Brain bloom

“I came to see you.” He looked at Mori.

"Oh? How about we talk?"

"You'll definitely need this."

He was very confident. Under the curious gaze of Sen Shi and Dandelion, the prince laboriously pulled over the tattered bag and then untied the ropes. A scent mixed with the dampness from deep within the soil, yet indescribable, wafted through the air.

Like the strange leaves of a pharmacist, or the complex spices in a kitchen.

Sen discovered that they were piles of ore, and raw ore at that. Beneath the useless outer layer of ore lay many shiny black metallic structures. The pieces weren't very large, but judging from the fineness of the crystals and their prevalence, the ore grade seemed to be extremely high.

Sen picked up a piece; it was a bit heavy.

To Mori's surprise, it was black walnut ore. Back in the game era, it was used to forge high-level equipment; its production was low, and high-quality ore always commanded a high price.

Although it wasn't an urgent need, Mori had never used his excellent blacksmithing skills before, and he was indeed a little tempted by these beautiful ores.

"Tsk tsk, black walnut wood ore..."

"This...this is the kind of expensive mineral?!" Dandelion exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Haha, you knew all along."

"Name your price." Mori had previously given her three hundred dandelions, though it wasn't certain she'd be willing to part with them...

The prince shook his head again, his smile widening rather than diminishing: "I don't do gold coin transactions, I only do barter."

Volume 1 #266: A Marriage Alliance?!

Gold coins were the normal transaction method. Hearing this, Mori became wary. This guy had been so smug before, exposing the cheating and deceitful practices of previous generations during the trials for the throne…

According to bloodline standards, this guy won't obediently comply.

When the prince saw Mori, his expression was gloomy, so he began to explain—

“I didn’t want the journey to become a boring trade, so I chose to barter. During the journey, I first used gold coins to buy food to distribute to the hungry, and then exchanged it for exquisitely crafted textiles… As the journey progressed, the gold coins I had initially acquired have now become this pile of ore in front of you.”

Sen Shi's enthusiasm waned considerably, because almost everything he possessed was of extraordinary value, something he couldn't exchange for this pile of metal.

"Tell me, what do you want to change to?"

“I’ve heard that you’re in the business of very high-end magic scrolls.”

Sen Shi nodded. She had indeed dealt with several people in this regard. Now that she was powerful and had many backers, she had no need to hide anything.

After this was confirmed, the prince was overjoyed: "I want two healing scrolls."

“That thing can sell for a hundred gold coins, I’m afraid your bag can’t even buy it.”

"But you definitely know this magic, right? It's just a piece of cake for you, but for me it's easy to carry around, and it's a valuable item that's very convenient to exchange for anything."

"Tradability requires a commensurate price."

Before he knew it, Mori had also been brainwashed by the owl's constant nagging about "the price, the price"...

The prince habitually shook his head slightly: "That's the devil's way. We humans are different; we are more humane in life and soul. You've heard me share a few interesting stories about the royal family, so consider it as buying these two stories."

Sen Shi examined the bag again, confirming that it contained high-quality ores, and was somewhat persuaded by the other party's words. To her, these ores were simply items to keep in her bag for easy access, not something to carry on her shoulders and deepen the footprints with every step.

Moreover, in her hands, ores could be processed and turned into several times the amount of gold coins. This was unlike healing scrolls, which were difficult and inconvenient to buy and sell.

"So, these stories you probably made up... how many times have they added value to your goods?" Mori asked with a smile.

"Haha, there are also people who don't like to hear me shut up, but that's another story. Do you want me to tell it again? Consider it a token of gratitude after the deal is done."

"no."

"Haha, if you don't want it, can I ask the Four Seasons for a marriage alliance after I ascend to the throne? After all, the girls of the Four Seasons are smart and beautiful, and they can cultivate such a beautiful garden... uh?"

His cheerful voice gradually faded away.

As the atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point, the once vibrant green of the grass and trees slowly faded, and the cries of passing seagulls sounded like a mournful song.

Mori remained completely unfazed, even letting out a cold laugh, because this wasn't the first time she'd been flirted with. But the dandelions behind her began to act strangely.

“I hope you’re not serious, otherwise—” her voice sounded hoarse, “a certain country might lose a certain heir.”

"I...I just wanted to liven things up...to wrap up the deal..." the prince said, looking troubled.

“In our Four Seasons community, such witty remarks don’t work.”

“It seems your goods have lost value.” Mori Tokiya looked at him coldly.

The prince seemed to be joking, looking dejected: "There's nothing I can do. Today's experience... can only become a new story, adding value to the next transaction... I'm sorry, I didn't know that those who follow the Four Seasons had such a taboo."

The dandelion suppressed its anger, but still subtly manipulated the altered air, making it even more pungent, constantly tormenting the prince.

It wasn't until Mori spoke that things improved slightly.

"Alright, the deal still needs to be done, but unfortunately, I can only offer you a magic scroll."

"...How...how could this be?"

"You can't buy this anywhere else, and I've also told you about a taboo for those who live through the four seasons, which increases the value of my scroll. Or, you could leave half of the ore and take the rest?"

"Okay, I don't want to carry these dozens of kilograms of stuff on the road."

The prince accepted it anyway, after all, humans are a very humane species, and it is common for someone to give more and receive nothing in return.

After seeing the prince off and loading the ore, Mori had about an hour of free time in the afternoon.

But strangely enough, the atmosphere at the winery wasn't quite as comfortable or natural as it used to be...

Mori continued to sew clothes silently, but occasionally poked his own hand.

Dandelion also absentmindedly played a few notes on her instrument, the sound of which was enough to scare away small birds.

Neither of them actually took what had just happened to heart; on the contrary, their reactions to each other created an awkward distance between them.

“You just now…” Dandelion was the first to break the silence.

"W-what?"

"Why are you angry? Arranged marriages are quite normal. Although it's never happened in the history of the Four Seasons, we're currently in the process of restoring our kingdom... so at least we shouldn't be so blatantly intimidating them, right? So why are you so angry?"

Although Mori felt that Dandelion was angry and trying to scare people, she feared that shifting blame like this could be dangerous. Shiki's intuition kept warning her not to anger her princess.

So Mori stopped his needlework and, swallowing his pride, answered seriously—

"Of course it's for you."

"I?"

“Yes, because I hope to stay—” Mori intended to say something nice to get through the afternoon and restore peace, but Dandelion seemed to have misunderstood.

"Wait, I get it! I knew it! I knew you weren't just pretending when you kissed my dandelion. It turns out you were so fierce because you wanted to keep your promise. Besides, your flowers have buds this year. After you pick them next year, hehehe..."

"...I, I mean—"

"Yes, I understand. These things have to wait until after the country is restored, right? But I think it's just around the corner. Tomorrow we'll go to the Holy Coffin Kingdom to recruit people, and we'll also ask your little Melia to join in the fun. Wouldn't that solve everything?"

"I……"

"Let's go, let's stop sewing! Let's pack up and head to the Holy Coffin Kingdom right now. I don't need any apologies, anyway... ah, I mean, let's get going! Restoring the kingdom is the priority! And what happens after that is even more important!"

Her face was beaming with a smile like spring in February, and she moved with surprising speed, immediately tossing aside the clothes and needlework that Sen hadn't finished, and gently grasping her small wrist, as if she were about to set off at any moment.

And the little white paper boat that she had always used as a necklace was also taken out by her without her noticing.

Mori never imagined that after preparing for so long, he would be forcibly led on his journey by Dandelion in such an abrupt way...

Heading to the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin—just like that day, when they traveled from Frozen Bear Town to Silvermoon City by paper boat, both they and the boat were bathed in the sunset, sailing against the setting sun through the waves.

But no matter how much the dandelion was thinking and how eager it was to get there, the paper boat's speed remained slow.

After all, there was still a desperate strawberry passenger on board, huddled in a corner, clutching his head, utterly resentful of this damned trip.

Volume 1, Chapter 267: Sailing Through the Waves

This voyage was going to be longer than Sen had imagined.

On the first day of her voyage, she could pass the time by sewing, researching new magic, polishing gems, and making little trinkets. But by evening, the little paper boat's voyage was not so smooth.

In the distance—a storm cloud resembling a massive, ominous fog—suddenly swept in, bringing a devastating storm to the seas they were sailing on. This storm cloud insect seemed young and vigorous, showing no respect to the Seasons, relentlessly pounding the sea, leaving the two of them helpless.

The small paper boat swayed precariously in the giant waves.

The dandelion used a plant as a lid to prevent itself from getting soaked. Fortunately, this sacred object from the land of flowers performed its function, preventing it from becoming too irritating.

Such a bumpy ride prevented Sen from doing delicate handicrafts, so he could only listen to the torrential rain and begin to study geographical issues.

From what she currently understands, this game world, which was once thought to be "The Silent World," is smaller in scale than she imagined.

While there are many countries, towns, villages, and tribes of all sizes, the area of ​​the human world she knows is roughly two-thirds the size of Russia, albeit divided and scattered across the ocean.

Among them, the land with the largest territory is the Chaos Land.

However, there's a lot of unusable land and uninhabitable areas... After all, it's a strange country, composed of all sorts of talented and unusual people. Many places have probably been transformed into unique regions, which in a game era would be like a dungeon.

As for the sphere of influence within the country's borders, the Holy Coffin Kingdom ranks first.

Its land area is not exaggerated, but its combined influence in religion, culture, economy, and military is simply too vast. This has led to the formation of a unique "holy coffin culture" that has spread throughout the world.

Therefore, there are several extremely loyal vassal towns surrounding the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin. The shortest route for them to reach the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin is to go to one of its ports and then travel overland.

Noticing that Mori was staring blankly at the map, Dandelion casually teased:

"The true God incarnates as a mortal and secretly visits the countries that believe in Him."

"Are those who live through the four seasons... also considered mortals?"

"Haha, that doesn't count."

"But you're right, we have to be discreet in this line of work..."

"Alright, it's your territory after all. Let's do as the coffin bearers instructed. Shall we go to Silver Ring City first and explore this best city of artisans in the world?"

"Silver Ring City..."

This is another town that Mori didn't know... In the game era, this place was just a bunch of small fishing villages, but I never expected that it would develop into such a place in just over a hundred years.

Moreover, Mori Toki found it quite puzzling.

"Like Silvermoon City, its name... also includes the adjective 'silver'."