Brain bloom

“There’s something there, it seems to be ominous mist.” She sensed that something was wrong with the sea.

"...It's appeared again?"

"Hmm, most likely... I'm not surprised."

Mori became serious, but she wasn't surprised. This was normal; there would always be more trouble following the occasional appearance of an enemy, which was quite common.

She took out her staff, intending to ask which direction it came from and which direction it was going, but she quickly sensed it herself.

So close...it seems like it's right at my feet—

Like a heart gradually awakening, it resumes its rhythm beneath the earth. Each slow beat, though unable to shake the ground, resonates beneath one's feet, clearly felt even through the thick soles of boots.

Something exists.

"Why is it nearby... it seems like it's coming straight for us." Mori carefully examined the area and discovered that the source was coming from the direction of the small dock, but it was further away.

This direction... specifically, it's like that ruin. I explored it with Fufu back then, and we discovered a ghostly lotus and the remains of a corpse.

Ruins… she suddenly exclaimed in surprise—yes, those ruins!

Mori squinted, gradually coming to understand some things.

This underwater ruin, discovered by chance, is the source of all the recent troubles. Silvermoon City is extremely obsessed with it, which is why it broke ties with the Four Seasons and led to all the subsequent events.

At one end of the ruins was a set of steps leading to the excavation site she had visited—an ordinary place where they were digging downwards.

But—there is another end to it.

It was filled with the unknown; it was no longer a staircase, but a straight road. Sen Shi hadn't had time to explore it, so he knew nothing... What if it connected to the underground of Silvermoon City?

The city's suspension awakened the ominous mist within. What if the mist possessed intelligence, realized it had awakened too late to escape, and happened to find this path?

The rhythmic thumping beneath her feet seemed to confirm Sen Shi's thoughts. Her scalp began to tingle, and even in broad daylight, a chill began to creep into her body.

"Dandelion, there might be something wrong with the ruins. The Evil Mist might be causing trouble over there."

"...Shall we go and confirm? With you here, it shouldn't be a problem." Her tone was full of trust.

Clearly, Mori Toki became the reason why Dandelion could feel at ease, but Mori Toki himself had no one to rely on.

Of the reliable people, neither Yuan nor B are there, and there's no sign of Melia returning. Only Aisalia at home possesses some fighting ability, but she was seriously injured earlier; the wounds left by Bais's blade are beyond the reach of healing magic, and she is still recovering.

Dandelions can become very strong, but that requires some complicated conditions...

"Princess, I suggest we go find Melia," she had no choice but to suggest.

"……Why?"

"The most likely scenario right now is that the Evil Mist is surging out from the ruins. If we happen to be nearby, we might become its food, but the winery is also quite close... it's best to avoid it."

She put away her playful attitude and began to seriously consider the pros and cons.

Dandelion was also rational and accepted this explanation.

But it was still a bit too late.

The distinctive, dark blackness of the Evil Mist appeared not far away. It was as if smoke that had been billowing out of a factory chimney for ten minutes had been compressed.

It was drifting towards the wooden house at a considerable speed. However, it was very cautious, as if it were testing the waters along the way, without touching anything and deliberately avoiding the flowers and plants.

"They're coming for us, obviously."

"Mori was indeed farsighted, predicting what would happen next..."

Her demeanor remained relatively composed, but things were different in the forest... If only Fukufu were here, she couldn't help but think. But all she could do now was take out her staff and cast a dazzling spell on the sky, hoping that Melia would see it.

At the same time, they were both prepared to fight back.

But the dark, ominous mist lingered, not reaching the range of Sen Shi and Dandelion's magic, as if it possessed intelligence and could sense danger.

Volume 1, Chapter 229: What Seems Like a Great Opportunity

The ominous mist seemed to be deliberately avoiding something, but the various movements formed by the solidified mist also seemed to be a test.

Regardless, Sen Shi and Dandelion did not lower their staffs; instead, they became even more vigilant. It would be foolish to try to decipher the Calamity Mist using their own limited understanding. It was a terrifying thing, perhaps waiting for them to reveal a weakness.

Sen was extremely anxious.

No matter how she looked at the cloud of evil mist, she couldn't discern any information. Unlike ordinary opponents, her level, name, and title couldn't be detected.

But this feeling is very strange.

It wasn't that it was as powerful as the Wish or the Ancient Demon King, so powerful that she couldn't see through it. She just felt that the vast expanse of ominous mist before her was only a small part of some kind of being.

There are no similar enemies in the game era, but in games outside of Silent World, similar creatures are very difficult to deal with. They are either immune to physical attacks, or they have unpredictable forms and require some kind of large-scale attack to eliminate them in one go.

The situation is very troublesome...

"Princess, what methods are generally used to deal with this thing?" Mori Shi hoped that his only means of attack would be effective.

"The usual way to deal with the fog is to blow it away or freeze it."

"This is troublesome... I really wish Fufu were here." That way, she could embed Fufu into her staff and use intermediate-level ice and snow magic to fight. Unfortunately, she didn't have any water or wind elemental gems...

But this wasn't her first encounter with the Mist. On that night on the Night Market, she had heard Melia share a lot about it. Now, in this urgent situation, her mind was racing, and many things were gradually coming to mind.

Fire is very effective against Evil Mist—at least that's what Melia says.

"Princess, how about I burn it?"

"No, please don't. Fire can ignite the Evil Mist, and it works well... but that would mean a huge explosion. Our house is so beautiful, do you still want it?"

Compared to its indifferent attitude towards the ominous fog, the dandelion's anxiety stems from its fear that the forest might ignite it.

She continued, "Besides that, it is quite wary of things with sacred qualities. After all, the Evil Mist is somewhat evil in nature."

"Waaah... If only Fukufu were here!" Mori exclaimed again, because the salt spirit could dispel evil.

Her anxiety grew, but thankfully, the ominous mist was still probing and hadn't penetrated deeper. In this critical moment, Dandelion's calm words piqued her curiosity:

"But if a real fight breaks out... we won't be at a disadvantage."

"why?"

"Although there will be a price to pay, the legacy of the Four Seasons contains a way to drive away the ominous fog."

In the library of the Demon Realm, the Book of Wisdom had also said something similar. Sen Shi suddenly remembered that the book said something like, "The Four Seasons One once rode the Mist of Calamity and committed acts of destruction that could destroy the world."

"What is the price?"

"That would require revealing the true nature of our souls, though it would be a bit troublesome..." Dandelion's eyes dimmed slightly, though they still shone with a deep blue light, but there was a blackness within them that was no less intense than that of the Evil Mist.

Immediately, the Evil Mist reacted violently—

If this were a wild beast, it would have frantically scratched at everything around it and roared deafeningly. But all the mist did was rampage around, wild and fast, constantly devouring innocent butterflies and bees.

It still didn't want to get close to the two Seasonal Beings, but it discovered something else that could become its prey.

It was a charred, blackened tree, its soul resting in hibernation. A mere touch would reduce it to ashes, turning it into a vessel for ominous mist.

It rushed toward the slumbering tree spirit.

"...Dandelion! Your grapes!"

"Disgrace to the lord! Get up now!"

No matter how noisy the outside world was, the tree spirit remained a quiet tree. Seeing that the evil mist was about to encounter the tree spirit, Dandelion hesitated, but still placed her hand on the dandelion above her head.

It was as if they wanted to uproot that soft, white dandelion...

But Mori's reaction was faster and more effective.

She didn't use fire magic; Fu Fu wasn't around, so she couldn't use any other. She simply opened her bag and threw a crystal box hidden inside at E Wu.

The holy skull left behind by the great first pope of the Holy Coffin Kingdom after his death was thrown in a smooth arc, striking the Mist. It had no life to utter a wail, but the crystal box still made a soft sound as it hit the ground.

If sacred objects are effective, then the world's most precious relics must be effective as well.

The portion of the ominous mist that touched the holy skull quickly lost its color, turning into harmless ordinary air. The remaining dark, murky mist fled the winery like rats, heading towards the sea, which they could not catch.

The tree spirit was not awakened, and the grapes on its body remained unharmed.

"As expected of Mori, the hit was so accurate... And the first believer who dedicated his life to your divinity, finally left behind a skull, and it was just casually tossed around like that." Dandelion sincerely praised.

"……It's an emergency."

Despite saying this, Mori found herself feeling no guilt. Unconsciously, this SB Goddess, belonging to the Holy Ones, seemed to have become more attuned to the evil nature of the Four Seasons...

Two seemingly contradictory traits are deeply rooted in her, and it's hard to say whether this will cause problems...

Putting that aside, Mori was quite relieved, but also felt that the matter had been resolved rather simply.

"Is this the Calamity Mist that devours everything and strikes fear into the hearts of so many?" Sen Shi murmured, staring at the Calamity Mist's fleeing figure.

"Of course! With something like this in your hands, the little thing called Evil Mist is like a rabbit waiting to be slaughtered. It wouldn't dare touch even half a leaf of yours, and you can take as little as you want."

She walked over, picked up the calming skull, wiped off the dirt, and held it in her arms.

Thanks to the first Pope, it seems they have no problem protecting themselves... and the coins she scattered 120 years ago can be considered as buying peace for today.

Sen secretly checked his experience bar, but unfortunately, apart from the results of sunbathing every day, there was no increase.

"This time, I was unlucky." Dandelion sighed softly, revealing some disappointment. "The Evil Mist didn't bring any monsters or people that were devoured. Otherwise, if you touched a skull around, they would all turn into peaceful corpses."

"What are the benefits?"

"Of course, those corpses will retain their freshness from when they were alive, and if you're lucky, you can even cut off quite a few valuable parts."

"Princess, do you think there would be a large gathering of monsters like these deep within the ruins, at the point where the ominous mist emerges?" Sen Shi smiled slyly, her hand still stroking the Holy Skull, for she seemed to smell the scent of leveling up and making money.

Volume 1, Chapter 230: Gray Tears

Today, Silvermoon City is enveloped in a grand and lively atmosphere, more touching than any festival. Whether in the narrow huts where the poor live or in the upper areas of the nobles' quarters, the same joyful laughter can be heard everywhere.

Yes, the crisis is over.

The news spread quickly, and even the deaf beggar soon learned that he no longer needed to feed the fish.

It's only close to noon now, but the residents have stopped working and closed their doors.

And so—the fine wines treasured deep inside, usually too precious to drink; the delicacies meant to be stored away to satisfy one's own palate during the winter; and the family reunions.

These wonderful things were used to decorate the dining table.