Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 84

“Well then,” she faced her palm on the bench behind her, “Are you ready to begin your challenge before I give you your riddle?”

Astoria and her team nodded. The garden was bustling with a variety of creatures besides the anthousai. Some were posing and taking pictures. Others wrote down notes and followed tour guides who gave them information about the Future Flower Garden of East Corrilt while guiding them around the massive, enchanting garden.

“Magneta Consieus,” the anthousai uttered.

A thick, green rush of small spikes snaked their way down her arms, onto her hands, and onto the bench. Just then, five plants appeared on the table. Astoria stared at the plants and wondered what their challenge with these plants would be.

“Over here,” the anthousai pointed at the plants, “are five different plants. I will explain each plant, and you are expected to find which one is poisonous among these plants. I could make up lies about the poisonous plant to make you believe that it is not poisonous, so you just have to think carefully about which plant I lied about.”

Laurelai’s eyes widened, and she stared at Astoria, who shrugged.

“First,” the anthousai said, pointing at a small plant, “is the Carya Monticola.”

Astoria and her team members stared at the plant as the anthousai began to explain.

“The Carya Monticola is an extremely common, small plant and can be found anywhere near rivers. It blooms in early autumn,” the anthousai said, smiling at the students.

“As you can see, it has narrow, egg-shaped leaves, which are usually green and white. It also grows large flowers, which can be bronze, dark silver, and light orange.”

Astoria and Laurelai pressed their lips together as they stared at the plant closely.

“This plant grows in huge numbers, but it’s really tricky to control and maintain its growth. It can be used as an energizer when eaten. Yes?” the anthousai stared at the gargoyle whose hand was raised.

“What about its defense mechanism?” Davitt asked.

The anthousai grinned.

“As a defense mechanism, the Carya Monticola can collapse its flowers when it detects vibrations,” the anthousai replied, smiling at Davitt, “It relies on animal pollination to reproduce. Moreover, to promote pollination, it gives off a delicate smell.”

Astoria heard Laojin sigh in exasperation.

‘Same, troll, same,’ Astoria thought, ‘I cannot even help you guys because I have no knowledge of plants in this world. You could give me a poisonous plant and lie to me that it is edible, and I would probably eat it because I do not know about this world’s plant life.’

Astoria let out a soft sigh. The anthousai clapped her hands and pointed to the next plant, which was totally pitch black.

“Could that maybe be the poisonous one?” the fairy whispered to Astoria.

“Do not be fooled,” Davitt whispered to them.

“Yeah, he is right,” Laojin agreed, “Just because it is pitch black and looks poisonous does not mean it is poisonous.”

Laurelai crossed her arms and nodded.

“This pitch-black plant is quite rare,” the anthousai said, tilting her head, “The Centaurea Pitchatum is an extremely rare, large plant and can be found in most wet regions. It blooms once a year, for one month.”

The anthousai crossed her arms.

“It is poisonous,” she said, causing Astoria and her team to gasp.

‘She is lying, isn’t she?’ the fairy thought, raising her eyebrows.

“She could be trying to fool us, guys,” Laojin whispered to Davitt, who nodded.

“Is it really poisonous?” Astoria asked, narrowing her eyes at the anthousai and staring at her skeptically.

The anthousai shrugged and smiled ambiguously.

“It is your choice on whether you want to believe me or not,” she told Astoria, who bit her lip.

She looked at her team members, and they all nodded.

‘Okay,’ Astoria thought, ‘At least I am not the only one who does not believe this anthousai.’

“As you can see, it has wide, barb-shaped leaves, which are usually forest green. Many people find it a strange plant that grows quite large flowers, which can be purple, light red, and light pink.”

‘That is really freaky,’ Astoria thought, staring intently at the pitch-black plant.

“These plants grow in small groups, but controlling and maintaining their growth is challenging. To attract insects and the like, it releases a sweet-smelling scent. It also relies on cloning itself by growing a new specimen to reproduce.”

Laurelai nudged Astoria, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“That really is one freaky looking plant,” the fairy whispered to her, her eyes glued on the plant, “I have never seen or heard of it.”

“One of my favorite plants,” the anthousai said, pointing to the plant next to the Centaurea Pitchatum, “is the Ficus Soulangiana. It is a very common, large plant which can be found in most subarctic regions.”

The students listened attentively, their brows furrowed as they examined the plants as the anthousai continued to speak.

“It blooms twice a year for four months. As you can see, it has small, star-shaped leaves,” the anthousai continued pointing at the leaves, “which are usually emerald. It also grows huge round flowers, which can be dark purple, orange, silver, and light orange.”

“You do not think her favorite flower would be poisonous, right?” Astoria whispered to Davitt.

He shook his head.

“Well,” he whispered back to her, “She might say it is her favorite plant because of the huge, round flowers it grows.”

“Ah, I see,” Astoria nodded, crossing her arms, “That is a possibility.”

“But not only poison is bad for you,” Laojin whispered, “So, is it possible that she likes the plant because it can be used for medicine?”

Laurelai pinched her nose.

“Hmm,” the fairy steepled her fingers and whispered, “That makes sense.”

“Ficus Soulangiana plants grow alone but within a decent distance from each other. It is challenging to control and maintain their growth,” the anthousai continued, nodding her head, “They can be used to treat wounds. As a defense mechanism, the Ficus Soulangiana mimics the overall look of a different, poisonous plant. They rely on animal pollination to reproduce. Once pollinated, they grow small, delicious nuts which are used in the making of hazelnut and raspberry fruitcake.”

This was a lot of information to process for all of them, but Davitt had been taking notes the whole time. Astoria was highly thankful to have the gargoyle in his team.

“This here,” the anthousai said, giving them all a lovely smile and pointing at a small plant, “is the Chlidanthus Betonicifolia which is a very common, small plant and can be found all over Ashen. It blooms all year and can grow from extremely hot to extremely cold in any weather condition. It has huge, toothed leaves, which are usually dark blue.”

Astoria nodded and stared at the small plant.

“It also grows tiny flowers, which can be brown, dark red, and blue. These plants grow in tiny groups, but it’s easy, even without experience, to control and maintain their growth,” the anthousai continued, “They can be cooked and eaten as they are a good source of nutrients. As a defense mechanism, the Chlidanthus Betonicifolia grows slippery leaves to prevent insects from easily eating them. They rely on wind pollination to reproduce. Once pollinated, they grow small, inedible fruits.”

“Is this plant like a vegetable?” Astoria asked, raising her hand.

“Yes,” the anthousai replied, “It is a vegetable and is used in medicine.”

“Oh!” Laurelai exclaimed, clapping her hands together, “I have heard of this plant. I was wondering why the name was so familiar. I once came here with my father, and I fell sick. The nurse at the hospital gave me some green soup and mentioned that the plant used in the soup was this plant.”

Laojin pumped his fist in the air.

“Yes!” the troll smiled in happiness, “Then we just have to focus on which of the remaining four plants are poisonous.”

Davitt stared at the fairy.

“Are you sure it was called the Chlidanthus Betonicifolia?” the gargoyle asked the fairy, who nodded.

“Yeah,” the fairy smiled, clasping her hands behind her body, “I remember perfectly because the soup was really delicious, and I was cured when I woke up the next day.”

“And finally,” the anthousai said, pointing at the final plant, “This here is the Crocus Cobaea, a very common, medium-sized plant which can be found mostly in tundras. It blooms twice a year, for one month.”

“It has wide, square-shaped leaves, which are usually bright yellow. It also grows decent-sized flowers, which can be dark red and light brown. These plants grow in tiny groups, but it is very easy to control and maintain their growth. They can be used to treat wounds.”

The anthousai licked her lips.

“As a defense mechanism, the Crocus Cobaea is poisonous for most creatures. They rely on the wind to carry their seeds away to reproduce.. Once pollinated, they grow fairly large, inedible fruits.”