Brain bloom

Although it's hard to accept, this is the real reality... And what about her?

"How do you make bread again? I haven't tried in ages," the mythical figure asked, his hands busy at work. Sometimes he'd put in too much flour, so he'd have to add water, then too much water, and then he'd have to add flour again...

His clumsiness caused the ancient demon king to push the old man aside and take matters into his own hands. Whether adding yeast or kneading the dough, he did it all with practiced ease, as if he did it all the time. Dandelion also ran over, savoring the freshly ground, still warm wheat flour—a rare treat indeed.

They had all moved on from that long memory, except for Mori, who remained seated.

"The coffin bearers."

"what's up?"

"If you still have doubts, go and visit your country."

As the previous details suggest, it seems to have figured something out: the coffin bearer is at least not a simple true god, but it doesn't care.

"If you find it troublesome and insist on bothering me to answer your questions, that's fine too. After all, you are our father and daughter's benefactor, and we owe you a huge price."

"...Then I'll go take a look, to the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin."

"Because you're tired of listening to me talk?"

"more or less."

The ancient demon king laughed for a while, then lowered his head and focused on helping the bread ferment. He was indeed quite skilled at making bread; he probably occasionally went to the human world to buy the food that humans needed... but he wasn't sure about the quality of the finished product, so he simply learned to make it himself.

Mori could only temporarily silence the pile of questions in his mind by imagining the father and daughter.

Dandelion, her face still covered in flour, ran up behind Mori and asked expectantly, "Mori, are we going to the Holy Coffin Kingdom?"

"Okay." She nodded. "After I finish helping you with the affairs of the Kingdom of Flowers, I need to travel around and ask around."

"Don't forget, you must take revenge."

"...Revenge?" For a moment, Mori's mind was a bit confused. "The hatred from that war? Yes... but now I'm a little unsure which side was the victim of the war."

"No, no, you forgot. Didn't those stupid believers get blown up on your head because of Hodge's successful plot?"

"Hmm... about this..." Mori hesitated.

At this moment, the mythological period spoke up: "Don't be too merciful to mortals who believe in the true God. Even if you like to bestow happiness, you should maintain your severity. Humans are very foolish, they don't know how to be grateful, and they will forget how much you have given."

“That’s right, you should punish these people severely! The majesty of the true god is inviolable, and the true god is always willful and capricious! Moreover, you are a Four Seasons Master, don’t let the darkness in your soul disgrace you.”

The ancient Demon King chimed in, pretending to offer advice. In reality, the people of the Holy Coffin Kingdom had been obstructing the devil's business dealings, and the demon naturally wanted to see them taught a lesson.

These words were like sweet dates, making Mori feel very excited. Now, a perfectly legitimate and flawless reason was laid out before her. She could use this reason to do many things that were not so kind, but that would make her happy, and humans would only obediently accept the punishment.

"Then I'll squeeze a hefty sum of money out of them, find a really beautiful piece of land, and have them build me a huge castle, complete with a whole bunch of maids..."

The other three looked solemn, all glancing subtly at Mori.

Is this divine punishment for those who deliver the coffin?

"Then I'll ask them again... for some soldiers or something?" Mori tried to ask for more payment.

"I get it, it's a joke."

"Hmm... I think so too."

“I thought that since the coffin bearers had spent an endless amount of gold coins, the divine punishment should now be taking back all of them… I mean taking back everything, not just giving them a castle and being satisfied.”

Mori decided to think about this issue later, probably because his mind was full of questions, leaving little room for desire.

Afterwards, not in a hurry, the two decided to stay a little longer. They would eat some freshly baked bread rolls and, while they were at it, take care of Fufu's matter. This salt elf, who had just regained her divine status but was still a bit silly, was even more inexperienced than Senshi.

If you really think about it carefully, a whole host of problems are still ahead.

For example, how to stabilize the sea god's cult, the methods for constructing shrines, the use and suppression of divine power, and the collection of faith. As for Fu Fu, he is currently extremely weak; it would be best for him to attach himself to the pantheon of the coffin bearers, at least then he wouldn't be destroyed by a quietly appearing evil god again.

The ancient demon king was happy to teach him personally, but unfortunately, Fu Fu was only pretending to listen.

Bored, Sen looked around and her gaze fell on the pile of cut wheat stalks that had been stacked to the side.

Perhaps it was her instinct as a woman of the four seasons, but she stood up, straightened the wrinkles in her skirt, and gathered a pile of wheat stalks. Before she knew it, her little bottom was numb from sitting. The title of master tailor has yet to be relinquished. Her hands, capable of weaving the world, remain incredibly skillful.

When I came to my senses, the wheat stalks had already been processed, and then they were intertwined one by one, forming a basic weaving pattern.

The straw, supple and brightly colored, is woven into a wide-brimmed straw hat. Then, it is wrapped with a piece of light blue cloth and tied into a full bow.

Originally, this kind of hat should be adorned with flowers to truly capture the beauty of summer. But no flower could compare to the one on her head. So, Mori made a small hole and threaded a strawberry bud and a few tender green leaves through it.

"Beautiful!" Dandelion clapped her hands from the side.

"That is."

When traveling, it's always good to cover the plants on your head. But wearing a robe or hood all the time would be too unromantic. A pretty hat like this, which doesn't block the flowers from enjoying the sunshine, is something she should have had long ago.

With her long hair styled into braids and paired with this white dress, Mori felt she looked absolutely stunning.

“But it’s winter now… If you dress like that, people will look at you like you’re an idiot,” Dandelion reminded her from the side.

"Where there are dresses, it's summer."

Book 1, Chapter 366: The Last Question

The bread tasted surprisingly good, so Sen took ten with him to eat on the way.

This is wheat from the realm of demons, cultivated by the Four Seasons. It was then ground into flour by the mythical figure of the full stop, and finally made by the ancient Demon King himself. Thinking about it carefully, this seemingly simple and unremarkable bread is incredibly cliché in this world. But no matter what, it's meant to be eaten by those who carry coffins…

Mori couldn't help but feel that he was living the most understated yet luxurious life.

Thinking of this, Mori's eyes suddenly flickered.

"Owl, do you want to start farming in the Demon Realm?"

"With this thought, my daughter's curse was lifted... and I, the burden on my shoulders has been lifted. Although I have always been an incompetent ruler, it seems that it is not too late to try now... I want Yuan to see a kind world when she wakes up."

Just like in the dream world, at the beginning of the world, those desolate scenes remained unchanged, and Mori knew very well the charm of plants.

Her fingers rummaged through her bag as she asked, "Shall we make a deal?"

"Does the true God, the One of the Four Seasons, intend to personally guide agriculture?"

“I have some high-yield wheat seeds here, which I obtained from a strange wheat flour monster a long time ago.”

"Oh, I know what that is. Well then, I'll give you something too, it's only fair. What would you like?"

It spoke in a lavish tone, as if it had everything. But then it remembered that it had given all its assets to Yuan, leaving nothing behind, not even the world itself.

Fortunately, what Mori wanted wasn't material things: "I want to ask you a question."

Sen Shi beckoned to it with his finger and then pointed to his ear. The Ancient Demon King leaned in curiously, wondering why this guy was being so secretive. Did he want to discuss some strange topics that couldn't be told to the dandelion? Could it be... that he's here to ask for a wish?

"I can't see your rank, but can you see mine?"

"..."

A voice as soft as the wind whispered in the ear of the ancient Demon King.

"And I can't see the wish either."

"..." The ancient demon king's face was extremely solemn, and his eyes became strange.

"Looks like I didn't ask the wrong question."

When Mori first met the Ancient Demon King, he tried to observe its level. All he got was a bunch of blurry characters, not even a proper name box, which wasn't surprising. But at that time, Mori's seemingly casual glance was noticed by the Ancient Demon King, and it reacted strongly.

She too had been stared at intently by the gaze of the ancient demon king, as if he wanted to pierce through the deepest part of her soul.

From that moment on, Mori had a vague suspicion in his mind...

The ancient demon king remained silent in the face of her abrupt question, offering no clear answer. Yet, it felt uneasy and restless; its golden eyes, the kind only an owl would possess, met Sen Shi's gaze from the shadows, holding countless unspoken messages that only the two of them could vaguely comprehend.

Then--

Mori closed her eyes, changed her title, replacing "Master Tailor" with "The One Who Turns the Clock." When she opened her eyes again, she felt once more that her soul had been completely pierced.

"...It seems everything is correct. If you see the tomb keeper, remember to tell me." The Ancient Demon King had already looked away.

"The gravedigger... yes, you haven't told me about the gravedigger yet."

"I only promised to talk about Eden Bank, but I didn't get to that part because that old man interrupted me. But coincidentally, at the highest point of the Holy Coffin Kingdom, in the glazed tower, there's someone you should meet. Also, I'm curious, what do I look like in your eyes right now?"

Sen Shi remembered its words and, in return, returned a chilling gaze. The ancient demon queen shuddered, but did not resist. She had finally glimpsed the name box belonging to this primordial evil.

The Primal Evil

The ranks and names that should have been there were nowhere to be found. Not even a question mark, only the terrifying code name of the primordial evil, just that one sentence…

"Primordial evil".

"Is that so... Alright. Coffin bearer, don't expect me to give you the answer." The golden pupils disappeared back into the shadows. "This is what I want to understand, my origin. I should have been able to understand, but never mind... I don't want to waste another ten thousand years."

"In that case, let's say goodbye."

"Hmm, let's go visit the Kingdom of the Holy Coffin. Keep that pocket watch safe; hopefully it's still inside."

"Of course I know... I'll tell you if I run into the gravedigger."

Now, the conversation seemed to have finally come to an end. Seizing this opportunity, Dandelion swiftly pulled Sen Shi into a hug: "What were you two talking about? Could it be…?"

"We negotiated the price, and the remaining wheat seeds sold for a very good price."

"Tell me, how much?"

As she spoke, she reached out to ask for it, her face full of skepticism. All discussions about the price should be in gold coins.

Sen didn't hand her even a single gold coin, because her baggage was already empty. He simply straightened his cool straw hat and placed his hand where it had fallen—the hand he held with Dandelion's.

"King of Ancient Demons, send us away."

"capital?"

"We'll just walk to the villages on the outskirts."

"understood."

Thus, a girl who was in the height of summer and whose coolness could refresh anyone's eyes, led another girl who was wrapped in a thick robe and was clearly fighting against the cold winter, and stepped into the territory of the Holy Coffin Kingdom.

……

As the phantom of the teleportation gate dissipated, the figures of the two girls finally vanished. The myth seemed to return to its rightful place, transforming back into the same serious and silent old man he had always been. He sat down again, hunched over.

"What did she ask?" The mythical period was intrigued.

"A question...that I am still seeking an answer to." The ancient demon king spoke vaguely, offering only these few words.