Brain bloom

"Haha, is this the will of the one who carried the coffin?"

“I’m very angry.” She sat down in the chair, chewing on a thyme leaf, seemingly already working on a recipe.

Dandelion chimed in, "This reminds me of little stories in history books, about true gods who always get what they want. So much so that these stories are considered fictional myths and haven't been included in modern history books."

This filled Mori with daydreams; she too could get what she wanted—

At the banquet a few days later, we are destined to encounter that woodpecker, so it would be very appropriate to have it as the main course.

"Hehehe, I wonder if such a great chef can cook himself well."

Someone knocked on the door.

"We're closed today," said Dandelion. "Please come back tomorrow if you want to buy a cake."

The knocking started several more times, becoming very urgent, almost like...

Is a woodpecker pecking at wood?

The two then looked up curiously. Mori slowly walked to the door, moved the inner solid wood door (which prevented ghosts from entering), and looked outside through the window—

Mori saw a pretty girl's face pressed against the glass, flattened but still with wide-open eyes...

Although he was wearing armor and carrying a sword, this guy didn't have that heroic and dashing feel. Instead, he looked like some kind of terrifying being peeping into a toilet through a crack.

Beside this face, there was a woodpecker curled up in a hand, pecking angrily at the wooden door.

Mori looked narcissistic; after all, wasn't this what the will of the so-called true god was all about?

"As expected of my believer, it is exactly as I wished."

"Ahhh, it's you, it really is you... You've come..."

"How dare they treat me like this... Just how much influence does this Four Seasons Master have... Nonsense, this wooden door is painted with toxic paint..."

"B, well done."

"Forgive me for not being able to greet you immediately... Oh dear, how did you come here on your own... Oh no, the arrival of a deity needs no reason."

Mori opened the door, watching with amusement as the woodpecker, who was being squeezed in his hand and groaning in pain, became much quieter, seemingly trying to understand what B had just mentioned.

Gods...

The bird-like eyes embedded in that rounded head were filled with doubt, as if asking Sen Shi, "How can someone as foolish as you be a god?"

B cautiously entered the house and found it to be an ordinary residence. As always, the coffin bearers preferred to choose such places to stay. Although it seemed to be just a place for travelers to rest, the meaning behind it was quite profound.

Her body trembled slightly, and her eyes were bloodshot with excitement.

When she was with God, she didn't realize what it meant. It wasn't until she left, returned home, and talked with the Pope and his servants all night that she truly accepted the meaning of the "appearance of the coffin bearers."

However, the person who delivered the coffin was grooming the woodpecker's feathers with his hands, wearing a wicked grin that only a villain would have.

"Let's add a dish tonight, since there's one more person eating, and we also brought some good ingredients."

"I admit I did something wrong before, please don't hold it against me." The woodpecker realized its predicament and wanted to beg for forgiveness, but still wanted to save face. "I apologize to you, and I'll take care of your meals tomorrow. How about that, we're even?"

Sen remained unmoved, excitedly placing his hand on Dandelion's shoulder.

“Princess, what do you think would be the best way to cook a woodpecker? Plucking its feathers, marinating it, wrapping it in soil, and then roasting it in the oven while it’s still alive.”

"Birds are indeed good to roast and eat."

"One day not enough? Fine! I'll take care of your three meals for two days..." Master Woodpecker struggled desperately in B's hands, but it seemed to have little fighting ability and still wanted to try to communicate.

"Yes, it can also be used to make soup."

"Here's your kitchen knife back! And three meals a week!"

"I ripped out its belly and stuffed it with a lot of spices. It should still be alive by then. I wonder if it will tell me if I put in enough spices."

A mournful voice pierced the Woodpecker Master's vocal cords: "Fine, fine, fine! I'll give you money! Isn't that enough? Five thousand gold coins!"

"Wouldn't it have been better if we had done this sooner? Don't you think so?" Mori was overjoyed. Now he could get that huge sum of money and also eat delicious woodpecker meat.

After finally catching his breath, Master Woodpecker glared at Mori: "I will provide you with a piece of information that cannot be bought even with five thousand gold coins."

"Dandelion, I know a delicious way to make fried woodpeckers. Coat them with egg wash, flour, and breadcrumbs, then deep-fry them. They'll be crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside."

"You, you will definitely be interested! Let me finish! It's about your compatriots!"

"Compatriots?"

"Yes! A long time ago, when I was resonating with the souls of ingredients deep in the mountains, I discovered a being that hibernates in the earth for all four seasons! How about it! How valuable is this information?"

Volume 1, Chapter 276: How Embarrassing

In some ways, this gimmick is far bigger than five thousand gold coins.

Sen's eyes widened slightly, his entire being filled with astonishment. Dandelion's eyebrows and eyes narrowed, as if she were carefully examining the bird, trying to determine whether what it said was true or false.

Even B, who was admiring the beauty of the true god and ignoring the conversation, came to his senses.

If this is true, then it would likely be very significant.

"Hibernating in the soil..."

"I don't know if it was hibernation, but I buried myself in the ground and fell asleep. If a wisp of darkness hadn't leaked out, I wouldn't have known what it was... Honestly, I was terrified."

Dandelion looked at Sen Shi as if seeking his opinion. The latter could not offer any advice, only shaking his head in response.

Judging rationally, this is likely a lie. It's a lie told by the woodpecker in its haste to protect itself. To think even more cunningly, it would later mysteriously announce the location, only for Senshi and Dandelion to discover it's a trap.

How can you prove this is true?

"Ha, would I lie? You know who I am, right? Nobody can question me—"

"Where are the gold coins?"

"Believe me, at a point like this, I wouldn't lie to the guardians of the Chaos Blade. I saw it with my own eyes, at that time..."

According to it, it was alone at the time, venturing deep into a strange island nation. It was said to be composed of deeply sinful people, those who had committed heinous crimes and fled to the shadows, and various others who had been expelled from their own country.

The area is covered by a dense, eerie jungle, a natural environment unlike anything else. Locals say it is home to terrifying creatures never before heard of.

But the master woodpecker still boasted a bit, saying he was out searching for undiscovered delicacies. Expanding his horizons and learning about the delicious foods that might exist anywhere in the world was the only way he could improve himself.

It yielded little; there was no vegetation to provide any "delicious" food, only a scene more terrifying than the realm of demons.

"—It's like taking the lowest, most deformed, and despicable people from the realm of demons and crushing them into fertilizer, creating a natural environment where they can grow."

Mori pretended to be deep in thought, while Dandelion was genuinely deep in thought.

That makes sense...

If there truly is a Seasonal Being there, it is likely burdened with some immense sin, a sinful Seasonal Being whose evil even the flowers and plants cannot suppress. Such a person would voluntarily and quietly leave the Kingdom of Flowers, awaiting the next Winged Cloud.

It is possible that nature could be polluted.

Just then, a freckled girl with a bewildered expression brought in stewed beef, discovering that there was an extra guest in the house. It was a beautiful and spirited female knight, who seemed… somewhat familiar? She was also abusing a woodpecker, which looked even more familiar.

"Don't blame me if I'm wrong. Are you some kind of powerful and important people?"

“You’re right.” Even though he was being pinched, Master Woodpecker still rushed to admit, “I am indeed a big shot, more powerful than you can imagine. You’re just an ordinary pastry chef, your stewed beef is very poorly made.”

"Master Neil!?"

"Don't listen to its nonsense, it's just a stupid bird, what kind of bullshit master is it?" After cursing, Sen Shi put on a friendly smile, "We will pay the rent, sorry... there was an extra person without telling you, please don't worry, we are just ordinary tourists."

"Oh, that's alright, I understand. Okay, I'll go back to making the risotto for you." The freckled girl readily agreed.

After he left, the previous topic of conversation resumed—

It was B who spoke: "I've also heard of it. There is such a place in the south... called... 1848, yes."

"Yes, this is the godforsaken place, because 1848 of the original exiles died there..."

After some struggle, Master Woodpecker finally relaxed a bit and continued speaking—

"In short, I went deep into the jungle but didn't find anything. But a huge tree caught my eye. It was terrifyingly big... and even more incredible, like a kitchen that hadn't been cleaned for a hundred years, it had bred a huge, black worm that gnawed at the tree and killed it."

"Sounds like... your favorite?"

"Yeah, I like weird bugs, since I can digest them anyway. I pecked and pecked until the tree was gone—and guess what? There was darkness behind the tree."

"Darkness?" B asked, puzzled.

"Humanity is truly pathetic; they don't even know this anymore. That is true darkness—"

"Alright, that's enough." Dandelion's words were cold, to prevent the secrets of their race from being revealed.

But this didn't shut the woodpecker master's mouth—

"Why do you think there is a sunrise in this world? It's because in the desolate era, the true god who governs light burned himself to snatch the so-called 'daytime' from the hands of darkness. Ha, how pathetic."

"dark……"

"A place where light can never reach, black, nothingness, emptiness! That's what I saw." It wasn't a joke. "So, there are seasons there, I saw it with my own eyes. How much is that worth?"

Mori nudged Dandelion with her elbow, seeking her opinion. If this were true, she wouldn't know how to respond.

Even Dandelion, the only one who understood the four seasons, couldn't organize her thoughts for a moment. The table fell silent until the freckled girl brought food, at which point things gradually returned to normal.

But this news was deeply etched in their minds.

……

After dinner—

Dandelion went to her room alone, wanting a quiet place to think. Mori understood, but to pass the time, she talked to B. Of course, it wasn't about the Dark Ones or the Four Seasons.

"I've heard about the banquet. You're very sincere, which means you welcome me, right?"

"Th-that..."

"I even forged a kitchen knife for this banquet, what a coincidence. Then give me the exact time, I will attend, don't worry about it being a waste of my time."

"This banquet...we...we're not hosting it for you..." She lowered her head, timid and hesitant, standing in front of Sen Shi like a primary school girl being called to the party.

Mori looked up at the ceiling, desperately searching for a way to ease the awkwardness, but to no avail.

The woodpecker master, tied to the table, heard this and let out a merciless laugh. Even though its noisy beak was sealed shut, it could still laugh.

B said tremblingly, "Please calm your anger and don't implicate the innocent... This city still has your statue, and it has been living under your protection all along. Please have mercy on all of this..."

"Who was that banquet for? It was such a big event and they didn't invite me... Humph..." Unable to continue his act, Morishi's tone unconsciously returned to normal, revealing deep frustration.