Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Dandelion Mandragora Heist

The undead made using the methods left behind by the ancient witches, that is to say, an undead with a behavioral matrix, is not something that can be directly controlled by the creator. At least, not remotely.

The undead of this sort would move per the instructions imprinted within the behavioral matrix implanted inside their bodies. As such, the undead's reliability in reacting to the situation around it was entirely dependent on the complexity of their behavioral matrix.

For the mouse undead created by Theodore, due to the limited size of the crystal, the complexity was somewhat limited. At the same time, however, due to keeping the brain of the mouse intact, its instincts could be relied upon to work in tandem with the behavioral matrix.

Once the mouse was out of the bag, it was driven by the instinct to hide in the presence of a larger creature such as Fiana, yet at the same time being drawn to the seeds of the Dandelion Mandragora, desiring them as if possessed by hunger. As the hunger got stronger, it began to overpower the survival instinct of the creature it once was and forced the undead to move.

Within this massive terrarium, the Dandelion Mandragoras were arranged in rows and planted in soil rich with Aether. In each row, the mandragoras were separated from one another by roughly five meters apart as they would extend their roots towards their surroundings in order to absorb as much Aether as possible and would often try to steal them from one another should they be left unchecked. Though normally, their roots would extend further underground in search for more Aether, burrowing through any obstacle in their paths, the structure of the tower was made of materials unknown to even the mages and was neigh impenetrable by ordinary means, leaving the mandragoras no choice but to fight one another for Aether.

As such, there was a limited number of Dandelion Mandragoras that could be planted at a time and even then, they had to be inspected every few hours or so with the roots that overextend snipped when discovered. Most of the seeds obtained from the mandragoras here would sooner be used as alchemical ingredients than being planted.

While Fiana had her attention on the mandragoras, checking on their growth, the mouse undead moved quickly towards one of the Dandelion Mandragoras, already past full bloom and ready to spread its seeds. Originally designed as biological weapons against enemy structures, this particular mutant plant reproduces quickly and germinates just as fast. If left unchecked, an entire city would be in ruins within a month. Even to this day, ten years after the war against the Demon Lord, the empire wasted an astronomical amount of money trying to keep this pest under control.

As soon as the mouse's tiny little foot touched the soil in which the mandragora was planted, something stirred underground.

Shooting up from the soil were roots, partially crystallized by Aether. Each root was ferocious and moved in a manner more akin to an animal than a plant. Every single one of them hungered for more Aether, Aether that would fuel its rapid and unnatural growth.

The roots slithered and twisted, trying to capture the mouse. Living things tend to be rich in Aether and though the mouse was technically dead, the crystalline spike sticking out of it, the undead's behavioral matrix, compensated for more than enough.

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The mouse undead darted left and right, avoiding the entrapment of the abnormally nimble roots with dexterous movements. And though it had been outnumbered and was caught once or twice, the mouse's body would turn soft and squeeze out of the roots' grasp.

Barely a minute passed by when the mouse undead reached the base of the stalk. With one great leap, the mouse reached the head of the Dandelion Mandragora, its mouth agape like that of a serpent, its jaw bones already removed by Theodore. With one great bite, the mouse undead had the entire head of the 'dandelion' in its mouth and promptly swallowed it whole.

The mouse had acquired the seeds. By this point, there remained only the matter of escaping.

Returning to Fiana's bag, the mouse began to climb back in, attempting to bide its time. While the guards did not bother to check Fiana's belonging when she entered, it was a different story when she leaves. After all, there were few things a mage would be more concerned about than having something stolen from them. Not to mention, should the Dandelion Mandragora leave a contained environment and be spread outside, there would be great trouble for the city.

The mouse was going to have to find another way out. Of course, Theodore had already planned the escape route. The mouse need only to wait for Fiana to take it out of this room and it can begin its escape.

As the mouse undead climbed back into the bag, suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the small creature, bringing the mouse before the eyes of its owner, viewing the creature with scrutiny.

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End of Chapter 56

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