Brain bloom

There's nothing else to do, it's time to go.

Sen Shi boarded the paper boat with some unease, only to find it sturdy and secure, and then there was nothing left to worry about.

"Let's go."

"It's time to go."

Dandelion pointed in a distant direction, indicating that it was the direction of home. She then told Senshi about her winery and her grand plan to return and make wine.

Mori replied casually, mostly admiring her bright, sunny smile.

As the tide receded once more, the paper boat, responding to the couple's heartfelt wishes, slowly sailed towards the other side of the sea.

……

The paper boat drifted away.

On the beach, the Rain Wizard's corpse remained silent. Occasionally, passing animals would try to get down and nibble on the human flesh, but they seemed to be afraid of something and fled in panic.

It is the soul.

A transparent soul, exactly like the Rain Wizard's, an angry soul.

“I won the bet…Thank goodness the coffin bearer didn’t burn my body.” The soul, looking pained, floated up from the corpse and frantically fled to the shade by the rocks to avoid the sunlight. “But…I’m still dead.”

He looked down at his own grotesque corpse and realized for the first time that he had been murdered.

"Damn it, damn it! They were Four Seasons Warriors? Two Four Seasons Warriors suddenly appeared and killed me? Damn it, this..."

He clenched his fist and slammed it into the reef, but his fist passed right through it. This feeling of powerlessness filled him with both sorrow and anger.

—Among powerful magicians, a very small number can temporarily retain their souls; rain wizards belong to this category.

As Mori and Dandelion approached, he was hiding among the corpses, secretly observing his killer, when he was shocked to discover that they were actually two Seasonal Beings. The surprise he felt at that moment almost made him float away.

The Rain Wizard's anger subsided, and if he still had tear ducts, he would surely shed tears that no one had ever seen before.

"I can't move it, damn it, am I going to be left behind as a corpse? I can't even go back to my homeland!"

After sighing for a long, long time, the Rain Wizard finally regained some of his composure and gazed into the distance.

"Let's take a gamble and see if I can go back before my soul dissipates."

Volume 1, Chapter 43: Voyages at Sea

Once summer is over, the sea is always shrouded in an air of loneliness, and this is especially true as night approaches.

Mori lay on the paper boat, arms outstretched, looking remarkably content—but this was merely an illusion. The damned waves rocked the paper boat like an autumn leaf; it was utterly unworthy of the name "tranquil voyage."

This made Mori feel terrible, as if she were about to melt into the sea. Her vines curled up in grievance, and as for her, the flowerpot, there was still some unsightly saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.

She got seasick.

"Wow, Senshi, a school of flying fish! Quickly use magic to catch a few over, we'll roast them and eat them."

"Please spare my life." She could barely hear herself anymore.

"Seriously, I never thought that the great hero who killed the Rain Wizard with one blow couldn't use leaves to adjust his balance... and he even gets seasick. He's just like a child."

This was the third time Dandelion had mentioned this, but Mori simply couldn't do it. Use leaves to regain balance? It sounded like she might as well just feed it to a shark. Damn it, it was so uncomfortable… Her stomach cramped slightly, and her body simply couldn't support her to stand up.

But if you lie down, the pain from the rocking of the boat will become even more intense.

"Give me... give me motion sickness medicine..."

"Mori, look! Don't we look like we're sailing towards the sunset? It's so beautiful."

The dandelion still sat gracefully by the boat, gazing at the crimson line on the horizon, where the snow-white paper boat sailed towards it. It was the magnificent stroke of the setting sun painting the sky, the last glimmer of light before nightfall.

"I'm going to...die." Mori Toki still couldn't muster the willpower.

"Look at the sky before you die; this sunset is perfect for reflecting your body."

Mori, struggling to keep his eyes open, forced them shut—the first thing he saw was several seagulls gliding across the clear, gradually changing sky. Even while seasick, Mori had to admit that the world was beautiful.

Just then, Fufu popped out of her pocket.

"I smell salt..."

"Because this is the sea," the dandelion replied.

Fufufu circled around Moritoki once, finally landing on her head. Fufufu darted in and out of Moritoki's windswept hair before settling on a leaf.

She was a little scared: "It seems... the plants aren't doing well?"

"What's wrong with the plants?" Hearing Fufu say this, Dandelion turned around, picked up the strawberry vines with her hands in confusion, and was slightly surprised, "Wow, they're a bit withered, they were perfectly healthy before."

"...Is that why I get seasick?" Mori asked with difficulty.

"It should be that they are unable to regulate their body's balance."

Dandelion then said a few more words about Senshi, saying that she didn't know how to protect plant health and was a foolish seasonalist. She vented her frustrations before offering an explanation.

"Just how much pickled food did you steal and eat?"

"No... I ate the same thing as you."

"How could it have salt poisoning? Look, plants are working hard to excrete excess salt."

Upon hearing the name, Mori immediately understood what was going on. The Four Seasons' body was really difficult to take care of... She squeezed out the last of her strength, reached out and grabbed the adorable Fukufu, placing it in front of her.

You shouldn't have licked me.

"...It won't happen again next time."

Fortunately, there was a solution to this situation. Dandelion used one of the few elemental magic spells she knew, Ice Arrow, to put an ice arrow made of her mental energy into Mori's mouth to replenish her water. She also took out the remaining mental energy potion and watered her leaves.

Having done all that, the dandelion removed its corolla and plucked a petal.

"Luckily, my brain is about to bloom again this year, otherwise I wouldn't be willing to ruin the integrity of the flower crown."

"Feel sorry……"

After eating several ice arrows, Mori finally regained some strength and was able to sit up with difficulty.

But then Dandelion grabbed her by the neck and pulled her back to the ground. Just as she was wondering what was going on, Dandelion suddenly pinched her face, pried open her mouth, and put a petal on her tongue.

"Don't swallow it, hold it in your mouth until it dissolves."

“…Hmm,” Mori replied vaguely.

The petal slowly melted on her tongue, leaving a wonderful taste. It was like the sweetness of honey and maltose, yet also had a natural flavor from the forest, just like... the taste of a dandelion itself, very comforting.

The petals melted quickly, and the scent of dandelion dissipated soon after.

But it also revitalized Moritoki, and the leaves on its head unfurled, displaying a healthy, tender green from head to toe. No matter how much the paper boat swayed, Moritoki felt no discomfort whatsoever.

Fu Fu stopped at the bow of the boat, feeling guilty, and didn't dare to get too close to the two Seasons Keepers. She realized that she was harmful to the plants—but the next second she was grabbed by Dandelion.

"Salt sprite, why are you licking the forest?"

……

By the time everything was explained, the last rays of the setting sun had faded.

Fufu, punished by Dandelion to "go out into the sea and catch some fish," is currently hooked onto a fishing line and diving into the deep sea to fish. The fishing rod is a creation of natural magic, while the fishing line is clothing material provided by Sen Shi.

As for the bait, it was very obedient and dared not complain.

Sen Shi was full of energy and was whittling wood branches to prepare for grilling fish later.

Dandelion, of course, went fishing. She took off her robes and boots, rolled up her trousers, and sat by the boat, fishing. But she looked at the sky with disappointment; she had intended to enjoy the sunset from beginning to end, but this was what happened…

"The sunset is gone... what a pity."

"Then let's wait for the sunrise."

"……Too."

She lifted her fishing rod, and Fufu seemed to have used some kind of magic to catch a few small fish, enough for today's food. She tossed the fish to Sen Shi to handle; after all, she had wasted a petal, giving her a legitimate excuse to be lazy. Occasionally, she would recall her princess status and experience being waited on—it wasn't bad at all.

"Senshi, it's getting late, remember to keep Yezi warm," she reminded her.

"Hmm, keep warm... wait a minute." Morishi suddenly looked up, "Nightfall?"

"What's wrong?"

Mori swallowed hard, his tone curious—but more so worried: "Are there ghosts at sea? You know, the kind that... wander around towns."

"No, that won't happen."

"...That's right, I forgot, you said that they only exist in towns or places where people gather."

She felt relieved, wiped the cold sweat that had unknowingly appeared on her forehead, and prepared to continue gutting the fish to grill it.

“That’s not the reason—” Dandelion glanced at Fufu, looking thoughtful, “I didn’t tell you everything last time because I wasn’t sure if this little guy was trustworthy, but now that he’s followed us…”

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell anyone that the ghost thing was actually something that Tu Mi and I created."

Volume 1 #044 - A Little Complicated

Upon hearing Dandelion's words, Mori's hand trembled, and he almost cut himself. He quickly put down the knife and the fish he was processing.

She wiped her hands, touched her small, pointed ears—her hearing was fine. Then…could it be that Dandelion said something wrong? Were the night ghosts that every town shunned their way out of? Were they the culprits?

Dandelion said calmly, "Sen Shi, since you know about the three ancient sacred objects of the Kingdom of Flowers, you should know their effects, right?"

I guess so...

Following suit, Mori also took a bite of the Ice Arrow spell to calm himself down, and then slowly began to recall the three sacred relics that were crucial to the game era.

"Let me think... Is there a 'Rose Oath Ring' that can greatly enhance the effects of magic? And a 'Winged Cloud Feather' that can temporarily grant one control over nature? I'm not mistaken, am I?"

"So you really do know the secrets of the Kingdom of Flowers."

“And… I remember now, it’s the flower crown left behind by the ancestor of the Kingdom of Flowers—I mean, the incomparably noble founding queen. But what was the purpose of that rose crown? To be honest, I don’t quite remember.”

"It is called 'The Rose Queen's Everlasting Crown'."

“Yes, that’s what it’s called… but I remember this crown has more symbolic meaning? It’s not as practical as the other two…” Mori tried to make his tone sound natural. “Is there some secret in it? Is it related to ghosts?”

Dandelion first pointed to the fish, then to her own belly. Sen understood immediately, lowered his head and continued to process the internal organs, while listening attentively to Dandelion's explanation.