Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1959: Three Lucent Pears at Once

Adam was happy to return to Island A21, talk to Prasyx, and even try some unusual coffee.

All of that was quite nice, but Adam had come here primarily to give Prasyx the Abyss Pearl in return for his help, hoping that Prasyx would have a way to help him restore his energy reserves.

Step.

They emerged from the underground level, returning to the surface where numerous Lucent Trees stood.

When Adam first approached this island, he had no idea he’d have to fight a huge serpent because of these trees. At that moment, he just wanted to fly over the island to find a passage to the Grand Abyss.

“How long have these trees been growing here?”

“Oh, a long time, a very long time!” Prasyx waved his hand. “I didn’t plant them all at once, but the oldest ones are over thirty years old.”

Adam stopped as he realized something.

“Agh… Are you saying these trees are older than me?”

Prasyx turned around, looking at Adam with a strange expression, but then he realized his mistake.

“Oh, right, you’re young, like, really young. You see, when a monster like me thinks another person is young, we automatically assume that person is at least a hundred years old, especially if they’re a monster.”

Adam smiled bitterly as he turned toward one of the trees, which was quite possibly one and a half times his age.

“Well, I’m sure thirty years is nothing to you. But to me, it’s more than my entire life.”

“Pffft!” Prasyx snorted. “Don’t be so dramatic. What matters isn’t how long you live, but how much you’ve managed to accomplish and the events you’ve experienced.”

He threw his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner as he walked in circles.

“You could sit in a cave for twenty years and accumulate energy, or those twenty years could give this world a Phantom like you. Do you feel the difference?”

Adam nodded with a slight smile on his face. He didn’t know if Prasyx had done it on purpose, but it sounded like praise, and he found it pleasing.

After all, not all the events he’d gone through had been pleasant or good. He’d had many bad and painful experiences, but his life had been full of events.

That was true both before he became a Phantom and especially after that moment.

“So…” Adam touched the glowing foliage. “Last time you were protecting these trees, but now are you willing to share their fruits with me?”

Prasyx smirked.

“Sure. At first, I was going to give you just one if you came back and kept me company, but since you brought me the Abyss Pearl and you need to restore your energy, I’ll give you three right away!”

“Huh, how generous of you.” Adam chuckled.

Prasyx shrugged.

“Once you get them, you’ll see just how generous.”

Adam didn’t argue and sat down in the center of Prasyx’s garden. Prasyx took some time to pick out the best fruits for Adam, and soon three Lucent Pears were in Adam’s hands.

“So? What do I do now? Just eat them?”

Prasyx leaned his back against the nearest tree and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yes, that’s one way. If I were you, I’d eat one to taste it and just devour the rest as a source of energy. As you can see, these aren’t exactly physical objects, they’re practically pure energy, so even though you’re not a monster, you’ll be able to do it.”

“I see…”

Adam picked up one of the Lucent Pears and brought the fruit to his mouth.

Crunch.

With a loud crunch, he took his first bite.

As soon as a piece of pear entered his mouth, his eyes widened and lit up brightly.

If the spicy coffee and minty apple were ordinary ingredients with unusual flavors, then the Lucent Pear was something entirely different.

Adam didn’t know what the taste he sensed was.

Gulp.

He swallowed as he stared at a single point for a long time. Only after a few moments did he look at the Lucent Pear as his gaze filled with realization.

“This taste… Are you saying that’s exactly what energy tastes like?” he asked in disbelief.

Prasyx chuckled. “Huh, you figured that out on the first bite? Not bad, Adam, not bad at all.”

Then, he nodded deeply.

“Yes. You got it right. Sure, the energy surrounding us has no taste, it’s a resource, not food. But since this pear is more than 90% compressed energy, everything else is exactly what turns that energy into a fruit, which means it has taste, texture, and juiciness.”

Adam sighed, looking at the half-eaten pear.

“So that’s why they take so long to grow?”

“Pretty much, yeah. It’s not a quick process, but it’s worth it. And… Adam, I think you should have figured this out by now.”

Prasyx narrowed his piercing green eyes.

“The taste and its shape are just a pleasant bonus compared to the main thing.”

Adam understood what Prasyx was talking about.

Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!

The moment he took his first bite, his Energy Tree began to tremble violently as a powerful surge of energy flowed into his inner space.

After his battle against Midgar and his attempts to destroy the Grand Barrier, Adam had less than 5% of his energy remaining.

Sure, he had slightly replenished his reserves while talking to Ergander and then with Prasyx, but he still had less than 10%. That wasn’t enough to fight a serious opponent like Breydar, even if he was a Baron and not a Viscount.

He needed to reach his peak if he wanted to complete this mission, and with the help of the Lucent Pears, he would be able to do so quickly.

“Yes, I can feel it. Such a surge of energy, and all from just one bite…”

In the blink of an eye, Adam’s eyes filled with determination as he opened his mouth wide.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Without hesitation, he quickly devoured all three pears, not pausing for even a moment.

Prasyx froze for a moment as the corners of his mouth turned upward.

“I told you to eat just one… Huh… Well, it was your choice.”

Soon, Adam’s body trembled as his eyes shone brightly, sending out two powerful rays that streaked across the dark sky of the Gray Sea.