Lira waited until the ruins were far behind them, the stone silhouettes broken by trees and distance, before she carefully took the wrapped fruit from her satchel.
She opened her space bag just enough to slip it inside, isolating it within a warded compartment she reserved for volatile or rare items. The moment it crossed the threshold, the warmth stabilized completely, as if the fruit recognized the contained space and settled.
She closed the bag with a soft breath of relief.
"I hope it has seeds," she said quietly to Renkai as the chariot rolled onward. "If it does… maybe I can plant it. Or at least study how it grows. Even extracting its essence could be valuable."
Renkai glanced back toward the ruins, now barely visible. "That tree felt old. Older than the town. If it can be grown elsewhere…"
"It would change things," Lira finished. "But I won't rush it. Rare things don't like force."
