Mira only placed a single Harmony Blossom inside her Infinity Garden to start, just so the Basilisk could see that she wasn't stealing any.
They watched with rapt attention as, about a minute later, a golden drop fell from one of the petals onto the ground and was stored in an empty pond off to the side.
Mira's eyes widened as she was not expecting it to produce Celestial Nectar so quickly!
'Doesn't that mean that each flower produced about a drop per day?' She looked at the thousands of flowers around her and wondered just how much Celestial Nectar this Basilisk needed!
Simultaneously, the Basilisk was just as surprised as Mira about the rate of production!
"Your treasure has a 1000:1 time dilation? You didn't mention that, Young Fox." Its deep voice, laden with shock, rang inside her mind.
Mira just shrugged, not willing to comment. It might be able to kill her with just a few slaps, but that didn't mean she had to give in to its every whim, nor was she going to.
Seeing that Mira was unwilling to answer, the Basilisk snorted.
"Very well, keep your secrets. Anyways, this is a good thing." He dropped the matter, returning his focus back to the Infinity Garden.
The two sat there for another half an hour, watching the Harmony Blossom produce Celestial Nectar about every minute.
However, after the first few minutes, they noticed that the drops had continuously gotten bigger and were more energy dense.
Mira wasn't too surprised about this as that was another one of the Infinity Garden's perks. It didn't just speed up production, it also enhanced the plants inside it.
Encouraged by the results, Mira carefully placed more Harmony Blossoms inside the Infinity Garden, ensuring she didn't disrupt the existing ones. As the number of blossoms increased, so did the rate of Celestial Nectar production.
Initially wary of Mira's actions, the Basilisk soon realized the benefits of her actions and relaxed. It had to admit that the young fox's treasure was indeed extraordinary, and it would help it gather the necessary amount of Celestial Nectar much faster.
As the amount of Celestial Nectar increased, Mira was about to take it out and hand it to the Basilisk, only for him to tell her off.
"There's no need to hand over that minuscule amount. I still need thousands of times that amount. Just hand it over to me every few days."
Mira nodded and went back to placing more Harmony Blossoms into the Infinity Garden.
While she was busy doing that, the Basilisk released a strand of Qi and gathered a fist-sized amount of Celestial Nectar. He brought it over to Mira and handed it to her.
"As per our deal, I will give you the necessary amount to heal your disciple. Given that she's probably weaker than you, this should be enough to bring her to full health."
Mira nodded and accepted the Celestial Nectar before putting it in a container.
"I'll hand it to my companions so they can deliver it to my disciple." She said, not wanting to waste any more time for fear that Dominique's health had worsened.
The Basilisk didn't have a problem with that and nodded.
Mira left behind the Infinity Garden and dashed out of the hole toward where she felt Nova and the other's presence. They were hiding in the thick underbrush, staying away from the beasts and hiding from the Toxic Blade Sect, but Mira noticed their complexions didn't look too good.
All of them were pale, including Rayna, and she could see that small traces of poison had worked their way past the pills into their bodies.
As Mira reached her companions, she wasted no time explaining the situation and handed over the container filled with Celestial Nectar to Nova.
"Take this to Dominique," she urged, her voice tinged with concern. "It should be enough to heal her completely."
Nova nodded, grasping the container tightly in her hands. "I'll make sure she gets it right away," she replied, determination shining in her eyes.
"I'll have to stay here for a bit longer, but you don't have to worry about my safety. As long as I fulfill my end of the bargain, the Basilisk won't harm me." Mira said.
However, she left out the parts of her deal with the Basilisk. They didn't ask either.
They doubted Mira agree to anything that would be harmful to her.
Still, Eden and Seraphina couldn't help but worry.
"But... what about after you fulfill the deal? What's stopping him from killing you, then?" Eden asked, a little unwilling to just leave Mira alone in a massive beast's lair, in enemy territory no less.
Mira's eyes narrowed slightly, but it was not like she hadn't thought of that.
"While nothing is certain, I doubt he'd kill me even after everything." She muttered, but Eden wasn't satisfied with that answer.
"How do you know? He's a giant, mythical beast, Mira! Who knows what's going through his mind!?"
Eden made a good point; she really didn't know the thoughts of the Basilisk. However, if he really were that kind of beast, he certainly wouldn't have left her so free, nor would he allow Nova and the others to leave.
She may not be able to leave the forest, but other than that, her movements weren't restricted.
'Then, there's the fact that he definitely sensed my bloodline. People with bloodlines at our level don't just pop out of nowhere. If he's not an idiot, he won't attack me carelessly.' Mira thought but didn't feel the need to say that out loud.
Elenei had warned her about attacking and killing cursed Baslisks a while ago. Mira didn't know much about mythical beast societies but assumed that their relationships weren't the worst. At least based on what Elenei had told her.
If that's the case, the Basilisk won't attack her for something trivial like this.
'Once he evolves, he shouldn't be too far away from ascending to the Immortal Realm. All that's left for him is to travel to the Central Continent. This is a very sensitive time for him, one that he wouldn't want to spend getting chased to the ends of the earth because he killed someone he shouldn't have.'
Mira casually ignored how the Basilisk almost killed her not even an hour ago. However, even then, she could feel his reluctance.
With his level of power, if he wanted to crush her, it would take little more than a wack from his tail to turn her into a meat paste. There was no need for him to take so long.
"Just trust me. I'll be fine," Mira smirked, showing off her confidence, until she noticed their bodies worsening.
"But you guys won't be fine if you stay in this forest any longer."
Eden, Seraphina, and the others exchanged worried glances, knowing Mira had a point. The toxic environment of the forest was taking a toll on their bodies, and they couldn't afford to stay much longer.
"We understand," Eden reluctantly agreed, concern still evident in her voice. "We'll take the Celestial Nectar to Dominique and report our findings to Sect Master Aelina. But promise us, Mira, that you'll join us as soon as you can. We still have a war to win, after all."
Mira released a predatory grin, showing off her canines, "Don't worry about that. How can I die before the Crimson Slayer Sect falls? Rather, it's you guys who should worry more about yourselves."
Eden, Seraphina, and the others couldn't help but smile at Mira's words, now feeling a bit better about this situation.
"Alright, we'll take your word for it," Seraphina said, her eyes gleaming. "We'll make sure to take care of ourselves and Dominique. We'll be waiting for you back at the Sect, Mira."
Mira nodded.
With that, Nova led the girls out of the Forbidden Forest, making their way back to their sect to deliver the Celestial Nectar to Dominique and inform Sect Master Aelina of their findings.
Mira returned to the Infinity Garden, continuing to place Harmony Blossoms within it to produce Celestial Nectar for the Basilisk. After some time, she was able to collect almost all of the Harmony Blossoms and place them inside.
However, she left a few outside for the Basilisk to keep, just in case something went wrong. Mira didn't care since the amount he left as a contingency was nothing compared to what she had placed in the Infinity Garden.
Now with nothing to do, Mira sat down and began cultivating. It'd been a while since she's done that.
She'd gathered an enormous amount of Qi after the last battle with the Crimson Slayer Sect that she hadn't been able to resolve.
'Let's explore the intricacies of the Nascent Soul Realm and figure out how I'm supposed to break through to the next stage!' She thought and swept her consciousness through her body, keeping one eye on her core and another on her soul.
