Gardener of Eden

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Silphium

Princess Lyra contacted the Vance household directly, her voice crisp over the communication line as she delivered an urgent message from High Command. The Crown was inviting Rowan for an exclusive, private talk to discuss strategic preparations, intel, and logistics regarding the upcoming Global Awakener’s Tournament.

”Go on, son,” Arthur said with a proud smile, resting a supportive arm around Martha as they stood on the front porch. ”We have everything handled here at Sunny Vale. Go see what the Imperial Family needs.”

Less than an hour later, the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of heavy rotor blades echoed over the estate. A sleek, black-and-gold imperial transport helicopter bearing the sovereign dragon-and-crown emblem descended gracefully from the clouds. The defensive matrix of the Imperial Grand Array and Rowan’s Earthen Ward parted seamlessly to allow the aircraft a smooth touchdown on the open field beyond the inner garden.

Two elite royal guards in gleaming plate armor stepped off the transport, bowing deeply to Rowan as he approached.

”Cadet Vance, Her Highness is expecting you,” the lead guard announced respectfully.

Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan gave his parents a reassuring wave, boarded the plush, climate-controlled cabin, and took his seat. The helicopter lifted off into the sky, banking smoothly toward the capital district.

Looking out the window, Rowan watched the fertile pastures of Sunny Vale recede into the distance as the soaring spires of the capital came into view. Fresh off analyzing the flawed, mana-contaminated samples from Tian Yu and Gabriel Bernard, Rowan knew exactly where he stood.

Within minutes, the helicopter glided over the towering white-stone walls and immaculate floral gardens of the Imperial Estate, settling onto a private marble helipad where Princess Lyra stood waiting to lead him into the sovereign briefing halls.

***

Princess Lyra offered Rowan a reassuring smile before stepping backward out of the heavy double doors, allowing the white-marble briefing hall to click shut with a soft, resonant thud.

Silence settled over the grand room, broken only by the faint hum of imperial warding arrays embedded within the walls. Sitting behind a massive desk of carved ironwood, Emperor Aurelius von Aetheris IX looked up from a floating, holographic map displaying the continental brackets for the upcoming Global Awakener’s Tournament.

”Sit, Rowan,” Emperor Aurelius said, his voice a deep, resonant rumble that filled the expansive space. He gestured toward a plush leather armchair opposite his desk.

Rowan pulled out the chair and sat down casually, adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat as he rested his hands on his lap. Despite sitting alone before the most powerful sovereign on the continent, his posture remained calm, untroubled, and completely grounded.

Aurelius’s golden eyes gleamed with subtle amusement at the teenager’s unshakeable composure. Leaning forward, he rested his gauntleted forearms on the ironwood desk. ”I trust the confidential spatial delivery from High Command arrived at Sunny Vale without issue?”

”It did, Your Imperial Majesty,” Rowan replied smoothly. ”The samples from Master Cultivator Tian Yu and Master Truffière Gabriel Bernard were intact.”

”Good,” the Emperor nodded, his expression shifting into a sharp, calculating gaze. ”Tian Yu’s near-S-grade Celestial Snow Lotus has the backing of the Ding Dynasty’s ancestral leylines, and Bernard’s truffles command multi-million-gold auctions across the French Frontier. International observers consider them the undisputed favorites to sweep the non-combat botanical division. I brought you here to hear your unfiltered assessment. How do our realm’s prospects look against them?”

Rowan smiled faintly, leaning comfortably into his seat. ”To be blunt, Your Majesty... their produce was disappointing.”

Emperor Aurelius raised an eyebrow, a spark of genuine intrigue flashing in his eyes. ”Disappointing?”

”Gabriel’s truffles are heavy with mineral pollutants and atmospheric mana contamination absorbed from unpurified soil,” Rowan explained calmly, his tone matter-of-fact. ”And Tian Yu is aggressively forcing mountain mana into his snow lotus using harsh cultivation arrays, causing severe cellular stress. They are trying to force the earth rather than letting it naturally flourish.”

The Sovereign Dragon stared at Rowan for a long moment before letting out a rich, booming laugh that echoed off the high vaulted ceilings.

”Harsh words for two of the world’s most celebrated botanical prodigies,” Aurelius chuckled, his golden eyes burning with fierce imperial pride. ”Yet it is precisely the answer I hoped to hear from the young man who revived a thousand-year-old ancestral tree on my arena floor.”

Standing up, the Emperor walked over to the grand floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the spires of the capital city.

”The Global Tournament is not merely a trial of youth, Rowan—it is a war of continental prestige. The crown will grant you total logistical autonomy, top-tier diplomatic escorts, and whatever resources you require. Go to the global stage, show them what true primordial cultivation looks like, and shatter their botanical monopolies.”

***

Before I let you go, I’ve heard rumors about this tournament content for the herbology category.

The Council of Nations will be providing an extinct specimen, hoping for their herbology participants across different age groups to attempt to revive and cultivate the herb; it’s called Silphium.

Rowan leaned back, a subtle, knowing smile touching his lips as the rumor reached his ears. While reviving an extinct legend like Silphium—a prized botanical marvel lost to history—would strike panic into most master harvesters, to Rowan, it sounded less like an impossible trial and more like a routine morning in his domain.

The Extinct Flora Challenge: Reviving ancient, pre-mana species like Silphium presents a hurdle that traditional harvesters consistently fail to overcome:

Atmospheric Corruption: Exposed to modern ambient mana, calcified or dormant ancestral seeds typically rot instantly or mutate into volatile, unusable forms.

Over-Forcing: Competitors like Tian Yu and Gabriel Bernard rely heavily on high-altitude arrays, elemental forcing, or mineral composts. Applying such aggressive methods to an ancient seed only destroys its delicate cellular matrix.

Rowan’s Unshakeable Advantage Having already successfully awakened the 120-year-extinct Ancient Avocado Core and sprouted the petrified Ancestral Peach Seed, Rowan understood the secret to restoring forgotten strains:

Purified Vitality: Ancient seeds do not require brute magic; they require pristine, uncorrupted earth.

Domain & Skill Synergies: Through his Lv. 5 Breath of Eden and [Domain: The Virgin Soil], Rowan can completely neutralize ambient mana toxicity around a seed. By projecting his core as the ideal ecosystem, he provides the exact primordial moisture and uncorrupted life force the seed needs to break its sleep.

If the Council of Nations intended to use Silphium as the ultimate test of botanical mastery, they were inadvertently setting the stage for Rowan’s greatest demonstration yet. Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan looked toward the horizon with calm confidence—ready to show the entire world how an extinct legend blooms in primordial soil.