Celestia Academy

119. Electro Emergence

previous chapter: lumine wakes from a frightening dream and encounters her electro power again. she decides that learning how to control it properly is better done sooner rather than later, and aether gives insight into focal points. after some searching and waiting, she connects with professor guuji.

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"So, what's your professional opinion?"

Thoma's question hung in the air as I examined the potted plant. He sat across from me at the picnic table we agreed to meet up at after I had heard about the failing growth. With my newfound expertise in taking care of plants, helping out with his Horticulture II assignment was my chance to return the many favors from his Vision Studies tutoring.

"There's some yellowing on the older leaves here," I said and lifted the small bundle of vines. "Different circumstances can cause this, but the new growth is also affected. I think you might be overwatering it. What kind of plant is this?"

"It's not anything you'd typically find in Teyvat. The assignment is to create a hybrid from two existing species of my choice. I wanted to challenge myself and stay away from the Inazuman species that I'm familiar with, so I went with two from Sumeru. What you're looking at is a combination of kalpalata lotus and stamina flower."

We had kalpalata lotuses in the greenhouse, but I'd never taken care of stamina flowers before.

"I don't understand why the leaves are wilting," he said. "Caring for houseplants is one of my main responsibilities at the Kamisato Estate. I only water it once every few days. At this rate, the buds won't get a chance to bloom."

First, I needed to confirm if my guess was correct.

"Did you bring the tools?" I asked.

He lifted his bag resting below and set it on the table. From it, he pulled out a small pair of shears, a spade, and gardening gloves. "These are what everyone in the class was given. To make it fair, no fancy fertilizers or equipment is allowed."

"None necessary." I held out a hand. "Gloves and spade, please."

Once equipped, I got to work and pried at the damp, packed mass of soil from the pot. The plant's leaves were similar to ivy, tumbling onto the table and slightly getting in the way. It took a bit of time to carefully free the entire mass, so I asked another question to better understand what I was dealing with.

"Of all the Sumeru foliage, why kalpalata lotus and stamina flower?"

"They both reside on cliffsides, so the odds of creating a hybrid species that could successfully thrive in the wild is high."

Thinking back to my time in the greenhouse, I vaguely remembered the potting soil used for kalpalata lotus being rockier than most. If stamina flower lived in the same environment, then overwatering wasn't the only issue.

"You should switch out the soil to something with a greater composition of gravel. The parent plants wouldn't thrive in dense soil like this, so neither would their hybrid. You'll also get better drainage and—ah, there it is."

With the plant free, I set the pot aside and pointed out the roots. Most of them were firm and tan, but there were a few that took on a mushier texture and had darkened to a muddy brown.

"Root rot," Thoma identified on his own.

"Yup. Luckily, it's not too late. You can still save the main plant by hacking off the infected root and starting fresh with new soil. We can do that first part now."

Wielding the spade as a weapon instead of its intended purpose, I strategically whacked at the caked roots until the soil began to break apart. Clumps of dirt crumbled onto the table. Then, I angled the sharper end to hack at the root rot.