Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



Scales muttered something under his breath, barely audible.

Roseanne glanced at the waning light, "We've got some time left. Why don't we try our luck finding some exotic plants?"

Who wouldn't want to ace this?

Mamie chirped excitedly, "Yes, please! Honestly, whether it's a perfect score or not, I don't mind. I just wanna have fun with you guys!"

After a brief rest, the trio set off again.

The hunt for exotic plants was like answering an open-ended question; find any plant that's generally recognized as rare, and it counts.

But luck wasn't on their side this time.

As dusk approached, Mamie, out of breath, complained, "Have we searched like, a dozen areas already? Not even a glimpse of a rare leaf. How long is this gonna take? I'm starving..."

Lately, Scales had been dragging her out for early morning jogs. Maybe it was the increased activity or something else, but Mamie found herself getting hungry more often.

Her legs felt like jelly; she couldn't take another step.

Roseanne was exhausted too.

But with only two more areas left to check in this larger zone, they could exclude them tomorrow, given the time left.

"Let's push a little longer. We should be able to check the last two areas of Zone A before it gets dark. Look, they're just ahead." "Only two left?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'm not resting. It's like we're on the final stretch of a marathon. Giving up now would make me want to slap myself. Let's go—" She attempted to rise.

"Hold on," Roseanne pressed, "Rest for two more minutes. Have some water, eat something."

"Yay!" Mamie's eyes lit up. "Roseanne, you're the best~"

As she spoke, she plopped back down.

Roseanne and Scales exchanged looks.

But soon, Mamie felt something was off.

"Is it getting hotter, or is it just me?"

Roseanne looked around, realizing the anomaly as well.

The vegetation here seemed to flourish more than elsewhere. Recalling the guidebook they received at the park entrance, she had a hunch.

"I think we've wandered into the tropical plant section."

They had been in a temperate zone around noon. Having crossed half a mountain, it made sense they'd end up in a specialized area.

Scales added, "If I'm not mistaken,

this area must have a special climate control system to maintain

specific temperatures. The trees we've seen, like camphor and. banana trees, are typical of the

svel

western tropics."

These common trees were everywhere, but they hadn't paid much attention.

Mamie remembered something from the guidebook, "Didn't it mention rhododendrons in the tropical section? With so many types, maybe we'll find a rare one. Would that count as exotic?"

Roseanne explained,

"Rhododendrons have a vast variety,

with over a thousand species

In

documented. The most common in tropical regions is the large-leaf rhododendron, which isn't rare However, the tree rhododendron is quite uncommon, found only in the southern Nuyun Gorge. Finding one of those would definitely count as exotic."

Nuyun Gorge, though, was miles away, with its high-altitude forests still largely unexplored. Home to endangered species like the Southe China tiger, the chances of stumbling upon such a large rare tree in a cultivated botanical garden seemed slim.

Mamie felt a twinge of disappointment, "Guess I was being too optimistic."

Roseanne just smiled, continuing along the path they had been following. Pushing through a thicket, the humid air hit them full force.noveldrama

Ahead, likely near a water source, Roseanne carefully navigated around thorny vines. In a dense grove not far from the stream, they stumbled upon