Brain bloom

Olster, watching the holy coffin bearers discuss the soul with the primordial evil, felt a touch of absurdity. He too felt a surge of curiosity, wanting to weigh the devil's bargain against himself to see if it was truly worthwhile.

Mori Toki also felt that he shouldn't make such a promise so easily: "You can't survive without the power of your soul?"

"For lower-level demons, souls are the easiest source of power to obtain... Sigh, well, I know this topic is a bit off, but thankfully the reserves in the demon realm are... barely enough."

"Besides the soul?"

"What devils need is the dirtiest souls the better; evil forces always make them taste like honey."

"Then, do you want my withered leaves?"

The ancient demon king's figure trembled slightly: "That... was too vicious. It would die before it could be converted into power. Even I couldn't convert it... Oh, wait? I remember, you planned to restore the Kingdom of Flowers?"

Mori's body trembled slightly: "...Yes, after all, I agreed a long time ago, and now it's too late to go back on my word."

“I remember that the soil of the Kingdom of Flowers was once polluted by extremely evil forces. Only the Four Seasons could restore it. If… I could obtain even a small cup of it, the Demon Realm could immediately prosper.”

"If the devils don't tempt good people, or help bad people, or help maintain the prosperity and peace of the world, but instead trade by indulging in doing good deeds... well, maybe I can talk to Dandelion."

Although he was very familiar with the Ancient Demon King and the guy wasn't a bad guy, Ke Senshi felt he still had to limit all of this.

The ancient demon king readily agreed: "It's no different from what I do normally, I agree."

"Haha... alright. So, how much of that so-called 'cup' do you want?"

"Hold on."

After saying this, the ancient demon king temporarily disappeared.

Mori then casually asked Olster, "During your period of feigned death, were you aware of the war between the Holy Coffin Kingdom and the Kingdom of Flowers?"

"Hey, to be honest, I really didn't know. Humans could do such a mess... sigh. Although my body is scattered in churches all over the world, able to observe and record the world, my consciousness was dormant until you repaired the City of Clocks."

"Do you know the area of ​​pollution in the Land of Flowers?"

"I know that. The entire land of the Flower Kingdom was once corrupted by an extremely terrible evil, and it looked like a whole black sea!"

After a few casual words, the Ancient Demon King returned to this world once again, passing through the fear in Senshi and Olster's hearts. He also brought a wine glass with him.

"Just use this to scoop out a cup, that will be enough."

……

The ancient demon king went to contact his old friends. He could travel freely all over the world, so Mori lent him his name so that he could contact Fernanda, Melia, and others as well.

Olster also had his reasons for leaving Clock City; he needed to prepare for the upcoming Fate Magic. That required a considerable amount of resources and power, but fortunately, the Holy Coffin Kingdom was wealthy enough that he could easily gather the necessary funds by "plundering" the country.

then--

The supreme goddess, the Coffin Bearer, has appeared in the world, proving her majesty and supreme radiance. No one knows exactly how many days have passed since her appearance, but today, she has once again displayed her greatness to every corner of the world.

She obtained the remains of the first and most devout believer, and then disappeared into some unknown place.

Witnessed by the "Guardians of Chaos," who waited anxiously but could only watch in silence, she returned. And with her came another: a handsome, stubble-covered, dejected man, as if he had endured centuries of arduous travel.

Unlike Mori, a newcomer to the acting world, Olster was already accustomed to his role as the first Pope. When he was resurrected and left the Clock City with Mori, he displayed his superb and time-tested acting skills.

The first pope silently followed Mori, resolute and without a trace of gloom. He was no longer the somewhat eccentric craftsman god, but a believer who always held one hand to his chest as a testament to his faith.

At first, B rejoiced at the return of the coffin bearers, unaware of who was beside her. She was also a little angry, because that spot should have belonged to her!

But then, a certain power that struck her very soul filled B with awe. Though far less overwhelming than the awe she felt upon meeting the true God, it still stirred her emotions…

Those holy relics, hastily transported from churches across the country, through sleepless nights; the devout believers brought by God Himself. B took a deep breath, as if to burst her lungs, for she had come up with an incredible deduction.

"What are you doing? Disrespectful believer." These were the irrefutable words of the first Pope. "When you face the true God, who allows you to stand?"

“…The first, the first Pope?!” She instinctively slumped down in front of Mori, even forgetting how to kneel in worship.

The first Pope nodded slightly, then said in a deep, resonant voice, “My God came to the place where I slept, a dark and desolate underworld… Ah, until my death, I did not know of its existence. My God, grateful for my sacrifice, spoke with the Supreme God who governs death, and then brought me back.”

"There are actually places like this?"

These words completely overturned B's common sense.

After the body dies, the flesh decays over time. While the soul may be preserved for a period of time, it will eventually weaken and dissipate due to insufficient energy; this is the natural order of things.

But... the underworld? The supreme god who rules over death?

This world is indeed vast and boundless, with countless strange and wonderful things yet to be discovered. B felt no regret, for she was still young and had already entered the realm of demigods. One day, she would be able to follow the Coffin Bearer and the First Pope as a subordinate god, exploring the myriad aspects of the world together.

After a moment of stunned silence, Morishi heard Olster's voice, subtly reminding him that it was all made up.

Therefore, Mori did not reveal the slightest flaw.

"The underworld...yes, I went there and spoke with an old acquaintance. Ha, that deity is as repulsive as ever, the aura of death...hmm. Oh, and his watchdog, still so...unfriendly. His little lover is stunningly beautiful, just as beautiful as last time I went...what an unpleasant experience...and—"

"—Thank you again for your help, supreme goddess." Olster quickly interrupted, feeling that Mori's story was getting more and more outrageous.

"What I need is not your gratitude, but to come with me."

After speaking, she walked to the edge of the tower, behind her were the first Pope and B, who was weeping. Mori pointed to everything below and everything further away.

“Look—this is the country you built for me, and you did a great job. I think you should come back and take a look, that’s all.”

"Everything is for you."

"Alright, why don't you go and share the burden of the believers' enthusiasm for me? I think they all want to hear you talk about what a miserable experience you have in the underworld after death, and what kind of gesture I should make when I reach out to you for help."

"...as you wish."

After that, the first pope was resurrected in the grace of the true God, and thus replaced the "Strawberry Law" as the most popular topic of conversation among bards in the streets and alleys, in the casual chatter of taverns, and in the enthusiastic exchanges between nobles and commoners.

However, unlike the majestic image that everyone was talking about so earnestly, after driving away the Pope and B, Mori Toki was timid and hesitant, and reluctantly walked into his white house.

"Dandelion".

"Oh! My Strawberry is back?"

"...How are the talks going regarding the restoration of the Kingdom of Flowers?" Mori forced a smile.

"Yes, it went smoothly."

As she spoke, Dandelion glanced familiarly at Mori's branches and leaves. But Mori's petite and adorable body trembled, her mind filled with thoughts like, "Oh no, she really is thinking about planting her seed in me," "Damn it, is she about to do it now?" and "I'm doomed, I'm not ready."

The dandelion asked with genuine concern, "What's wrong? Do you want me to water you and wash your leaves? And take good care of the flower buds too, since they'll bloom after winter."

Just as I expected! Mori was terrified; he hadn't anticipated that Dandelion would be able to hold back any longer.

"You're acting strange today, Moritoshi." Dandelion took a step closer.

"I...I'm fine." Mori took a half step back, almost tripping over himself.

Dandelion nodded, then mysteriously pulled out something—a pouch imprinted with spatial magic. A dream item coveted by every adventurer in the world, capable of holding countless things.

"Look." Dandelion opened the bag, revealing a glimmer of gold inside.

Given the coffin bearers' particular sensitivity to wealth, Mori's gaze was immediately drawn: "What's this?"

"The compensation your king gave me included hundreds of thousands of gold coins, as well as a whole bunch of glittering gold items, beautiful jewelry, and luxury goods!"

"Wow... Is it really this corrupt? I'm going to take him down." Shocked by so much money, Mori lowered his guard.

Dandelion smiled sweetly: "So, I plan to make good use of this money and build a harem for Queen Dandelion. Don't worry, it's for you. What kind of cage—oh no, I mean, palace—do you want?"

……

(ps.)

Record broken! Record broken! This chapter has 4200 words. I, the cuckoo, started writing at 4:11 AM and finished it at 5:30 AM!

As expected of someone who has arrived in the Violet Era, this cuckoo has become a devout Violet believer. This is the blessing of the Violet God!

Volume 1, Chapter 388: A Car

"What did you just say? Say it again!" Mori was like a gecko whose tail had been stepped on. Even if it meant giving up this precious tail, he had to respond swiftly.

"Huh? What is it?"

Dandelion looked completely innocent, her smile as pure as ever on her pretty face. If it weren't nighttime, her smile would be like a white cloud in the sky, instantly endearing to anyone who saw it.

"You just let it slip, didn't you?!" Suppressing the fear that seemed to come from nowhere, Mori adopted an unusually domineering posture.

"I don't understand what Mori is saying. By the way, I want to go to the ruins of the Land of Flowers as soon as possible, because the pollution there still needs to be treated in advance."

"So when are we setting off? Don't change the subject. Be clear, what are you planning to build? What do you plan to do with it?"

"I've thought about it carefully, and I'm fine with setting off tomorrow or the day after."

Without a word, Dandelion carefully put away the bag full of wealth, as if nothing had ever happened. She maintained an even brighter smile, interspersing her words with a soft, melodious tune. Only after that did she continue speaking.

“After all, while you were in the City of Clocks, I had already made arrangements with your followers. I went ahead to deal with the pollution, and then they gathered a team of artisans and mages. Then, they prepared the materials for Wing Cloud for me. As for the war reparations, we received this bag, which is enough.”

"Hmm...that's good."

“I still remember when we crossed the sea and arrived at our little manor… Do you remember, Mori, you taught me how to eat watermelon?”

"remember."

Dandelion's tone was full of longing: "When the time comes, we'll plant fields of watermelons in the newly born kingdom of flowers, and do it the way you said... how was it again? Oh, throw them into a river overnight, wait for the water to cool down, then cut them in half and scoop them out with a spoon."

"...Would there be a watermelon enthusiast who lives in all four seasons?"

"Haha, maybe so. When the people have gone through the cycle of Wing Clouds and awakened, and our country is restored, you will see many interesting Four Seasons People."

Although she said that, Mori felt no sense of reality. She hadn't experienced any brutal war with blood and swords, yet the restoration of the Flower Kingdom was imminent. Perhaps Dandelion's words stirred up some memories in Mori; she seemed to have forgotten something very important, and the emotions in her mind were being replaced by fragments of memories.

I was summoned to this world, and that's how I got to where I am today.

I'm really a bit tired...

"Then, why didn't Yuan come with you?" Dandelion nodded secretly, then pressed her advantage and steered the conversation in a more distant direction.

"I wish it were true..."

"Yes, didn't you go in again to save the vow? Didn't you swear that the tomb keeper was the first pope? Logically speaking, everything should have been resolved, right?"

Sen Shi was a little frustrated. He silently closed the door, sat down in the quiet little house, and, by the soft light of the magic crystal lamp, recounted to Dandelion everything that had happened to him in the City of Clocks.

It must be said that Dandelion is a wonderful listener. She will ask a reasonable and concise question at the right time to steer the conversation and keep it from getting boring. But most of the time, she simply listens attentively, giving Sen the illusion that Dandelion is truly well-behaved.

"I hope that this time, I can finally be rescued from this long and arduous fate," the dandelion said sincerely.

"Ah."

“Well, Queen Rose… hahaha, sigh.” Her emotions changed quickly, and her tone became more melancholic. “The real first Pope was actually our family’s ancestor. How interesting.”