Sylvara's Rebirth A New Dawn for Abel novel Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Mascot Fruit**

Auren hesitated, his brow furrowing in thought. “I can’t say for certain,” he admitted, his voice laced with uncertainty. “The mental energy emanating from the apple and the sweet orange is rather feeble, but this plant here… it’s positively brimming with it.”

He gestured toward the vibrant greenery, the leaves shimmering in the light. “I believe the reason this plant is so saturated with mental energy is that it has been cultivated solely from mental energy itself. You’re welcome to examine it for yourself. The energy it releases might even soothe those restless genes of yours.”

Agares remained stationary, his gaze fixed ahead, and simply summoned Carlos with a wave of his hand. “Carefully extract that plant and transfer it to the warship. We’re bringing it back to Kolar planet.”

Carlos, bewildered by Agares’s intense interest in what seemed to be just an ordinary plant, complied without question, digging into the soil with determination.

Meanwhile, Drenvar and the others gradually returned to reality, their eyes widening in awe as they witnessed Carlos’s actions. Their hero was right there, just a stone’s throw away.

Drenvar, filled with exhilaration, stepped forward, halting directly in front of Agares, and saluted with a flourish. “Welcome, Mr. Vaelor!”

Agares’s dark, penetrating eyes scanned the scene before him, landing on the mutated three-headed dog caged in iron and the massive pit it had created in its rampage. “Colonel Stone, correct? It seems a significant skirmish occurred here?”

Drenvar, practically bouncing with excitement, struggled to believe that Agares had noticed his insignia. “Mr. Vaelor, it wasn’t really a big fight. The mutated three-headed dog attacked, but a freshman managed to fend it off.”

“Was that plant left behind by the same freshman?” Agares inquired, his tone steady. Keeping the healer’s identity under wraps would ensure their safety.

Drenvar answered truthfully, “I can’t say for sure. By the time we arrived, the freshman had already subdued the creature, and the plant was already sprouting there.”

Agares nodded in understanding; everything began to make sense.

He turned his gaze toward the imposing gates of the Fifth Military Academy. “I wish to meet that freshman. Is that feasible?”

“Absolutely!” Drenvar exclaimed, nearly vibrating with enthusiasm. It felt as if he had struck the jackpot with Agares’s unexpected visit to their academy.

Auren, noticing Drenvar’s exuberance, tilted his head slightly and waved, trying to grab his attention. “Colonel Stone, can’t you see me? I’m right here!”

Auren had been a revered figure in the Healing Department at the Fifth Military Academy for a decade. Drenvar recognized him, but in the shadow of Agares, the soldiers’ idol, he often found himself overlooked.

Veyric continued, “Yep, it’s the Fifth Military Academy’s specialty, known as the bright red mascot fruit. Nowadays, almost every plant that survives here is mutated and aggressive.”

He paused, gathering his thoughts. “Those that didn’t mutate simply couldn’t endure this environment. The mascot fruit first appeared a century ago.”

“No one knows precisely how it originated. Initially, there was just one plant with a single fruit. Nobody paid much attention, but it proliferated, eventually covering this entire area. The academy later patented it as bright red pepper.”

“So a patent means we can’t take it out of the school?” Sylvara asked, recalling her readings on interstellar laws, which were notoriously stricter than the laws on Earth before the apocalypse. Violating them could lead to dire consequences.

Veyric quickly clarified, “No, no, no. It’s just that this plant can’t thrive anywhere outside the Fifth Sector planet. The academy even announced that anyone who could cultivate bright red pepper elsewhere would receive 100,000 stellar coins. But so far, no one has succeeded.”

It can’t grow anywhere else? That was quite peculiar.

But 100,000 stellar coins?

Sylvara considered this carefully. After all, only a fool would overlook such an opportunity for easy money. She waved Veyric off, determination shining in her eyes. “Go register first. I’ll take a closer look at this.”