Brain bloom

"guest."

"Is this how you treat guests?"

"The Four Seasons are a poor race, and their land is barren. If you want wine, I have some very delicious wine, but that's all the food we have." Dandelion seemed to find even speaking troublesome.

"Forget it, who knows what kind of wine you're planning to serve."

Melia looked back and saw that Senshi was not there. She withdrew from her attitude of trying to please her father and regained her proper dignity.

"I've heard you're a great cook, but you serve me this? I am the Queen of a nation. And you, nominally, are a princess with a long and glorious history. Such a meager reception will cause serious diplomatic problems. Don't forget, you still need my help."

"Stop threatening me. Mori isn't here, so I don't need to cook properly."

Dandelion lay on the table and whispered again.

"You're even eating chicken butts and intestines with such gusto, and you're still being picky about my food? At least it's normal food..."

Perhaps because Mori wasn't there, Melia temporarily forgot about the meagerness of the meal, and murmured thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, she's sleeping..."

"What do you want to do?" Dandelion tensed up instantly, as if on the verge of battle.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to say I'm planning to stay overnight. There's nothing major happening back home, so I can continue wandering around. Oh, and I also want to check out the ruins you discovered earlier."

"Go away... You're not welcome. Hurry up and go back to hold the international conference, or Sen Shi and I will die. The Peda Empire is going to kill us, and the Holy Coffin Kingdom is on its way. We poor, kind-hearted Seasonal People are doomed... And the Demon Queen, who is supposed to lend a helping hand, is still watching us die for her own selfish reasons."

Volume 1 #177 - Correct

Melia was stunned for a while, unsure of what to say to Dandelion, who was lying on the table complaining.

"Uh... I've already sent Daniel back to handle this. Besides, isn't it better for me to protect you personally?"

"Go back quickly... This is clearly my and Mori's home."

She quietly chewed on the vegetable leaves, occasionally nibbling on a green apple. She found the light flavor of the meal quite pleasant, allowing her to forget the smoky barbecue smell of the previous night. The conversation between the two at the table was also very interesting, and it seemed their relationship was improving.

As for her... if only she had come out sooner, we could have spent more time together.

……

Lunch ended in a bickering match; neither Dandelion nor Melia could convince the other, and the final compromise was that she could stay for the night. After some time, once the world situation calmed down, she and Mori would visit the Chaos Land.

While you're at it, could you help me fight that Evil Mist?

Officially, the protection of the Four Seasons by the Demon Banshee Queen was obtained in exchange for Mori Toki's combat power, so some pretense still needs to be maintained.

With this most important matter resolved, Dandelion decided to use the afternoon to properly prepare for the grapes. The dream grape vine she brought back from Frozen Bear Town should have absorbed enough of the earth's natural energy; it was time to begin its formal cultivation.

Yuan was very interested and went along.

Melia also intended to do so, but she stopped halfway through with a serious expression.

"Princess Dandelion, do you have any paper here?" she called out to Dandelion.

"One hundred silver coins."

“...Really.” She was angry for a moment, then turned to another person, “Yuan, I want to make a deal with you, give me a piece of paper.”

“Uh, paper? Is it something ‘to the feather’?” she said, using a strange term, while taking out the book she always carried with her, tearing off a page and handing it to Melia.

“It is indeed ‘a pair of feathers’… What is the price? I will pay you later.”

With an expectant smile, she said, "Just sing me a song like always. You go ahead and do your work. Since it's that thing, it might be urgent..."

Melia nodded and immediately spread the paper on the table. Then she rummaged in the inside pocket of her clothes and took out a very strange quill pen. Dandelion, particularly curious, stopped to watch as well.

“That’s the Feather Pen, one of the greatest advantages of the Chaos Land.” Seeing her confusion, Yuan patiently explained to Dandelion, “Delivering messages and transmitting information is always a difficult thing, right? But the Feather Pen can solve this problem.”

"Pair of feathers?" The dandelion parrot mimicked the unfamiliar word.

Yuan nodded: "It's a mythical beast that was thought to be extinct, but little Melia actually took in a few. They're chubby, cute birds with little fighting ability. The only interesting thing about them is that their wings are absolutely symmetrical—no matter what."

"What does this have to do with delivering mail?"

“If you take the feathers of this bird and make them into pens, they will also maintain symmetry.”

Looking towards the dining table, the scene there was clearly more convenient than any attempt at explanation. There, Melia held the quill pen as if controlled by an unseen ghost, writing furiously on the paper.

Even though no one is holding my hand, I'm writing by myself...

The Feathered Pens come in pairs, specifically designed for transmitting information. This absolute symmetry remains even in different worlds. In other words, as long as the person holding the other pen incorporates mental energy to activate its properties while writing, it will directly affect Melia.

Dandelion was shocked. This meant that information could be transmitted immediately... What a huge advantage, especially during wartime, when timely intelligence transmission was more important than anything else.

The pen had already fallen when Melia finished reading everything. As she wrote her reply, she explained to Yuan and Dandelion.

"It was an urgent message from my spies in the Peda Empire, saying that the other side is urgently mobilizing the Hunter Fleet in preparation for marching on Silvermoon City."

"...Just to kill me and Mori Toki?"

"No, it seems to be for an attack on Silvermoon City—I smell a very interesting war brewing. Lord Balzac has really become much duller, opening the gates to greedy pirates is practically suicide, no wonder the Rain Wizard would take such a gamble."

She spoke fluently and confidently to those important national figures, completely unconcerned about what was about to happen.

Dandelion found it strange: "Lord Balzac wouldn't be so stupid as to not even consider something like this. You know, the three heroes are not here, and Silvermoon City has been at peace for too long. If there is no other plan, it is only a matter of time before it is conquered."

“My people told me that all of Silvermoon City’s spies have been eliminated. Moreover, no other country besides ours has such a swift means of sending messages.”

She put away her quill and casually added.

"In any case, the military strength of the Peda Empire is terrifying. Wait—Princess Dandelion, why are you laughing? It's creepy."

"Why can't I laugh?" Dandelion's smile grew even brighter. "Someone brought this upon themselves, shouldn't I laugh?"

"I thought you would rush into the city to report this to Lord Balzac, and even wake up Sen Shi immediately so that you could defend Silvermoon City together."

"Do you think I'm such a fool, or is it because Lord Balzac has protected the Four Seasons for so long?"

Melia remained silent, quietly updating Dandelion's profile in her mind.

“At least this land belongs to him, doesn’t it?” Melia continued. “He was the one who saved you at the international conference before. I thought that even if he gave up protecting the Four Seasons now, you would still help him out of consideration for the past.”

"Tu Mi," the dandelion said in a nostalgic tone.

"You mean your previous Harvest Priest? What happened? Wasn't it about summoning Senshi..."

"So-called politicians, would they lend a helping hand to someone just because they're pitiful? Ridiculous. Tu Mi never told me the inside story, but I overheard it. What I'm about to tell you, I haven't told Sen Shi either."

“…Wait, what are you going to say?” Melia was a little surprised.

And Yuan, too, was unsure whether she should leave the table...

"To protect me, Tu Mi promised to use a spell of fate on his behalf in exchange for that protection. In your eyes, how dashing and legendary Lord Balzac was back then? That was all built on self-interest."

Melia couldn't help but sigh, "This is something I didn't know. The world is truly complex. I understand why you applauded, but why didn't you tell Mori about this historical truth?"

"You are a foreigner, you don't understand. This seriously violates the taboo of the Four Seasons, it's tantamount to treason... And Mori is a great hero summoned from the most prosperous era, filled with the glory of the Four Seasons... I think, at least let Tu Mi remain in her heart with a glorious image, remain in the new history of the Kingdom of Flowers that we will write in the future..."

Volume 1, Chapter 178: Political Teaching

Melia didn't comment much on the affairs of the Four Seasons; it wasn't her place to interfere. Every race with a long history has its own unique rules and taboos, and outsiders really shouldn't say anything.

This topic was not pursued further.

Dandelion then asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"you mean?"

"If such a war were to break out, it wouldn't be a small matter for you, would it? As the supreme leader of a major power, you should consider this matter in a more rigorous way... I think you would prefer the world to remain at peace?"

Melia nodded, not minding expressing her political views to others: "Yes, I prefer world peace. That way, we can have more energy to deal with the Evil Fog."

"Therefore, you will definitely try to mediate, or at least inform Lord Balzac of the news."

"Oh, you're worried about that..."

Melia's personal impression of Dandelion subtly deepened: he was rather vengeful and had strong likes and dislikes. Clearly, she was more eager for Silvermoon City to be attacked, or at least for Lord Balzac to suffer a setback.

"Yes."

Not necessarily.

Melia sat there, gently waving the paper containing the secret report. A violet flame swept across, slowly reducing the fibers and the secrets on it to ashes. When Mori was not around, she once again brought out the queenly air she had kept hidden deep within.

She pulled out a chair and, as if taking the initiative, invited Dandelion to sit down.

He then added, "Back in Frozen Bear Town, you thwarted Rain Wizard's extortion plan, preventing him from returning to the Peda Empire with enough wealth."

"...What does this have to do with this matter?"

"I'll just teach you some basic political situation analysis. You have my father's support... and Sen Shi's support. Although I'm reluctant, I will still help you restore your kingdom to some extent—at that time, you, the princess, will be crowned as queen."

"You really will help me?" Dandelion asked, her eyes full of doubt.

"Isn't this helping you now? If you continue to act on your emotions like this in the future, you'll make Sen Shi's efforts go to waste and your Flower Kingdom will be easily destroyed again. So, you have to learn slowly."

Melia took a sip of the remaining tea and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were as curled and long as her eyelashes; as long as Dandelion was trained into a queen who could stand on her own, Mori would be freed up.

Once I'm free, of course I can spend time with her.

So Melia pretended to be kind and continued, "From a geographical perspective, the Peda Empire suffers from severe cold and extreme weather. In addition, the frequent attacks of the Evil Fog in recent years have made this country outwardly strong but inwardly weak."

"so?"

"So the Rain Wizard came out to swindle and deceive, threatening various independent small city-states every year to pay huge sums of reparations. The Peda Empire survived year after year on this money."

"Oh, we made the Rain Wizard leave Frozen Bear Town empty-handed. So for the sake of the country's stability this year, let's take this opportunity to attack Silvermoon City."

“Yes, Silvermoon City is an extremely wealthy city-state. The three heroes may not even be alive anymore, and there’s this excuse of attacking the Four Seasons. I think it must have been Rain Wizard’s idea to plunder them. After all, winter is coming soon, and the Peda Empire needs wealth to sustain itself.”

"These barbaric pirates..." Dandelion propped her face up with her hand, feeling a little smug, after all, the world was in turmoil because of the Four Seasons.

"Getting back to the point—I should have been unrelated to this matter, but since I'm here, I'll try my best to gain the greatest benefit."

"...What bad thing are you going to do?"

“I just contacted our spies in Silvermoon City and confirmed that Silvermoon City is unaware of the Peda Empire’s movements. Therefore, I have no reason to play the good guy.”

"That's good."

“I’d love to see war break out; I’ll profit handsomely no matter what. If Silvermoon City falls, I’ll attack with Daniel and take a cut from the corpses of Silvermoon City. Then, I’ll win over the Peda Empire, which has become powerful because of this wealth, to fight against Evil Mist together.”

After laughing and stating the first option, Melia held up two fingers, revealing the banshee's small, sharp fangs, and then said that she was preparing the second option.

"If Silvermoon City can hold out, I will step in to mediate, force the Peda Empire to withdraw its troops, and accept the generous gifts offered by Silvermoon City."