Heiress Unmasked: Shaking the World With Geomancy novel Chapter 1860

Hank was truly heartbroken.

Though he'd first been forced, hearing it cry for food every day pushed him to go out of his way and gather all sorts of spiritual-energy-infused raw stones.

He'd watched the Stone Turtle grow larger in his hands until it could run and jump, raising it as his child.

He'd spent all his savings for its sake and even begged Alex for more.

Yet now, the Stone Turtle he'd worked so hard to feed shrank into this tiny thing in barely two months! A creature that used to eat so much had starved into such a small size!

Hank couldn't help but hold resentment even when facing Shannon and Benjamin. This was abuse!

Shannon met his accusatory gaze and felt guilty, though she knew it wasn't her fault. She cleared her throat and explained, "The Stone Turtle didn't shrink from hunger."

The Stone Turtle's soul had merged with the emerald pendant she'd carved, so its emerald body could change by eating raw stones and absorbing spiritual energy. But its change to miniature size wasn't due to a lack of raw stone nourishment.

Rather, it was from the fact that its stone form was used to hold the sea, thus draining most of its accumulated energy.

It'd been even smaller, and this size was the result of Benjamin nurturing it back with spiritual energy.

Shannon briefly explained the Rift barrier incident, and Hank still felt distressed, though he now understood. The Stone Turtle was so tiny that it would take tons of raw stones to return it to its original size.

The Stone Turtle lifted its head and looked at Hank. Though its emerald body was now smaller, its consciousness remained intact, and it could move freely.

Seeing Hank's pained expression, the Stone Turtle tilted its head and pondered. Then, it turned its gaze to Benjamin.

Benjamin met its stare and tapped on Shanny Gold in his pocket without a word. Receiving the command, Shanny Gold shot off into the house with a swoosh.

Moments later, it reappeared carrying a document and dropped the file into Hank's free hand.

Now, she couldn't help but wonder what the connection between Hank and the Stone Turtle was.

Hank held the mine file and hesitated whether he should return it. Though he was broke now, he could still afford to feed it.

Hearing Shannon ask about his connection to the Stone Turtle, he got a little carried away. Truthfully, he didn't know either.

While he was lost in thought, the Mini Stone Turtle tilted its head and turned to Zane, who'd stayed silent all this time. Its tiny tail swayed slightly, and with a light hop, it landed in Zane's hands.

Zane froze and instinctively caught it. He noticed the Stone Turtle staring at him as if it had something to say.

Then, it spoke. Unlike its small and adorable appearance, its voice was deep and ancient.

"When you were 13, you picked up a piece of my carapace."