Chapter 499

Chapter 499: Black Bud

  Emanas, the Black Lotus Activity Room.

  Lily sat on the sofa flipping through a painted novel, occasionally putting down the book to eat snacks from the coffee table.

  ”Ugh, how boring,” she said, leaning back and spreading her arms wide.

  As a sensible fish, Lily didn’t have many ambitions. She was content with just being average in her studies, and she figured she could only advance to the fourth year before graduating.

  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch up with those geniuses like Loran, Bumansa, Night Spirit, and Vemya. They were all exceptional. Only Nia was similar to her, but now Nia was at Bridgehead Academy, working incredibly hard. That kind of resilience was something she couldn’t emulate.

  The Green Empire placed great importance on lineage, and since she wasn’t a genius, no matter how much effort she put in, it wouldn’t make much difference. She didn’t want to live a life of constant hardship.

  She would marry a decent person, raise some fish, grow some flowers, and live a comfortable and leisurely life.

  After sighing, Lily lowered the book from her forehead, turned her neck, and looked over. There, Red Sail was playing chess with Bitter Leaf.

  Since the end of last year, this activity room had gradually become more lively. The addition of members like Red Sail, Bitter Leaf, Ling, Iglee, and others had rapidly expanded the small Black Lotus club from three or five people.

  ”If you’re bored, help me out a bit,” Bumansa said, wearing an apron and carrying a tray of freshly made snacks. This was her persistent hobby.

  She often made too much food for herself to finish, so she frequently shared with other club members.

  This way, everyone got to know each other better. After Loran left, Bumansa took over as acting president, handling some of the club’s affairs.

  ”Ugh, I don’t want to move. Even though it’s boring, I still don’t want to work,” Lily said with determination.

  ”If Night Spirit were here, she’d definitely mock you,” Bumansa said, walking over, picking up the book, and putting a snack into Lily’s mouth.

  ”Mmm, she wouldn’t,” Lily replied while eating.

  The door to the activity room opened, and two girls walked in with flower pots.

  ”Good afternoon, Bumansa, Lily, and everyone.”

  Iglee placed the flower pot in the corner and stood up to greet them. Ling followed behind her, placing another flower pot down.

In this special case, a white porcelain flower pot contained clear water with circular green leaves floating on top.

“What’s this?” Lily asked, moving over like an agile little kitten.

“This is something we’ve recently cultivated. You know, I used to be the president of the Nectar Bud Association. Although the Nectar Bud now belongs to the Black Lotus, most of the previous members are still around, so we’ve been exploring some new things recently, and we’ve finally made some progress.”

“These are two potted plants that we’ve carefully nurtured. One is a black-red rose, and the other is a black-purple lotus.”

“Oh, isn’t this just like our club’s name?” Lily squatted by the corner of the wall, looking at the two potted plants, and exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, that was the direction we were specifically exploring.” Iggy walked to the center of the activity room and sat in front of Bumansa.

“What does the vice president think? Should we promote this? Hehe.”

Bumansa poured tea into the teacups in front of her, one for Iggy and one for herself.

“Let’s wait a few more days to see what these flowers look like when they bloom,” she said, lifting the teacup, blowing on the steam, and taking a small sip.

“It’s a pity Lolan isn’t here. She also likes flowers and plants, and sometimes she shares some knowledge about planting with me.”

“Do you think President Lolan knows about this? It’s hard to tell,” in Iggy’s mind, Lolan was probably a noble lady who didn’t even touch water with her ten fingers.

“Haha, actually, Lolan is quite easy to get along with. In the dormitory, she would make delicious food for us. Her style and taste were very unique, and everyone liked it,” Bumansa recalled the past, reminiscing about the life in the dormitory.

Unconsciously, half of their time in the academy had already passed. Now they were third-year students. In another two years, they would graduate and leave.

“Does President Lolan know how to cook? It’s hard to imagine,” Atati, a teenage elf girl, came out from the rest area at the back, talking while walking and tying her hair with a light green hairband.

“Although I’m an elf, I know nothing about cooking. It’s easiest to just eat fruit,” she said, sitting on the sofa and picking up a yellow apple.

“Ling, do you want to eat? These apples are said to have just been transported by water from Clancia, and they’re very fresh,” she looked at the girl opposite her.

The winged girl shook her head, picked up a snack from the coffee table, and took a small bite. Despite being exceptionally fierce on the battlefield, this girl with wings on her back was quiet and rarely spoke in daily life.

In the activity room, several people were playing chess, some were chatting, and others were eating fruits and pastries. Lily squatted in a corner, gently touching the bud of a flower.

The deep black petals of the rose gave it a captivating charm even before it bloomed. The wine-red edges made each petal distinct, while the bud hung downward from the branches. A few light green leaves emerged from the base of the bud, and a few sharp thorns on the stem prevented others from casually touching it.

Her fingertips gently brushed against the bud, feeling the layered texture of the petals.

“It hasn’t bloomed yet,” Lily murmured.

—

Clancia, Soland.

Over the next half month, Lolan Hill discussed the details of the five-year plan with everyone and then created a detailed handbook for explanation, starting the printing process.

Sheet after sheet of pale yellow paper, imbued with a faint ink scent, was pressed by heavy steel, bound with thread, glued, and sealed, piling up in the warehouse.

From a small stack to boxes, and finally filling the entire warehouse, millions of books gradually reached the dome of the warehouse like small mountains.

A young lady dressed in a dark blue robe entered, and under the guidance of several staff members, she pulled out a book, opened it, and began flipping through its pages.

“Lady Lolan Hill, with the full operation of nearly ten printing factories in the Imperial Capital, the first batch of promotional materials has been completed by thirty percent. Due to the current shortage of paper, which requires time to dry, the next batch will have to wait until next month.”

“Mm, I understand.”

After flipping through the beautifully illustrated promotional booklet in her hand, Lolan Hill placed it back on the pile and turned to look at the other side.

“How are the other textbooks coming along? The first batch of technicians will start teaching soon.”

Steel production, cement, and other plans for the first batch require a large number of technicians. During this period, Lolan Hill will temporarily take on the role of a mentor, training the first group of students, who will then spread out, becoming the technical backbone leading various construction projects in the future.

“These materials have been fully printed,” the staff member proudly straightened his back.

“Very good, then let’s get started. The first spark of the industrial age.”

The young lady turned a new page in history.

—

Thank you to Hunter’s Dream, Foolish Phoenix, E_25, Night, Soul_Possessor_Youmu, Devouring Solar Eclipse, Withered Leaf, Reader_20180728102600225, Holding_Hands_Aging_Together, Lonely_Traveler, and ten readers for their support.

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(End of Chapter)