Super Plant Zombie System 2.0

Chapter8 The Days of Living with the Holy Maiden

"Uh... My name is Kui Ge. I was just joking earlier, don't take it seriously." Kui Ge sat up awkwardly, trying to play it off, a classic case of gaining an advantage and feigning humility.

"My name is Pei Qi." Suddenly, a soft, white glow appeared, illuminating the space as Pei Qi conjured a milky white orb in her hand.

Seeing the amazement in Kui Ge's eyes, Pei Qi thought this man was a bit foolish. He had rushed into danger, and now, with an innocent expression, he said, "Hello, I'm Kui Ge" and "No! Don't hurt her!" But why had he risked his life to protect her?

"This is a light-based spell, a simple illumination spell, also known as Light Orb." Pei Qi explained this basic magic to Kui Ge, who seemed clueless.

"Oh..." Kui Ge finally tore his gaze away from her flawless face. Not only was she beautiful, but there was something about her, a magnetic aura that made him want to get closer, to protect her from any harm.

"Where are we? Weren't we just in the canyon?" Kui Ge asked as he looked around at the smooth stone walls, with no exit in sight, in a space no more than ten square meters wide and utterly barren.

"It seems we can't leave. The enemy activated a spatial transport array, sending us here." Pei Qi examined the intricately inscribed magic array and the shattered energy crystals on the ground.

"Can't get out? That's impossible! If someone set up this array, how did they leave?" Kui Ge banged his fists against the stone walls, unwilling to accept their fate.

"They left through the stone gate. If I'm not mistaken, once the gate drops, it can only be broken open with sheer force, which we lack the power to do." Pei Qi gazed at Kui Ge with a hint of disappointment, as if to say, "If only you were strong enough, we wouldn't be stuck here."

Kui Ge moved closer to Pei Qi, running his hands over the narrow cracks in the stone wall. In the process, he accidentally brushed her hand. Pei Qi recoiled like a startled deer, her face flushing as she quickly looked away. "Don't worry," Kui Ge said, thinking she was afraid of their predicament, "Even if I have to dig with my bare hands, I'll find a way out!"

"It's useless. We should conserve our strength and wait for Uncle Bard to rescue us. I bear a unique mark. Once he's within a kilometer, he'll sense my location." Pei Qi returned to the center of the room and sat down.

As Pei Qi fell silent, Kui Ge, unsure of what to do, spent some time futilely exploring their surroundings. Only after confirming that there was no way out did he sit down next to her. He had a problem—when faced with beautiful women, he lost the ability to speak. And having just shared his first kiss, he felt even more awkward than Pei Qi.

After a moment of quiet, Pei Qi began to observe him. He was decent-looking, but there was an unusual aura of natural power about him. Yet he had short hair and wore strange clothes, completely unlike a typical magician.

"I've got it!" Kui Ge suddenly exclaimed.

"What is it?" Pei Qi asked, puzzled. Kui Ge hesitated for a moment, embarrassed. He had just thought about summoning a zombie to claw their way out, but hadn't considered Pei Qi, a Holy Maiden of the Church, wielder of light magic. If he summoned a zombie, she might think he was a dark mage, and then she'd never talk to him again!

"Wait, is that a spatial ring on your finger?" Pei Qi's sharp eyes noticed the unique vine-like ring on Kui Ge's finger.

"How did you know!?" Kui Ge quickly hid his hand, startled.

"I read about it in an ancient book. This vine-patterned ring is said to be an artifact of the Elven race, made from the vines of the Tree of Life combined with a spatial stone. Only the Elven royal family possessed such rings. Let me see if it's real!" Pei Qi's curiosity piqued, and she eagerly grabbed Kui Ge's hand, holding it in hers as she marveled at the ring. Kui Ge stood frozen in place. She was holding his hand! Her soft breath grazed his skin like a fragrant orchid, and he could even feel the warmth of her lips hovering near his hand!

"It really is an Elven artifact. How perfect! How did you come by this?" Pei Qi reluctantly let go of his hand after studying the ring for a long while, her eyes filled with wonder.

"I..." Kui Ge stammered, unsure how to explain. Faced with her expectant gaze, he struggled between wanting to be honest and the need to keep his secret.

"Forget it. Everyone has their secrets. I won't press you. By the way, does your spatial ring have any food in it? I'm starving..." Pei Qi, regaining her youthful liveliness, looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"Food? I think... I think it does," Kui Ge recalled what Elder Yue Ying had told him—inside the ring were not only gold coins and training notes but also life-giving spring water and exotic fruits.

"Could you share some with me? I haven't eaten breakfast, and I'm starving," Pei Qi said, rubbing her slender waist.

"Um... the thing is... I don't know how to open it." Kui Ge admitted hesitantly, feeling embarrassed. He would have gladly shared the fruit with her if only he knew how to use the spatial ring.

"What? You don't know how to use a spatial ring? Oh my, you really are something! Aren't you a mage? Just use your mental energy to connect with the ring and open the magic array window. It's simple—try it!" Pei Qi sighed, amazed that someone could wear a spatial ring and not know how to use it. Kui Ge was truly a fool in her eyes!

"Mental energy to open the magic array window? Okay, I'll give it a try." Kui Ge had planned to learn how to use the ring after reaching Cruz Academy, but the unexpected turn of events forced him to try it now. Following Pei Qi's instructions, he attempted to connect with his mental energy, which wasn't developed through meditation but was an additional gift from his Plant Zombie system.

Half an hour later...

"I did it!" Kui Ge suddenly opened his eyes. Above his palm appeared a flickering black vortex, from which an object fell, rolling across the floor. As Kui Ge lost focus, the unstable vortex instantly disappeared.

"What's this?" Kui Ge picked up the round metallic object. Under the glow of the light orb, it shimmered with a purple-gold luster, adorned with olive branches and intricate designs. On the reverse side was an image of a horned horse, encircled by strange symbols.

"This... this is an Elven Kingdom's Purple Gold Coin! No way! These are so rare now; most have been collected by nobles and merchants. And it's so well-preserved! One of these coins is worth a hundred gold coins!" Pei Qi exclaimed in astonishment, evidently fascinated by anything related to the Elven race.

But Kui Ge only heard one part of her sentence: "Worth a hundred gold coins?" His mind was spinning. He had only glanced inside the ring, but it seemed like there was a whole pile of these purple gold coins...