Brain bloom

Mori and the Ancient Demon King cried out simultaneously, both staring in the same direction.

Their gaze fell upon the ruins of that island. Faintly, a half-black, half-green hue lurked there, swaying gently in the wind.

Volume 1, Chapter 337: My Good Friend

Originally, this island was a territory suitable for establishing a country, with a considerable area and a complete natural ecological cycle. However, after various fierce battles, and under the ravages of Mori, Wish, the Ancient Demon King, and the Thundercloud Worm, it has become scorched earth scattered in the sea.

There shouldn't even be any plants left.

The strawberry vine that Mori Toki was clutching in his hand, ready to pluck it out, was the only green thing around here.

It should be so.

This plant, which appeared silently, was clearly not a survivor of the war. It would occasionally hide behind the ruins, and then occasionally peek out again.

Either it's a living creature with legs, or...

He is a being who experiences all four seasons.

“Sister Morishita, it smells similar to the Dandelion Princess.” Fufu, who was lying on Morishita’s shoulder, said. This little sea goddess was very sensitive to this.

“It’s the Four Seasons One who has been sleeping ever since…it seems that woodpecker wasn’t lying to me.” She looked down at her feet. This island was once called 1848. Mori knew a piece of information about it.

Perhaps it is the one who sleeps through all four seasons.

Surprisingly, this information was actually true. She had thought it was just a lie made up by the woodpecker master to avoid being cooked and eaten...

That patch of green peeked out once more, but unlike last time, the blackened parts had faded. And the bright morning sun illuminated the outline of its leaves clearly.

The leaves are bluish-green, feathery, and have a graceful elongated curve.

"Um……"

Mori squinted, feeling a sense of déjà vu about the leaves. She crossed her arms and thought for a while before finally remembering the name of these leaves.

"Mimosa pudica!"

"Ah..." The mimosa quickly shrank back, clearly Mori had guessed correctly.

Even the ancient Demon King found it utterly unbelievable. There were still other survivors of the Four Seasons? And why were they appearing at this time? Were they friend or foe…?

It couldn't help but look at Sen Shi, but there wasn't a trace of gloom on her innocent face; she probably didn't know either.

The resolve to die that I had previously held is now wavering...

"Do you...know me? What is the meaning of your flower?" Behind the ruins, the girl's voice was as soft as the wind, yet full of shyness.

"My name is Mori, another name for strawberry. Well, it's not surprising that you don't know me... Anyway, you probably don't know me. In any case, I'm from Dandelion, not a bad person."

Mori didn't know how to deal with the other seasonal beings, so she could only bring up the name of her own princess, who was of noble status and even had the power to dominate nature.

She felt fear, of the unfamiliar seasons...

Just how terrifying will it be?

"Of course... There are no bad people among the Four Seasons. I would never doubt my fellow countrymen. We are all friendly and peace-loving compatriots. It's so nice to see my fellow countrymen!"

"Hmm..." Mori almost believed it.

But the slight shyness that the other person always carried made Moritoshi feel surprisingly good.

“But…you’ve disturbed my sleeping place…” she added.

"I'm sorry, but we must stop this because an evil god is causing trouble here with a ritual, or the world will become desolate."

This mimosa maiden, who has never dared to show herself, is probably an exceptionally powerful being. Having slumbered on this ravaged island until now, she has likely endured countless attacks, yet she has managed to slowly awaken…

The mimosa plant seemed to be deep in thought: "Oh... Primal Evil, so you just wanted to kill Primal Evil?"

"There are very complicated details to this."

"I am the ancient king of demons."

“Hey, Ron Stolt? My old friend I’ve been waiting for…”

The mimosa plant then poked its head out from behind the ruins—

Her features were delicate and charming, with long, loose, wavy, light golden hair and fair skin. Her large, blue eyes stared at everything around her.

She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, a little younger than Senshi and Dandelion, but a few years older than Fufu (in terms of size only).

The mimosa plant had a bright red face, probably because it was completely covered in fabric. It looked like a freshly pulled white radish, still covered in mud, delicate and delicious.

Sen Shi tossed over a robe from his bag, and the other person thanked him quietly, his face turning even redder.

"Um... what exactly happened?"

She put on her clothes, took small steps, and walked out, the mimosa on her head swaying gently.

"Has the trial of the heir ended? What happened here? How is the Kingdom of Flowers? Princess Dandelion... she shouldn't have done anything foolish yet, right? What about Wing Cloud? Has the Divine Realm recovered? The key question is—"

The mimosa plant stared at the sky, seemingly quite dissatisfied.

"Where did the night go? I was sleeping soundly, but the sun came up several hours earlier than usual..." She yawned, then quickly covered her mouth, seemingly ashamed of her indecent behavior.

“It is my magic of destiny,” the ancient demon king added. “The world will be like this until the true sun rises.”

Mori took over the conversation and explained the information he knew: "The Land of Flowers has not yet been restored. The battle here has just ended, and we... are trying to save a dying life."

Sensing the heaviness in Mori's tone, the mimosa plant shook off the weariness it had felt upon waking.

"Fellow countryman, do you have any ice water...? I want to... wake up a little."

"Ah."

She walked up to Morishita, bowed her head, and showed him the verdant mimosa. He skillfully conjured a spell with his fingers, pouring ice water over it. As the ice water touched the leaves, the mimosa closed up, refusing to be seen by anyone else.

The mimosa plant also covered its mouth tightly, because if it didn't, the whimpering and moaning that came from its comfort would be exposed.

Mori understood perfectly.

"Alas, my fellow countrymen."

“What a terrible curse…” She wiped away the excess water, looking helplessly at Yuan. “Ancient Demon King, I don’t understand why… you would harm an innocent girl…”

"I'm doing everything I can to save her now," the ancient demon king murmured.

"So you just... wanted to kill it." With her keen mind, Mimosa understood the scene that had awakened her. She silently observed the unfamiliar Seasonal Being before her, sensing her divine essence and the full flower bud.

"The coffin bearers."

"I understand... I'll try my best." Mori gripped the vine again, wanting to uproot it and see what his soul was really like.

Although interrupted, Mori had to continue this utterly terrible task. Killing the ancient demon king was the only answer they could come up with when they were at their wits' end.

"Unfortunately, there's no time left, and this is all you can do." A sigh escaped from the mimosa's lips.

Sen Shi sensed something strange: "Is there another way?"

She took a few steps back, wrapping her robe tighter around herself, and said sadly, "Don't hold out hope. It won't be the answer you want. The conditions... can't be met."

Tell me about it.

“I don’t know where the gravedigger has traveled to… If the gravedigger is still here, although it’s impossible to lift the curse, he can bury it in the bottomless depths of the grave. Then, your precious panacea can heal her broken body—but…”

“We don’t have time to look for people…” Mori’s newly ignited hope turned into a lot of helplessness.

"Yes, it's too late. Unless there's someone who can control time... or we find the clock city where the tomb keeper is located. But... the ancient demon king has relinquished his divine authority."

The ancient demon king was initially overjoyed at his ability to "control time," but then slowly remembered what he had sacrificed in exchange for his current freedom. A sense of sorrow permeated his boundless body, as if it could wither the entire world.

At this moment, the noble sea god seemed to be deep in thought: "I have a good friend named Shan..."

……

(I overdid it and hurt my fingers a bit, but I managed to write two chapters despite my exhaustion, so there won't be a third update today... I'll see how I recover tomorrow and see if I can make up for it.)

Volume 1, Chapter 338: True Hope

The devil always likes to give people hope.

Mortals—those who live, struggle, suffer, and survive in the human world—will always summon the devil when they are at their wits' end, surrendering everything they have to indulge in incurable temptations.

Humans call such a deal "the last hope".

The devil always manages to offer this kind of redemption.

But the ancient king of demons could not give himself hope, perhaps because it was no longer a demon... For the first time, it felt desperate and did not know who to make a deal with or seek help from.

The Four Seasons' panacea... Of course it knew that this thing was priceless. Not to mention that the Four Seasons were currently homeless and without a country, even in the heyday of the Flower Kingdom, obtaining such a fruit would have been a pipe dream.

Finding the tomb keeper? The ancient demon king sighed; it too knew of this tomb keeper. But… the tomb keeper was most likely dead, or hidden away in some corner of the vast world. It was uncertain whether even a hundred years would be enough to find him…

We also need the City of Clocks...

The meaning of this term is heavier than three worlds combined. The ancient Demon King knew it better than anyone else—it was something impossible to find.

The more you know, the more desperate you become.

"You mean that cute little sprite who always wakes me up and tells me the time? But I can't manipulate time." Sen Shi sighed, glancing sideways at Fu Fu. This sea god is much more useful than the time sprite.

Fu Fu calmly explained, "I don't know if it's the one you're talking about... but my good friend Shan does live inside a pocket watch, and she calls it the City of Pocket Watches... saying it's related to the gravedigger or something..."

Mori instinctively wanted to shake his head and sigh, but suddenly felt that something was wrong.

An inexplicable feeling exploded deep within her soul.

Coming to her senses, she had already untied the bow on her bag and taken out the pocket watch that had been lying dormant inside.

"It's 00:21 AM, late at night... Sister Moritoki can't sleep... Hmm?!?"

Halfway through her sentence, Shan suddenly noticed the eerie sky. Incredulous, she crawled out from between the tattered wind-up springs and gears, gazing at the incredible sky. How could there be such a beautiful dawn in the dead of night?

It couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.

"I...I didn't give the wrong time, how could this be..."

You definitely didn't—

"—The City of Clocks?!" The earth trembled violently, as if from the thunderous roar of the ancient Demon King.

"...Huh, fellow countryman, how did it end up in your hands?" Mimosa was equally surprised. She mustered her courage and took several steps closer to Sen Shi, grabbed her hand, and stood on tiptoe to get a better look. "The damaged clock city, it really is...it really is! And there's the time spirit used to record the silent time."

Mori always felt that his little hands were now holding the secrets of the world.