Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 103 Treating Ella

He moved quickly, with a clear goal—Master Liria's laboratory.

Upon arriving outside the laboratory, Kate gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Liria's cool voice.

Kate pushed open the door and entered; the laboratory was filled with the fragrance of various herbs and a complex magical aura.

Liria was standing in front of a huge, intricate instrument made of crystal and mithril, observing a slowly rotating, faintly star-like purple liquid inside.

"Master Liria," Kate said respectfully.

Liria didn't turn around, but simply said, "I knew you would come. It's for that little girl named Ella, isn't it?"

"Yes." Kate nodded, unsurprised by Liria's insight. "Master, I have found a way to cure Ella, but I need your help."

He finally took out the carefully treasured chalcedony box and slowly opened it.

The moment the lid was opened, an indescribable, powerful, pure, yet gentle and restrained aura of life essence instantly spread out, causing all the magical plants in the laboratory to seem to slightly unfurl their leaves!

In the center of the chalcedony box, the life crystal, floating and flowing with the light of liquid jade, lay there quietly. Kate had not used it since obtaining it, and had carried it with him throughout the trial. Now the life crystal had returned to the size it was before Kate absorbed it.

Even Liria whirled around, her usually calm eyes flashing with astonishing brilliance as she stared intently at the fragment: "This is—a Life Crystal?! You actually—"

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her excitement, her voice remaining as calm as ever, but her pace quickening slightly: "Incredible—such a divine object—no wonder the Sage of Life favored you; you truly obtained the most important treasure of the Purification Temple. With it, there is indeed hope for healing the damage to Ella's soul essence. Your plan?"

Kate said in a deep voice, "The ritual of constructing the 'Source of Life' uses the Life Crystal as its core and the vitality of the Root of Immortality as its aid. This ritual uses the immense life essence to nourish and repair Ella's depleted soul and body. However, guiding and fusing this requires extremely delicate energy manipulation and a profound understanding of the rules of life, which I alone cannot accomplish. Moreover—"

He paused, a hint of difficulty in his eyes: "The original plan required a large amount of holy spring water as a guiding and nourishing medium, but I had already exhausted all the holy spring water during the previous trial. I also need to customize a soul container to guide and stabilize Ella's injured soul."

Liria's gaze never left the Life Crystal. Upon hearing this, she raised an eyebrow slightly: "The Holy Spring Water is indeed the best choice, but it is not irreplaceable."

She hesitated for a moment, then walked to a sealed crystal cabinet on the other side of the laboratory and took out a slightly smaller jade box.

Upon opening the jade box, one finds a small pile of irregularly shaped crystal fragments emitting a soft, milky-white glow, which seem to pulsate slightly as if they were alive.

"Life Essence," Liria explained, "is one of the strategic reserves of the barrier, containing highly concentrated life essence. While its effects are not as pure and gentle as the Holy Spring Water, its total energy is much greater. There is another option: the so-called Holy Spring Water is essentially a byproduct, or by-product, of the Life Essence Crystal. It can be directly activated by your Life Essence Crystal, but it will definitely consume your Life Essence Crystal. Life Essence is also sufficient to replace the Holy Spring Water as the energy source and guiding medium for the ritual. However, its energy is more volatile and requires more precise control. It's up to you to choose."

Kate glanced at the life essence in the jade box and shook her head slightly. "Let's use life essence crystals to activate the holy spring water. Using substitutes still requires valuable strategic resources, and you've already given enough, mentor."

She looked at Kate, her eyes gentle, filled with relief and satisfaction: "Your analytical talent, combined with my potion-making and energy manipulation, along with the holy spring water we've created, certainly gives us a better chance of success. Moreover, the Life Crystal can slowly regenerate itself, it just takes time. The war in the undead plane is imminent, and preserving some strategic reserves is indeed very necessary. Kate, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Kate was overjoyed to receive Liria's affirmation. "Thank you, mentor!"

"You are already the direct disciple of the Sage of Life, so it is somewhat against the rules to continue calling me mentor," Liria said softly, her tone full of admiration.

"I am indeed your disciple, and this experience is a valuable asset to me. Kate will always remember it. I still hope to address you as my mentor in private. Of course, in the presence of the Sage of Life, I will address you as my master to avoid causing you any unnecessary trouble."

Kate responded somewhat stubbornly, noticing that Liria neither objected nor expressed any opinion, and understood that Liria had also tacitly agreed with this statement.

He paused, then spoke softly, "So this plan has a pretty good chance of success, right? May I start making preparations?"

"Don't get too excited yet," Liria poured cold water on the idea. "The ritual itself is extremely complex and dangerous. The power of the Life Crystal is too high, and Ella is currently in an extremely fragile state, like a candle flickering in the wind. One wrong move, and it won't save her, but will instantly shatter her remaining soul. You need to absolutely trust my command; every bit of energy injected must be precise to the extreme."

"I understand," Kate said with unwavering determination. "I will follow your instructions completely."

"Okay." Liria said decisively, "There's no time to lose. Ella's condition can't be delayed. Go and buy the necessary auxiliary materials first. You don't need to prepare any custom-made magical artifacts; I have one that's perfect for this situation."

I need several hours to prepare the necessary potions and magic arrays for the ritual. Go and move Ella to my first meditation room, which has the strongest life energy array and isolation barrier. The ritual will begin in five hours.

"Yes!" Kate didn't hesitate and immediately turned to leave. He was going to the market and the fortress's points exchange point to buy and exchange high-level Soul-Soothing Grass and Moonlight Essence respectively. As for soul-nourishing magical plants, the Silver Vein Concentrating Flower from the Green Vine Workshop should be enough. The key was still Liria's overall control and the life energy support of the Life Source Crystal.

Five hours later, in the first rest room.

Ella lay quietly on the magic circle platform in the center of the room, her face so pale it was almost transparent, her breathing so weak it was barely perceptible, her life force like a candle flame about to go out.

Around the platform, intricate and mysterious emerald green magic runes were inscribed, emanating a gentle yet powerful life force.

Liria stood on one side of the platform, several crystal vessels floating in front of her, containing potions of different colors, some bubbling, some emitting a chilling aura. Her expression was focused and serious.

Kate stood on the other side, holding the Life Source Crystal in her palm, her mind highly focused, and the Seed of Origin was already operating at full speed.

"Begin," Liria's cool voice rang out.

Her hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, guiding the power of the magic circle. The runes around the platform lit up one by one, forming a huge green cocoon of light that enveloped Ayla and the Life Crystal.

"First step, nurture the soul. Kate, guide the Life Source Crystal to emit the gentlest life fluctuations, like spring rain, nourishing silently. Control the intensity at the 'morning dew' level, keep it stable, and continue to inject." Liria's instructions were clear and cold.

Kate held his breath, his mental energy like the most delicate tentacles, gently touching the Life Crystal. He guided a wisp of life energy, so faint yet so pure, like a misty fog, slowly enveloping Ella.

The Seed of Origin performs frantic calculations to ensure that every drop of energy is extremely gentle.

Ella's body trembled slightly, and her brows seemed to furrow unconsciously, but she quickly calmed down.

Her faint breath seemed to be slightly stabilized by this little bit of nourishment.

"Very good. Keep it up. Step two: activate the body's vitality."

Liria infused three drops of the "Vitality Restoration" potion into her heart, along with a small amount of Moonlight Essence, to purify her spiritual energy and prevent Aila's spiritual sea from being disturbed by external spiritual forces.

"Kate, simultaneously raise the Source Crystal Life Fluctuation to the 'Stream' level, and increase the dosage of the Vitality Restoration Potion accordingly to repair the depleted physical body."

With a flick of her finger, Liria sent three drops of emerald green liquid precisely to Ella's heart, where they instantly merged. At the same time, Kate immediately increased the intensity of her channeling, and a slightly stronger surge of life energy flowed into Ella's body.

As you can see, beneath Ella's pale skin, there seems to be an extremely faint green aura flowing through her, and her parched meridians, like rain after a long drought, begin to greedily absorb life energy.

"The third step, core fusion. Prepare to draw in the energy of the Life Source Crystal. Kate, I will use the soul vessel to forcibly break through the withered barrier outside Ella's soul essence. At that instant, you will guide the primal power of the Life Source Crystal in, and simultaneously, I will channel in the energy of the Holy Spring Water as a bridge and buffer. At the same time, I will use the soul artifact to protect Ella's soul from destruction. This is the most dangerous step; the timing must be absolutely perfect!"

Liria's voice was extremely solemn. She clasped her hands together, chanted profound syllables, and a powerful spiritual force mixed with the medicinal power suddenly pierced towards Ella's brow!

"Now!"

Kate's eyes flashed with a sharp light! Her mental energy, which had been prepared all along, erupted at full power!

hum!

The Life Crystal suddenly shone with a gentle yet vast emerald-gold light, and an incomparably pure life force rushed into the depths of Ella's nearly dried-up and shattered soul essence through the tiny passage that Liria had forcibly opened!

Almost simultaneously, Liria manipulated the remaining holy spring water, transforming its slightly restless but abundant life essence into a milky white pillar of light, which followed and poured into the channel, enveloping the energy of the life crystal, serving both as a buffer and as nourishment!

"Ughh ...

Her soul was too fragile to withstand the influx of these two powerful energies. If it weren't for the soul artifact protecting her last shred of soul, this impact would have shattered her mental sea!

"Stabilize! Seed of Origin, harmonize with all your might! Suppress the agitation of the Source Crystal, guide the gentle activity of the Root of Immortality to nourish Ella's body and soul." Kate's forehead veins bulged, sweat poured down his face, his entire mind immersed in the microscopic manipulation of energy. The Seed of Origin was operating at overload, its icy power forcibly coordinating the two energies, striving to harmonize them.

The iron-corroding fungus, which had a deep symbiotic relationship with Ayla, also sensed the innate restraint of the Life Source Crystal on it, and frantically attacked Ayla's body and soul, as if it wanted to perish together with Ayla.

Kate carefully controlled the Life Source Crystal, gradually purifying the iron-corroding fungus in her body with the optimal dosage calculated by the Seed of Origin, and guided the active life rules of the Root of Immortality to promote the synchronous repair of Ayla's body cells.

Liria's face was also pale. She steadily channeled her mental and medicinal power through her hands to maintain the fragile passage while constantly fine-tuning the conversion frequency of the holy spring water.

This is an extremely dangerous tug-of-war.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Finally, just as Kate was about to reach her limit, the rejection reaction from Ella's soul essence began to weaken, and the symbiotic iron-corroding fungus was finally purified.

Kate then gradually disconnected the mechanical organs and artifacts from Ella's body, and induced the growth of new, intact organs.

As these external objects were gradually removed, Ella's body finally stopped its rejection reaction and began to eagerly absorb the life energy from the Life Source Crystal and the Root of Immortality. Her soul also slowly returned to peace and was nourished and restored.

Her convulsions subsided, her breathing became steady and long, and her complexion gradually regained some color.

"Success—" Liria breathed a long sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her brow with a slightly weary expression. "The most dangerous phase is over. Next comes a long period of nurturing and recovery. Leaving her here, the magic circle and the holy spring water will continue to nourish her. It should take about two months for her to awaken and begin to recover."

As Kate watched Ella's aura on the platform stabilize and even subtly strengthen, the huge weight that had been pressing on her heart for who knows how long finally lifted.

Overwhelmed with joy and exhaustion, he bowed deeply to Liria again, his voice trembling slightly, "Thank you, Master! Healing Ella has always been a heavy burden on my heart. She became like this so that we could escape the Thorn Garden. If I couldn't be sure she would recover, I might regret it and it would affect my advancement to a full wizard. I will remember your help forever."

Liria waved her hand, her tone still calm but slightly gentler: "Alright, I'm doing this for the future of the Barrier. Ella was originally an excellent wizard apprentice of the Barrier, not just because of you. Go and rest, I'll keep an eye on things here. Remember to send some holy spring water over every day to replenish your energy, and also keep your Immortal Root nourished. These are just routine maintenance, but you can't let your guard down."

Kate nodded, took one last look at Ella, and then left the rest room with slightly unsteady steps.

Sunlight streamed through the barrier, warm and full of hope.

Kate knew that in the near future, he would see a reborn Ella.

By then, the incarnation of the Sage of Life should have arrived, and his wizarding journey will enter a new chapter after Ella awakens.