Brain bloom

"...Shameless bastard, why are you pretending to be rich when you have no money?"

Sen Shi could no longer suppress her anger. She hadn't been this angry in a long time. She even ripped off the hat that had been holding back her anger, causing her to burst into full bloom. At the same time, she immediately unleashed a string of profanities.

"I've been stuck inside forging iron for you all this time, do you know how hard that is? You worthless bird, were you hatched from a bastard's egg? Come on, let's have roasted bird today."

"The Four Seasons' battle stance?! Fine, I get your attitude. I won't return your knife! I won't give you your money! And my food? You won't get any of it either!"

After saying that, it flapped its wings and flew towards the window.

……

(Can't even complain, isn't that frustrating? Hahaha...)

Well, this must have made the author quite lonely, like someone talking to themselves.

Volume 1, Chapter 274: Foolishness

Sen Shi wasn't about to let it go so easily, and suddenly reached out his hand, trying to grab it.

But this thing was, after all, a bird, and even if it was just a sparrow's clone, Mori could only pluck a few feathers. However, Mori was not discouraged and immediately cast an ice arrow spell from behind.

Those were ice arrows sculpted to be extremely sharp and slender, yet made swift by anger.

Almost instantly, it caught up with its flight path.

But it also had a few tricks up its sleeve. Suddenly, it turned its head in mid-air and used the kitchen knife in its mouth to cut the ice arrow into a puddle of water as easily as slicing asparagus.

Even though Mori used many low-level spells afterward, they all met the same fate.

She resisted the urge to unleash powerful magic, knowing it would burn down the innocent house. In that fleeting moment of hesitation, it had already flown away from the house, even breaking through a window…

"You are the most foolish Four Seasons Walker I have ever seen. Hmph, I'll take the knife."

This is the last thing it left behind.

Sen Shi was furious. Her hard work had been stolen, and she was left in such a sorry state. She pushed open the door and chased after him. It was already night, but it wasn't yet curfew.

Mori realized he'd lost his way the moment he stepped outside...

The place was packed with people at night.

She would be bound by the trouble brought by being in the public eye, while birds are the symbol of freedom in this world... Even if it steals something and shamelessly defaults on its debt, Mori will never be able to catch up with the sky.

"Just wait... just wait."

Swallowing his resentment, Mori hurriedly put on his hat, trying his best to restrain himself in the darkness.

The streets are much busier than during the day, and the night view has a beauty that is missing during the day.

The beautiful nighttime scenery that Dandelion described, lasting only half an hour, is now unfolding.

Looking up at the side, the huge statue of the coffin bearers stood tall in the night, but a ring of light shone on their fingers.

These lights were evenly distributed throughout the town, with streaks of light in the shape of the alphabet freely spreading across the paving stones.

Tourists and locals alike enjoyed themselves on the streets, savoring their own half hour.

There were groups of bards, and the sounds of street organs, balme harps, and enthusiastic singing mingled together. Vendors were hawking food, using the half-hour time limit as their selling point.

Unbeknownst to him, Sen Shi found himself to be the only one in the sea of ​​people who was depressed.

Every now and then, one could hear prayers of "thank you for the protection of the coffin bearers," which may have reached the depths of Mori Toki's divine nature, but the words awakened Mori Toki.

This is her land.

When the true God appears in this place, He will surely issue divine words to guide the world. And so, the first divine decree He will issue at that time will be written down—

"Bring that cute woodpecker; I want to roast it."

……

Master Woodpecker, hiding in the tree, only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Sen had returned to the room. Even at night, it couldn't possibly escape sight instantly... it was merely hiding in the tree, spying.

Having risked war with the Four Seasons to obtain this kitchen knife, it truly won its heart.

It is more perfect than any kitchen knife in the world.

It admired the view for a while longer before flapping its wings to rejoin its host. This was a moment it particularly enjoyed—flying over the heads of all the entertainment-obsessed humans, looking down upon those ignorant creatures—it was truly exhilarating…

But occasionally, one might see humans plucking bird feathers to adorn themselves, something the bird finds both shameful and something to be proud of, because bird feathers are simply so beautiful…

Here comes another one.

The lone, black-haired girl was a remarkably beautiful woman. Whenever she passed through a crowd with her pure, ripple-like smile, she was destined to attract the eager gazes of both men and women.

Master Woodpecker, however, became angry because she had many black feathers and some white ones, which she had collected by killing countless birds.

"Uh?"

It sensed that something was wrong.

This girl used a very clumsy method to suppress her terrifying power within her body...

To avoid provoking this powerful and bizarre being, it marveled at the vastness of the world as it flew towards its true form.

The two birds met at the midpoint.

The clone, having completed its mission, dissipated into particles of spiritual energy, leaving behind only that dreamlike kitchen knife. It was utterly captivating; it could even make the terror of the Four Seasons Forget. This stirred its heart even more than when it encountered its beloved female bird in its youth.

"Let's get out of this troublesome place and go to the capital of the Holy Coffin Kingdom," it thought.

"I've been looking for you for a long time, Master Neil." A divine aura suddenly descended from the sky.

"Oh, isn't this the Guardian of Chaos Blade?"

It wasn't surprised that it hadn't noticed the other party; the little girl's skills were indeed extraordinary. However, it had simply become so engrossed in the beauty of the blade that it had lost its keen senses.

B landed gently, carefully moving aside her silver armored boots to avoid stepping on the holy letter marks on the ground.

"Master Neil, how's it going? Have you found the right kitchenware?"

"Perfect, I have it."

Master Woodpecker's attitude was relatively friendly towards the employer of this large order.

B nodded, noticed the small knife it was carefully protecting, and immediately spoke:

"Then please lift the city's blockade. I personally ordered that the artisans recruited for the banquet be stopped by you, which will delay the progress."

"Whatever. Anyway, I already have such a good kitchen knife, so I'll do my best for your dinner party."

"I wonder which swordsmith forged this? It has a unique beauty... Is it made of black walnut wood and steel? The steel's character does seem to be."

At first, Master Woodpecker was somewhat wary and reluctant to mention it. But then he thought that this was the pinnacle of combat power in the entire coffin-carrying culture, and since he would be leaving soon anyway, he started talking about it with a smile.

"Don't be afraid when I tell you, it's the Four Seasons One."

“…Four, the Four Seasons!” Upon hearing this word, B’s expression was as if he had seen a ghost.

"You humans don't understand the terror of the Four Seasons, but you seem to know a little? I told you, don't be afraid, he's just a craftsman from the Kingdom of Flowers, skilled but foolish."

"stupid?!"

Thinking back to what happened, Master Woodpecker got angry again.

"When I offered her payment, she said she wanted money, not the food I cooked. What a huge insult. Only a fool would say such nonsense. Anyway, I have to go to the Holy Coffin Kingdom. It's important to blend the souls of the ingredients in advance."

"Don't go yet."

B's attitude became extremely firm.

"Tell me, where did you meet the Four Seasons Person? What was he like?"

"Right here, a lousy pastry shop... I just escaped from there a few minutes ago."

Although B's tone was offensive, Master Woodpecker tolerated it and patiently answered the questions.

"What else could it be? A Four Seasons creature, fair-skinned and beautiful, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl. Her hair color is something no human has, a blue like the clear sky. Oh, the plant on her head should be a strawberry, I remember those leaves, after all, they are often used as food."

"Hmm...blue hair..."

"Yes, that's the very foolish Four Seasons Master."

Volume 1, #275: A Reliable Intelligence

Night fell deeper.

In the final ten minutes before the night ended, the grand and vibrant atmosphere of the city began to wane. Soldiers responsible for maintaining order and ensuring no one was torn apart by ghosts began patrolling the streets, urging those who lived far away to return home as soon as possible.

Inside the pastry shop—

"It's finally time. I'm used to the noise, but it's not exactly a pleasant experience..." The freckled girl said to Dandelion as she sat on the table. "It'll quiet down soon, and it'll be dinner time."

"Ah."

"Um...didn't that little bird say it would help with cooking? I was really looking forward to it, but it ended up breaking my window."

Since they needed to find lodging, Dandelion used magic to repair it, but she still kept glancing outside. Sen Shi was still standing dumbfounded at the door, not chasing the woodpecker; it seemed their lavish dinner for tonight was out of the question, a pity.

As for five thousand gold coins... Dandelion never really had any expectations for such an extravagant number.

She shrugged and said to the freckled girl, "Let's cook."

"You are guests, I can do it."

"Are you going to bring out a cake or something again?"

"Haha, no, eating like that every day would be sickening. And... I'd get so fat I couldn't control it. Dinner would be just regular dishes, like stewed beef, pancakes, risotto, and stuff like that."

She also grows various fresh spices in her yard, something only someone willing to hone their culinary skills would do. Dandelion nodded and sat down to wait.

Mori finally pushed open the door and came back.

"Aren't you going to chase after them?"

“I can’t catch up…” Mori muttered dejectedly, “I really wish I could press the M key right now, and there would be a map with a little cursor on it.”

She was rambling on about things Dandelion couldn't understand... but that was commonplace. Then Dandelion noticed that Mori wasn't so depressed. Mori plucked a thyme leaf from nearby and sniffed it lightly.

"Tell me, what do woodpeckers taste like?"

"...What...what are you going to do?"

"Our trip can proceed at a leisurely pace. We'll head to the Holy Coffin Kingdom tomorrow, and probably reach the capital the day after. Then we'll contact my group of followers... Hmm, when the woodpecker goes to cook, I'll catch it, pluck its feathers, and eat it."