Ball of Nothing 129 Picking Up The Pieces 1

The sun was up high in the sky but there were still two people sound asleep. Hua Tuo had diagnosed both Zero and Lovina unfit for work as they were severely mana drained. In Zero's case, both his accumulated mana and energy reserves had been depleted after using the divine blessing magic. Lovina was suffering lethargy brought upon by mana drain. She would be fine by tomorrow but Hua Tuo didn't know much about how to help Zero. With great reluctance, he called Merlin.

"I never thought that there would come the day Hua Tuo would call me. This must be about Zero. I heard that he used a divine spell?"

Hua Tuo sighed. He still disliked the wizard. Merlin always had a way of speaking that always seemed condescending. It probably wasn't far from the truth either. The wizard disliked those who didn't walk the path of magic and treated them with disdain wrapped under a very polite pretence.

"Zero is suffering from mana exhaustion and his energy reserves are depleted. He hasn't moved at all since last night. Do you know how I can help him?"

Merlin sighed. "His chakra and mana channels are almost complete so he should recover naturally in about a week. I don't know how much of his reserves had been used but the fastest way to replenish that is to take him to La Boutique. If that isn't enough, find him monsters to absorb. The stronger the better. I can't make any mana regeneration potions for Zero because he might end up taking the mana from everything around, killing even people in the process."

Hua Tuo grimaced. "I understand. I should have stopped him when he was going to use Judgement."

Merlin shook his head. "I doubt there was anything you could have done. Just makes sure that Zero eats a lot when he wakes up."

The physician agreed and ended the call promptly. The sleeping brunet didn't stir and Hua Tuo drew the curtains close. Both Lovina and Zero were in his apartment. The witch had a slight fever from overusing magic but she was in a better condition than she was last night. On the other hand, he didn't know what he should do for Zero. Zoe prepared some nutritious broth with the herbs Cleo gathered but Hua Tuo wasn't sure if Zero would be waking up to eat it. He might have to feed his student if he is unable to wake up in a few more hours.

The village was busy. Raj and Grandma Moppo discussed the repairs that needed to be done while everyone else escorted Carrabas and his men out yesterday. Lovina did a great job holding out till the very end, putting all the necessary spells into place with Soon. It was the first time anyone had seen the witch run out of mana. She was known for her huge reserves and seeing her collapse was a huge shock for many. Manny, Peter and Soon were made to rest with Lovina unable to provide them mana. Fortunately, the village had enough hands to work on the repairs.

Raj wanted to fortify the village a little more while they rebuild the burned tree houses. The bridge was booby-trapped and a small dam further up the river was built. Every tree house was equipped with a fairy ring that will bring the occupants to the evacuation zone. Cleo healed the trees using her Dryad nature magic and their barks became twice as tough. It was now impossible to cut it and the trees had a strange resistance to any sort of heat. Wiser called them fire-resistant trees and quickly demanded samples of it so that he could study them.

Tambolt was making new weapons for the Sky Bridge. Hua Tuo thought that they were very similar to large crossbows mounted on the bridges at the guard posts. Hyelin was working on a special kind of gas bomb and the physician left the weapon inventions to the lab members. He was more concerned about how the village would fix the tunnel that had partially collapsed when three knights came in.

"Don't worry about the tunnel," Grandma Moppo grinned. She took the kids with her to gather some clay. Hua Tuo was surprised to know that not all the tunnels were made from rocks.

Chowkah was repairing the ruined crops that got affected by the fire. They would not have any harvest for a while but Hua Tuo wasn't worried. The food store was unaffected. Zenobia and Raj had a discussion and the chieftess agreed that it was time to build up their defences.

"The village is in a very vulnerable position without walls. We should build some around after the illusion barrier. Magic barriers alone aren't enough. Once you have made the item list, Coux will go to town to gather the materials. Also, ask Hua Tuo if there is anything he needs. I heard that Zero isn't awake yet, there must be something we could buy to help."

The half-genie nodded. "Little Zero overdid it. Poor Lovina too... If only I was more proficient in magic, I would have helped."

The chieftess placed a hand on the inventor's shoulder. "Don't say that. Your inventions are very valuable. The Pigeon Canon was very effective, it kept them in a nice group and we didn't have to split our forces to take out the strays."

"Chieftess!" a loud and boisterous voice caught Zenobia's attention.

She raised her brow at the redhead who was flanked by the twins.

"What is it?"

Yxaan beat Vrald to the punch. "We want to hunt some monsters for Zero!"

Zenobia was confused. Why would Zero want monsters? Xvyal stole the words right out of Vrald's mouth before the ex-adventurer could explain. "Hua Tuo said it would help Zero recover faster. We need many big and strong monsters."

The chieftess blinked. While she didn't have issues with them hunting monsters with their capabilities, wouldn't they require more people to bring the monsters back?

"We received a space-time storage bag that has no limits from Hua Tuo! It's on loan from one of Hua Tuo's sources but we can use it to carry everything we hunt back. It's weightless too!" Vrald said, satisfied that he beat the annoying twins to the punch.

Zenobia stared at the sling bag and nodded. "Where will you be hunting?"

"Titor said that Endow Hill is the best place to hunt."

Zenobia looked slightly troubled. "Isn't there a dragon guarding it? Also, that is Hua Tuo's home. Did you ask for permission?"

Vrald grinned widely and gave her a victory sign. "Hua Tuo said that we could hunt there if we left the small animals and babies alone. In fact, I'm hoping that we can catch a dragon. That would definitely bring Zero back."

Titor who happened to pass by carrying some wood logs heard it and smacked the ex-adventurer's head.

"Don't hunt dragons! They are an endangered species. I heard that there are many chimaera monsters born from the strong magic in the air at Endow Hill. The strong magic caused them to mutate and only the fittest will survive. Zero said something about hunting pygmy boars before. He'd only caught baby boars because the adults were too strong. You could try to hunt those instead."

Vrald pouted. Truth be told, he wasn't going to hunt a dragon. He just wanted to meet them seeing how they were his ancestors.

Having heard enough of their banter, Zenobia sent the trio away and made her way over to Hua Tuo's apartment to check on Zero. In her heart, she wondered how the battle would have turned out if it wasn't for Zero. Amaraline might have died. Lowis wouldn't be here. Carrabas might have successfully razed everything to the ground if they didn't detect their army early enough to put together a plan. Half Moon village might really be wiped out from that battle and as the chieftess, she owed Zero her gratitude.

The only thing troubling her was the brunet's condition. Hua Tuo was a legendary doctor. If he didn't know how to treat Zero, nobody else would. It was unconventional to treat someone with dangerous monsters but if that was what Zero needed, Zenobia would leave no stone unturned and hunt everything there was to hunt on Endow Hill. The village repairs were coming well together and Zenobia estimated that it would be completed in a few days, excluding the new weapons that Tambolt was forging.

She arrived at the door and knocked twice before Hua Tuo opened it to welcome her.

"Lady Zenobia," he greeted. "Come in."

The chieftess to a seat and observed how pale Lovina looked. Compared to the witch, Zero appeared as if he was sleeping and Zenobia wondered if there was really something wrong with the brunet.

Hua Tuo noticed the rabbit beastman's doubt and chuckled. "Zero has a unique condition that puts him into a coma if he overuses his energy or magic. The only way he can overcome this is to consume anything that possesses life. The more powerful it is, the more life force it has. He could recover naturally but it might take years. There's really nothing I can do for him except prepare something that he could absorb when he wakes up. I'm giving him as much mana as I can but it's nothing compared to Zero's reserves. You've seen it. Zero is capable of using a divine spell."

Zenobia nodded. Zero wasn't ordinary and she gathered as much. However, seeing someone who was able to use a divine spell shocked her. Only heroes could use divine spells given by their gods. Even so, they sold their lifespan each time they used it. Zenobia was both in awe of Zero's might and terrified. If Zero used such a spell at such a young age, how long does he have left to live?

"I would like to ask Half Moon village to keep Zero's abilities and identity a secret. The fact that he is able to use a divine spell will only make Zero a target for countries who want to use his abilities."

Zenobia understood what Hua Tuo was getting at. "I swear that as the chieftess of this village, not a single word will get out. However, can I ask if you will be stopping him from using divine spells in future? Zero is still young. He has a lot of years ahead of him. I fear that if he uses divine spells again, his life will expire very quickly."

Hua Tuo shook his head. "It's not the same for Zero, do not worry. He is my apprentice and we are immortals."

Zenobia's heart ached for Zero. She had guessed as much but hearing it from Hua Tuo was a different thing. The curse of eternal life was something she would never experience but Zenobia knew that immortals led very lonely lives. Many immortals went crazy after living for too long and losing too many loved ones. They became walking disasters and had to be killed.

"Lady Zenobia, you don't have to worry about it. I will ensure that Zero will never become one of them. I have taught him how to love life… a doctor's mission will never be complete."

Knowing that it isn't her place to comment, Zenobia nodded and left feeling both gratitude and pity for the brunet still in a coma. May the Gods above keep Zero safe.

Chapter end

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