Chapter 246 - 234: Not Everyone Is Fortunate Enough to Get Something for Nothing

Zane Locke’s face twitched as he gritted his teeth, forcing a smile as he looked at Flora Bloom. "That was my subordinate’s mistake. I hope you’ll let Chester Bell go."

Flora Bloom scoffed. "You can all go, but two of you must stay. One is him." Flora pointed to Chester Bell. "And the other one is him." She then indicated the plant ability user with the red vines, the one Nolan Jennings had thrown into the fountain by the entrance.

Zane Locke clutched his bleeding ear. He finally managed to pull Chester Bell off, only to discover that half of his ear was clenched in Chester’s mouth. In an instant, a rush of blood went to his head.

"My ear! Chester Bell, wake up!" Not only did shaking Chester Bell fail to wake him, but it also dislodged the bloody piece of his ear from the man’s mouth.

"To the captain who just had half his ear bitten off," Flora began, "I don’t care why you’re here, but I advise you not to get any ideas about Morgan Sterling’s villa. Otherwise, things won’t be as easy as they were today."

The hatred in Zane Locke’s eyes gradually receded when he met Flora Bloom’s mocking gaze. "You’re trying to seize Morgan Sterling’s villa. Is it because there’s some kind of hidden secret inside?"

Just then, one of Sepherdine’s subordinates pushed through the crowd and whispered something in his ear. Though quiet, every single word reached Flora Bloom’s ears.

’This is bad. It looks like these two groups came here with a premeditated plan. If they incite the crowd now, what good is my strength, no matter how powerful I am?’

A wicked smile played on Sepherdine’s lips. "Miss Bloom, we can set aside the matter of the villa for now. After all, there are plenty of residences here; we can find our own. However... as for the secret in the basement of the former base leader, Morgan Sterling, I imagine you wouldn’t want too many people to know about that, would you?"

Flora Bloom frowned, turning to Sepherdine. ’How does this man, with his effeminate beauty that could rival a woman’s, know so much?’

Seeing the grim look on Flora Bloom’s face, Sepherdine smiled. "I think the few of us could sit down and have a proper discussion about the ownership of this villa."

"What do you know?" Flora Bloom asked, her voice flat but her tone far from friendly.

"Are you still going to play dumb, Miss Bloom? This is the apocalypse; most of the water sources out there are contaminated. I don’t think you should be hoarding a source of clean water like the one in this basement, do you? After all, with so many people in the base, the demand for water is immense."

"A water source?" Flora Bloom froze for a moment. Realizing that this beautiful, woman-like man was talking about water, she gradually relaxed.

"That’s right." Sepherdine gestured for a subordinate to bring out a water sample they had collected from Morgan Sterling’s basement. He then handed it to a Level 3 Water Ability User on his team.

"Captain, this water is incredibly pure, nearly the quality of water created by a Water Ability User. Not only is it uncontaminated, but it’s even purer than pre-apocalypse water. It’s completely natural mineral water."

Sepherdine’s lips curled as he looked at Flora Bloom. "Well? Is this not the reason you’re here?"

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Flora Bloom suddenly burst out laughing. "And so?"

The water in the villa’s basement had originally been seawater. While he was alive, Morgan Sterling had made a mistake while digging a tunnel, accidentally breaching an underground passage connected to the seabed and allowing the ocean to flood in.

But the water flooding the basement now was due to the root systems of her spiritual plants, which had spread deep underground.

Even before the apocalypse, plants naturally filtered pollution and purified water. For the spiritual plants of the post-apocalyptic world, the purifying effect on contaminated water was even more pronounced.

What Flora Bloom hadn’t expected, however, was that the roots of her spiritual plants could not only purify the contaminated water of the apocalypse but could also desalinate the seawater, filtering it into a drinkable source.

This base had a sizable population, and a lack of water would easily lead to chaos. After all, a person could starve for three days or even longer, but going without water was a death sentence.

But what Flora Bloom was truly worried about was the discovery of that secret place.

At this moment, the surrounding crowd heard Sepherdine’s words loud and clear. Their previous apathetic, "none-of-my-business" attitude vanished the moment they heard the words "water source." Every onlooker’s ears perked up, and their eyes went wide.

"What? A source of clean water?"

"That Flora Bloom... I thought she was just a man-stealer, going after her cousin’s guy. I never thought she’d be this selfish. There’s a source of clean water here, so why didn’t she tell everyone? Was she planning to hoard it all for herself?"

Hearing this news, the crowd grew agitated and indignant.

"Hey! Flora Bloom, aren’t you being too selfish! You know how scarce water is in the apocalypse, so what right do you have to claim this source and not share it with the rest of us?"

"Exactly! Shouldn’t humanity be united in the apocalypse? An act like this is a threat to human harmony!"

"Flora, don’t be like this. I won’t even blame you for stealing Lex from me—after all, that’s our family’s private business, isn’t it? But water is so scarce right now, you can’t be this foolish!" Tianna Bloom’s sorrowful expression suddenly vanished, replaced by a righteous one as she made sure to bring up the matter of Flora "stealing" Lex.

After hearing Tianna Bloom’s words, the surrounding crowd began to chime in with their support.

"Yeah, look how sensible your cousin is! You must be blessed to have such a reasonable cousin!"

"Flora Bloom, this is where you’re in the wrong. You knew about a source of clean water like this, yet you hid it from everyone. Aren’t you afraid of inciting public outrage?" Kirk Warren spoke with an arrogant air, his eyes bright. ’Just let Lex see this woman’s true colors. So what if he likes her now? Once he sees enough of this side of her, his feelings will turn to disgust.’

"Exactly! You’re a Water Ability User, so you don’t have to worry about going thirsty. But there are so many people in this base without superpowers, and most of them can’t even get enough food to survive on their own. How can you just ignore whether the rest of us live or die!"

Chelsea Todd’s words amused Flora Bloom. "You’re a Water Ability User, too. Let me ask you, in all this time, before this water source was discovered, did you ever once care whether these ordinary people lived or died?" Flora’s gaze swept over the crowd, passing over each of their faces. "Don’t get on your high horse and preach benevolence and morality to me. That recent incident inside the base... can all of you here guarantee you had nothing to do with it?"

Flora Bloom’s words sent a sudden hush through the crowd. She turned to Tianna Bloom. "Tianna Bloom, I told you back in Varden Village that our families would have nothing to do with each other from then on. You keep spreading rumors and stirring up trouble in the base. Do you really think I can’t do anything to you?"

Tianna Bloom’s heart sank as she looked into Flora Bloom’s cold eyes. "Wh-what are you trying to do!" She quickly rushed to Lex Cross’s side and grabbed his arm. "Lex, help me! Flora’s going to kill me!"

Flora Bloom looked at Lex Cross. He was leaning motionless against a pillar, completely indifferent to Tianna Bloom’s desperate clinging. He didn’t refuse her, but he didn’t object either. He didn’t say a single word. He didn’t even glance at Flora.

A chill gradually rose in Flora Bloom’s heart as she watched this scene unfold. Standing her ground, she let out a self-mocking laugh. "Heh. I guess I was overthinking things. Just wishful thinking on my part."

"Help Old Monroe. We’re leaving." Isla Preston and Shelly supported Ethan Monroe as Flora Bloom, Joel Bloom, Mark Sterling, and Falkyew walked ahead. The Spiritual Ability User, Chester Bell, now under Isla Preston’s mental control, trailed behind them.

Just as the group was about to leave, they saw Zane Locke blocking their path. A cold glint flashed in Flora Bloom’s eyes. "What, do you want to come with us, too?"

Zane Locke looked past Flora Bloom at the pregnant woman supporting someone behind her. The woman’s eyes, which flashed with a yellow light, made him afraid to meet her gaze directly. "N-no, that’s not it." He quickly stepped aside, clearing a path.

Flora Bloom glanced back at Sepherdine, then swept her eyes over the crowd. "If you want something, you have to be willing to pay the price. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get something for nothing."

"I, Flora Bloom, will make myself clear today, so don’t blame me for not giving you a chance. If you want water, you’ll trade for it with Second Level or higher Crystal Cores."