Brain bloom

“I’m here to collect the five thousand gold coins. Don’t be impulsive, Mr. Woodpecker. It’s not surprising that birds have such a high status. I know there’s an owl who’s just as arrogant as you.”

"...You still know that guy?"

"Anyway, let's talk business."

"Alright, I forgive your disrespect. Let me see the kitchen knife you brought." The woodpecker turned its head, signaling the servant to suppress its anger.

Mori nodded and took out a piece of high-quality black walnut ore, about the size of a fist. Even after removing the impurities, the resulting superior steel would be enough to forge a kitchen knife.

What are you planning to do?

"Tell me what you want, and I'll make it right away."

"……that's all?"

Since things had come to this point, Mori was willing to swallow his pride and call on his followers to come to the rescue.

She wiped her flushed face and said with a nasal tone full of disdain, "Otherwise what? You know what kind of person would satisfy you, right? At least say it out loud, otherwise you're just torturing and humiliating me."

"I think you've come here to humiliate me."

“I’m here to collect five thousand gold coins. Tell me what kind you want. After you finish, I’ll get you a handy peeler, the kind that can shred potatoes and grate carrots, as a bonus.”

"...If you have something this good, why don't you make it for me?!" Dandelion said angrily. "Do you know how much cooking time this convenient tool can save me?"

"Because I want to see you wearing an apron a little longer."

This scene infuriated the woodpecker, who even pecked through a piece of wood. The sound of the wood flying and landing proved just how hard it was.

Only a few brave craftsmen remained to watch what was happening, and even they retreated considerably. Some went to call for the guards, believing that Sen Shi and Dandelion were simply there to cause trouble.

"Fine, prove it to me, or I'll easily send you out of the human world and exile you to the realm of demons, where countless fire demons will make you their dinner. You'll be roasted like a dried-up lump of meat, hanging... uh, wait, you guys..."

"What's wrong? Hurry up and state your request. Stop beating around the bush. Anyone can talk a good game."

The woodpecker's gaze shifted slightly upwards: "Um... that thing on your head... isn't a decoration, is it?"

Mori reached out and touched it, discovering it was the leaf he had hidden under his hat; it seemed a leaf was peeking out.

Volume 1, Chapter 271: The Woodpecker Master

The woodpecker's eyes changed. Sen Shi couldn't read the bird's gaze, but he could still sense that the woodpecker had become dull, perhaps due to surprise.

Although she quickly tucked the small leaf back under her hat, it was too late.

"You are...that leaf..."

"Yes, it's not just for decoration."

"You should have said so earlier..." Its claws were a little restless, and the wooden branch it was hooking was being cut with a cracking sound.

Mori realized that this woodpecker was indeed extraordinary, having easily discovered Mori's species.

Seeing her somewhat fearful expression, she knew that the First Law of the Four Seasons had reappeared.

"If you know what the Four Seasons are, then you must be filled with fear—Mori Toki."

This is something she came up with herself when she had nothing else to do.

After all, exploring one's own identity and gaining a deeper understanding of it is extremely important. This principle can be further extended to deduce a second law, which has proven effective based on the few people I've encountered so far, so it's acceptable to accept it as truth for now.

"If the other party knows you are a Four Seasons Person and shows fear, then the other party probably knows what a Four Seasons Person is."

Now, both of the four-season laws that led to this conclusion have come true.

Hastily banishing the idle chatter from his mind, Sen Shi weighed the ore in his hand, tilted his head without uttering a word, but precisely conveyed the question, "Are you still going to work on this kitchen knife or not?"

This woodpecker, after all, was a high-class chef with a big attitude, and managed to regain its composure.

“I was skeptical before, but now that I know who you are, I’m sure you’re really here to cause trouble.”

"...Is this your impression of us?"

"Otherwise what? Did you really come here to make kitchen knives?"

Mori nodded earnestly, even swearing an oath in the name of the coffin bearers—a particularly weighty oath within this cultural sphere. The woodpecker, still looking somewhat doubtful, perhaps worried about being at a disadvantage in a conflict, tried saying:

"Then you do it..."

What kind do you want?

Before answering, the woodpecker once again displayed its haughty attitude, spreading its wings as wide as possible to scare away the other idle craftsmen. Only then did it return to normal and put away its arrogance.

"I just want a knife that's easy to use and won't get dull... You know, sharpening a knife is a hassle, and I can't use magic or transform into a human, which is a shame... Even a slight dullness will ruin the taste."

"Is that all you're asking for? Can't you just write it on the notice board? Why make it so complicated?"

"The Pope is quite kind; he granted me this power, allowing me to enjoy the treatment of a city lord here. Of course I must..." Realizing its slip of the tongue, it immediately corrected itself, "I must let these foolish humans do whatever they want for me."

Sen Shi decided against communicating with it; its attitude was too arrogant, and he'd rather listen to a certain prince's story. But regardless of who possessed it, the gold coin always remained silent, yet it always possessed such great power that it was worth befriending it.

This is, after all, a museum, and the red carpet on the floor is quite luxurious. Sen Shi had no intention of setting up a furnace to smelt iron here.

She then inquired in detail about aspects such as "appearance" and "specific requirements," emphasizing that sincerity is essential when dealing with gold coins.

"I'll go somewhere else to do it, and I'll come back to you when it's done."

"...I thought the Four Seasons Master's craftsmanship was so amazing that he could forge a sword out of thin air here, but it turns out to be a joke."

"You said you were invited by the Pope to cook, right? So you came to prepare knives? I think that's even more ridiculous. You don't even have your own kitchen utensils. I think a chef of this caliber should be replaced, like my princess."

When dandelion was suddenly mentioned, it had no choice but to bite the bullet and give a thumbs up. Then it slowly moved the thumbs up and finally pointed it at itself, raising its head rather proudly.

“Few dare to insult me, not even the three religious leaders or the secular king of the Holy Coffin Kingdom.”

The woodpecker became unhappy.

“I rarely use kitchen utensils when I cook. But this time is different. The Holy Coffin Kingdom is quietly planning something, and the undercurrents are terrifying. I am in charge of an extraordinary banquet, and I can only use kitchen utensils to enrich the table.”

"If it doesn't taste good, I'll cook it for you."

The woodpecker was about to scoff, but before it could even utter a laugh, it fell silent. It stopped pecking at the tree and stood quietly... Could the person before it also be participating in that banquet? This was quite unexpected.

For Mori, this wasn't hard to guess. B had probably already returned home, and the one who cut the melon had returned even earlier, delivering the message of the true god's revelation.

"I'll go with you, Four Seasons. Where do you plan to forge iron?"

"Find a place with a big furnace, as long as the temperature is high enough."

……

The woodpecker itself is very low-key; it only sends out a clone made from a single feather.

The vibrant colors of their feathers were gone, replaced by the appearance of ordinary sparrows. So even as they flew around outside, they didn't cause any disturbance.

After walking and stopping for about two hours, the group arrived at a pastry shop where the cream puffs were delicious.

"Is this the place you were talking about, the place with the stove?" the woodpecker asked.

"There's nothing I can do. This little town is full of jewelry makers who just use magic to light a small fire and burn gold and silver... It's nowhere near the scale I need. I guess the blacksmiths are all holed up in the suburbs and the military area."

So, she and Dandelion remembered this place.

The freckled girl from before is now dressed as a waitress, soliciting customers at the counter. Inside the glass display case are tempting, fattening delicacies, and Mori silently mourns for her compatriots who are adorned with such brightly colored and tempting dishes.

"Oh, it's two kind magicians."

"Although we're not here to buy food, we'll pay to rent it—"

"Little human girl, your baking skills are terrible. I don't understand what your purpose was in baking such a beautiful cake base into a cake-like pancake? No wonder people want to borrow your furnace to forge iron."

This world's number one culinary master is picky and straightforward about any food.

The freckled girl's friendly smile froze. They stared at each other in silence for a while before running back to the kitchen. Ten seconds later, she returned with a box of nuts for decorating desserts.

"Let's make up, okay, little sparrow..."

"This thing is not fresh at all; it's a pitiful waste of food." Even so, it flew to the girl's wrist and pecked at the nuts in her hand. "But it's such a pity that no one wants to eat them."

Watching this scene, the two Seasons Keepers whispered to each other in tacit understanding.

"If someone talked to me like that, I would definitely mix dried leaves into the food I prepared."

"Yes.

Volume 1, Chapter 272: This Represents Everything

They managed to borrow the oven after spending a day's worth of the freckled girl's earnings. They also cleaned up the leftover burnt bits, dismantled the rack, and only had the necessary blower oven left.

Mori made some minor modifications, adding some magically shaped parts to facilitate the flow of molten iron.

Since the furnace here can provide sufficient temperature, and she is also proficient in low-level magic and forging techniques, she can process materials without being limited to traditional methods.

Black walnut wood ore is a unique name for a type of iron ore.

This ore is extremely famous and is also known as "something forged from flesh and blood".

It comes from a strange walnut-like plant, often found on the battlefield. When the people who came to collect the corpses the next day arrived at the battlefield, they would find that what was once a plain had grown tall walnut trees.

It feeds on the weapons and armor of fallen soldiers, and that very night it produces walnuts, which are then pieces of walnut wood ore. The darker the color of the ore, the higher its quality.

Black is the highest grade—but during the game era, there were rumors of pure white walnut wood ore, but unfortunately even Mori Toki had never heard of it.

"They actually used my furnace to burn iron ore..."

“Young lady, the quality of your flour varies quite a bit. About a spoonful of it in each bag is spoiled. So you should have noticed that even the richest butter can sometimes not mask the smell of spoiled food.”

Perhaps after eating a handful of nuts, or perhaps out of boredom and a desire to find a sense of superiority to satisfy himself, Master Woodpecker offered several more suggestions.

"Little sparrow, how do you know so much?"

"It all started with a chance encounter years ago. I happened to receive guidance from Master Neil, the god of cooking who is in charge of culinary arts... His feathers are more beautiful than anything else, but his culinary skills are even more beautiful."

"Pfft." Dandelion, who was about to steal a bite of the strawberry cake, covered her mouth and laughed.

Even Mori, who was rubbing molten iron with his bare hands, couldn't help but turn around and glare at him.

This woodpecker... his self-praise is truly shameless, but Mori Toki from the gaming era also did something like using an alternate account to brag about himself...

Furthermore, the woodpecker's self-proclaimed godhood is pure nonsense. Mori has witnessed people at her level more than once. People like Wish and Owl are all question marks at first glance; none of them possess such a complete and well-defined level of expertise.

"Master Neil happens to be here, saying he wants to make a kitchen knife or something." The freckled girl was successfully fooled.

"Yes, I came to this city specifically because I heard it was here and wanted to make a pilgrimage."