Above the mage!

Chapter 259: Generous Lady Flora
Goder looked in the direction Elder Grant pointed.

The scene in the field before him made him frown.

The golden wheat fields that should have been green and full of vitality now appear desolate.

There are not many golden wheat seedlings left in the fields.

Most of the wheat seedlings had died and were carefully pulled out so as not to affect other healthy wheat seedlings.

Among the remaining few or three golden wheat seedlings, some have wilted visibly. The leaves have lost their former bright green and become yellow and weak, as if they would fall down at any time.

These surviving wheat seedlings swayed in the breeze, looking extremely fragile and their life span was limited.

"These wheat seedlings looked normal when I looked at them yesterday. But they became like this in just one night." Elder Grant pointed at the wilted wheat seedlings and said worriedly with a frown.

"If this problem is not solved, all the golden wheat seedlings will be destroyed."

After saying this, Elder Grant turned his gaze to Gao De.

"How do you need us to cooperate with you?"

Gao De smiled and said, "No need."

Then he patted his pocket gently.

The next moment, Flora flapped her wings and flew out.

Loichi had seen Flora before, so he didn't react much, but it was the first time for Elder Grant to see her, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes subconsciously.

"This is the pet I got when I [Summoned Pet]. She's good at planting," Godard introduced. "With her here, we can definitely find out why the golden wheat is dying."

It is both an introduction and a statement.

Lest others see Flora's methods and become interested in her - Flora was summoned through [Summoning Magic Pet], so naturally she cannot be taken away by force.

After hearing Gode's introduction, Lady Flora couldn't help but puff out her chest with pride: It's my turn!

But the other two did not give Flora any face.

"Huh?" Roychi didn't expect that Goder's support would be Flora. He was shocked and doubtful.

"Magic pet?" Even Loichi was skeptical, and Elder Grant would not believe it easily.

He looked down at Flora, who was the size of his finger, and immediately showed disappointment on his face. He waved his hands repeatedly: "This is a serious matter, it cannot be taken lightly. What problem can a magical pet solve?"

Elder Grant had never heard of any magical pet that could farm.

As soon as he finished speaking, he discovered that the little man who was flapping his wings and flying in the air with a very happy mood suddenly widened his eyes and looked at him fiercely, his eyes were as bright as lightning:
——Dare to question Lady Flora’s professionalism. Lady Flora will remember this grudge!
The little girl didn't say a word, but Gao De understood her dissatisfaction.

"Don't be anxious, elder," God said to Elder Grant, who was stunned by Lady Flora's glare. "Since I dare to make such a bold statement, it is not to show off my power and tease you, but my own magical pet is indeed extraordinary. You just have to wait."

"Okay, then it depends on your performance. Don't fool me." Seeing Gao De's confident look, Elder Grant believed it a little and immediately put away the disappointment on his face.

"Of course not." Gao De agreed readily.

Then, he lowered his eyes again, looked at Flora, clasped his fists and said to her, "I'll leave it to you, Lady Flora."

Flora snorted, straightened her chest again, and flew towards the wheat field.

Elder Grant was surprised when he saw this scene.

Although she is called a magical pet, Flora looks like a charm. It is really strange that Godard, as the "master", is now talking to the magical pet in such a serious manner, calling her "sir".

Here, while Elder Grant was surprised, Flora's body had already fallen on one of the wheat seedlings that had already wilted.

Then, like an industrious little bee, she began to busy herself up and down.

She looked from leaf to leaf, carefully examining the color and texture of each blade, looking for any sign of abnormality.

After a while, he walked around the wheat stalks and carefully examined their roots and stems.

After a while, it fell to the ground again, and gently dug a small piece of soil with its fingers, as if examining something.

As soon as he showed this attitude, Elder Grant's expression became obviously more focused, and it seemed that he began to believe in Flora's professionalism.

Gao De was standing aside, squinting his eyes and looking at Flora, waiting for her to "get off work".

About half an hour passed.

Flora flapped her little wings, left the wheat field, and flew lightly towards God.

She flew straight to Gode's shoulder, then sat down steadily, swinging her legs and whispering something that Elder Grant couldn't understand.

Gao De pretended to listen attentively and nodded from time to time.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at Elder Grant and Loich who were watching eagerly on the side.

"How is it?" Loychi couldn't help asking, his tone filled with anxiety and anticipation.

Gao De smiled and said, "I found the problem."

"Is it okay now?!" Elder Grant still couldn't believe it. There was a hint of doubt in his eyes, but more of it was hope.

After all, Jin Huimai's problem had troubled him for a long time, and now there was a sudden turn for the better, which made him feel surprised and excited.

"Okay." Gode answered affirmatively.

Flora, who was sitting on Goder's shoulder, glanced at the shocked Elder Grant, hugged her chest with her hands and turned her head away.

"What's the problem?" Elder Grant asked.

Gao De walked forward to a wilted golden wheat seedling, bent down, and pulled it out by the roots.

He casually shook off the soil at the roots of the wheat seedlings, then snapped his fingers, and flames immediately ignited on the wheat seedlings.

【Spark Technique】

The flames burned very quickly, making a sizzling sound.
The golden wheat seedling was quickly burned to ashes and fell into Gaode's palm.

He gently blew away the straw ashes, then stretched out his hand and showed it to Elder Grant and Loitch.

In Gaode's palm, a dozen tiny white particles are particularly conspicuous. They are like grains of sand, but smaller than sand, and exude a strange luster.

"This is the reason why the golden wheat seedlings died." Gao De said in a deep voice.

Elder Grant and Loich came forward and looked closely at the white particles.

Elder Grant frowned and asked, "What is this?"

"The corpse of the ice nematode." Gao De explained.

"Ice nematodes?"

"A type of nematode that likes to eat the roots of wheat seedlings. Their activities will destroy the structure of the wheat seedlings' roots, causing the golden wheat seedlings to be unable to absorb water and nutrients normally, leading to rot and the roots turning black and softening."

"In addition, the irritants they secrete can cause abnormal proliferation of barley root tissue. Well, you may not understand this, but it will cause obvious small lumps to form on the roots."

Elder Grant listened very carefully, nodding his head as he listened, "They all match."

This is exactly the detailed situation of the problematic golden wheat seedlings. He had never said it, but now it has been accurately described by God. "This is what Lady Flora told me." God indicated.

Elder Grant subconsciously looked at Flora.

The little man was seen sitting upright on Gaode's shoulder, with his head turned back, staring at him intently.

"That's amazing!" Elder Grant looked at Flora with shining eyes.

Flora unconsciously raised her head in an arc.

Gao De smiled slightly, paused, and continued: "These ice nematodes are very cunning parasites. Not only are they very small, but their length is only between 0.1 and 1 mm, and they are completely invisible to the naked eye."

"And their bodies are transparent. They get into the roots of the wheat seedlings and mix with the root juice, making them even more difficult to observe."

"Only after cremation will this sand-like solid form, which is easy to observe."

Elder Grant's eyes widened, with a look of sudden enlightenment on his face. "So that's why we didn't find the problem."

"I also thought it might be an insect pest, and I kept looking for external pests, but after checking the dead wheat seedlings over and over again, I didn't find any clear clues. It turns out that cremation is the only way to find out."

Gao De's expression froze, and he continued, "In the volcanic soil, there are already ice nematode eggs everywhere. These eggs will hatch quickly in the warm and humid environment of the volcanic soil."

“Once they hatch, more ice nematodes will continue to attack the wheat seedlings, creating a vicious cycle.”

"If we don't take timely measures, the entire wheat field will be affected and the losses will be unimaginable," he warned.

Elder Grant naturally knew the seriousness of the matter. He nodded and asked humbly, "So what can we do to solve these ice nematodes?"

"In fact, as long as the cause is found, there are many ways to solve it. For example, although these ice nematodes like warmth and humidity, their eggs are extremely afraid of heat, so they only need to be treated with high temperature."

"But high temperatures will also damage the golden wheat seedlings. Although the ice nematode pest has been solved, it will also cause losses to ourselves. The gains do not outweigh the losses."

Elder Grant nodded continuously. "Indeed, high temperature treatment is effective, but the risk is too great. We cannot take the risk."

“There are only so many ways you can have both.”

"But," Goder smiled and continued to take credit for Flora, "Lady Flora has found a simple and easy way for you."

"When I was wandering around Phoenix, I noticed that many people in your area feed snow pheasants with a plant called chinaberry."

"You take some neem grass, crush it and soak it in water, then filter out the residue and spray it on the wheat field."

"There are some special substances in neem grass that have a strong killing effect on ice nematodes, but have no negative impact on golden wheat seedlings. They can even increase the organic matter in the soil to a certain extent. Well, you don't need to worry about what the organic matter is, anyway, it's good for golden wheat."

Elder Grant heard this and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes: "Neem grass actually has this effect. Because it tastes too bitter and has very little water, it tastes as dry as dead branches. We used to feed snow pheasants with it, but we didn't expect it to have such a use."

"If we sprinkle the water with neem grass today, there should be no new golden wheat seedlings dying tomorrow. Some wheat seedlings that have just been infested by insects may even come back to life." Gao De said with a smile.

"This method sounds simple. I'll try it right away!" Elder Grant said impatiently.

The problem has been found and the solution has been given, so Gode and Loych left this place first and returned to Phoenix, waiting for good news from Elder Grant.

The two of them returned to the room together.

Along the way, Loych was still worried.

On the one hand, he was worried about Catherine's condition, and on the other hand, he was not sure whether the method given by Gode would really work.

But now, all he could do was trust Flora.

Gode ​​was all smiles. Compared to Loic's worries, he had great confidence in Flora's abilities.

Thinking of this, he thanked the little person who was still sitting on his shoulder, "Lady Flora really helped a lot this time."

"Not worth mentioning." Flora said, looking proud but pretending not to care.

"That Elder Grant didn't know Lady Flora's ability and doubted Lady Flora from the beginning. But Lady Flora told him to be magnanimous and not to take his faults to heart," Gao De said again.

"It's the villain who doesn't care about the mistakes of the adults," Flora corrected him seriously. Because Godard just praised her, she didn't think he was stupid this time. "It's okay, Master Flora doesn't hold grudges."

"Lady Flora is very generous." Goder praised again.

Flora was very satisfied.

She thought for a moment, looked up at Gao De's profile, and asked the question she had been holding back for a long time, "Master, why don't you let me find the problem right away?"

With her ability, she only needs to touch the golden wheat seedlings lightly to find out what's wrong with it.

But she just flew up and down, looked around, and spent a full half a quarter of an hour. All of this was specifically instructed by Gao De.

Lady Flora obeyed the instructions but she didn't understand why she had to do so.

If you don't understand, just ask. Lady Flora has always been eager to learn.

Godard thought for a moment and said, "I will tell Lady Flora a story."

"Well, Mage, you go ahead."

"There is a young locksmith near my home. Although he is young, he has very good skills, so he is ready to become a master."

"When he was starting out, his master told him that when he helps others unlock a lock, he must spend more time and pretend to be more laborious."

"He didn't understand, but he agreed anyway."

"Soon, his first business came. A butcher lost his house key and had to find a locksmith to open the door."

"We originally agreed to open the lock at home for 2 silver coins. This is a cheap price. Young locksmiths charge 3 silver coins for opening the lock."

"Then, a young locksmith came to the door. He was very skilled. He opened the lock smoothly in just a few seconds, completely forgetting what the master had told him to do."

"But after the lock was opened, the butcher was unwilling to pay. He felt that you only spent such a short time and charging him 2 silver was a rip-off. He should pay at most 1 silver."

"The butcher was big and strong, and his face looked ferocious. The young locksmith did not dare to argue with him. In the end, he could only accept 1 silver and left in disgrace. The butcher still felt that he had given too much."

"Does Lady Flora know why the master locksmith told the young locksmith that?"

That's the end of the story.

Flora fell into deep thought and did not answer Goder's question.

Gao De shook his head and didn't care.

After a while.

Flora's voice came to his ears: "Lady Flora is the young locksmith, the wizard is the master locksmith, and the old man is the butcher, right?"

Gode ​​tilted his head to look at Flora who was sitting on his shoulder. The little girl was looking up at him.

"Lady Flora is indeed a wise woman!" he praised.

"That's right." Hearing her own wizard praising her, Flora nodded decisively and was very happy.

Seeing her happy, Gaode was happy too.

(End of this chapter)