Petra woke up to the bright rays of the morning sun. Through the surrounding windows, the view of the sunrise was perfectly displayed.
Petra's snow white nightgown matched the surrounding bedding. Her bright green hair stood out in the sea of white pillows. Her little toes wiggled under the cool blanket. She pulled over a Petra-sized pillow and buried her head, protecting herself against the morning sun.
Now that she had a home of her own, that laziness that lurked deep within her bones finally began to show its head.
Petra buried herself deep under the covers, occasionally pulling over an extra pillow for increased security.
As the morning stretched out, the sound of footsteps finally appeared.
This was not Petra waking up, no, it was the great and mighty awakener!
Petra's little eyes shone with light, quickly digging herself deeper into her lair.
Coming up the stairs was a young girl in a maid's dress.
The silent Luna walked over and looked at the mountain of pillows that had piled up in the center of the bed. The great pillow mountain had reached two meters tall, leaving the black haired little maid even more silent.
'Does my little master really need that many pillows?'
Rolling up her sleeves, Luna walked over and plunged her delicate white hands into the white mountain and dug around for anything useful.
When she finally found a piece of squishy white flesh, the surprisingly strong maid pulled the little Lolita out of her den and through the air by her ankles.
"Nyaaaa~!"
Petra landed on the floor, her little face still groggy from the long night's sleep.
She puffed up her cheeks, seemingly dissatisfied with the sudden awakening.
Luna pointed at the clean clothes she had hung on a nearby chair.
Petra stuck out her tongue.
She now had many copies of the same black robe. Unlike before, where even a potato sack was better than nothing, she finally had the ability to be a little bit more picky with what she wore.
Petra put on the white dress, her pearl-like legs put on full display.
The little girl stretched, finally waking up a bit.
She let out a long yawn.
Petra followed Luna down the tower, passing the laboratory and library, arriving at the second floor dining room, where a large table had been filled with food.
Petra sat down, her little hands grabbing at the many delicacies.
To the side, Lilly and Luna, the only two girls who actually tried to follow servant-like etiquette, stood silently, waiting for the little master to finish eating.
As Petra gorged herself, she couldn't help but pick up yesterday's newspaper.
It had been four months since the sudden discovery of 'The Fifth Heavens Chosen'. After such a long time, nobody was able to find this mysterious little girl.
When people realised that they probably wouldn't be able to find her, they went to Elena for answers.
When Elena was told to go and find Petra, she just laughed and told them that she didn't know.
Elena herself was a little worried at this point.
Thousands of people searched through the forest for months to no avail. If it wasn't for Petra secretly sending her a letter via an ant messenger, then Elena might have really joined the search.
Anyway, the news from today's newspaper was all about the east. A few months ago, strange and unkillable monsters suddenly appeared in Tera.
If it wasn't for Dorthy Quella, the eastern hero, then the number of casualties would have been unprecedented. Dorthy suggested sending them to sleep, then sealing them instead of just killing them endlessly. This seemed to work, and after 4 months, the City of Tera was officially monster free.
Petra flipped the page.
There was still a bounty on the twins' heads. The bounty had almost doubled from the original value.
Aside from that, there was a sudden fire at the Old Owls Bookstore back in Sevensen. Although it was officially reported as an accident, Petra's terrifying ant-powered information network discovered that she was actually being hunted by a madman named Bouer. She had no idea who he was, but he chased her all the way into the forest. Out of everybody, he was actually the closest to finding her. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking for the Heavens Chosen, but his son's murderer.
Petra pursed her lips.
'What small fry, who is this troublesome fellow!'
Petra finished eating and went downstairs, leaving the table for Lilly and Luna to clean up. She followed the east wing until she found Lilly's Tailor Studio. There, Petra found Nebu working diligently on a new robe.
This robe was something she asked Lilly to make, but Nebu offered to make it instead. Although Lilly was very good at making clothes, Nebu actually knew how to make a true magic robe. This was a skill Lilly had yet to learn, so Petra and Lilly let Nebula make the robe.
After checking the progress of her new robe, Petra skipped through the long hall and left through the east door and out towards the poison garden.
Petra didn't know if the Emerald Ghost Tree had any special effect on poisonous plants, but her poison garden had exploded with vitality.
Petra had used a wide variety of methods to collect a large variety of poisonous plants. She picked some personally, but most of them were found by the ants. Other than that, the snake, the spider, and the girls had all done their part in adding to the garden.
The longer they lived here, the more poisons they were exposed to. Petra had put each of the girls through a brutal period of poison resistance training.
Even the mysterious Nebula had to undergo her training.
Petra skipped through the garden, looking for anything that needed help to grow.
She only stopped for a moment to pick a small flower and stuff it into her mouth. Poisonous plants were actually very tasty. Unfortunately, most people were unable to enjoy this unknown realm of flavour.
Petra left the garden and walked through the layers of terrace farms. She skipped down the stone path and crossed a small stone bridge.
Reaching the end of the path, Petra came to the river that surrounded the outer edge of the territory.
There she met Wind, sleeping beside a stone bench.
With a little kick, the lazy girl woke up.
An embarrassed look flashed across her face. Although she didn't have any 'official' work to do, Wind was actually quite busy. She had volunteered to fill the river and manage the ecology of the underwater wildlife.
Because of the sheer size of the river, this was a far bigger job than she had originally anticipated. She needed help, but was too stubborn to ask.
Petra clicked her tongue.
She put her little hands on her hips and looked up to Wind.
"If you want, you can ask the ants to carry you back. I'm sure they won't complain. "
Wind gave a wry smile. "It's OK, I'm sure that when all that paperwork comes, I won't have time to lie on the grass and enjoy the moon.
Petra just shook her shoulders. "Suit yourself."
She skipped away.
Moving back through the farmlands, Petra looked around and inspected the crops. She herself was surprised at how many species she had managed to collect. Although not an endless amount, Petra's farmland focused far more on variety than quantity.
Returning to the house, Petra was greeted by Lilly and Luna, who had been waiting.
Petra stood in the front yard.
Under her feet was the massive stone map created by the ants. Unlike before, this map was far more complicated and detailed. It was worth mentioning that this map could be seen from every floor in the tower.
"Is there any news on the Windwheel Wood I wanted to buy?"
Lilly shook her head. "Windwheel Wood is exclusive to the east. If we want to get some, then we need to make the trip personally. Ever since that Dorothy's popularity skyrocketed, Windwheel Wood has become a hot commodity. It's the core ingredient of her staff, so everybody wants a piece."
Petra puffed out her cheeks. "Annoying!"
Lilly chuckled. "Why don't you just send the ants?"
Petra shook her head. "The Warlord Forge has a very bad reputation. It's fine if nobody recognizes it, but if it's discovered, as long as it's outside the Green Wind Forest, it's going to be a problem."
Luna nodded in agreement.
Lilly and Luna followed Petra inside.
The little girl led the twins up to the laboratory on the fourth floor. Here, there were a lot of ongoing experiments and dangerous poisons being made.
"I can make a person mute, that's easy. The problem with Luna is that her larynx was crushed. I don't have the ability to heal that."
Petra walked over to a potion stand and plucked out a vibrant red vial from the stand.
"At least not yet! Hehehe, healing poison, doesn't that sound fun! Hehehe~!"
Luna suddenly wanted to run.
This lunatic would rather develop an entirely new branch of poison than just learn medicine! Was there even a difference between medicine and a 'healing poison'!?!
Although reluctant, Luna eventually took the poison.
A moment later, poof!
Two bunny ears shot out of the top of her head.
There was silence.
There was even more judgment...
Petra smiled awkwardly. "Say nothing if you're happy with it!"
Luna: !!!
"Aye yaya~ I'll fix it. I'll fix it, stop hitting! Stop hitting!"
Lilly burst out laughing.
She and her sister were living a good life.
-
Later that day, the group of girls gathered around the dining table. The sun was setting, and the night's chill slowly crept in.
After they finished eating…
"I plan to learn magic!" proclaimed the green haired lolita.
The room was silent.
"I plan to cultivate too!"
Lilly: ...
Luna: ...
Mell: ...
Wind: ...
Rose: ...
Nebula: Just like father?
The room looked at Nebu, incredulous.
Petra nodded her head. "That's right, but I'll do it better!"
Six heads all tilted.
Petra continued, "Over the past few millennia, the cultivation system has steadily declined. The magic system, however, has improved by leaps and bounds!"
Petra jumped up onto the table before continuing. "Your father left me his notes. I've seen the old cultivation system. Although much better, it's clear that it runs into problems after the fifth realm if you want to cultivate both paths."
"Your father circumvented the complete loss of his mana circuits by using an external battery, that is, that black staff!"
"But I have a better idea! One unique to me! After the fifth step of cultivation, one will cast away their physical body to focus on the development of the soul and soul body! My constitution is unique! I can figure out how to build an inner mana network through the use of various poisons and form mana channels in my soul!"
Petra laughed wildly, looking like she deserved a beating.
She continued, "I already have a poison that can drain a specified energy from a person. Is this not a channel! If I can learn to manipulate the state of the poisons stored inside my body, then won't it be easy? The little me is a genius, don't you think!"
"You'll also be able to extend your mana channels outside your body." Nebu suddenly added.
Wind tilted her head. "Then doesn't your physique automatically work as a bridge that connects your physical body to your soul?"
Petra nodded at both of these.
Mell suddenly raised her hand, slightly apprehensive. "Cultivators have those things, uh, dantians and meridians... and spirit roots, right? Do you have them?"
Petra suddenly paused.
She had indeed thought about how to solve the problem on the mage's side, but she had completely forgotten to even check if she could cultivate.
Petra pursed her lips.
She thought, 'Even if I don't, can't I just use the same trick I did with my mana channels on the meridians and dantian? The only problem is the spirit root. If I don't have that...'
She looked at Nebula.
"You have one. Although I can't tell its nature, I'm sure you have one." Nebula responded to her gaze.
Petra grinned from ear to ear.
"What a bright future I have!!"
Since that was the case, then all her problems were solved.
"Next, let's celebrate a good year! The green tide is not far away, so let's do one final harvest!"
"Petra, look!"
Petra suddenly looked through the window. The warm lights were a stark contrast to the cold night.
From the dark sky above, snow slowly fell.
Winter was approaching.
[End of Volume 1]