Chapter 325: Chapter 313: Battle Armor?
With a single thought from Flora Bloom, the water-blue dress that had just been in her space instantly appeared on her body.
The water-blue fabric was cool and soft, conforming not only to her soul but also fitting her body with unusual perfection. Though it wasn’t transparent, the moment she put it on, it seemed to merge into her body and vanish.
It all happened in a flash. Only Flora Bloom knew what had occurred; Cynthia Grant and her mother, Jade, who were standing nearby, had no idea anything had happened at all.
The instant Flora Bloom donned the dress, a stream of information was forcibly crammed into her mind.
"Protect them well, and you will be greatly rewarded. Fail, and I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and eliminate you."
The message felt as if it had been transmitted from a distant land through a spiritual link, and it lingered in Flora Bloom’s mind for a long time. ’What incredible spiritual power it must take to leave a spiritual will in someone’s mind without it dissipating, and without harming them,’ she thought.
’Protect them well, and I’ll be rewarded, otherwise, I’ll be hunted down and killed? What the hell? So not only am I stuck with these two little brats, but I also have to be their unpaid bodyguard? And if anything goes wrong, it’s my head on the chopping block?’
But just as Flora Bloom had this thought, the dress on her body suddenly flashed. A slender, illusory figure appeared in the center of the vortex in her sea of consciousness.
At the same time, the dress began to tighten around her, the constricting force making Flora Bloom uncomfortable.
Seeing that Flora Bloom didn’t look well, Cynthia Grant and Jade assumed she was just tired. Jade looked at the two gopher babies sleeping soundly on the sofa under a blanket and sighed.
"Before the apocalypse, if I’d seen two kids turn into gophers, I would’ve fainted on the spot. But now, your mother has gotten used to these end times. I don’t even bat an eye at strange things like this anymore. Sigh, you’re pregnant now, and looking after these two... children will be draining. Why don’t I look after them for you? These two little ones start grinning the moment they see food, just like you did when you were a child."
Flora Bloom was still being constricted by the dress. Then, the slender, illusory figure in the vortex of her sea of consciousness actually spoke.
"Young lady, I mean you no harm. Since you have obtained my battle suit, you must naturally help me fulfill my wish. My children are mischievous and gluttonous, but they are kind by nature. Please, treat them well. When my business is concluded and I return, there will be a handsome reward."
The illusory figure transformed into a snowflake-shaped mark and was about to imprint itself on the clouds of the vortex in Flora Bloom’s sea of consciousness when it suddenly let out a soft "Eh?" ’It’s actually her?’
The illusory figure materialized again. "Young lady, may I borrow your internal space to house this wisp of my spiritual imprint?"
Flora Bloom was astonished. She communicated with the figure in her sea of consciousness, ’How do you know I have a space?’
The illusory figure was a wisp of an image, its body and facial details indistinct. Yet, for some reason, Flora Bloom could feel the apparition smiling kindly.
"To be honest, this space of yours came from a friend of mine. I never expected that after all this time, a little one like you would be the one to obtain it. Rest assured, I won’t take advantage of you. Borrowing your space to nurture this wisp of my spiritual power will be beneficial to me, and it will bring you many benefits as well. Furthermore, when I return, I will have another great gift to thank you with."
Before Flora Bloom could even respond, the wisp of spiritual power transformed into a snowflake and drifted into her internal space. Without her permission, it simply came to a stop in mid-air.
The snowflake transformed back into the illusory figure, only this time, the apparition was slightly more solid than before.
"Worthy of her internal space, indeed. Only her space could possess such an abundant life force!"
Cold sweat beaded on Flora Bloom’s forehead. ’How can this wisp of spiritual power invade my space without my consent? If it wanted to do something to me, what power would I have to resist?’
Flora Bloom tried to use her control over the space to expel the spiritual apparition, but it was futile. What’s more, the space didn’t even activate its imprinting function in response to the intrusion.
This was what Flora Bloom feared most.
’Who are you? How do you know about my space, and why can’t it expel you or leave an imprint on you?’
The apparition chuckled softly. "Don’t be so anxious, little one. I truly mean no harm. On the contrary, with me standing guard here, no one will dare to have any designs on you within this pocket of space."
Flora Bloom pouted. ’Having a being like this in my space feels like my privacy is completely exposed to a stranger. It’s so unnerving. I feel no sense of security at all.’
"Little one, how about we consider this Water Element phosphorescent battle suit a down payment for taking care of them?"
Flora Bloom tugged at the dress, which had already fused with her body. "What battle suit? Why is this dress getting tighter? Let me out of it, now!"
"Promise me first, and then I’ll loosen it!"
"..." Flora Bloom gritted her teeth. ’This woman’s apparition and her actions don’t really seem malicious. But you can never know a person’s true heart. Who knows if this apparition will go back on her word one day and do something to hurt me? The risk is too great.’
She clutched her belly, which was being squeezed tight by the dress. Water energy formed a protective shield across the surface of her skin. She struggled to maintain the shield, but she found her superpower was draining with incredible speed. Even with a constant supply of Crystal Cores in her palm, she still couldn’t keep up with the consumption.
The apparition let out a soft "Heh heh." "I forgot. This battle suit requires a drop of blood to acknowledge its owner. You can’t even meet that most basic requirement right now. No wonder my Azure finds you lacking!"
Veins throbbed on Flora Bloom’s forehead. "Then you’d better help me get this damn dress off!"
"Hey, young lady! Don’t be so ungrateful. This battle suit has been with me through countless battles and saved me from countless fatal blows, and you dare to despise it!"
Flora Bloom took a deep breath. "If you don’t get this thing off of me, you will regret your decision. Trust me."
Flora Bloom suddenly moved closer to the two little ones. "It’s true I can’t do anything to you, but your children are right here in my hands!"
The blue dress grew tighter and tighter. Flora Bloom was almost five months pregnant, and her baby bump had been showing for a while. Any more pressure and Polly would surely become uncomfortable.
"Are you going to loosen it or not?" A dagger materialized in Flora Bloom’s hand, and she pressed it against one of the baby boys.
The apparition sighed softly. "Sigh. Why are you in such a hurry? Just let me finish talk...ing..."
Before the apparition could finish her sentence, a dark energy emerged with exceptional stealth from Flora Bloom’s abdomen. Then, it began to devour the spiritual imprint and energy within the battle suit, bit by bit.
The apparition, still inside Flora Bloom’s space, suddenly froze. "What is your relationship with the Cross family? Why do you have their energy in your abdomen?"
Flora Bloom didn’t answer. Instead, she watched with rapt attention as the dark energy devoured the dress the apparition had called a battle suit.
After a moment, Flora Bloom felt the dress around her go slack. Once the constricting feeling was gone, the dress that had been binding her now clung softly to her curves, the feeling of being tightly wrapped completely gone.
