Louis had no time to answer Garrick—he was busy calming down the dragon.
Couldn't Garrick see how heartbroken Norbert was? Each teardrop was the size of a soup bowl, nearly drowning the flowers around it. That alone showed how wronged it felt.
And honestly, who wouldn't? Locked away in a strange place, tormented by a weird being (a transparent figure) who "educated" it with gardening knowledge and forced enlightenment—only to finally see its master again and be smacked straight into a wall. Of course it was miserable.
It took Louis quite a while to soothe the sobbing dragon. Then, he went and did something foolish.
He asked Norbert, "How did you grow so big?"
Not only Garrick, but even Norbert was stunned.
"You can't actually understand what it says, right?" Garrick asked, unable to hold back. "Don't tell me the Merlin bloodline comes with a gift for speaking Dragon Tongue?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that. I'm just used to talking to my pets," Louis said, patting Norbert's massive head. "Well, how is it here? Comfortable enough? Look at how fast you've grown."
Garrick shook his head. If Louis couldn't understand Norbert, how was it that Norbert seemed to understand him?
Just then, Norbert frantically shook its head, swinging it like a fan.
It really had understood.
Garrick was struck speechless. When it came to Louis, everything was absurd. Better not to comment—it was too embarrassing. For all he knew, Louis really might master Dragon Tongue one day.
"What's wrong with this place? You don't need to eat or drink, and you still grow this huge. Seems pretty good to me. If I threw you outside, I'd have to feed you—and with a body your size, each meal would take at least two tons of meat, right?"
Louis eyed Norbert and shook his head.
Norbert panicked, roaring while waving its claws in protest, desperately miming the cruelty of the transparent figure. But Louis ignored its performance, turning away with Garrick and heading toward the roots of the World Tree in the distance.
Norbert, seeing Louis ignore it, let out a very humanlike sigh. Then, lowering its head, it noticed the trench it had ploughed when Louis kicked it flying. Terrified, cold sweat beaded on its scales. Hastily, it filled the ditch back in, gently nudging the flowers' roots into place.
After all, with Norbert's massive body, every move threatened to shake the ground. Even so, its motions were surprisingly delicate. When Louis and Garrick turned around, they saw Norbert earnestly fixing the landscaping.
"Who would've thought this Norwegian Ridgeback was a natural-born gardener? Not bad at all," Louis said in delight.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Garrick's eyelids twitched like they were dancing.
With his decades of experience, he could swear: there was no such thing as a "natural gardener dragon." Dragons were destroyers and predators by nature.
This dragon must be a mutation. Not only obedient, but able to manage landscaping? Incredible. Garrick found himself wishing he could have one too.
"All right, this is it," Louis said, patting Garrick's shoulder and pointing to a flower-covered mound as tall as a man. "What do you think of this wood?"
Dragged from his astonishment at "gardener Norbert," Garrick blinked at the mound, puzzled.
He reached into the flowers, brushing aside a layer of loose soil. His fingers passed through root-like vines before touching something solid—the tree's roots.
The moment he touched it, Garrick's eyes widened.
"Such powerful yet gentle vitality!" he exclaimed. "What kind of tree could this be? The strength of this life force… at least a thousand-year-old ancient wood! And the trunk—if the roots are this massive, the main trunk must reach the heavens!"
The moment it touched on his specialty, Garrick grew excited. Wood of this level nearly made him want to dance for joy.
"Calm down, calm down. Don't get carried away," Louis told him.
"How can I not be excited? With wood of this caliber, paired with a matching core, I could craft a wand stronger than the Elder Wand itself!" Garrick's cheeks flushed red. "All I'd need is a straight twenty-inch branch. Just that would be enough."
Louis could only shrug. "Garrick, I hate to disappoint you, but… sigh, you'd better come with me."
Following the direction of the roots, Louis led him onward. At first Garrick was elated, but the farther they walked, the more uneasy he became. Why hadn't they seen the towering trunk yet?
A sense of dread crept over him.
Using telekinesis, Louis lifted them both onto the World Tree's roots. And there, at the heart of where countless colossal roots converged, in the midst of a sea of blossoms—
—stood a single, swaying little sapling.
The sapling was about fifteen inches tall—already much larger than before. At least it had grown from a blade of grass into a proper tree sprout.
Yes, a sapling.
"Wait a minute…" Garrick clutched his head. "You're not telling me those massive roots produced this little thing?"
"Mm-hm. That's right. It's growing quickly, though. Last time I saw it, it was only this big." Louis gestured with his hand.
"Well, that's something." Garrick compared its height, estimating its growth rate. "If that's the case, I might still live to see this tree grow large enough to yield a branch."
"Don't exaggerate. Your lifespan is practically unlimited now—you've got time. And besides, aren't these roots right here? Just dig out a piece and use it." Louis said casually.
"Ridiculous! You can't just dig up its roots. Don't be fooled by how small it looks now—I'd wager it will one day grow to an unimaginable size. These roots are its foundation. They mustn't be touched." Garrick shook his head. "And besides, wands are rarely made from roots. Usually it's the trunk, or at worst, branches. Roots are poor quality. Not worth it."
"Fine, you're the expert," Louis said, shrugging. "We'll leave it here to grow. Give it a year or two."
"A year or two is worth the wait," Garrick agreed.
"But you'll still need to give me a normal wand. I can use magic now, and sometimes I'll need to throw around a few spells just to look the part."
"All right, you can pick one you like. Doesn't matter—you don't need to fuss over it," Garrick said.
"No, you pick something suitable for me," Louis replied.
"With your… particular circumstances, I honestly don't know how to choose. Just use a secondhand one for now. Later I'll craft you a custom wand. Isn't that better?"
"True. Good idea," Louis said with a nod of approval.
They were about to leave when Louis suddenly remembered something. He touched his ring and began pulling things out.
"What are you doing?" Garrick asked.
"Oh, just transferring stuff. Leaving unnecessary things here."
Louis casually dropped items onto the ground—mostly potions and medical supplies. For him, they were useless. He only needed to keep a little on hand at home for the Wilsons, and he had already prepared that: a single jar of Black Jade Fracture Balm, enough to last them for ages.
The rest—four hundred and fifty jars of balm, aloe ointments, and various other tools—he dumped into the Reality Marble, along with tech-based items that, if taken out into the world, would definitely get him charged with smuggling illegal weaponry.
"All done. Let's go," Louis said, taking Garrick and stepping out of the Reality Marble. As for Norbert…
Bringing it out would only cause trouble. Here, it wouldn't starve, and it had plenty of space. Best to leave it.
But once Louis and Garrick were gone, Norbert froze in horror. The transparent figure had returned.
This time, it didn't punish Norbert for ploughing the earth. Instead, it stooped to pick up the discarded supplies.
"Interesting things…" It sniffed the Black Jade Balm, examined the aloe, then turned and kicked Norbert.
"Get to work. Plant this, and smear that onto the roots." In an instant, the transparent figure had neatly arranged what Louis had left behind.
Norbert let out an indignant roar. These were its master's belongings, their shared property.
Don't touch!
"Rooaaar!" Norbert cried.
"Heh, loyal one, aren't you?" The figure chuckled. "Don't worry—it's all for your master's sake."
"Now go!"
Another kick. This time, Norbert obeyed. It had heard the figure's words—this was for its master's good.
The transparent figure had never lied.
Clutching the supplies delicately in its massive claws, Norbert bustled about clumsily but carefully, planting and applying ointment as ordered.
The figure smiled.
"I truly look forward to it…"
As the words faded, the figure slowly dissolved. A faint breeze stirred the sea of flowers, drifting outward—toward the distant tower on the horizon.
---
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