What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 176. Magic Plant Circle, Oak Sapling

After deciding to visit the Orpheus Oak, Kroya went directly to the seabed through a spatial magic circle and then rode a sea dolphin toward the shipwreck ruins.

He was still a little apprehensive on his way to the ruins.

After all, when he went last time, he promised the oak tree that he would come to see it from time to time, and he ended up going there himself.

And they only stayed there for half an hour before saying goodbye and leaving, leaving the oak tree looking pitiful.

"I hope you won't blame me."

"Ugh."

He suppressed his unease, watching the shipwreck ruins draw ever closer, and concealed the starlight mist and the three sun rings surrounding him.

It's best not to let outsiders see this casually, as there might be someone who knows about this robe or some other being.

Although it was hidden, the boost to mental power and perception from the robe still remained.

He looked at the shipwreck, now completely covered by oak trees, with a strange expression.

He sensed that the level of magic here had increased to another level, and the oak tree was also clearly growing larger and expanding.

Does this thing intend to truly take over the seabed? Or has its magic become so powerful that it's beyond belief?

Kroya had no time to think, because as soon as he approached the shipwreck, the oak tree noticed him and conveyed a very friendly message.

It was as if she was calling him to hurry up and come over.

The surrounding seawater, stirred by the oak tree's terrifying magic, even formed an airway, with the oak tree's branches forming a bridge that extended to Kroa's front.

"..."

They really can't wait!

"I'll go in first, you guys wait around here."

Kroya patted the sea dolphin, then stepped onto the path formed by the branches and quickly entered the shipwreck.

Upon entering, he immediately noticed something amiss about the shipwreck—the cabin, which had been a mess before, was now spotless, with exquisite and ornate decorations hanging on the walls and the floor gleaming as if it had been waxed.

Soft white light emanated from the ceiling and walls.

Walking here feels like walking through the corridors of an elf art gallery, completely unlike the dilapidated shipwreck from before.

This... does your growth process also have a repairing effect, or are you just reminiscing about the past...?

However, these elf decorations are really beautiful. If we could take a few, the human nobles would probably be fighting tooth and nail for them.

He admired the elf's ornaments and walked slowly forward.

Soon,

"Friends! Human friends!"

Oak's extremely enthusiastic voice rang in Chloe's ears.

Immediately afterwards, the surrounding space shifted, teleporting Kroa.

He appeared in a garden full of beautiful flowers and trees. Not far in front of him stood the Orpheus Oak, which seemed to be a little taller now, and its branches and leaves were more lush.

As for its magic...

It was already beyond Kroa's perception.

It hasn't been that long. Last time I came, although I felt that the power of this oak tree was terrifying, I didn't mean that I couldn't feel it at all.

You should know that Kroa also has a robe this time!

I can't even feel it...

And you have this kind of spatial teleportation ability? Wait, could it be that you've also learned how to use spatial teleportation arrays?

"My friend, you have become stronger."

Kroya sat down in the chair as if they were old friends, smiling slightly and asking curiously, "Why are you so powerful?"

During his two interactions with the Orpheus Oak, Kroya had determined that the guy's favorite thing was to speak his mind.

If you used the polite, roundabout way of speaking that human nobles use, the other party might not understand.

"I have drawn all the remaining water of life."

Orpheus Oak made no secret of it: "I'm trying to leave here; I want to see if I can sail back to my homeland."

"Human friend, you should have sensed it too; the magic in this sea is extremely chaotic right now. It must be the work of those evil mermaids!"

"I can feel that nature is grieving and suffering because of their capricious actions."

An angry expression appeared on Oak's face.

"If my old master were here, he would never allow them to do this to nature!"

The surrounding grass and flowers swayed in its anger, as if blown by a storm.

Upon hearing this, Chloe's heart stirred.

"I know they're performing a blessing ceremony for the little mermaid, Oak Friend, do you know anything more?"

Although the angel told him some things last time, he only learned a little bit, and he wanted to know more.

"..."

After a brief silence, the oak tree produced a book made of leaves from who-knows-where. It opened to a page and handed it to Kroa.

This is a poem.

The person who wrote this poem... was actually a bard named Wendy whom he knew well.

The poem is titled "Ode to the Illusory Moon and All Things".

In short, it describes a mermaid race that possesses a super magical device capable of controlling weather changes.

Through this magical device, they can not only control ocean currents and changes in magical energy, but also indirectly affect the stability of the spatial barriers of the prime plane.

When necessary, they can even directly pray to the mermaid sea god they worship for blessings.

Wendy witnessed firsthand the mermaid praying to and summoning the power of the sea god, who blessed the little mermaid as thousands of warm ocean currents converged and the winds of life blew.

After carefully reading the entire text, it was found that almost 99% of the content was things that Kroya already knew, at most he had some understanding of the Merfolk's civilization and social system.

However, at the end of the poem, a very important message is subtly mentioned—

"The illusory moon gave birth to wisdom that permeated the land, and the small blue flower symbolizes both good fortune and misfortune."

This sentence is so abrupt, it's like a printing error, but this is a collection of poems compiled by elves. If elves could make a mistake, that would be unbelievable.

The only possibility is that this statement is related to the mermaid ritual, and quite closely so, but for some reason, it cannot be stated explicitly, hence the veiled nature of it.

Another very important point is the magical artifact controlled by the merfolk. The angel once said that the merfolk once had a very glorious civilization.

Could it be that this thing was left behind by their ancestors?

If such a weather weapon really existed, it would be able to run rampant and manipulate the weather wherever it pleased.

Perhaps some powerful beings can withstand it, but the weak will surely perish.

This method is a super map-wide attack, whether against monsters, magical plants, or humans.

"I understand, friend."

Cloy returned the poetry collection to the oak tree.

The latter earnestly advised, "Human friend, you must also have contact with the merfolk, right?"

Be very careful. What's good for them might not be good for humanity.

"Thank you for your concern, my oak friend." Kroya expressed his sincere gratitude, then took the Moonlight Dew Grass from the clock golem that had been following him.

He placed the Moonlight Dew Grass on the table and said:

"I recently acquired the Orpheus Swan Flute Tree, the Emerald Skeleton Tree, and the Moonlight Dew Grass... The other two trees are still growing properly in my territory and cannot be moved at will, so I didn't bring them with me."

In fact, the oak tree was no longer paying attention to what he was saying.

Its eyes were fixed on the Moonlight Dew Grass, and without it making any move, the surrounding environment suddenly changed.

The bright sunlight faded, and the soft moonlight rose.

The moonlight, bright as flowing water, converged on the Moonlight Dew Grass, flowing from its canopy towards its aerial roots, transforming from moonlight into a clear spring.

Eventually, it flowed and converged into a well formed by the surrounding roots.

A pale blue liquid visibly appeared inside, quickly filling the well completely.

Just as Kroya was worried that it would overflow, the excess well water turned into crescent-shaped droplets and fell onto the tree canopy.

"I really miss it."

Looking at the Moonlight Dew Grass, the Orpheus Oak sighed, "My former master, the Duke of the Orpheus family, once owned an entire garden of Moonlight Dew Grass."

"He also used a method to turn the Moon Dew produced by the Moon Dew Grass into a magic potion...it seems to be related to a magic plant called Sea Spirit Mushroom."

Kroa: "!!!"

Can Sea Ganoderma and Moon Dew Grass work together?

He immediately asked, without hesitation, "My friend Oak, do you know this method?"

"...It should be this one."

Orpheus Oak then took out another leaf and handed it to Kroa. This leaf had been treated with some kind of magic, and the painting on it was moving.

It appears to be the process of creating a magic circle.

Centered around the Moonlight Dew Grass at its very core, the Moonlight Dew flows through the magic runes of the magic circle, and finally passes over the Sea Spirit Mushrooms...

The wisps of moonlight mingled with the sea lingzhi mushroom, and the mycelium of the sea lingzhi mushroom was carried into the air by the moonlight, where it intertwined to form patches of blue clouds.

Hanging from the clouds are jewel-shaped objects formed from deep sea blue and soft blue moonlight.

The entire magic circle looked exceptionally harmonious and orderly, containing both magical runes representing magical civilization and magical plants representing the power of nature.

This was the first time Kroya had seen magical plants used as components of a magic circle. He had had the idea before, but had never experimented with it.

I never expected to see a complete atlas this time.

He was truly overjoyed, his eyes shining.

But the Orpheus Oak sighed softly: "My human friend, all the magical plants in the master's garden were born of elves."

Unless you can make Moonlight Dew Grass and Sea Spirit Mushroom produce spirits like me and the Sunflower..."

It paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "My dear friend, it seems you possess the magic of two other spirits..."

"Huh?" Kroya snapped out of her daze and casually said, "It's an olive spirit and a lotus spirit."

"..."

The Orpheus Oak remained silent for a long while before suddenly saying, "Human friend, would you be willing to nurture my sapling? You have earned the genuine love and respect of so many elves; I believe you can take good care of my child."

As if afraid that Kroa would refuse, it added, "My seedlings, like me, can grow into whatever shape you desire according to your spiritual power."

Just like this ship, it was once a mature, thousand-year-old Orpheus oak tree, and I am its child.

This surprise really came a bit unexpectedly.

Orpheus Oak, of course Kroa wants it.

However, he was also worried about whether he could take good care of it, so he asked some questions very seriously, such as the growing environment of the oak seedlings and the magic supply they needed.

Hearing Kroya's detailed inquiry, the Orpheus Oak grew increasingly pleased, knowing that Kroya truly wanted to raise its child well.

Reproduction has always been the most important thing for most magical beasts and magical plants.

For most magical plants, finding a suitable owner for their offspring is a very important matter.

Because they are different from monsters, they cannot move freely and do not have enough ability to cope with risks before they grow up.

Therefore, it answered very seriously.

He told Kroa almost everything he knew about the Orpheus Oak.

The only hope is that Kroya can take good care of the sapling.

Chloe wrote down everything the Orpheus Oak had said, and then solemnly promised, "I will take good care of it."

"Please, human friend." The oak tree took out a small sapling and carefully handed it to Kroa.

"I will visit you when I am free to move around."

"OK."

Seeing that Kroa had accepted the sapling, the Orpheus Oak brought up other matters.

"I don't know what the Emerald Skeleton Tree is."

"But I know something about the Orpheus Swan Flute Tree."

I don't know much about it, but since you can grow it, you must have some musical magic, right?

It took out another piece of parchment and handed it to Kroa.

"This is a kind of musical magic collected by my old master, which happens to be related to the Orpheus Swan Flute Tree."

"Thank you so much, friend..."

Kroya was truly grateful.

This guy is a real treasure trove, constantly bringing out one amazing thing after another. I wonder just how rich he is.

"You're welcome, human friend. You can become stronger and help me find the Orpheus family better."

And the fact that you're loved by so many spirits shows you must be a truly kind person who loves nature.

It made no attempt to conceal its true intentions and even offered a "good guy" card.

Of course, Kroya knew about this. After all, if he wasn't useful, why would anyone give him so many things?

"I will continue to keep an eye on the Orpheus family's affairs."

After saying that, he looked down at the contents of the parchment.

This thing wasn't written in Elvish, but... in human language.

Most importantly, the handwriting on it was very familiar to Cloa, just like the handwriting when she wrote "The Rainbow Poem".

That was the handwriting of the original owner's grandfather.

This discovery surprised him quite a bit, but he still patiently read through the magic text.

This magic spell is called "The Gentle Melody of Flowing Spring Water".

Although it looks like magic, it is actually a means of manipulating magical power, and its power varies depending on the strength of the magical power.

In simple terms, the effect is continuous, maintaining the magic power in a certain area after the spell is cast.

Water droplets can wear away stone, and as long as the magic power is not exhausted, the impact on a certain place will continue indefinitely.

He didn't know why, but after reading the introduction, he felt that this magic was somewhat similar to his Crimson Overture.

"Why is this a human language? Could it have been developed by a great human mage?"

He showed just the right amount of curiosity.

Unfortunately, the Orpheus Oak shook its head: "I only found this spell, but I really don't know who wrote it."

"Is that so?"

"My friend Oak, do you still have this sheet music? I'm willing to pay a higher price to buy it."

"That's all, human friend."

"If you want more musical magic, you can only find someone from the Orpheus family."

"It seems I need to search even harder."

Kroya smiled and didn't continue to express her curiosity.

He then changed the subject and chatted with the Orpheus Oak for a long time before getting up to leave.

Before leaving, the Orpheus Oak gave Chloe a wooden birdcage woven with exquisite craftsmanship.

"This is a magical artifact that allows elves to temporarily detach from their bodies and walk outside. Human friend, bring them to see me when the snowstorm has passed."

Kroya readily agreed.

After bidding farewell to the Oak of Orpheus, he returned to his castle, sorted out his spoils, and then had a good night's sleep.

Although he learned a lot this time and even found what appeared to be magic left behind by the original owner's grandfather, he couldn't find his way forward.

More magic can only be obtained by finding the Orpheus family, which is clearly impossible at present.

Thinking so much is worse than not thinking at all.

Let's get down to business first.

……

The next day, he arranged for Rob to take Estner on a tour of the island. He himself took the oak sapling, intending to plant it first before setting up the magic circle.

Orpheus Oak.

This is a very special magical plant. According to the oak tree itself, this magical plant has the spirituality to grow according to human commands when it is born.

Whether it grows into houses, ships, factories, or anything else, it's all due to the oak tree's special ability—its flexibility.

If other magical plants were to grow to the size of the Orpheus Oak and coil around it a dozen or more times, their branches would probably break, but this one wouldn't.

Even the most complex structures and pipes can be easily completed during the growth of the Orpheus oak.

Therefore, its greatest use is actually as a magic tower for mages. In the heritage of the Orpheus family, every young elf will receive a young Orpheus oak tree.

They wanted to plant their own oak trees, and let them grow into their home and mage tower over the long course of their lives.

Based on the lifespan of elves... the Orpheus Oak will grow more and more terrifying, and grow larger and larger.

According to the oak tree, the ancestral land of the Orpheus family is a plane supported by an oak tree, which is the father and mother of all oak trees and is even larger than the Eternal Tree of the Elves.

A single tree is a world unto itself.

After obtaining the oak sapling, Kroya planned to do something quite challenging.

He planned to modify the magic runes inside the "Mansion" he had just acquired, which was engraved with the Elven Mansion spell, and then imprint them onto the sapling of the Orpheus Oak.

As the Orpheus Oak sapling grows, these magical runes will allow it to develop into a true magical mansion for Kroya to live in.

To be honest, the castle seemed a bit too small to Kroya, not quite befitting his status.

He planned to have oak trees surround the castle.

Thank you to Xianxian Ayu for the donation.

Thanks to the following readers for their monthly tickets: Former Book Chasing Maniac, Dust in the Fireworks, Book Friend 20230909201029410, Book Friend 20220503181408373, and Floating Duckweed.

I'm a bit busy today... I'll catch up on the missed updates starting tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)