Chapter 7: Flower of Purification, Healing Town

"Is… is it truly over?" Erina Nakiri whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at the mangled remains of the Millipede Worm. The battle had lasted mere seconds—a grotesque leviathan spanning hundreds of meters reduced to sludge by a man barely two meters tall.

Zed shrugged, brushing caloric residue from his gloves. "Capture Level 35. Hardly a challenge for a Saiseiya."

He knelt, withdrawing another seed from his belt. With a drop of emerald liquid, it burst into a pristine white flower, its petals unfurling to release a sweet, cleansing fragrance.

"The Purification Flower," Zed explained, noting Erina's widened eyes. "Its pollen neutralizes toxins. Within a week, it'll spread across the entire Low Humming Forest. A month, and the land will heal."

Hisako Arato gaped at the bloom. "You can just… grow solutions like this?!"

"Basics of being a Saiseiya." Zed snapped a photo of them with his Foodpedia Lens. "You'll need Gourmet IDs—no transport or lodging works without them here."

A quick call to his mentor, Yosaku, forged their identities. Zed escorted them to the nearest Human World city, finalized their documents, and returned to scour the forest. Finding no trace of the missing Saiseiya, he regrouped with the girls and charted a course for Healing Town.

Days of travel later, Zed sighed, eyeing the horizon. "Wish I had a Camping Monster. Flying palaces with built-in hot springs and kitchens. Rare, though. Even IGO elites struggle to tame them."

At Healing Town's gates, swarms of azure and crimson butterflies descended—Healing Butterflies (Capture Level 1). Blues flitted around Erina's stiff shoulders; reds avoided them entirely.

"They detect injuries," Zed said. "Blue for minor aches, red for mortal wounds. If both land on you…" He mimed a throat-slash.

None settled on Zed—proof of his flawless health. The trio passed through the gates, greeted by the scent of medicinal herbs and the hum of regeneration engines.

"Welcome to Healing Town," Zed said. "Heart of the Saiseiya. Don't touch anything. Most plants here could dissolve your bones."