The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Chapter 279 Red Photinia
Moran walked down the mountain, killed a giant deer, a mountain tiger, and wiped out a den of fat badgers. Just as he was about to return, the mountain wind carried a thick, sticky, and strange smell.

The source of the flavor was still outside the scope of her wind-sensing technique.

Curious, she walked over there and discovered a red photinia tree in full bloom.

The flower's scent is unpleasant, but it is over two hundred years old.

It's still a novice magical plant! Its flowers can be used to make an insect-attracting potion, which is more complex than an insect-killing potion. It attracts insects together and then poisons them.

A magical plant that's over two hundred years old must have a wider root system, be more spiritual, and know more!
Moran covered her nose and walked over, casting the Tree Friend spell.

"I'm a witch! Do you think I smell good?"

Moran: "..."

As expected of a tree that has lived for so many years, it has its own ideas.

“It stinks,” Moran said bluntly.

The spellbook of Tree Friendship doesn't mention that casting a spell to inquire about something requires considering the feelings of the tree.

Tree-friendship is essentially a transaction: witches convert their magic into spiritual energy that trees appreciate, and in return, the trees offer the witches assistance.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be trees that are not old enough, which would be gradually enhanced by the witch's tree-friendship magic, becoming plant monitors and guardians of the dwelling.

This tree is so spiritually powerful; it's clear that its long lifespan isn't the only reason for its existence. It must have been subjected to tree-friendship techniques many times.

A witch's magical deal is not so easily broken.

There's no need to worry about angering the tree and it causing trouble; the tree's spirituality isn't high enough to generate such complex thoughts.

Sure enough, the red photinia seemed displeased: "What do you want? Ask your questions and leave! Don't bother your fragrant little witch!"

“I want to know what’s going on in the neighborhood, what giant beasts there are, what magical plants there are, whether there are minerals underground, and, by the way, whether any little witches live nearby?” Moran said.

"Giant beasts? A deer and a tiger are already in your bag. Also, in the direction the mountain wind blows, there's a large river with some large crocodiles..."

"The magical plants... head towards the rising sun, cross three hills, and you'll find a little witch with evergreen grass growing on her head all year round. She's gathered all the magical plants nearby onto her own hilltop... except for me."

Moran: "???"

A little witch with evergreen grass growing on her head all year round? Which fourth-grade girl planted grass on her head?
The red photinia seems to have become withdrawn and no longer wants to speak.

However, the information it provided should be accurate; at least for it, it is the truth.

To find out what happened, just go and see for yourself.

Thinking of its lingering sense of grievance, Moran said one last thing:
“Witches have different senses than plants, beasts, and insects. We think you smell bad, but that doesn’t bother you, and the insects around you think you smell good.”

And your scent is actually quite useful.

"I'll cast another Tree Friend spell on you, then I'll pick some flowers and go."

Red Photinia: "Go ahead and pick them...pick as many as you like~~~"

Moran smiled; it had taken her words to heart.

I patted the tree trunk; it really is an awkward-looking tree!
She took a piece of cloth folded to the size of a coin from her bag, canceled the shrinking spell, and the small piece of cloth became a large piece of cloth. When unfolded, it became a cloth larger than a bed sheet and was laid out under the tree. Then, she used a gentle whirlwind spell to swirl up the flower clusters on the tree and let them fall onto the cloth, quickly piling up into a large heap.

"Alright!" Moran wrapped the cloth around herself, shrinking it to a tiny size, and carried it in her hand. "I'm off!"

Red Photinia: "I'm different from other photinsia; I bloom in summer and bear fruit in spring. Next time you pick flowers, don't miss the season!"

"Got it!" Moran, carrying her bulging little bundle, returned the way she came.

*
Beside the mountaintop camp, Vasita and Sylph were engrossed in doing their math homework.

"Sylph, how did you do this problem?!"

"I...I don't know how to do it either. I just wrote down the answer randomly. Don't write the same one as me, or the dean will find out!"

"Oh my god! Thank goodness! I don't want another workbook! Ugh! Math is more terrifying than last night's thunder; when will I ever finish it?!"

"Washida, can you smell anything foul?"

"I smell it too! This stench is so weird! It's like it's being deliberately blown into our noses... No, it's obviously wind magic!"

Vasita felt an unnatural wind elemental force, as if it were patting her face and telling her "I'm not normal".

Upon closer inspection, the person emerging from the woods revealed the answer: "Mo Lan!"

"What kind of wind magic is this? Why does it smell so bad? Is it a poison wind spell?" Sylph asked, covering her nose with a serious expression.

"Hahaha! What poisonous wind technique? It's just a normal use of wind elemental power, it doesn't even qualify as magic, the stench is what it's making!"

Moran shook the small bundle in her hand.

"What is this?" Vasita tossed her homework aside and came over to ask.

Even smelling a stinky bag is better than continuing to look at math problems.

“Red photinia!” Moran said, “I found a red photinia tree that was over two hundred years old at the foot of the mountain, and I picked it from it.”

"Red photinia?" The name evoked unpleasant memories for Vasita. There was one in Greenhouse No. 1, a tiny tree that she would deliberately walk around when it was in bloom: "Why are you picking this?"

"We can refine insect-attracting potions! When setting up a settlement in the wild, we must do a good job of eliminating insects."

Sprinkle the insect-attracting magic potion outside your dwelling to attract and kill all the insects in the surrounding area. Then, sprinkle the insect-repelling magic potion, and you won't have to worry about mosquitoes around your dwelling!

"It's the peak blooming season, and we might not be able to catch it again next time. I picked a lot, and I'll extract all the plant essence from them later. That'll be enough for the three of us for a long time," Moran said.

"Alright!" Considering the effects of the insect-attracting potion, Vasita felt she could tolerate the stench.

"Moran, this heather tree is quite spiritual, isn't it? Have you found out any useful information?" Sylph asked.

“There really is! Go east over three mountains, and you'll find the home of a senior student. Heather said it's a little witch with grass growing on her head, but I don't know who she is,” Moran said.

"Grass growing on your head?" Vasita and Sylph thought of all the fourth-year students, but couldn't figure out who had the habit of growing grass on their heads.

"There are no large flying beasts around here. We'll find out tomorrow morning by riding brooms. It's just outside the three mountains, not far away."

As Moran spoke, he took out the game he had hunted.