Brain bloom

And, I wish to savor the feeling of the curse being relieved a little longer. Only after experiencing this comfort can I continue to grit my teeth and endure the pain, and accompany it as I walk the last leg of my journey.

……

The day after the Silvermoon City takeoff riots, most people were still complaining and in shock, and the entire city was in chaos. The only places that remained peaceful were the Four Seasons Winery on the outskirts of the city and a certain shop.

This shop is located at the deepest part of the commercial street, yet it remains peaceful and tranquil, ignoring any disturbances.

Even with this feeling, it's not a comfortable place to shop, and customers often don't even notice it.

If a customer happens to stumble upon it, they will immediately notice its age and gloomy atmosphere. The signboard hanging there is also particularly uninteresting, simply displaying the five words "Astrology and Antiques," without even a memorable name.

Ignoring all the commotion, a mechanical doll, made to look like a woman and dressed in magnificent ethnic clothing, walked into the shop—

It was as dark as night, with only the embers from the burning tobacco in the pipe faintly illuminating everything. But this light soon became insignificant, as a starry night lit up overhead, as if bathed in the night sky.

A handsome young man, dressed in a full astrological robe, walked out somewhat nervously.

"Welcome... Are you here to see antiques, or would you like to have your astrological reading done?"

"Do not."

"what?"

"I'm here to find someone."

"Um, smoking is not allowed in the store, it might affect the operation of the star trails."

The boy spoke with his hands behind his back and his ears hidden; these very details had given him away last time, and he couldn't repeat the same mistake. But it was no use; this time, the guest saw through him even more deeply…

"Little Yingyou, you've grown quite a bit. When you were just one year old, you weren't even as long as my pipe, you were such a tiny little thing." A cool but textured mechanical voice carried a hint of nostalgia. "But you were quite pretty back then, and you've grown into a handsome young man now."

"...Do you know me?" Yingyou was terrified.

"if not?"

"Don't be afraid, child, this is for me." A long, drawn-out woman's voice rang out from inside the shop. "Let me serve this guest."

Yingyou felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders and left immediately, but she kept looking back, because it was simply unbelievable that her mother, who had come to live in seclusion in Silvermoon City, would actually take the initiative to contact others...

"—Long time no see."

"Long time no see, old friend, Silver Pattern."

Called in this way, Silver Pattern's entire face seemed to smile, revealing a deep and poignant longing. This longing was quickly intensified, as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the shop.

She walked slowly and gracefully, her entire body draped in a long, thick astrological robe—a truly exquisite garment. But compared to her clothes, her appearance was less beautiful, rather quite ordinary.

All her physical characteristics prove that she is a devil.

Silver-patterned opening—

"How shall I address you now? 'The Astrologer Who Extinguishes the Sunlight'? 'The Banished One'? Or, 'The Demon Who Revives Souls'?"

"Let's keep the first one; at least it made me feel much younger. So, are you here to seek my guidance on your path? Or..."

"I want to see a soul that has already passed away."

Volume 1 #Chapter Turning Point: Lei

Although the owner of this shop is called "the astrologer who extinguishes the sunlight" by Yinwen, he doesn't quite have the wisdom of an astrologer. Instead, he seems more like a cynical and lonely person.

Even when answering this question, there was a sense of isolation and loneliness about him.

"I'm just an antique dealer with a skill that allows me to restore historical relics that have been weathered into sand to their original state, but that's all. I don't do what you call restoring the soul."

“I brought enough of a price.”

The astrology robe concealed the shopkeeper's devil horns, and she gently shook her head:

“I will not abide by the devil’s ironclad rules. It’s no use if you bring a price or offer me a deal. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left the devil’s realm and come here to live peacefully.”

"She has the demeanor of a complaining woman."

"It's better than you being stuffed into this weird-looking puppet."

The two women seemed a little angry after their shortcomings were exposed, but they quickly calmed down. After all, they had known each other for a long time, and such teasing wasn't unacceptable.

So, the shop owner, still with a stern face, asked, "Who do you want to see?"

"Petals always crave morning dew. But I am different; I cherish another flower that is fluttering in the wind."

“I demand that you say your name properly, or I’ll take all the screws off you. I hate this kind of pretentious tone the most! Don’t forget, I would rather defy the devil’s ironclad rules than not live with that man, but he left me and Yingyou behind and died like that… Do you think you have the right to flaunt your petty sentimentality in front of me?”

"You whiny woman."

"...Quickly tell me your name."

"Her flower name is Tu Mi, an elegant little white flower."

“Her…” The shopkeeper smirked, looked up at the stars on the ceiling, then closed his eyes. “That’s not a soul I can summon back, because the Seasonal Beings have their own unique rules…”

Yinwen shook his head, wanting to show the price he had brought.

That is the essence gathered from the souls of many people, enough to unleash a magic of destiny and accomplish most things in the world.

But the shopkeeper still shook his head: "It's not enough. No matter how much you bring, it's not enough. Even if you beg the ancient Demon King... it still won't be enough."

This was bad news; her old friend wouldn't lie… Understanding this, Yinwen felt a pang of disappointment. But even her face, forged from metal, couldn't force a smile to express her sorrow.

Fortunately, I don't need to close my eyes to recall the scene when I first saw that white flower.

She had forgotten how long ago it was, when the Rose Garden of the Gods was not as desolate as it was now. A white flower drifted by, brushing past her.

At that time, Tu Mi did not notice her, nor did she call out to her; instead, she gazed at her.

The same was true in the years before this moment. Even though she secretly followed Tu Mi to settle in Silvermoon City, she could only silently watch her increasingly fading soul from there.

That's enough for me...

But it wasn't until one night, when the other person quietly withered away and disappeared, that Yinwen, who hadn't witnessed that scene, felt sad for the first time.

I want to see her again... even just for a few seconds, just to gaze at her silently.

Then—mustering up his courage, he said goodbye to her and saw her off on her journey.

……

Silvermoon City seems quite busy, with reconstruction work underway, rumors circulating, and Lord Balzac locking himself away to contemplate how to realize his ideals, all while striving to restore and rebuild.

Although it's called a reconstruction, the actual damage wasn't that significant.

The Three Heroes Monument Square was reduced to ashes, leaving a large crater. In addition, there are many scattered bones, dead pests, animals, and other debris that need to be cleaned up.

Not many people know what happened that night. Some say it was a cursed fog released by the Peda Empire, while others say they felt the power of the devil clashing with the power of the divine.

So, in just one morning, the matter unknowingly turned into "The Peda Empire released demons and evil mist to plot against Silvermoon City, but this action angered the gods, who then descended to punish them."

Bayer also felt helpless, because blaming the devil for trouble and guilt was an effective way to avoid feeling guilty...

There were quite a few victims who were swallowed by the Evil Mist at the time, but most of the residents of Silvermoon City had a unique sense of superiority and believed that those who were swallowed by the Evil Mist were the lower class from the outskirts. So not many people felt sorry for them and were busy mourning the dead warriors and heroes.

As for why so many powerful people died, the truth that could never be made public was also uncovered—

A gourmet from the Chaos Lands, upon hearing news of the appearance of a master chef, rushed to Silvermoon City hoping to take a boat to the other side, since this was the only sea route.

They stumbled upon the Calamity Mist, which was still lurking and growing cautiously. In short, this led to the Calamity Mist's explosive growth, and the old powerhouses who went to deal with the trouble all met a tragic end.

But all of this has nothing to do with Mori anymore.

Although people who knew about it had come to the winery several times, they were all turned away. Sen Shi and Dandelion did not intend to get involved anymore.

Perhaps because she entered a godlike state twice in one day, Mori's head was covered in lush green leaves. Unfortunately, the branches of strawberry plants are covered with fuzz, so they often brushed against her face, causing her unbearable itching.

As a result, she broke a lot of tableware while washing dishes.

Although Dandelion wanted to get angry because the porcelain tableware was worth a lot of silver coins, she then thought that her true god had only sent her three hundred gold coins, so she became much more amiable.

He even brought gardening shears and offered to help Mori prune the branches and leaves.

Mori, recalling the feeling of plucking some dead leaves, shrank his neck: "It must have hurt, right?"

"Of course."

"Never mind then... I'll tie them all up in a high ponytail later."

"Why are you being so childish? You're not a child anymore, why are you afraid of pruning the branches?" Seeing her reaction, Dandelion looked surprised. "Haven't you ever experienced that in the forest? Although it hurts, there's also that refreshing feeling of having fewer branches and leaves..."

"I've experienced it."

"Many people who live through all four seasons can't even grow a full head of leaves. Come on, come on, you'll love that feeling. Anyway, apart from a little pain, it's harmless to us."

Half-heartedly, Sen Shi was led outside by Dandelion and pressed down into a chair.

Sen was terrified, but a cool sensation brought her comfort, and she couldn't help but smile contentedly. It was water from the dandelion seeds. Then, her small hands skillfully combed through each leaf, finding their lush, intertwined roots.

"Hmm... There are too many branches and leaves, which will dilute the power of darkness. Let's just prune some of the side branches."

"Be gentle..."

"Oh?" Suddenly, the dandelion let out a delighted cry.

"W-What happened?!"

The dandelion's smile was gentler than anything else, for she saw a tiny, delicate strawberry bud, shyly hidden among the leaves.

Volume 1 #264 A Quiet Day

Ever since Senshi purified the renowned hero of Silvermoon City with a single blow, allowing him to reach level 50, it seems the Four Seasons race has started to become quite interesting.

Although, according to Moritoshi's prior knowledge, the Four Seasons Beast needs to reach level 70 to bloom, it seems that forming a bud at level 50 isn't too late. It's quite interesting to see a flower blooming on its head like this, at least that's what Moritoshi thinks.

Dandelion, with her understanding of the four seasons and the forest, believed that the flower would bloom the following spring and insisted on keeping the forest flower and not plucking it.

She didn't know where she went wrong, but she thought that the reason why a powerful figure like Mori, who had entered the realm of true gods, hadn't yet received his crown was because she had simply plucked the bud and thrown it away...

Sen had no choice but to agree.

And... I'm a little happy.

This symbolizes that my efforts have paid off. I went from level 7 when I first arrived here to level 50 without even realizing it. It's like witnessing a short but fulfilling journey.

Moreover, the flower buds symbolize that strawberries will eventually grow from them.

The fruit of the Four Seasons is hailed as a panacea, a cure-all, and priceless. At the same time, it is a piece of flesh that was conceived and then fell off Mori Toki's body... I always feel that it would be hard to accept eating it myself.