Edited by Aelryinth
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It was noon. A man wearing a silver leather jacket was walking slowly along Mount Lanmu. He passed by a flower garden with a lot of butterflies, crowded with tourists. They were listening to the ranger’s explanation of some of the unique flowers.
The man suddenly came to a stop. He was staring at a gray flower surrounded by fences. His deep eyes glittered all of a sudden.
“Sir, you can’t go inside there. That stalk of Verdon Dusk is a protected magical flower. It has the ability to regulate the rains on the mountain. If it rains a lot, it will store the rainwater in the soil. During the dry season, it will use the water it stored to moisten the soil. The butterflies around you are the Verdon Dusk’s protectors. If you go any closer, they will become hostile to you,” a young ranger said politely to the man.
“I didn’t expect to find one here, not to mention its impressive quality!” the man said, staring at the Dusk Flower.
“You seem familiar with the Verdon Dusk. A Mage called Sival brought it here from the Verdon Gorge, but he eventually died due to the deadly poison of the Verdon Gorge… Without this Verdon Dusk, Mount Lanmu won’t have its beautiful scenery. One can say that Mount Lanmu has blossomed under Master Sival’s nurturing,” the young ranger said. He deeply admired the Mage called Sival.
“Indeed, it’s kind of a waste for such a rare flower to be planted here just for display and to maintain the mountain,” the man said.
“It’s not a waste. Master Sival wanted people to appreciate the beauty of nature. It can cleanse the hatred and grudge in our hearts. Humans will be friendlier towards one another, just like these butterflies, hence people like us have inherited Master Sival’s will to look after Mount Lanmu. Many visitors from different countries visit us every year. I believe the Verdon Dusk has lived up to its value, and Master Sival can also receive our praises in Heaven,” the young ranger replied.
“That’s interesting, you’re saying that this flower can help bring peace to the world?” the man inquired.
“That’s what we are hoping,” the young ranger said.
“You mentioned that it can cleanse the hatred and grudge in a person’s heart, but I don’t really feel anything. You should stop daydreaming,” the man scoffed at the young ranger. He went over the fence with a cold harrumph.
“Sir, please stop!” the young ranger exclaimed.
The man ignored the rules. He set his foot on the soil, trampling the flowers nearby to death. He moved closer to the Verdon Dusk, which was similar in size to a morning glory, and reached out to pluck it!
The butterflies that were flying around the tourists immediately reacted. They beat their wings wildly and flew at the man angrily. Their numbers were shocking. They soon formed a small tornado of butterflies around the man while sprinkling pollen with a hypnotizing effect.
“How petty!” the man said disdainfully.
A cold gust descended as he waved his hand. The strong frost turned the cloud of butterflies into frozen specimens. They fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
The butterflies were wiped out in an instant. The young ranger could not believe it.
These butterflies were members of rare species that they delicately took care of. Some of them could only be found here on Mount Lanmu in all of Europe, yet the man had killed them all just like that!
“Damn it, everything on Mount Lanmu is under the protection of the Greek Magic Association’s laws. Stop it at once, or I have the right to execute you according to the laws!” the ranger that was explaining to the tourists quickly came over and shouted.
“Execute me? HAHAHA, I remembered a Holy Court Mage of the Holy Judgment Court said the same thing to me three years ago. His pitiful family is still grieving for him today. Young Mage, are you sure you want to execute me? Do you know who I am!?” the man burst out laughing.
“Holy…Holy Court Mage?” The ranger was stunned.
How respectable and powerful were the Holy Court Mages? The difference between him and a Holy Court Mage was like comparing a dragon to a tiny lizard, and the man claimed he had killed a Holy Court Mage before!?
“I’m only interested in the flower, thank you for taking care of it for so many years. I’ll be taking it today… please thank Sival on my behalf, too,” the man smiled. He casually plucked the Verdon Dusk.
The man was in a great mood after he put the Verdon Dusk away. He continued on his way up the mountain.
“Stop right there, I don’t care who you are, you…you are a scoundrel! I won’t let you take it!” the young ranger suddenly ran at the man, calling out angrily.
“Didn’t you notice? That Intermediate Mage already lost the courage to face me. Do you, a little rookie who has just Awakened, seriously think you can stop me? Ah, little kid, who was Sival to you? You seem to admire him,” the man said.
“He was my father! Put the Verdon Dusk down!” the young ranger said.
“Ah, your father must have missed you. I’ll send you to him instead. That way, he won’t have to lie on the floor in Heavens listening to the praises from the mundane world. You can tell him in person…” the man grinned. He raised his hand once again, and the deadly frost fell from the sky.
“Barbaro, don’t do anything stupid, run away!” the ranger yelled.
“I won’t let him take the Verdon Dusk!” the young man Barbaro yelled angrily.
The Verdon Dusk was his father’s soul. He would not let anyone take it away!
The man let out a scornful laugh. He glanced at the relentless young man with chilling eyes. “I forgot to tell you, my name is Bartholomew. I’ve sent a lot of people to Heaven personally, so don’t forget to greet them on my behalf!”
