The humidity of the Tonica Market and the smell of perfume mixed with the crowd usually make guests frustrate their decisions, but Hattiri stands still. She stared straight at the strangely shaped, intricately intertwined buds, budding in the red dead leaves. She had never seen such a flower.

"This is not a casual purchase," said the old florist, "is a rare nocturnal orchid, harvested deep in the jungles of the south, where the ground is devoid of sunlight all year round." This flower is mainly used for medicine or alchemy. ”

The florist drew her eyes to a bouquet of blue jade roses. "You see, this flower comes from beautiful Ionia. I personally transplanted them into the fertile soil of our Kumangra...... Or a bouquet of moon pearls? ”

Hattiri didn't waver. While the blue jade rose and the pearl are pleasing to everyone, this one has an exotic mystery, like the sea beast lily along the Anaconda Delta, or the gloomy golden scent of the corpse of Parosa. Exotic flowers and plants are the curiosities that suit her and Heatsworth's tastes the most.

"I bought this Jeelan."

Although the florist had suspicion on his face, he still smiled happily at the gold pressed in his palm. He quickly wrapped the buds in wet silk and handed them to Hartiri, who couldn't wait. She held the bouquet in both hands and stumbled upon a small chalky fragment hanging from the exposed roots.

"What is this?"

"Jeelan's will grab a foreign object nearby," said the florist, "and it's a small bone." ”

Heatworth was hunched over his antique desk, writing notes in the margins of the ledger by candlelight. He kept his head down until Hattiri placed the pot on his table. The strange Jeelan, in the moist flower soil, looks like a happy face, fresh and bright red and green reveal vitality.

"A budding flower is worthy of the cause you are about to bloom." She kissed Heatworth deeply on the cheek, secretly rejoicing in her witticism. He smiled and turned his head to take a closer look at the precious specimen.

"You said you were going to buy some flowers to decorate, and I thought it would be more colorful." Portsworth poked Jelan with a quill. "What's this novelty?"

"A sumptuous gift to celebrate the grand opening of the latest trading supplier to the upper echelons of Kumangra, the Heatworth Exotic Store."

Keltzworth pulled his wife and told her to sit down on his lap.

"Well, as long as you say it's a rarity, then let's enjoy it."

He kissed her affectionately. A petal opened, stretching through the dimly lit room.

"The flowers are going to bloom." Hattiri said, "Aren't you sleeping tonight?" ”

"I shouldn't be sleeping. There are still a few invoices that need to be stamped - the partners are still not worried about the problem of the route......"

Hattiri yawned.

"It's all trivial, good wife, go to bed. I'll wake you up when the flowers bloom. ”

"Thank you, dear."

Hattiri suddenly woke up. She felt something crawl up her ankles.

It's not far from the jungle and firehoppers are common. She kicked her feet indiscriminately, and sleepily saw the empty pillow next to her. Portsworth still hadn't gotten laid.

The annoying bug has no intention of walking away, but continues to climb up. She lifted the sheet and found that there were no bugs, but a tendrils of vines. Wrapping around her ankles through the toe slits, it was wrapping around her thighs.

Panic drove away her sleepiness.

She pedaled hard, but couldn't get the red and green sprouts to let go of her legs. The vines became tighter and tighter, piercing the flesh. She slashed at her nails desperately, and her hands were covered in blood with tiny thorns.

The meandering trail is a crack in the bedroom door. The vines stuck out of their roots and climbed up to the legs of the bed. Immediately, the image of Portsworth flashed to her mind.

Hartiri lifted a lamp, grabbed a pair of scissors, and followed the vines through the foyer of the house. She followed the vine's thicker and thicker direction, searching for its roots. She now saw vines emerging from Keltzworth's study.

She tried hard several times before she pushed the door open. Hattiri didn't know what awaited her, but she never expected it to be like this.

The entire house, from the ground to the ceiling, is covered with dense vegetation. Evil colors dance wildly in the flickering light of lanterns. Strange bulbs drooped from the walls, and finger-like leaves undulated as if breathing. The flowers seemed to tease her in the darkness, and the rainbow of petals frequently appeared, like a flame of beacons. It all sprouted from the same dark center: a giant bud lying quietly on the couch faintly visible by the fireplace, where Hattiri read and accompanied Heatworth to work. The buds are scattered around the flower pot fragments and flower soil. Jeunie Lan has broken down its original habitat.

The petals give off the pulse of life, and strangely shaped rattans crawl out of it. There was only one voice in Hattilly's head, screaming for her to escape from the house, to burn the house to the ground, and to burn the horrible cluster of flowers. But she couldn't leave Carsworth behind. Rattan wrapped around the legs of chairs, tables, and ......

Her husband's legs.

Portsworth still sat in his chair, covered from head to toe like a chrysalis in the tumbling foliage. Hattiri's bare feet slid over the rattan to him. She frantically cut through the tighter and tighter rattans, but each bite of the scissors only made them harder and gave birth to fine thorns that stung her husband and herself. The blood is murmuring, and where it lands, Jielan blooms, and she can't wait to absorb the nutrients.

Hattiri undid one of Keltzworth's hands—white and cold.

A foul stench filled the air, like a dead corpse. With tears in her eyes, she turned her head to look at the sofa, where the orchid buds were slowly opening.

The stench is even more pungent. Hattiri was sick to her stomach. The huge petals peeled off on their own, layer upon layer of different colors, revealing the dazzling scarlet and dark green oval petals inside, and under the black-pointed corolla, what should have been the stamens of the flower was revealed by a woman. Her hair was like blood, and her skin was like leaves. Vines and petals envelop her in a deadly beauty. She opened her eyes. Those eyes reminded Hattiri of the eyes of a cheetah—in the vertical pupils, all you see is prey.

The woman who bloomed from the flowers stood up.

Hattiri held the large scissors like a dagger.

"Do you want to cut me off so soon?" The thing spoke, and its voice captured Hattiri.

"What are you?"

"It's the flower you've always wanted to admire."

The stench changed. There is no longer the breath of death.

Hartiri takes a deep breath of the sweet fragrance – the sweetness of orange blossoms, the richness of blue jade roses, the fruity scent of sea lilies, the indulgence of moon pearls, and the elegance of wisteria. There were more scents, more mysterious flowers, but for some reason, she knew the names of all of them—their scents made her feel colors she had never seen before. A name popped up in Hattiri's mind......

Zyra.

"Thank you for giving me such a wonderful garden." Zyra said, nodding her head at the wreckage of Portsworth. "You've taken good care of me, but we need more nutrients. Make the soil here more ...... Fertile. ”

Hattiri saw a sight where the whole world was covered in colorful clusters of death flowers. It was a beautiful riot, and the warm and swaying colors choked the throat of the city. No graves, no wars, no money...... Hattiri was not breathing. She didn't even feel the vines dragging her down, nor did she feel the thorns cutting through the skin, piercing into the flesh and releasing blood.

"Welcome to this garden that never fades...... "Zyra said through the rhizomes and petals, "death is always blooming, and you don't want to miss any of the colors, do you?" ”

Hattiri didn't answer, because she was already with the flowers.