jdhmnovel Chapter 39 The Red Spider Lily and the Traveler
Chapter 39 The Red Spider Lily and the Traveler
The far north is a vast, endless white snowfield. Temperatures there are consistently below minus ten degrees Celsius, making it difficult even for a witch to survive for long in such a harsh environment.
This white snowfield is known as the "Sighing Snowfield" by the countries near the north, and almost no one knows what the northernmost part of this world looks like.
On the Plains of Sighs, almost no species can survive in such a harsh environment.
But it blooms with some strikingly red flowers year-round. It has different names in different places. Its official scientific name is "Manjusaka", but in Beatrice, people here are more accustomed to calling it the Red Spider Lily.
Legend has it that these tenacious flowers bloom on both banks of the River Styx.
They come from hell, bringing messages from messengers of the underworld.
Therefore, they symbolize death, and in this country where death happens all the time, the red spider lily has become the national flower of this kingdom.
Beyond the snowy plains, the other shore flowers bloom in various places as well.
This flower is not popular because it is somewhat poisonous. Unlike Beatrice, which can be found everywhere, only a few florists cultivate this flower specifically.
More often than not, the red spider lily exists as an ingredient in potions, and it is rarely used by others for appreciation.
“It’s rare that you’re asking for some free time,” Elena said.
Jean rarely offers to give him time to do what he wants. Throughout their travels, Jean has almost always followed Elena wherever she wanted to go, without any objections.
The initial agreement was that they would share their free time equally.
But Elena accepted the freedom offered by the piano without any remorse.
At this moment, Qin suggested that he wanted to go somewhere, and it would be unreasonable for her to refuse.
Afterwards, Elena followed Qin to one flower shop after another, but she couldn't figure out what Qin was looking for, or who she was going to buy flowers for.
Does he know anyone else besides himself? Is it a gift for me?
Irena suppressed her narcissistic feelings for the moment. If it were Saya, she would think that such a possibility was very high, but this blockhead in front of her would never do such a thing.
Finally, after visiting several flower shops, Qin found what he was looking for in a corner.
A sickly, bright red spider lily bloomed alone in a corner, seemingly having been eliminated from the competition among all the flowers long ago.
"How much?" Qin asked.
"Are you sure you want to buy this poisonous flower?" the florist asked. "To be honest, it was returned by a customer."
"Yes," Qin nodded.
"Three copper coins."
Then, Qin received the bouquet of flowers that he had been searching for for a long time.
"Who should we give this to?" Elena asked. The red spider lily? It seemed like Qin mentioned this flower from time to time, but in Elena's eyes, it had never had a good reputation.
"Hmm." Qin didn't say anything more.
He walked quietly until he reached a spacious and quiet place.
There was no noise from human voices here, it was very quiet. Qin held the red spider lily to her chest and murmured something, then put the flower down.
"Elena, lend me a light," Qin said.
"Oh." Elena flicked her wand, and a flame appeared out of thin air above it.
"Light it."
Is this some kind of strange ritual?
Without thinking too much, Elena lit the spider lily.
Under the firelight, the red spider lilies burned to ashes after a few seconds, and with a gust of wind, not even the ashes could be seen.
"Alright, I've taken up so much of your time. I've finished my business," Qin said.
"No, no." You're being rather polite.
"Can I ask you more why you want to..." Elena hadn't finished asking.
Qin was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Today is the anniversary of my teacher's death. It is also the day I started my journey."
Although I probably guessed it in general.
After all, Qin probably only knows a handful of people.
“She loved this flower when she was alive,” Qin continued, “but I don’t really like it.”
And yet you... still often talk about this flower.
“The deaths of people from my hometown are too cheap, as cheap as this flower. Three copper coins, that’s a life,” Qin said. “But this flower may be the only proof that I once lived.”
"Why do you say that?" Elena asked, puzzled.
“Because of forgetting—just as I choose to forget many things, no one will remember that there was such a person who struggled to live,” Qin said. “I am like this red spider lily.”
"I don't quite understand what you're saying."
"It's best if you don't understand. I hope you never understand," Qin said. "Alright, get back to what you're doing."
“I didn’t understand the rest, but there’s one thing I did understand,” Elena said.
"what?"
"At least, while I'm still alive, I'll remember that there was someone who traveled with me."
……
At the flower shop where Qin had bought spider lilies, another customer walked in. She was dressed in clothes that seemed out of place in the local area; despite the pleasant spring weather, she was draped in a thick, snow-white down jacket.
And his age seems to be less than ten years old.
"Little sister—what would you like to buy?" the florist asked with a smile as she continued her business.
She subconsciously felt that the little girl was someone her parents had asked her to buy flowers.
"I have a name, my name is Angela." The little girl looked up at the florist with her light blue eyes and a smile on her lips.
"Little Angela, what would you like to buy?"
What an adorable little girl.
Aren't you hot dressed like that? Maybe she's weak and needs to keep warm.
"No need to buy anything~ Um..." Angela snapped her fingers lightly, "A gray-haired witch came by, what did her companion buy?"
The moment the fingers snapped, the florist's mind went blank. In that instant, she forgot about business and only wanted to answer the girl's question properly.
He bought a bunch of spider lilies.
"that's it?"
"Yes, Lady Angela."
"Hehe, that's pretty much what I thought." Angela chuckled and shook her head. "By the way, do you still have any extra spider lilies for sale?"
"No, Lady Angela."
"Fine, those people outside really have no taste." Angela laughed and left, snapping her fingers lightly before exiting the store. "Forget."
The florist then regained his senses.
She felt like she had forgotten something, but then she continued working. It was as if the blue-eyed little girl had never entered the store at all.
Angela bowed slightly and left the kingdom, then summoned her broom and flew into the sky.
She looked like a normal magician.
If we ignore the fact that she has no heartbeat.