Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 992 Never to be Separated for Eternity
Ma Yingdan's tone was serious and firm: "I don't understand what you're saying, but I can tell that you genuinely think I'm good this way."

That's it.

If one day you also start to think I'm too smelly and disgusting, then... remember to find me a barren mountain so I can grow on my own.

As long as there is light and land, I can live a good life.

No matter what happens, I will never despair.

But I don't want the partners I choose to be with me out of pity, compassion, or reluctance.

That's too cruel; my flowers will never bloom again.

“We will be together, for all eternity.” Antirochus gave his most serious and earnest answer. “I have chosen those who will walk the same path with me in the future. You and I are no different.”

I will never think there is anything wrong with you, just as I will never doubt myself.

Dear friend, have more confidence in yourself.

We've already reached for the sun, so why not live a brilliant life?
If there really is such a mountain in the future, I will definitely live on that mountain.

Golden-red flames erupted from his body.

The flames rolled forward.

While some of the magical plants that were unwilling to stay there fled in disarray, Lantana stubbornly remained in place... and did not even let go of Antirochus's hand.

Golden flames quickly enveloped the lantana.

But it didn't ignite him; it only caused all his flowers to turn golden in that instant.

Golden yellow is a friendly signal that lantana sends to the outside world... It sounds incredible, but most lantana flowers are yellow in various shades when they first bloom.

Flower-visiting insects would then know that yellow flowers produce nectar and are worth visiting.

Then the flowers that have had their pollen collected will turn into other colors.

Even the small flowers on the vines that always appear to be the same color will have a touch of orange-yellow in their center when they first bloom.

Once pollination is complete, the colored area in the center of the flower will completely disappear, turning into the same color as the petals.

Therefore, for Lantana, golden yellow is its most obvious signal: Come~ come to my side, and stay with me forever~
Sensing that overflowing enthusiasm, Antirochus also revealed his brightest smile.

Under the sunlight, Antirochus and Lantana officially became allies.

"Heh~" Ma Yingdan looked at the golden flames enveloping her and laughed inexplicably. "Now, I don't have to be afraid of any bugs at all!"

"My dear friend, is your name Lantana?" Antirochus asked, somewhat conflicted.

When they exchanged their real names, Ma Yingdan was simply Ma Yingdan.

“I am the only magical lantana in this world,” his friend replied calmly. “I don’t need a special nickname; everyone knows that’s me.”

Antirochus's mind raced, and he finally understood some of the stories he had heard before.

For example, believers in the gods should get used to the omnipresence of the sun god and know the fervor their masters have for the sun god.

This is actually true.

Not only did the Goddess of the Night relinquish the choice of her followers, but even the 'necessary conditions' required to set up the labyrinth were provided by the Lord of the Earth.

If there were any magical plants in the world that could never be reborn, then the original plant must be in the hands of the Lord of the Earth... So far, the only exception is the banyan tree belonging to Lady Valera of Green Maple Territory.

But actually, it can't be considered one.

After all, the original species of that magical banyan tree, the common banyan tree, is found everywhere, and the Earth Church also has different magicalized versions of this plant.

It was only because Lord Lori somehow developed a special nutrient that allowed Valera's banyan tree to receive energy from sources outside this world, thus evolving into a unique form.

But Lantana is a completely self-evolving type... Generally speaking, if a plant has previously evolved into a magical plant, it will inevitably evolve into one in the future.

Like a sunflower that only has one year of life, it never stops coming back.

However, if there are no successors, Lantana is very likely to appear in one of the true manifestations of the Lord of the Earth.

This solitary magical plant must have existed for a very long time.

Even though he lived in the garden of the Lord of the Earth, he didn't make any friends.

Aside from the rejection by other plants... the most important reason should be his own ability to enjoy solitude, even if it's somewhat melancholic.

Very good, he is indeed his partner, just like him at heart.

“But you won’t be the only one after this!” Antirochus reminded him earnestly. “After you and I form a pact, Lantana will no longer belong to the gods, but will truly return to the earth.”

Along the path you and I walked together, wherever there was a lantana plant, it was very likely to awaken because it sensed our presence.

My friend, you can't expect them to change their names and call themselves Five-Colored Flower, can you?
Although I can try my best to achieve it..." "No!" Lantana immediately stopped her, "No, no, no! Lantana is Lantana. Five-colored flower and five-colored tree are just names that people who don't know us have given us."

To the Lord of the Earth, we are but lantana.

We can't make them change their names; that would be destroying their future!

I understand. I will seriously consider my real name.

Antirochus knew that his friend must want to control everything, just like him, so he didn't intend to give him any examples. He simply suggested softly, "You can make Lantana your surname, just like I am Antirochus Harvey. You can also be something like Lantana."

“Hmm…” Ma Yingdan, who was a little embarrassed, immediately understood his meaning and happily accepted it. “That’s good. When I apply to the law to change my name, it won’t be too troublesome.”

Adding words without reason is easier than completely changing them even when there's a valid reason!

Then he fell into an endless silence.

Antirochus waited quietly.

He was actually a little nervous, but not because Lantana might come up with an earth-shattering name.

The law would directly send back any names related to deities, so Ma Yingdan wouldn't be hunted down by a church so soon after his debut.

But what he was worried about was which real name Ma Yingdan would choose... male or female.

He was just a Lantana at first, so there was no need to distinguish between genders.

But after making a pact with Antirochus, Lantana was no longer shrouded in the earth's divinity... so he would inevitably develop a gender.

Antirochus pondered to himself that plants that need butterflies to pollinate them seem unable to be neutral in gender.

Therefore, it is very likely that Lantana ultimately underwent gender transformation based on the characteristics of the name she gave herself.

He didn't say he didn't want Lantana Ma to become a woman.

But... he was still a pure boy, and the thought of becoming one with a woman in the future made Antirochus feel numb all over.

But he still tried to put aside these random thoughts and try not to disturb Ma Yingdan, who was deep in thought.

He can always get used to it.
-
"Is this the first believer you chose?" 'Toronto' stared at Antirochus, who wasn't sweating a drop under the bright sun, and said with a hint of envy, "He's naturally immune to the heat! And he doesn't get tanned either?"

"Your focus is a bit strange," the Sun God said, somewhat puzzled. "I remember the place where you were born had naturally fair skin!"

“Heh~ that’s because you take good care of yourself,” Toronto said without hesitation. “But if you’re out for a long time, you’ll still get tanned.”

Actually, in the beginning, we preferred a healthy, tanned complexion.

Unfortunately, the nobles soon discovered that the serfs had the healthiest skin, and then they began to value fair skin as beauty.

"Hmm?" The Goddess of Night joined the conversation with interest. "Where you live, the gods shouldn't be influenced by their followers, right?"

“How could it be…unaffected?” Toronto scoffed. “Our idols were originally made of bronze, so nobody thought it was a problem if they were a little dark.”

But once the nobles began to decorate statues with silver and make armor with gold, no god would openly declare that he loved bronze the most.

It's all the same... A devout faith, a faith with value, will inevitably have some impact.

"How interesting," the Goddess of Night exclaimed, sending a string of ^_^ emojis. "It's actually better here on our side!"

'Toronto' stared at the row of symbols, somewhat bewildered, and asked, 'Where did you learn this stuff from? It's weird, but it's really... quite distinctive.'

“Serenne taught me,” the Goddess of Night answered without hesitation. “There’s much more!”

She quickly sent out line after line of emoticons, as if she were going crazy with joy.

"You don't need to ask," the Lord of the Earth said in a low voice.

“Actually, there’s nothing wrong with asking,” the Sun God replied. “It at least proves that although Serene might be coaxing a silly child, he really didn’t mean any harm.”

If someone had ulterior motives, they probably wouldn't do something so pointless.

Toronto nodded in agreement, but he was more curious about whether Toril's twin moon goddesses had taken the wrong medicine lately.
So kind and humane?
"Does nobody care about the chaotic fight next door?" the Goddess of Wealth couldn't help but chime in.

She had been intently watching the battle in the Silver Moon Maze, but when she turned around, she found the others discussing some trivial matters.

“Luciano still has the upper hand!” the Goddess of the Night asked, puzzled. “What’s there to worry about? Katarina hasn’t even had a chance to make a move.”

"That's because he carried enough alchemical bombs," the Goddess of Wealth replied wistfully. "They exploded, and they all turned into money!"

If we were to sell this…

“Amelia City will probably be the first to be bombed.” The Goddess of Night quickly interrupted her, “No one will sell weapons of this caliber, so it doesn’t matter how they are used.”

(End of this chapter)