Chapter 4: The Silent Blight and the Sovereign's Sight
The Heart Ranch was usually a place of serene growth, filled with the melodic chirps of Spark-Pups and the low hum of Earth-Tortoises. But this Saturday morning, the air was cold.
Leo was in the middle of feeding the Jade-Scale Serpents when he heard a cry from the main isolation wing.
"Dr. Lily! The vitals are dropping again! The mana-blockage is spreading to the cardiac core!"
It was Sarah, one of his mother's top assistants. Leo dropped his bucket and ran toward the High-Value Ward. Inside, five Sky-Azure Pegasus foals—rare beasts worth a small fortune and destined for the Alliance's elite guard—were shivering. Their wings, usually a vibrant sky-blue, had turned a dull, sickly gray.
The New Virus: "Mana-Asphyxia"
Lily Heart stood over the foals, her brow furrowed as she adjusted a complex IV drip of concentrated Spirit Spring water.
"It's the Obsidian-Vein Virus," Lily said, her voice tight with exhaustion. "It's been sweeping through the Alliance's high-tier ranches for a month. No known cure. It mimics the beast's own mana, then crystallizes inside the veins, suffocating the spirit-core from the inside out."
"Mom, can't we use a Purging Flame?" Leo asked, stepping closer.
"Too risky," Sarah sighed. "The virus is fused with their life force. To burn the virus is to burn the foal."
Lily had been using a traditional Redistribution Method: slowly drawing the corrupted mana out while replacing it with pure essence. It was a standard top-tier treatment, but it was too slow. The foals' hearts were failing.
The System's Intervention
Leo narrowed his eyes. Under the cover of checking a foal's temperature, he activated Sovereign's Insight.
[SYSTEM: Analyzing Abnormal Condition...]
[Status: Infected with 'Primordial Parasitic Spore' (Mutated)]
[Note: This is NOT a virus. It is an ancient spore acting as a parasite.]
Leo's heart skipped a beat. The Alliance's top researchers were treating it as a viral infection, using anti-viral mana-potions that were actually feeding the spore.
[Proposed Treatment: The 'Sun-Dew Cauterization' Path]
Material: Golden-Honey Moss (found in the ranch's Rare Garden).
Action: Refine moss into a paste; apply to the Third Mana Node on the forehead.
Internal: Use System Point Enchantment to stimulate the 'Immune Memory' of the beast.
The Genius Breeder at Work
"Mom, wait!" Leo called out as Lily reached for another vial of Purge-Serum. "Don't use the serum. It's making it worse."
Sarah looked up, annoyed. "Leo, this is a crisis. Your mother is the top breeder in the Alliance—"
"He's right," Lily interrupted, looking at the foal's darkening veins. "The serum isn't working. Leo, what do you see?"
Leo didn't hesitate. "It's not a virus, Mom. It's a Primordial Spore. It thrives on pure mana-serums. We need something that acts as a physical abrasive to the spore's shell. Golden-Honey Moss."
"Moss?" Sarah scoffed. "That's a low-grade soothing herb!"
"It's high in alkaline minerals," Leo countered, his voice steady. "If we apply it to the forehead node, it will trigger a reverse-osmosis effect, pulling the spores into the moss where they can't feed."
Lily looked at her son. She saw the same look in his eyes that her ancestor, the first Leo, was said to have had. "Do it. Sarah, get the moss!"
The Cure and the System Point Boost
Leo took the crushed moss and applied it to the first foal. As he did, he whispered, "System, expend 100 Points. Enchantment: Vitality Surge."
[DING!]
[100 System Points Consumed.]
[Effect: Foal's Heart Rate Stabilized; Spore Extraction Speed +500%.]
Suddenly, the gray veins on the foal's neck began to glow a soft gold. A black, oily substance—the spores—began to ooze out of the forehead and into the moss. The foal let out a long, relieved breath, its wings flickering back to a brilliant azure.
"It's... it's working," Sarah whispered, her jaw dropping. "The mana-blockage is dissolving!"
Within an hour, all five foals were standing on shaky legs, nuzzling Leo's hand for food.
The Legacy Continues
Lily Heart sat down, finally letting out the breath she'd been holding. She looked at Leo with a mixture of awe and pride.
"You didn't just save these foals, Leo. You found the cure for the plague that's been terrifying the Alliance. If we publish this 'Moss-Extraction' method, thousands of beasts across the world will be saved."
[DING!]
[Achievement Unlocked: 'Saviour of the Azure']
[Reward: 1,000 System Points; Title 'Novice Saint-Breeder' (+10% Beast Trust).]
[New Shop Item: 'Primordial Spore Specimen' (Used for evolving Poison-type pets).]
"I just did what a Heart should do, Mom," Leo said, wiping the moss from his hands.
"Well," Lily smiled, standing up and ruffling his white hair. "Since you're such a genius, you won't mind finishing the rest of the ranch chores while I write this report to the Alliance. You've earned a triple-ration of your favorite dinner tonight!"
As his mother left to change the world's breeding standards, Leo looked at the system shop. With 1,000 points, he could finally buy the 'High-Tier Beast Language' book.
He had a feeling that his Void-Drifter Snail and Rusty-Fox had a lot they wanted to tell him.