At the Air Force base, Lucas, Mina, and Annie were preparing to board a hot air balloon for a visit to the medicinal gardens.
Since construction had begun several months ago, Lucas hadn't visited personally; he had only provided the blueprints, advice, and herbal seeds.
"Amelia, you stay behind. You still have to teach them some basic knowledge today," Lucas said to the young girl. "Besides, they need you."
He pointed toward the birdkin standing awkwardly a short distance away, looking in their direction. The girl had grown increasingly dependent on him lately; having just arrived at the base today, she had immediately left her companions to stick by his side.
"Oh," Amelia pouted, a trace of disappointment flickering in her eyes. She had been staying at the base for several days now. With Rhea out on a mission, she had to look after their companions, while Mira was transporting supplies to Stone Mountain as they gradually brought the rest of the birdkin to Sedona City.
"Be good. Your sister Rhea will be back today, and you can stay at the castle with us tonight," Lucas said, ruffling her hair.
"Okay!" Amelia's lips curled into a smile, and she turned back toward her people, her footsteps much lighter.
"Master, Amelia is a completely different person now," Annie remarked. She remembered how cold the girl used to be to everyone—well, except for the Master, whom she clung to so much that it left Annie with very little alone time with him.
"She is," Lucas chuckled. In a few months, he had finally softened the guarded girl's heart, and Rhea's arrival had completely dismantled her inner walls, allowing her natural personality to return. Of course, given her upbringing, she still wasn't exactly warm to strangers; except for those she knew well, she maintained a cool, aloof demeanor very siMirar to Rhea's.
"Master, Elisa and the others are estimated to arrive this afternoon," Mina reminded him. It was almost noon; if they didn't leave for the gardens soon, they'd end up spending the night at the base.
"Let's go," Lucas said, leading the way into the balloon basket. The three of them boarded, accompanied by two birdkin serving as guides.
"I wonder how the operation went. I hope they rescued everyone," Annie said, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Don't worry. With our equipment and tactics, if we can't get them out, then no one in the world can," Lucas said confidently. Tactics and gear far beyond this era's capabilities were nearly impossible to stop, provided the targets could be found.
"Mm-hmm!" Annie nodded, temporarily setting her worries aside.
The three of them fell silent, gazing at the surrounding scenery. Lucas felt a sense of profound peace. Looking down from such a height really cleared the mind, washing away much of his pent-up stress.
Half an hour later, the balloon arrived above the medicinal gardens. Lucas, Annie, and Mina looked down at a massive, shimmering, semi-arched structure nearby.
"Master, what... what is that?" Annie's eyes widened. It was an incredible sight.
"Heh... the Secret Garden." Lucas smirked; it was his first time seeing the finished result as well.
"No, I mean that shiny thing!" Annie pouted playfully, her fox ears twitching. She knew about the Secret Garden, of course, but she had no idea what that giant, glittering behemoth was.
"Heehee..." Mina giggled behind her hand. After her initial shock, she found Annie's sudden flirtatiousness amusing. She knew that Nicole's recent progress had poked the fox-eared girl's competitive side, causing her to start taking the initiative with the Master. It looked like Annie might very well be the third one.
"That's glass. I'm building a greenhouse medicinal garden," Lucas said softly. He had ordered ninety percent of the glass produced in the Pit to be shipped here.
"Glass? Master, did you surround the entire garden with glass?" Annie's jaw dropped as she stared at the massive greenhouse.
"That's the plan," Lucas nodded. This garden would be their most important production and research base for medicinal materials for decades to come.
"But... that's so wasteful," Annie stammered, thinking back to the astronomical prices the glass pieces had fetched at the last auction.
"You'll understand later why it isn't a waste," Lucas replied with a calm smile. Medicines for war, medicines for illness—these were life-saving essentials. Using some glass to maintain the stability and environment for these herbs was entirely worth it. Moreover, glass wasn't that precious to him; most of Sedona City's future buildings would use it, and the castle he designed was full of it. Expensive was a relative term; to Lucas, glass was a cheap commodity he could fire up whenever he needed.
The balloon began its slow descent.
"Master, we've arrived," Mina said softly, being the first to vault out of the basket.
"Down you go." Lucas picked up Annie, helping the petite fox girl out before stepping out himself. He scanned the area; they had landed in a clearing surrounded by patrolling soldiers.
"Greetings, City Lord," Poison Fang jogged over to salute.
The man who had once come to assassinate Lucas was now completely obsessed with pharmaceutical research. He had moved from the Scientific Research Department to the gardens, spending every day studying the Traditional Medicine knowledge Lucas had provided.
"How is it? Settling in alright?" Lucas asked. He looked toward the glass greenhouse, which was surrounded by concrete walls. They had even built a small cement kiln on-site to be self-sufficient, given how difficult transportation was.
"This place is incredible," Poison Fang said excitedly, a fanatical glint in his eyes.
"How is the research going? Any new medicines?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow. He could tell Poison Fang had turned into a total research nut.
"Yes! We've developed a powder that can rapidly coagulate and stop bleeding in wounds," Poison Fang grinned. "We've already tested it. For a finger-length wound, as long as you apply pressure and the powder, the bleeding stops within a minute."
"Oh?" Lucas was surprised. That kind of efficiency was impressive. If combined with surgical techniques, it truly would save countless lives on the battlefield.
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