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

Chapter 234. The Daughter of Dionysus, The Dark Dimension

Back in the reception room, Chloe was surprised to find that the laurel wreath was still sitting on the table, untouched.

This was something he hadn't expected.

This thing is a creation from outside the world, which even Demos's dream couldn't contain. I didn't expect it to remain like this.

"So this is actually a gift too?"

"Did you stay here specifically so I can study it more?"

He thought for a moment, then cautiously used his magic to sense if there were any marks left on it.

Of course, there was no result.

The laurel wreath of this laurel tree flows with another kind of eternal magic. Although it is firmly locked inside and cannot be taken out and used, it is still possible to resonate with and sense it.

Not only does it lack any magical imprint, but the magic within is also remarkably pure, and the strength of its eternal magic... is at least legendary or higher.

Even facing it gives you a wonderful feeling, like facing the sun.

"However, this is a way of granting a blessing by force using magic, and it is different from my power."

After confirming that there were no surveillance marks inside, he began his second attempt. This time, he did not suppress his magic power or the Phoebus robe.

Sure enough, different changes occurred—

The starlight and mist from Phoebus's robes spread to the laurel wreath, and four rings of different colors combined from four directions to form a huge ring, completely enveloping the laurel wreath.

The light on the laurel tree grew brighter and brighter, seemingly forming a circular shadow.

"sun?"

This sphere, radiating a bright orange warm light, could only be the sun, and Kroya was eager to see what would happen.

But just as the radiance was about to take shape, a blurry arrow flashed across it, and the light on the laurel wreath completely dissipated.

The power of Phobos's robe also crumbled, and Kroya immediately reacted, forcibly suppressing these powers.

In a daze, he seemed to hear a woman's voice.

Her tone was tinged with resentment.

"Cupid..."

The sound quickly disappeared, like some ghost whispering. If Kroya hadn't had such strong perception, she might have even doubted that she had heard correctly.

After this attempt, he was certain that the arrows inside were definitely related to that big shot called "Cupid"... who knows what kind of being he is.

But that's all.

What happened next left Kroya completely clueless.

What do the arrows inside the laurel tree represent? What is the relationship between the owner of the laurel tree and the "Rainbow Poem" he cultivates? What exactly is the Orpheus family up to? And what is their relationship with the Church of the Earth Mother and the Holy See?

All of this is completely incomprehensible.

To be honest, he didn't really believe that the Orpheus family was only trying to break the seal on the laurel tree—perhaps he was overthinking it, or perhaps he was overthinking things, but he really couldn't help but think about it.

They could plan so casually, throwing the oak tree into the Atlantis Sea hundreds of years ago, just so that it could absorb the possible natural forces that might emerge hundreds of years later.

This one thing alone was enough to shock Kroya. You have to understand that if it weren't for the power of the mermaids summoning the Void God, the Earth's consciousness shouldn't have been compressed.

As it turned out, they even foresaw the arrival of the illusory god.

That's a god, a deity even the angels, who are omnipotent in his eyes, find troublesome.

In comparison, the forces that plotted against the Earth Mother Goddess and the God of Light were not particularly noticeable. At least they were traceable, and understanding the attitudes of the two sides' leaders made it not difficult to devise a plan.

But this prophetic technique is really a bit exaggerated.

He even doubted whether the elf named Beoril was truly reborn, and whether she could really have such accurate prophetic abilities.

It's not that he hasn't studied divination, but that kind of magic... it's probably very difficult and inaccurate even to predict whether it will rain tomorrow.

"Ugh."

Kroya rubbed his temples again; to be honest, this was one of the few things that had bothered him since he came to this world.

However, there are some things that he cannot remain uninvolved in simply by not getting involved. From the moment he began cultivating the "Poem of Rainbows," he was probably destined to be affected by certain things.

Rather than waiting for trouble to come knocking, he might as well take the initiative and at least have some control. This matter has both advantages and disadvantages. After all, the other party is the mysterious and powerful Orpheus family. If he can obtain some treasures, it will help him develop rapidly.

They can also learn about "The Poem of the Rainbow" and prepare for potential future risks.

The downsides... At least I'm currently in the Merfolk's territory, and I have a good relationship with the Merfolk. Judging from Prince Treden's attitude, the Merfolk and the Elves don't have a very good relationship either.

This area of ​​water should be considered quite safe.

Then the rest is easy.

"From now on, I'll get to know the Orpheus family while also learning about Cupid and Phoebus..."

With that thought in mind, he placed the laurel wreath into a box made of astral crystal, a magical crystal that could isolate forces and prevent any abnormalities from occurring.

After finishing all that, he finally had the energy to deal with the gift from the Orpheus family. The first thing he dealt with was, of course, the dimensional crystal card.

"Let me see what's inside."

He immediately took out the Holy Spring Crystal Card and pasted the card with the number 【special-Ⅷ_XVI】 on it.

The voice of the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce immediately rang out:

"Honorable Protoss."

"We have detected prizes provided by the Chamber of Commerce around you. Since this is a secondary binding process, please bind your permissions now."

Having experienced something like this before, Kroya calmly said, "Let's bind."

"Please wait a moment..."

After a brief silence, a book spewed out of the holy spring and landed in front of Kroya: "Please keep this dimensional rune safe. You can inscribe this rune anywhere, and with a stable supply of magic power, it can continuously open the entrance passage."

Kroya reached out and took the book with the image of the sacred spring printed on it, casually asking, "What's inside this small dimension?"

"Your plane is a special type of plane, with an area of ​​two thousand hectares. Its attribute is darkness. It is born with one level-six special magical material, two levels-three special magical materials, and one extremely rare special mineral deposit."

You can obtain it after meeting the requirements; please check the details yourself.

"Hmm? Two thousand hectares, the Dark Dimension?"

This is indeed a bit unexpected. The last microscopic dimension was 10,000 hectares, but this one is only 2,000 hectares.

That would be an extremely, extremely, extremely small dimension.

The gift from the Orpheus family may be small in size, but it contains quite a lot of items.

While he was thinking, he suddenly remembered that he was already a Level 3 member, so he immediately asked, "I want to know about Phoebus, Cupid, or Laurel Tree and Daphne."

The Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce replied, "Based on your requirements, we will provide you with two options."

The first option is to communicate with the historian of the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce; he knows the knowledge you need.

The second option is that, based on the price you are willing to pay, we will impart the corresponding knowledge to you.

There is no doubt that the first option is the best.

Kroya tentatively asked, "What do I need to give up for the first option?"

"This is your first time using this service, so we're giving you a discount."

The historian currently on duty is Master Mette. If you need his knowledge, please provide... a sufficient quantity of high-quality wine.

"Beverages? How was the wine I had back then?"

"sure."

After becoming a Level 3 member, the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce's "customer service" was indeed much smarter. After receiving an accurate answer, Kroya took out ten bottles of wine.

This is a remake I made after drinking it with Miffy last time. With the addition of the new Radiant Green Aria, it tastes even better. Drinking it really feels like drinking sunshine.

"for you."

He threw in ten bottles of wine.

A moment later, a voice came from inside: "Not enough."

"How about ten more bottles?"

"not enough."

Finally, after Kroya threw in forty bottles of wine, he finally received a reply: "Master Mette has agreed to speak with you in person. Would you like to enter the Deep Blue Illusion now?"

Please note that the conversation should not exceed five questions.

"Go in."

"Please wait a moment..."

The sacred spring spout gushed forth boundless water, covering the surrounding landscape, and finally revealing to Kroya a land covered with countless grapevines.

Surrounded by grapevines lay a tall, slender, and fit woman, drunkenly reclining in a thin robe that revealed her honey-colored, shapely abdomen and thighs.

It's like a female leopard lazily taking a nap.

Alluring yet dangerous.

"You're here?"

The woman squinted at Kroya: "According to the rules of the Holy Spring Merchant Guild, you can ask me questions now... I can only answer your questions."

She casually grabbed a bottle of wine and gulped it down, her eyes half-closed in satisfaction, seemingly unfocused yet revealing a well-hidden longing.

Kroya seemed to be thinking to himself—only by asking can one answer; it seems that this so-called free inquiry is really not free at all.

He looked at the lush grapevines behind the woman and asked his first question: "What is your relationship with the Motian grapevines?"

"Not bad." A hint of admiration flashed in the woman's eyes. "My father was the one who planted the grapevines, Dionysus."

"I helped obtain a large portion of the Demon Field Grapevines for the Holy Spring Merchant Guild."

After answering, she remained silent, but her eyes clearly showed that she was looking forward to Kroya asking the next question.

She was actually the daughter of the Outer God Dionysus.

No wonder he likes wine...

His mind raced, and he quickly asked his second question: "I want more of Dionysus's creations. Is there a way to do this in my world?"

Mette frowned slightly and said, word by word, "In the desert grows ivy brought by wandering bards from afar; it is a symbol of my father."

Joy, vitality, and immortal youth.

Buried in the desert, it yearns for clear spring water and lush oases, longing to sprout new buds under the nourishment of nature.

The Holy Spring Merchant Guild is currently recovering the ivy; that desert is undergoing a dramatic transformation, the demon's magic is reshaping it.

This isn't just a hint, it's an explicit statement: a desert transformed by demonic magic, and connected to the Holy Spring Merchant Guild...

Kroya immediately thought of the Gray Desert.

Only the Gray Desert, where the Gray Sand Lord resides, best fits the plan—the Demon Leviathan, the Pit Lord, who is Celeste, the one connected to the Holy Spring Merchant Guild.

He knew that Celeste had obtained something deep within the earth, and wondered if it was related to the Gray Desert.

This is something he clearly needs to think about, but not now. He's already asked two questions; there are three more to ask.

It's not good to keep people waiting.

So he put the matter aside for the time being and continued to ask, "I want to know the relationship between Phoebus, the laurel tree, and Cupid."

Mette sat up slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes: "A long, long time ago, there was a god who loved Daphne, the daughter of the river god and one of the most beautiful goddesses. He pursued her madly."

However... this god once angered Cupid for something, and the latter shot a lead arrow into Daphne's body.

Daphne fled frantically from the gods' advances, and finally begged her father to turn her into a laurel tree.

The gods were heartbroken, yet they blessed the laurel tree, promising it eternal youth.

"Did Daphne originally like this god?"

"Of course, the root of it all is Cupid's leaden arrow; it was His arrow that prevented the birth of this love story that would have been legendary."

After answering, Mette reminded him, "You only have one question left."

"..."

"what?"

Kroya was stunned. He hadn't expected that this would actually be considered a question. Now he had asked four questions!

He immediately felt he had been cheated.

The last question he wanted to ask was how to remove the effects of the lead arrow, but after thinking about it, he realized that the Orpheus family was already making efforts.

So he asked another question he was curious about: "What is the relationship between the Orpheus family, that god, and Daphne?"

Master Mett sat up straight and downed a whole bottle of wine in one gulp, laughing, "Orpheus's ancestor also had a name called Orpheus."

He is Phoebus' son.

Upon hearing this, Kroya's mouth dropped open.

This was something he had never expected—the father of the Orpheus family's ancestor was actually the god named Phoebus, which meant…

Are they trying to save their ancestor's lover?

Just as he was so surprised that he didn't know what to say, Master Mete's figure gradually began to disappear: "This question and answer session is over. I will not work for the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce for the next hundred years."

If you want to see me, try to find an Ivy League school.

After she finished speaking, her figure disappeared completely, and the surrounding deep blue illusion also vanished. Kroya returned to her mage tower.

He stared blankly at the decor of his room.

I did learn some things this time, but instead of clearing up my doubts, they only deepened.

"I never expected to meet Dionysus's daughter and learn such a secret... Is this information really something that can be obtained in exchange for wine?"

Logically speaking, such valuable information should not be obtained so easily, yet it was acquired in exchange for wine.

Although those wines are quite troublesome to make, it only takes some time and effort.

Kroya decided to contact the Sand Lord of the Gray Desert more often and get involved in his construction as soon as possible to see if he could obtain the ivy.

Fortunately, he has maintained contact with the other party. He will give them a batch of the harvested grain after his birthday, and the other party also wants him to do some infrastructure work.

With that in mind, he began to draw the magic runes for entering that plane given to him by the Orpheus family.

The drawing process is not strenuous.

Inside the mage tower, the magic supply was readily available, and the drawing was completed without much effort.

Marigolds bloom amidst magical light.

A pitch-black portal, like a gateway to the underworld, quietly opened.

It exudes a very strange magic, seemingly dark, but without any sense of evil; it is simply darkness.

"Let me see what's inside."

After Kroya was ready, he stepped inside.

His Phobos robes shone brightly.

It barely illuminated the surrounding environment.

And it was this tiny glimmer of light that brought to his eyes... a continuous stretch of tombstones, the dark tombstones standing in the darkness like the stiff, lifeless bodies of the dead.

There seemed to be some strange wooden objects growing on the tombstone, gnawing at it with a "crunching" sound.

Further away, the faint glow of lanterns could be seen, emitting an extremely weak light, like light bulbs with unstable voltage, as if they were about to go out at any moment.

Honestly, this scene was quite creepy.

The creatures gnawing on the tombstones, the lamps in the distance that looked like lanterns from the underworld, and the magical light around him that suddenly dimmed.

Kroya stood cautiously in front of the tombstones, raising his hand to cast a few light spells, but the moment the magical orbs formed by the light spells left his palm...

They were like fireballs entering the deep sea, instantly swallowed by darkness, unable to even fly half a meter away.

"Where exactly is this place...?"

He wasn't particularly surprised, since even the magic around him was suppressed by darkness, so it was normal for the light spell to go out.

He stared at the tombstone and activated the Astral Spirit Imprint Technique.

What came into view was that the tombstone and the thing gnawing on it were actually one and the same; its name was "The Tombstone-Eating Tree".

The celestial beings on the tombstone were exceptionally active, growing at a visible rate, and the piece of rotten wood gnawing at the tombstone was eating away at these excess parts.

"That's strange."

Kroya stared at it for a while but didn't find anything, so she decided to walk forward and take a look.

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when mist rose up in front of him, and an extremely terrifying force surged toward him. The force was incredibly powerful and seemed to want to devour him.

However, Kroa was prepared and unleashed a burst of four-colored magic without hesitation, creating a rainbow-colored band of light around them.

The force seemed to have encountered its natural enemy and immediately retreated.

After it retreated, a soft, childlike meow rang out—

Meow~~~

A small black cat, entirely black except for its gleaming eyes, silently landed on his shoulder and gently licked his face with its barbed tongue.

It's a little itchy and has a slight stinging sensation.

Thank you all for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes!

(End of this chapter)