Brain bloom

"That is."

Even in the so-called gaming era, having this kind of gear would make you a top-tier player. Overall, Sen Shi showed a somewhat satisfied smile regarding these gains.

"Oh, right, I also bought some jewelry." Putting down the gemstone from the forest, Dandelion took out the magic bag of the secular king and showed off her haul for the day.

“Look, this is very strange. It looks like a ring made of a small golden worm. It was covered in dust and was sitting in the corner of a small shop, so I bought it on a whim.”

She was fiddling with a ring that looked quite old.

After observing for a while, Mori stared at her with wide eyes: "...Uh, this ring isn't very good. Look, the craftsmanship... um... the materials and stuff, it's just not very good anywhere. Should we throw it away? The design isn't very auspicious either..."

"Well, I feel pretty energetic after wearing it."

"No, no, this is usually the effect of a curse."

"Nonsense!" Mori thought to himself, because this was a legendary item... Damn it, how could it appear here? In the game era, one had to delve into a dangerous insect hive, paying a considerable price and going through a complicated process, to have any hope of obtaining this limited legendary ring, the Entanglement of the Divine Insect...

Mori quietly wiped the sweat from his palms, pondering how to persuade her to throw it away, even if it meant throwing it down the drain, it would be better than it becoming an obstacle in the future.

"Oh, right, and these too. Look, I also bought a really nice-looking medal, supposedly a talisman or something..." As she spoke, Dandelion slowly pulled out another of her finds, and then, a deep golden light emanated from it.

"Pfft—" Sen Shi almost spat out the tea in his mouth and then choked on it.

"what's wrong?"

"I sensed a terrible curse emanating from this item."

But in fact, it was an extremely terrifying and significant item. Perhaps the only relic left behind by a certain Dark Knight… or something like that. Mori didn't remember the backstory very clearly, because the medal's intrinsic value was more noteworthy.

Dandelion laughed: "Hahaha, nonsense, I feel refreshed when I wear it."

She didn't take it seriously, not only putting on the ring but also hanging the medal on the front of her robe, after which she exuded an extremely powerful aura of authority. Even the marble table and chairs beneath her and elbows showed faint cracks.

Sen Shi swallowed hard, focusing his mind intently as he looked at the dandelion.

[Level 99 - Dandelion, the Flower Princess Who Surrounds the Coffin Bearers]

"……you……"

"Ok?"

"...From when you summoned me until now...you don't seem to have any achievements, do you?" Mori said in a frustrated voice, while vigorously rubbing his head. "Why...why?! Why did you become so strong?"

"Haha, so you can become stronger by sunbathing in all four seasons? While you're out adventuring or doing small business, I'm sunbathing every day. Is that so strange?"

"wrong……"

Dandelion continued, her tone calm and gentle: "As for achievements, well, they are nothing compared to yours. But have you forgotten? When Silvermoon City was attacked by the Evil Mist, who stopped the monsters the whole way? Come to think of it, that one night was worth three months of my sunbathing."

"...I sunbathe too, so why isn't it as efficient?" Sen Shi's face looked like it had been ravaged by a storm.

"You don't use the special nutrients from the Four Seasons every day. Maybe all great heroes are like this, just needing a little ice water every day is enough," Dandelion said casually, then rang the bell and hurried off to chase after lunch.

Sen sighed and silently moved the chair closer to the window. Better late than never, a little more sunshine is always good.

After lunch, since we were going to the ruins of the Land of Flowers that evening, Mori told the Thunderstorm Cloud Insect in advance, in case the guy got entangled with other clouds and caused us to miss our plans.

Sen Shi deliberately spent an hour selling as many magic scrolls as possible. These substantial gold coins circulated in the market, transforming into various strange and rare high-level magical plants. Improving one's strength involves more than just equipment and levels; potions are also an essential component.

"What, not trying to find a powerful backer this time?" The weary voice in his mind chuckled. "You're actually choosing to improve yourself through traditional means instead of relying on your debt-collecting power?"

"You need to find a strong mentor, but you also need to become stronger yourself."

"Isn't that princess loaded with a fortune? Our slingshots can take her down."

“I just want to escape the fate of being impregnated, not to kill her.” Without the slightest hesitation, Mori said the obvious thing.

The Primordial God chuckled and didn't pursue the matter further. As usual, after teasing Moritoki, he should have gone back to sleep. But this guy, who was usually impossible to wake up, showed up on his own this time, and Moritoki seized the opportunity.

"Since we're both like interest from Eden Bank, could you teach me how to use divine power? I should have accumulated some faith."

"Don't think about it. Let's be optimistic. You're a Four Seasons Being with a Dark Soul, wearing the divine name of the Coffin Bearer with sacred properties. You're lucky you didn't self-destruct... And you still want to use divine power? I don't want you to die, because that would mean I would lose my home and then disappear, unable to respond to her waiting."

"...So that's how it is?"

"What else? Okay, I'm going to sleep—oh, don't worry too much. There are so many important people willing to come running to be your lapdog, stopping Dandelion shouldn't be a problem. Good luck."

Then, no matter how much Sen Shi called out in his heart, the primordial god no longer responded.

……

To forge equipment, a quiet place was needed, and the best choice was naturally that house known as the abode of the gods. So, as soon as he and Dandelion returned to their lodgings, Mori went straight to his room.

A few seconds later, it came out again.

Dandelion!

"...Hmm?" Suddenly, Dandelion's expression became a little mischievous. "Just do your proper work during the day and stop thinking about my affection. Be good."

"...No, no, that's not it." Mori wiped away the blush that naturally appeared on his face and brought up a serious matter, "After the restoration of the kingdom, we will hold the Wing Cloud Festival. So what about Tu Mi? Will her lost soul also be called back by the Wing Cloud Festival?"

After a moment's thought, Dandelion replied in a serious and solemn tone: "That's not necessarily true. Each generation of Flower Priests is unique. Even Tu Mi, who raised me since I was a child, I don't know her personal will. After all, not all deaths stem from defeat in battle; some people choose to walk towards death."

Sen Shi recounted the entire story, from Yin Wen's desire to see Tu Mi so she could offer some assistance in dealing with the curse. After listening, she pondered for about ten seconds before the long silence was finally broken by Dandelion.

“Since it’s for a wish, I will help. But as I said before, perhaps Tu Mi would rather embrace death forever. So, I can only promise that I will take advantage of the opportunity with Yi Yun to temporarily awaken Tu Mi. I can still do that. At that time, let Yin Wen ask her herself.”

"That should work."

"This is really strange. How can Tu Mi have such a fervent suitor?" Dandelion chuckled, unsure whether to be happy or worried.

"Okay, then I'll talk to it like that."

After saying that, Mori went into his room and began working on a huge pile of materials. At the same time, he told Dandelion to tell any believers who came to disturb him to pray quietly outside the door and not bother her.

So—B was stopped at the door.

In the afternoon, when the sun was at its brightest, Dandelion basked in its sun as usual, clutching its newly bought book of nature's magic. Now that there was no longer any enmity with enemy nations or the hatred of a fallen country, Dandelion was enjoying its peaceful time. At the door, a knight, having mustered his courage, knocked.

"I am the guardian of the Blade of Chaos, and I must report to the true god if I have any questions."

"Your god has locked himself in a room and told no one else to go in. We don't know what he's doing," Dandelion explained to B, lifting her gaze from the book.

She was in a dilemma, her five fingers, which habitually gripped the sword hilt, trembling nervously: "But I have important information...and there is also a major question that requires the true god to make a decision personally."

“I can speak for your god, after all…” She swallowed the “after all, we’re in a relationship” part and said seriously, “Reporting problems to me is the same as reporting to her.”

After careful consideration, B felt that Dandelion was someone who always followed the true God and was also a fellow human being with whom they could trust each other, so he whispered some things to her.

"The fighting force that the true God asked me to gather has taken shape after working through the night."

"...The...combat force that was gathered?" Dandelion's eyes were different sizes, but both were filled with doubt.

"Yes, the true god once issued a divine decree, summoning magicians, knights, and other elite warriors—the stronger the better—at the same time as the establishment of the Kingdom of Flowers. They need to do something of great importance that cannot be spoken of… Princess Dandelion, is this related to your country? The Kingdom of Flowers also needs our strength to wage some kind of war, right?"

Dandelion placed the bookmark into the magic book, and the doubt gradually faded from her face.

"Hey...I see." She smiled instead. "The little guy is really naughty, after all, he's going through a rebellious phase."

"Uh?"

“It’s nothing. Just do as the coffin bearers instructed. But there are some things I can tell you in advance, as a way to appease their confusion.” A sly glint flashed in her eyes, and her tone was cheerful. “This force was indeed built for the Kingdom of Flowers, because there are powerful monsters in the Kingdom of Flowers that need to be eliminated.”

"Ah, I see, I understand now." B expressed her understanding, and her anxiety turned into relief.

"When the Kingdom of Flowers is established, you can command this army to go to the Kingdom of Flowers. The True God will be very busy at that time—well, he probably won't have the opportunity to command it personally."

Volume 1, Chapter 393: The Old Woman

As evening fell, with a creaking sound, the wooden door to Morishita's small room was gently pushed open. Dandelion was still engrossed in reading her magic book, but upon hearing Morishita's movement, she immediately looked up.

Mori changed completely.

While she could make herself shine with just her face and hair on ordinary days, she was a completely different person when she dressed up. It wasn't heavy makeup, but rather a dazzling display of jewels. Just as Mori had said before, she had poured all the jewels she bought into herself.

Of her ten fingers, only three were not covered by rings. If it weren't for the elegant and exquisite design and craftsmanship of each ring, Sen Shi would probably have been ridiculed for her nouveau riche style, instead of the refined demeanor she exudes now.

A necklace made of five gemstones and many smaller gemstones, a pair of seemingly simple earrings, a bracelet cut directly from a single gemstone. There were also brooches, hair clips... Dandelion laughed heartily, because Morishi really was decked out in head-to-toe accessories.

"What are you laughing at..." Mori Toki felt a little uncomfortable.

"No, no, I just think you look beautiful after you dressed up."

Mori felt no joy, only deep sorrow. With the equipment she had, she could greatly enhance her strength, even though she hadn't yet reached level 70. Without relying on the Debt Collector set, she felt she could normally deal with enemies around level 90, but she wasn't so confident against Dandelion.

Dandelion ignored her dejected look, instead pointing to the door and softly asking, "Shall we set off?"

"Yes, that's about right."

"Try to get there before it gets completely dark..." Dandelion said thoughtfully, fiddling with the end of her hair. "Then stay overnight nearby and deal with the pollution tomorrow. I don't know if that area has been taken over by monsters."

After several hours of focused work, Mori was exhausted. He simply followed Dandelion silently, and without the believers noticing, he quietly climbed the cloud ladder and onto the back of the prepared thundercloud worm. This creature was unusually energetic, its body radiating bursts of thunder and lightning.

"Where are we going?" it asked.

"You should know about the ruins of the Land of Flowers, right?" Mori sat down cross-legged and took out a map to study the route. "It's okay to fly fast, we'll try to get there before dark."

"Uh...that place? That area is a no-fly zone. Once you enter, unless you're high enough to touch the realm of gods, your body will be destroyed by the powerful filth. Even for me, to go deep into that place...sigh, I don't want to go..."

"Then fly as close as possible, and we'll go down and walk."

"okay."

Mori had already discerned the severity of the pollution from the wine glass lying peacefully in his bag. Was just one glass enough to become the devils' future food? Rather than fear and his usual surprise, this time, Mori felt a surge of curiosity, wanting to see for himself just how serious it was.

As the Thundercloud Worms were watched with awe throughout the Holy Land and by all the citizens whose news had spread, they gradually left the Holy Coffin Kingdom's sphere of influence and headed deeper into the interior.

The closer one gets to this direction, the more eerie and desolate it becomes. This is a plain with excellent geographical conditions, which should have vast expanses of lush grasslands or woodlands, yet it is sparsely populated, the climate is exceptionally harsh, and the vegetation is gradually thinning…

Occasionally, one can spot the shadows of large monsters, but these all belong to high-level evil forces and are not to be trifled with. Only these kinds of creatures could possibly survive in this area…

Sen Shi glanced at Dandelion furtively. As always, she sat on the edge of the cloud, looking down at all the things along the way, her eyes gleaming with a touch of sadness.

If Mori asked, she would explain in detail how fertile the grasslands to the east had once been, how towering and proud the forests to the west had been… But now, none of the murky scenes could stir her emotions. She had come here precisely to resolve the problem, and there was no need to add to her worries.

The closer they got, the more tense the atmosphere became, and the speed of the thundercloud worms slowed down.

"Huh?" Suddenly, it made a discovery, its voice filled with surprise.

"what happened?"

"There are still people living around here!"

"A human?" Mori stroked his chin. "A powerful being with some kind of purpose? Or a reclusive seasonal being? Or perhaps a true god I don't know about?"

The thundercloud worm lowered its altitude and observed carefully for a while before giving its answer: "It doesn't seem to be any of them... just an ordinary human, that's the feeling. It's incredible that it can live so close to pollution."