Chapter 148: Chronobloom

What?! It's near extinction?!Atlan couldn't believe that a beginner gardener like him was in charge of such an important piece of plant.

There's only one of them left in the entire world? Does that mean that if I mess up, then it will go extinct?

He couldn't understand why Geminus would give him such a heavy responsibility.

He only knew about watering plants yesterday! He even thought that plants needed meat to live like humans. He was thoroughly unprepared to carry the burden of making sure that the Chronobloom plant survived.

Oh, there's more to the note.

Atlan turned the paper on its back and saw more scribbles.

<Now, you're probably wondering what a Chronobloom plant is.

It's a plant that is a special ingredient needed to create an object that can see through a person's SoulTime.

Back in the old days, nuns and priests used to carry these glasses to find out how much SoulTime a person had left. They attach the glass to the person's wrist, and it'll show them how many years they have left.

But because it wasn't accurate down to the day, it was soon replaced by a new invention from the Pseudo Canzer division. Experience tales at M-V-L

Chronoblooms became trash. And because it needs a lot of resources to keep alive, a lot of the other Chronoblooms died off as our budget dwindled.

But even so, I hope that you'll be able to keep a part of our history alive by preserving the Chronobloom>

Atlan crumpled the piece of paper and threw it down the garden.

Even though he found out about the history and uses of the Chronobloom, Geminus didn't say anything about how to take care of it!

He didn't say how much water he needed to put on the roots. He didn't say how much sunlight it needed throughout the day.

How can I keep it alive when you don't tell me how?!

Atlan wanted to complain to Geminus, but the guy was conveniently away from the Garden Club.

It frustrated him.

He didn't know that the Chronobloom had such a history in the City. He didn't even know that there were objects that could see through a person's SoulTime.

According to Geminus, people now use a Pseudo Canzer variant to know a person's SoulTime. Although he didn't know what that was, he knew that it could malfunction. It was inevitable. And if that happened, the City would eventually go back to using the Chronobloom.

As he ruminated on what he would do, the Big Vine finally reached their destination. It brought him to a place in the Garden that was closed off by a structure made out of opaque fiberglass with steel frames supporting the triangular roof.

It was called the 'Greenhouse'.

He thanked the Big Vine by rubbing its leaf.

The entrance to the greenhouse was only made out of a strip curtain made out of overlapping strips of plastic. It allowed easy access inside while maintaining the airflow and temperature of the greenhouse.

He parted the strips and entered.

Immediately, he felt that the air inside was much purer than the one outside. The Garden smelled earthy and natural, while the greenhouse smelled like pure air dispelled of any odors, good or bad.

He stepped inside and felt his footsteps indent on the soil below. It was much different from the brownish and dry soil outside. This was darker and filled with moisture.

And despite the good conditions inside, Atlan only saw one plant in the middle of the greenhouse.

It was unlike any vegetation he'd ever seen. He didn't know if it was a fruit, a statue, or a plant. It was more like a combination of all three.

The main body of the Chronobloom was a perfect circle with a solid golden color. And inside this circle were straight red veins that pointed outwards, like the minute marks of a clock.

As he observed the plant more, he was surprised to hear a slight ticking in the room.

TIK…TOK…TIK…TOK…

It's as if it was a real clock! Each ticking corresponded to one second.

He went around the plant and observed its roots. The circular body of the Chronobloom was supported by a single thick stem that was buried deep underground.

Atlan would have wanted to observe the plant a little closer, but he didn't know if that would negatively impact the plant's health. He wouldn't know if he stepped onto a root or not.

Maybe I don't have to do anything with the Chronobloom. It looks healthy right now.

But then, he suddenly saw something move in the corner of his eye.

He looked to the edge of the greenhouse and saw a single blade of grass swaying in the wind.

I didn't see that before.

He would have ignored it, but then he suddenly saw another blade pop out from the ground!

What the?! Why is grass growing in the greenhouse? Is that bad?

Atlan looked around the edges of the greenhouse and saw more and more blades of grass popping out from under the ground.

These blades of grass are growing closer and closer to the Chronobloom. I think I should do something…

Although he didn't know if it was good or bad, Atlan decided to nip the problem in the bud before it became too troublesome. Geminus isolated the Chronobloom for a reason; the grass wasn't supposed to grow here.

He looked to the back of the greenhouse and saw a locker with one of its doors slightly ajar.

He walked over to the locker and opened it.

There, he saw a single brown notebook and a pen. It was titled;

<Chronobloom diary>

Atlan opened the diary and saw multiple entries on different days written down in the notebook. It detailed how this person took care of the Chronobloom during a specific day.

On the very first page of the book, Atlan saw a note.

<If you see grass growing in the Greenhouse, kill it. You'll find the equipment on the top of the locker.>

Even though Atlan wanted to read more about the diary, he had to kill the grass first.

He raised his hand and grabbed the equipment handle on top of the locker.

He brought it down in front of him.

It had a long handle almost as tall as him made out of dark wood and had a long curved blade attached to the top. Inscribed on the handle was the name of this equipment.

It was a scythe.

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