Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 596 - 549 Nia’s Gem

"The Emerald suits Piert well, he used to be a botanist who planted a large redwood forest..."

"This... Sapphire is very beautiful, its hard edges fitting for Mijiti, an architect; however, the deep sea-blue seems more like Oligo, it’s hard to say, mages always suit many colors. Give it to Mijiti first, Lord Lyle, his choices are more limited."

Somehow, Lyle saw a capable, all-rounding strong woman in Kate’s slim figure, confidently naming each Naslan’s name, their identities, hobbies, and being kind and responsible.

The gemstone Naslans, who regained healthy growth, stepped aside, picking up their outer circle companions with their slender yet tough arms, and placed them in front of Lyle and Kate. Under Kate’s orderly direction, Lyle only needed to search through the gems in his bag. If it weren’t for considering Lyle’s status to maintain humility, Kate could have picked the gems even more efficiently herself, instead of patiently and gently pointing out the wrong gems Lyle fetched. Kate’s selection sped up, leaving Lyle no choice but to call Nia to help him work, scrambling through the process while hearing Nia’s rumbling sound, much like a little kettle boiling. Though the gems weren’t her own, seeing them leaving her tendrils still made Nia feel a chill in her heart, her large yellow eyes in front becoming watery.

Soon, every Naslan in sight stood taller than himself, illuminating the dark dungeon corridors.

Looking at the beautiful sight before him, Naslans emitting various lights standing together like a forest of gems, their bodies shedding twinkling light dust, a phenomenon of excess Magic Power being expelled from their bodies, like a myriad of light rain.

At Lyle’s feet, Kate also looked up at this scene, as if time reversed, returning to the era of the Naslan tribe. The supreme glory brought by the towering dragon Koranac, the dragon’s image was replaced by a human boy.

"It’s finally your turn, Kate. You’re the last one," Lyle said, smiling as he watched the sickly Naslan at his feet, her body hunched and ugly, beginning to picture her stunning transformation, which would surely be as dazzling as her luminance.

"There’s one more, Lord Lyle. Please follow me."

Kate led Lyle through the "forest" of gemstone Naslans to a corner of the corridor, where there was a half-person-tall cave, into which Kate stooped to peer.

"Chacha, come out quickly." At Kate’s call, there were slight movements inside the cave, but no figure crawled out.

Turning her head, Kate stretched out her hand to Lyle. "Lord Lyle, please grant me your reserved Red Jade."

The very first piece of Red Jade, egg-shaped, crystal clear, without a single speck of dust or a crack inside. That was probably the gemstone that suited Kate the most. Guessing that Kate might distribute her best-suited gemstone to someone else, Lyle had secretly kept it. The scholars’ and dragon’s gemstone reserves were plentiful; there was no need to be perfunctory.

Lyle placed the Red Jade in Kate’s palm.

"So you noticed..."

Kate put the Red Jade into her own slot, and her body began to grow, emitting a flame-like red light.

"I’m someone who pays attention to detail, doing little tricks in front of a Naslan manager, you’re still unpolished jade, Lord Lyle."

Kate’s body became as tall and slender as that of the gemstone Naslans, with red veins like blood vessels appearing in her transparent body, two crown-like crystal horns growing where the Red Jade was set. The high stature’s aura mixed with Kate’s gentleness, becoming compassion as she squatted down and stretched her hands out of the cave.

Sparks like light dots emerged from Kate’s palms, turning Magic Power into bait to lure the little one inside.

The gemstone scent of a high Naslan is a fragrance all Naslans love.

Kate fished out the little one, which lay completely on her slender palm, stretching comfortably across her waist. It was a Manu, much smaller than an ailing one, resembling a tiny monkey—its overly juvenile form added a few more touches of cuteness.

"Little Chacha is the youngest newborn. She was born in this shelter, surviving merely on some debris. She hasn’t been in contact with any gems yet, Lord Lyle."

Upon hearing her name called, Little Chacha first looked around. Though her appearance had changed greatly, the familiar scent still made her recognize Kate, but Lyle and Nia appeared to be strangers.

"Chacha!" She patted Kate’s wrist with her small paws and pulled up her other hand to cover her face, peeking through the gaps at those large yellow eyes with the same curiosity and innocence.

"They are friends, Lord Lyle and..."

"Chacha!" The little one made the sound again, seemingly the only word she knew.

"It’s Nia! Nia!" Nia had already extended her tentacles, slowly approaching the little dark one. The bone blades at the tips of the tentacles disappeared, and the hook-clawed suckers vanished, reverting to the most fragile little flesh-tentacles that were slowly, slowly caught by Little Chacha’s fingers.

A connection formed between Nia and Little Chacha.

"What kind of gem does Chacha need, Kate?"

"Little Chacha is a rough jade, Lord Lyle. Her future is not yet decided; you may bless her with any gem."

Her future is in your hands, Lyle received such feedback, which proved to be the greatest inconvenience of all. Looking at a bag full of colorful gems, he couldn’t find the most suitable one. Where was the best gem? This one, or that one? The Manu’s smile made Lyle even more nervous.

"This is Nia’s. Nia wants to give this to Chacha."

While Lyle was preoccupied with worry, Nia’s tentacles opened his pocket and took out a beautiful Cat’s Eye Stone from her own collection. It was Nia’s favorite gem because its color was the same as hers, with a cluster of bright yellow light in the center of the purple-black stone, just like Nia’s eyes. Nia was even reluctant to let Lyle touch it; she even named the Cat’s Eye Stone "Little Nia."

The Cat’s Eye Stone was pushed beside Chacha, its yellow spot in the center, like an eye watching Chacha. It was a top-quality Cat’s Eye Stone, fatally attractive to the Manu tribe. Little Chacha grabbed the Cat’s Eye Stone, which was nearly half the size of her head. Then, she also caught Nia’s tentacle, which was holding the Cat’s Eye Stone, and pressed it against her forehead.

Nia helped Chacha with the gemstone, her actions conveying this meaning.

Lyle felt Nia’s body tremble, but she still carefully placed her cherished Cat’s Eye Stone into Chacha’s groove.

"Can we keep her?" Nia lay on Lyle’s head, gazing at the glowing Chacha.

"We can’t, Nia. Chacha has her own home. But you did great today, Nia, and we can visit Chacha often in the future, or invite her to stay as a guest in Naslan."

The tentacles wrapped tightly around Lyle’s head, and he could feel Nia retreating back into her shadow, carrying her sobs with her.

"It’s okay, ’Little Nia’ will take care of Chacha."