Chapter 97


    "Your stuff? What jest is this? It was I whoid eyes upon it first." vin saw who approached, and


    his heart steadied. As long as they weren''t other bandit mercenaries, he could negotiate.


    "Hand over the Voilet Thistle, and we''ll pretend this encounter never happened." Mari stood


    there, a vision of icy beauty. Her long white gown and pale skin made her look like a nymph of the


    snowbound realms, breathtakingly beautiful. But she was too cold, unsettlingly so. She was


    surprised to find vin here, but the Voilet Thistle was crucial to her, and she had to have it.


    "What jest is this, firste, first served," vin said as he pocketed the Elixir Fruit.


    "The Violet Lion was lured away by our hard toil; we sacrificed five Advanced Elixir Herbs for this," a


    Protégé roared in anger. They had painstakingly worked for three days and nights to distract the


    Violet Lion. They nearly got caught several times, and today, finally, they used five Advanced Elixir


    Herbs to lure the beast away from the Elixir Fruit. They had nned to harvest the fruit once the lion


    was far enough away, but vin had arrived unexpectedly.


    "We do not wish to quarrel with you; the Violet Lion is still near," another Protégé said, constantly


    looking back, fearing the beast might return and they would be no match for its might.


    vin was speechless. "Fellow brethren of Botanic Haven, you guard the Haven every day, with no


    lack of Elixir Fruits or Herbs. Why do you have to fight with me over this?"


    "The Voilet Thistle is a Super Elixir Fruit, every single one!" Mari said with a cold, stern


    expression.


    "Five?" vin''s heart raced. There were five small fruits on the nt, so five Super Elixir Fruits. He


    was about to hesitate, to consider giving them to the others, but upon hearing this, he gripped them


    tighter. “Ha, they are mine.”


    Seeing vin''s expression, the Botanic Haven Protégés knew his intent and cried out in unison,


    "Hand it over!"


    "How about this, we''re all studying in Cobalt Strike, and let''s not ruin our camaraderie. I am not


    stingy. We''ll split it; I''ll take three, you two. What say you?"


    "Shameless."


    "That''s a harsh word. There''s no need for this discord. I''ll keep two, and you can have three?"


    "It''s impossible. You can''t keep even one; it''s ours."


    "You''re being unreasonable now. This is Cloudveil Woods, not Cobalt Strike. Your status from


    Botanic Haven carries no weight here, and you can''t have everything your way." vin looked at


    each one, readying himself for battle. When he stepped back, and they didn''t budge, there was only


    one option left—fight.


    "You cannot defeat us! A Stage V mage is nothing special."


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "vin, don''t make this worse. Botanic Haven is not something you want to provoke."


    "Don''t force us to be ruthless."


    "Don''t think that just because you bested Galos, you can look down upon everyone."


    Five Botanic Haven Protégés surrounded vin, activating their magic, and preparing for battle.


    A real fight? vin wasn''t afraid of them. He tucked the Voilet Thistle into his cloak, and a bright red


    aura burst forth from his body, scattering dust and dead leaves beneath his feet. His right arm


    raised horizontally, the aura intense, sweeping over him, rapidly transforming into blinding lightning


    that coursed through his body, growing fiercer by the moment, almost engulfing himpletely.


    "Crack!"


    With a thunderous roar, the charged air around him hummed, and a great mass of lightning


    gathered at his right arm, coalescing into a formidable Shockwave Cobra that tightly coiled around


    his limb. The serpent''s head merged with his fist,ing to life as if it hissed a true battle cry,


    menacingly locking onto his foes.


    "Novice Mage Stage VI?" Mari was slightly taken aback. This aura was unmistakably Stage VI.


    When had he broken through?


    "Stage VI? No wonder you''re so bold before us. But you''re still not qualified to challenge Botanic


    Haven Protégés. vin, this is yourst chance. Hand over the Voilet Thistle," a Protégé said,


    brandishing an iron staff with a pointed gesture at vin.


    "Don''t speak so unpleasantly, and don''t think too highly of yourself." vin clenched his fist, and the


    Shockwave Cobra crackled with chaotic lightning, containing a fearsome potential for explosion. His


    stance was clear; he was ready for battle!


    "Fool!" The male Protégé''s arm vibrated slightly as a strange golden light rushed into the staff,


    which had been a dull ck but now shone with brilliant gold. It quivered slightly, as if a magical


    weapon had suddenly awakened, exuding a terrifying presence, its edge aimed straight at vin.


    Their auras shed in the air, and at the moment of contact, they charged towards one another.