Brain bloom

"You're so annoying with all this chattering. Stop bothering me. I know what you want, and for the sake of Father's reputation, I will still give it to you—but in a different way."

The Rain Wizard's face was full of anticipation, but the joy lasted only a few seconds before turning into fear.

For the devil’s hand suddenly emerged from the black mist—carrying an extremely sharp longsword.

The blade rose and swiftly slashed down at the Rain Wizard. He couldn't believe it, but along with the blade came the devil's words: "I hope you'll be wiser when you wake up, and go get what you want yourself."

……

"What do you mean? What happened?"

After hearing what the old lady of the Black Cat family had to say, the group blinked in confusion. The most anxious one in the group was, of course, Lady Pearl Shell, who was completely baffled as to what was going on. She was practically ready to grab the cat's head, crack open its skull, and peer into its brain.

"I don't know, this is what I saw, and I also find it strange."

The old lady jumped back onto the bed from Senshi's lap, stretched her body, and then said:

"After the devil killed the rain wizard, he cleaned up the house. He even carried me to the door. It seemed like he was being kind. But I don't know what happened to the rain wizard after that. Did he die?"

"Uh... he's not dead."

As if she had figured everything out, Ms. Pearl Shell suddenly frowned and muttered about everything she would later learn.

"When our maid found him, there were indeed signs of an attack in the house. The Rain Wizard was lying on the ground, injured and unconscious. The doctor managed to wake him up, and he cursed wildly for a long time."

Then he insisted that we had been attacked and blamed us for the 'inadequate protection'... Later it turned into a threat of war. We offered him some money, but he refused. He was like a mad dog.

It wasn't until later, when we invited the great hero Balzac from Silvermoon City, that he agreed to make concessions and pay reparations.

After hearing all of this, Mori had completely deduced the whole story and found this devil to be quite interesting.

The Rain Wizard summons demons for reasons such as power.

According to them, both the Rain Wizard and the Peda Empire were extremely greedy. The devil, however, did not want to satisfy him in a normal way, but since he had been summoned, he had to abide by the rules, thus giving the Rain Wizard an excuse to act.

The devil struck the summoner and told him that taking the blow would grant his desires.

It was as if he was venting his anger and having fun. Mori covered his face and couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself that this devil was really interesting.

Having been attacked, the Rain Wizard was helpless and could only use this to force Frozen Bear Town to admit it was in the wrong. The Rain Wizard was probably seething with anger and cursing the devil.

But Sen Shi couldn't understand why the Rain Wizard would come up with such a lie just to get tens of thousands of gold coins and other benefits... He had no sense of national dignity whatsoever, let alone any integrity.

Perhaps this is an opportunity...

On the other side—the lord, the old wildcat, and several followers whose positions were unknown, after some discussion, also reached a similar conclusion with the participation of Dandelion, an outsider.

"...How shameless! Is this really an envoy from a great power? How could he...do something so brazen?"

"Lady Pearl Shell, have the compensation paid for peace already set sail?" a knight follower of the lord reminded him.

"Uh—it was already loaded onto a ship and set sail this morning, heading to the delivery point designated by the Peda Empire."

"Damn it, send a speedboat to intercept them immediately! We can't pay for the devil's messengers for nothing!" another man shouted.

She nodded seriously and immediately waved for someone to take care of it.

Mori, who remained detached from the situation, was puzzled. In this case, it would have been faster to have a mage skilled in flight intercept the dragon, or to ride a tamed three-legged dragon, which was how they quickly traveled back and forth across the map in the game.

As she was thinking about these things, she suddenly felt a tickle in her abdomen. Looking down, she saw that it was the old lady from the Black Cat's family poking her with her toes.

"Thank you for waking me up. I don't know why, but I feel very close to you," the old lady said in a meow.

"You're welcome, we've already been paid." Mori realized that they had stayed because they were paid, and now that the matter was settled, he stood up with a smile. "That's right, you're all right now. We'll be leaving in a while. We wish you all the best in the future."

Both she and Dandelion wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but the atmosphere in the room was tense, with a group of people cursing the Rain Wizard's mother and the curse, so they couldn't leave.

"—Lord Black Cat II!"

"What is it, lord?"

"I will forgive and forget everything, I only ask that you lend me all the combat slaves, and I will pay the commission when the ship returns." Lady Pearl Shell shouted the order at this moment, "I also ask you to help me personally, and let me see if the strongest assassin in this town can still wield a dagger."

"That guy injured my mother, of course I'd help him. Don't question my filial piety. But you, are you sure the Rain Wizard is still in Frozen Bear Town?"

“Yes, I even made plans to have lunch with him this afternoon before I came…” She gritted her teeth, and somehow she had already gripped the crimson staff in her hand. “Also, the summoned demons… are very likely to target our town. Luckily, the old lady didn’t die and told us such an important thing.”

Sen Shi and Dandelion had quietly met up. They exchanged wry smiles, both feeling it was time to leave. They bypassed the spittle-splattering crowd and headed for the door; otherwise, things would get complicated.

Behind her, Ms. Pearl Shell continued to loudly ask questions—

"Madam, how is the devil now? Do you know where it went? I have to deploy the army to protect the civilians, at least until the people of the Holy Coffin Empire arrive."

"I don't know... but when she dropped me off at my doorstep, she did communicate with my soul."

"What did you ask?"

After a brief recollection, the old lady replied, "You asked me if I know the four seasons."

"The Four Seasons..."

Morishi and Dandelion stopped in their tracks at the same time. They were only a step away from the door, but their feet were frozen on the floor. Dandelion gripped the oak staff she hadn't thrown away yet, while Morishi's gaze was low.

They pulled their hats down low, as if afraid that even a tiny leaf might peek out from inside.

When the term "Four Seasons" appeared, everyone in the room felt slightly awkward, as if they had stepped on a landmine. Old Wildcat, always straightforward, led the sigh: "The War of the Flowers... what a tragic war."

"Stop being so sentimental. If you don't want our town to become a ruin like the Land of Flowers, then fight against the devil—old lady, why is the devil asking you this? The word 'Four Seasons'...isn't it just something that exists in history?"

"She asked me if there were any Four Seasons here, and I felt her tone was quite angry, like she was about to tear a Four Seasons person apart. I replied, 'No, there are no Four Seasons people here.'" The old lady from the Black Cat family added in a low voice, "Where would there be any Four Seasons people..."

"It seems the devil wants to do something with the Four Seasons? Maybe he wants to hunt them down, or maybe something else... but it has nothing to do with this matter. After all, that race is already dust."

At this moment, Ms. Pearl Shell grabbed Mori.

"Please help me! You must know a lot about demons, right? If possible... please sell me that healing spell scroll as well, it will definitely come in handy during this special time."

“We have already helped the old lady.” Mori smiled at the old cat, then looked sternly at the lady of the house. “If I hadn’t helped, would you have known all this? So we have done more than enough, please stop bothering us.”

"We'll pay you money, power, and territory, just tell me how to deal with the devil?"

Dandelion noticed that the room was as quiet as a winter night, and everyone was holding their breath and looking at Sen Shi with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, wanting to hear what solution this exceptionally beautiful girl could offer.

After all, this is a war against the devil...

……

(The previous chapter was a bit special, so I have to separate it. This chapter is 3100 words long, and there are two full chapters today, so don't worry...)

I'm sorry, I made the plot a bit too complicated, and I left a few plot holes in the beginning... Don't worry! They were all carefully considered beforehand, and I can handle them well.

Volume 1 #037: A Brainless Minion

Mori didn't want to share her experience with these people, since it might not be effective and could even increase the danger—people would question why she knew so much.

But there was one thing that bothered Mori: why was the devil looking for the Four Seasons People...? After hesitating for a while, Mori decided to offer some small help. If a real fight broke out, what she was saying now could at least save most of the civilians.

“That list is the one that saved your mother.” Mori looked at the old wildcat. “If you mash those ingredients into a paste, add a spoonful of sea salt, and use magic to shape them into leaves, it will disgust the devil—that’s all I know.”

After saying that, Sen Shi waved his hand and moved closer to Dandelion, feeling at ease only when he was with his fellow countrymen.

"Is there...is there anything else?" the old wildcat asked.

"That's all. I told you that's all I know."

Ms. Pearl Shell wanted to know more, but her expression was not very friendly: "Could you please tell me your names and affiliations? We are very close allies with the Holy Coffin Kingdom, so you two must be from the Holy Coffin Kingdom."

When pressed for an answer, Mori silently shook her head. She raised her index finger to her lips, then gave a deep smile, indicating that she wouldn't answer such a question.

The two did not linger, and even skipped the farewell ceremony, leaving with Fufu outside the door.

The city remained bustling, filled with the aroma of lunch as it was midday. Although soldiers occasionally shouted, "Where has the Rain Wizard gone?", the overall atmosphere was relatively calm. The free market was equally lively, with people pricing their newly harvested vegetables.

Passing by a small bakery, the two of them, quite in sync, bought a few breads and ate them as they walked.

"Princess..." Mori seemed preoccupied.

"Are you talking about the devil seeking out the Four Seasons?" Dandelion completely understood what Moritoki wanted to ask. "Moritoki, if I told you... that when I was born, the Demon King came to celebrate, what would you think?"

"They'll think you're so beautiful that even the devil would come to fawn over you."

Dandelion laughed out loud and quickly wiped the breadcrumbs from her mouth: "You...you're so frivolous, how could you say such a witty remark?"

"What's so frivolous about it?"

“Generally speaking, this is something only a dashing young nobleman would say, right? You really are…” She laughed again, because that sentence really suited her taste.

"Princess, let's get back to the main point. As far as I remember, there's no conflict between demons and the Four Seasons, so why are they looking for us?"

“They probably know you were summoned and want to capture you to be the devil’s wife,” Dandelion retorted, but then immediately stroked her chin, feeling that what she said didn’t quite make sense. “Hmm, it’s better not to capture you. I’d rather you stay by my side.”

"Yes, I want to stay by your side. No one can take me away."

After all, she owed the Kingdom of Flowers and Dandelions too much, as well as that Tu Mi who had transformed into the wind.

These words unexpectedly stirred Dandelion's emotions. She subconsciously touched her chest, a strange mix of feelings welling up inside her. Touched, joyful… but mostly a fluttering, indescribable feeling.

"Let's leave as soon as possible, this city is probably going to be in chaos soon." Sen Shi took a few bites of bread, showing no trace of girlish reserve.

“That’s true.” Dandelion replied casually, her eyes fixed on Mori. His rough eating style and his soft, focused face allowed the emotions within Dandelion to continue to well up—it was truly strange…

……

The two headed straight for the trading market in the upper city. Mori pushed open the door of the exchange and found the trader who had betrayed them, Brain Slime.

"Oh, sir, I have good news for you. The item is almost sold. After a high price was offered, no one else bid."

"If I wanted to, I could blow your head off right now." There was no joy on Mori's face; instead, there was a chilling aura.

"...Where did I go wrong?" The brain slime was confused. It pushed aside the files that were always around it, jumped to the ground, and looked up at Mori. Several tentacles swayed frantically.

Mori silently gathered the intermediate-level fire magic, Fire Serpent, in his hand, turning the room crimson, ready to attack at any moment. Maintaining this intimidating aura, Mori questioned—

"Isn't secrecy your ironclad rule? How did the lord know that I was selling magic scrolls?"

“Alright, I’ll be honest! This isn’t betrayal, it’s a deal! The ‘Iron Rule’ doesn’t mean it’s solid, it just means it takes more effort to break it, so the lord gave a lot of benefits.” The Brain Slime’s tone was somewhat humble.

“Very good.” Mori Shi put away the magic, after all, it was a fairly honest answer. “Have you figured out how to appease me? If I go out and spread rumors about your bad reputation, the impact will be huge.”

But the Brain Slime wasn't afraid: "If you do that, your identity as a seller will be exposed, and the auction might be void... In a while, when the city falls into turmoil, your scroll might be lost in the chaos."

This was an extremely blatant threat. Even Dandelion and Fufu were furious and wanted to come up and help them demand an explanation, but Senshi stopped them.

"Since you put it that way," Mori said, abandoning his threatening tactics, and lowered his voice to change his tone, "then let's pretend this never happened."

"It's so good that you understand. To be honest, a magician like you really scared me... Luckily, magicians are all very intelligent, and you are especially so."