Chapter 146: That’s All It Can Do

Chapter 146

That’s All It Can Do

- Speed Squirrel, Level 0: Attributes - An unintelligent light elemental beast. Its advantage lies in its speed when climbing trees, but its disadvantages include a weak body, delicate skin, and fragile internal organs, leading to poor digestion. Its meridians are blocked, preventing it from ever increasing its magic power throughout its life.

Status: Captured with a spirit-binding necklace. Once tamed, it can be commanded to use a light spell that increases speed by approximately 1% within a 1-meter radius for 15 seconds. This can be done once per 1 mana bar (currently, it can be used once per month).

Option One: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to mark the locations.

Option Two: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to decompose internal organs.

Option Three: Use the rooting of the purple mushrooms for decomposition. -

This was the information Ellie had when she examined that squirrel. She found that its limitations were too great. Not only could it not evolve, but raising it was also a waste. The squirrel could not grow any stronger, meaning it could only use its territory ability once a month.

It wasn’t just the villagers who were unaware of these facts. Even Nara and Professor Lily didn’t know the attributes of this squirrel, which explained why they bought it for hundreds of thousands of gold coins.

To be precise, besides the people of the Rhea Kingdom, only the merchant and Ellie knew the true problem hidden within this rare light elemental beast. This issue...was why they were willing to release the rare light elemental beast to Gaia Kingdom and sell it to someone from the Ares Kingdom without fear of repercussions.

Although Ellie knew this, it wasn’t something she felt obliged to share with Nara. Let her continue raising the beast with hope. It would be better if Nara remained confident in herself. Until Ellie didn’t have to face the heroine again, she hoped Nara would spend all her time on her own and not meddle with her too much.

Soon, they arrived at the village square, bustling with people and villagers. A large bonfire had been built, and there was meat roasting over it, making for a lavish meal. Normally, eating meat in the village was rare. Opportunities to hunt large game were few, and when they did manage to catch one, they had to sell it quickly for the best profit. If they sold it too late, merchants would lower the price, claiming the meat wasn’t fresh.

The money from hunting a single animal was substantial, enough to trade for a large amount of rice and potatoes. Ellie never expected such a grand welcome upon her return.

"Ellie, you’re here. Come, sit with us. The two scholarship students should sit together, haha."

"Did you rest well? That old house must be in bad shape now, right? The village chief just suggested that Ellie stay at his house. I think it’s a good idea since you two study together; it’d be more comfortable than staying at someone else’s place."

"Nara just told us a lot about what she’s been learning. Now that Ellie’s here, you should share too. Even if you’re a bit quiet, you’ll need to practice speaking more from now on. You’re going to be a magician, after all. You can’t be shy and reserved."

"Ellie dear, you’ve filled out a bit and look much brighter. Look at you...so much cuter now. Not that Nara isn’t cute, but she’s always been cute, so the change isn’t as noticeable. But Ellie...you’re so different from before."

"Really? Let me see. Yes, she’s truly cuter now. Her complexion isn’t as dark, and the marks on her face have faded. Great. This is great."

The villagers chatted away, discussing various topics, some relevant and some not, but overall, they were full of praise. It was clear that everyone wanted to get closer to the two girls. Even though Ellie didn’t say much, she still received plenty of attention and care.

Many people were already close with Ellie and her family, but some were not as familiar and tried to get closer to her. However...Ellie didn’t give them much opportunity. She simply smiled, acknowledged them, and ate and drank. As a result, when many people tried to talk to her and didn’t have fun, they gradually distanced themselves and turned their attention to Nara instead. Eventually, Ellie found herself sitting alone, while Nara tried to engage with everyone and draw as much attention as possible.

"Ellie dear." A middle-aged woman approached as Ellie sat quietly eating alone. She hadn’t approached Ellie initially but had been watching her surrounded by others.

This woman was a long-time friend of Ellie’s family, particularly close to Ellie’s mother, who had helped her a lot when Ellie’s mother was alive and living in the village. Ellie’s parents had been very skilled in hunting and farming, making them a relatively well-off family after they moved to the village. At that time, the middle-aged woman’s family was in a difficult situation. Her parents-in-law had forced her and her husband to separate households because they had 3 children, while her husband’s brothers had a total of 5 children between them. The income they had was not enough to support the entire extended family.

Her husband and she then took their children to live in her family’s old house, which only had a small plot of land for farming, barely enough to sustain them. If it hadn’t been for Ellie’s parents providing some food assistance, her 3 children wouldn’t have grown up as well as they did. Because of this...she viewed Ellie as one of her own, repaying the kindness Ellie’s parents had shown her family.

This middle-aged woman was unaware of what Ellie had gone through previously. Everyone in the village believed that Ellie received a share of the vegetable sales as the village chief had claimed. Even the village chief didn’t realize that the money given to Nara never reached Ellie. It could be said that only Nara knew about this, and now Ellie too.

Thus...this woman didn’t know the hardships her friend’s child had endured. However, the last time Ellie went missing and many accused her of stealing money from the village chief and his wife, this woman helped calm everyone down and pushed to uncover the truth. If it hadn’t been for her...Ellie might have been wrongly judged as a thief.

"Aunt Lana," Ellie greeted her in return. She didn’t know this woman personally, but judging by her demeanor, she didn’t seem to be a bad person. Because of this, Ellie didn’t take a defensive stance against her.

Moreover...this time was different from the last. Now in the village, Ellie could sense everyone’s movements. If anyone tried to harm her, she would plan her counterattack. But if someone was kind to her, she could befriend them. It wasn’t like before when she was nearly framed. If she hadn’t acted quickly to clear her name, she would have been handed over to the Setter family soldiers and punished.

"Yes, it’s me...You came back this time looking much brighter. That’s good," Aunt Lana said sincerely. The last time she saw Ellie, she was shrouded in darkness, having just lost her mother, the last member of her family. Ellie hadn’t even wanted to eat. This time, seeing Ellie enjoy her meal was a relief, showing that the young girl had overcome her past sorrows.

"................" Ellie didn’t reply. She just looked ahead, where Nara was surrounded by people, fitting the role of the heroine. Aunt Lana followed Ellie’s gaze. She didn’t know if there was any issue between Ellie and Nara, but it was clear that their closeness wasn’t the same as before.

Previously, Ellie always treated Nara as a benefactor who had saved her life, and Lana understood the reason for this. For Ellie...it seemed like Nara was the only one who cared about her. The girls were close in age and could communicate well. Nara even made efforts to ensure Ellie ate and talked to her about various things, which seemed like a genuine friendship.

However, after their return this time, Lana noticed something amiss between the two girls. Although others might not notice, Lana, who had been observing Ellie closely, easily understood it.

"Ellie, is there any problem between you and Nara? I’ve noticed that you two don’t seem as close as before."

"Hmm? Not really."

"Really? If everything were normal, you wouldn’t be sitting alone like this. You’d probably be trying to sit as close to Nara as possible," Lana teased, and Ellie nodded in agreement.

If Ellie were the character from the story, she would never want to be far from Nara. It was a rare occasion to return to the village without being bogged down by the difficult task of farming. In the original storyline, Ellie didn’t have many appearances. She would only show up when there was a problem or to cause trouble. Many times, Ellie would express her struggles with farming but would abandon her work to help Nara.

But well, that was the original storyline, which had now changed.

"Moreover...earlier, when Nara was talking about various things, I felt that some of her statements were strange. Nara said that you had a hard time accumulating enough points to pass the year because you could only farm and make simple potions. She mentioned that your potions were of low level and not valuable. However, unlike others, I don’t believe things without knowing the full story."

"You know, Ellie, once my husband was severely injured and almost became disabled. But it was a low-level potion, which Nara claims has no value, that saved him and restored him to health. That potion was given to us by your father."

"I also tried to find out its price, intending to repay your father one day. After investigating in the city, I realized that even if I worked hard all my life, I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy that potion to repay him."

"The merchants said it was just a low-level potion, but they sold it for several silver coins. How could Nara say it wasn’t of much valuable? If Ellie can truly make potions, she could become wealthy by making and selling them at the market. That would bring in a huge income, making you rich. How could that be considered as making something with no value?"

"Just hearing this made me feel uneasy. After that, I didn’t want to listen to Nara anymore. But I just wanted to tell you, Ellie, you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone. What matters is what you can do. That is valuable enough. Comparing yourself to others only brings misery. Living peacefully, waking up to food on the table, having a house to sleep in, and a way to earn money for the future is enough."

"Your parents left you a house and a plot of land. If you ever get tired, just come back home. If the institute isn’t the right place for you, if it doesn’t make you happy, you can just come home."

"No matter what others say or how they laugh at you, it doesn’t matter. You already have more fortune than many others. Your parents weren’t even magicians, but they were respected. All of that isn’t about how much you’ve succeeded but being satisfied with what you have. The sooner you find contentment...the sooner happiness will come."

Ellie wasn’t sure what Aunt Lana was thinking on her behalf, but overall, it seemed like she was worried about Ellie being affected by others’ words. Lana’s advice implied she thought Ellie might not be able to complete her studies at the institute. How would ordinary people know about life at the institute if it weren’t for Nara spreading the word?

"Thank you for the advice, Aunt Lana," Ellie responded with a smile. She didn’t show any signs of being shaken by Lana’s words, which reassured Lana a little. At least Ellie seemed capable of handling future challenges better now. That was Lana’s thought, who had been concerned about Ellie’s fragile state.

When Ellie lost her family, she was merely existing day by day, devoid of life. If she continued her studies and didn’t succeed, Lana feared Ellie might become even more hopeless and despairing with life. This worry stemmed from hearing Nara’s claim that Ellie might not succeed in her education.

"That’s good. Seeing you becoming stronger like this, it makes me feel at ease. I won’t have to feel guilty towards your parents anymore. When they see how capable their daughter has become, they will be very happy." Lana looked up at the sky, the same direction Ellie had looked earlier.

A gentle breeze passed by, bringing a comforting coolness that seemed to ease the middle-aged woman’s stress. Ellie reflected on what she knew and decided to offer her help.

Previously, she had helped a kind middle-aged vendor who recommended seeds to her, even risking herself in the process. So how could she ignore this sincere aunt who cared so much about her?

"How is your family doing now? Is the condition of Aunt Lana’s husband improving?"

"It has improved, but the old wound was very severe. Lately, he’s been in pain again. At night, he often can’t get up and can’t move his legs. It’s fortunate that he can still work during the day," Aunt Lana spoke with a sense of resignation. If it weren’t for her husband’s condition, she wouldn’t be celebrating with such a heavy heart...

"Would you like me to help?"

"Hmm?" Lana didn’t understand what Ellie meant until she heard the next sentence.

"With my supposedly worthless power, I can still concoct some simple potions. Would you like me to try making a potion for Uncle...?"