. He walked to the side and started digging a hole.

The Administrator stood by quietly, saying nothing.

Soon, Xi had dug a small, shallow-looking hole.

"Is that deep enough?" Li Luo asked, a little worried.

"It’s enough. We just need to fit the pea in," Xi said as he placed the pea in the hole.

After finishing all the preparations, he stood up and thanked the Administrator.

"Thank you. I’ve heard from the other healers that you’re always very cold, but now I see you’re actually a pretty good guy." Xi walked up to the Administrator and patted his shoulder.

The Administrator stiffly tried to dodge, but failed. He could only let Xi continue patting his shoulder.

"Have we met before?" the Administrator suddenly asked Xi a strange question.

"Of course we have. I used to come to Senluo Island to help all the time. Don’t you remember? I’m the one who planted that forest by Xuanluo Lake. And I brought over many of the rare flowers on the island..."

"No." The Administrator cut Xi off. "I mean, have you been to Senluo Island recently?"

"No, I’ve been on Hundred Flowers Island this whole time. Why?"

"It’s nothing. I just feel like you’re very familiar. I have this feeling... that you helped me not too long ago," the Administrator said, voicing his confusion.

"That’s probably because you’ve been too lonely lately, so everyone seems familiar. I get the same feeling sometimes. Don’t overthink it. It’ll be better if you make some more friends. Once I’ve investigated the truth on the Central Island, I’ll come back and hang out with you."

"Okay... All right. Be careful."

"I will."

The two balls of light flickered, like friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

Xi took his hand off the Administrator’s shoulder and turned to leave.

What he didn’t tell the Administrator was that he had the same feeling, a sense of déjà vu. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. The only way to find the truth was to get to the Central Island.

"Li Luo, let’s go. Come closer."

"Okay." Li Luo walked over to the side of the pea’s hole.

"In a moment, when the stalk breaks through the ground, don’t stand too close. Wait for it to stabilize, then seize the opportunity to jump onto a sturdy-looking leaf. Remember to hold on to the leaf and don’t let go. Also... grab it by the base and try to keep your body close to the stalk. Just watch me and copy my movements."

"Also, while I’m picturing our destination, don’t disturb me. Just stay by my side. It’ll be quick..."

Xi patiently explained the details of riding Mendel’s Peas and told Li Luo how to handle various emergencies. After he had finished explaining everything, he slowly squatted down and covered the pea with the dirt he had just dug up.

Then, he pressed his hands on the soil, seemingly imagining their destination. Li Luo stood by quietly as instructed.

Soon, a tender green sprout shot out of the ground, and Xi immediately stood up.

"Get ready!"

The sprout rapidly burst from the earth, rocketing toward the sky at a terrifying speed. Xi and Li Luo timed it perfectly, each grabbing onto a sturdy leaf.

The stalk instantly pierced into the clouds and mist. To reduce wind resistance, they both pressed their bodies close to the stalk.

Down on the ground, the Administrator quietly watched the stalk as it soared straight up. The rapid growth kicked up a powerful gust of wind, causing his ball of light to flicker unsteadily.

In the blink of an eye, Li Luo and Xi’s figures had vanished, completely swallowed by the clouds. Block, however, was still following slowly behind.

When the stalk broke through the clouds, sunlight shone on Block, making it gleam brightly. The Administrator stared at Block, and an incredibly familiar feeling welled up in his heart.

"Take care..."