Brain bloom

"It seems like it wants to play with you, but you keep pushing it like this?" Mori asked half-jokingly.

After a moment of stunned silence, Dandelion chuckled: "Playing? Little Sister Senshi, look what it's doing, purifying evil. That's exactly what we Four Seasons People have in abundance. If I don't stop it, it'll suck my soul."

"So, they're the natural enemies of the Four Seasons?"

"No, it's very weak in combat. It just hugs me and opens its mouth." Dandelion shrugged.

And so, Mori and Dandelion decided on their rotation. Dandelion would do the work first, while Mori, bored, would take off his clothes and soak and swim in the murky sea. As long as they didn't get close to the Big Mouth Monster's area, it was quite fun.

Unfortunately, Fufu didn't dare to come out at all, and could only hide in her bag, enveloped by dandelions. The Thunderstorm Cloud Bug didn't dare to approach either, probably off to chat with a nearby cloud merchant. To any creature that wasn't a Four Seasons Being, the Forest Time, which could bathe and have fun inside, was a monster.

"Oh...I forgot."

Mori found a wine glass among the dandelions and, with a hint of apology, filled it with the evil the ancient devil king needed.

……

For a full six hours, Mori used inhumane methods such as kicking, hitting, and pushing to force the slime girl to continue working. The girl remained cheerful throughout, without a single distraction, and continued drinking from the filthy sea.

Even the water level showed a visible decrease, proving that everything was effective.

After a grueling six hours, a weary Morishi was about to switch shifts with Dandelion and was thinking about where to sleep and rest when Dandelion's exclamation startled him awake.

"They're already asking for the results?"

"result?"

"This is the first... well, a magnificent fruit symbolizing the vitality of nature!"

As soon as he turned around following the sound, Sen Shi's gaze was immediately drawn to what Dandelion was holding.

It is... a slime girl's eyeball.

But at this moment, it shone with an unimaginable, boundless green, and the radiance it contained was breathtaking. Although Mori was a secondhand user of the four seasons, he could understand that this thing was undoubtedly the key to awakening and restoring the land.

No emerald in the world can compare to it; it is like a tiny, transparent green planet, endlessly regenerating in the hands of a dandelion.

Even though its eyes had been removed, Slime Girl was still smiling happily and didn't feel hurt at all.

"Are you going to remove the eyeballs later?"

"It's not an eyeball, it's a fruit. Don't be fooled, it's not a woman, don't judge it with your kindness."

"……Um."

After thinking for a moment, Dandelion added some more, but her tone became gentler: "Hell's Day, that's its name. It's a member of the plant family that grows in hell, a noble and incredible plant... but, from sprouting to withering, it can only exist for a few seconds."

"So evil is nourishment? It has consumed so much to keep existing?"

"Yes, because there is plenty of food here, it can survive by constantly eating, but at most it can only live for a day... a little over. This is its destined fate. Any longer and it will wither away, and it will also offer up its fruit to thank us for calling it."

"Besides that, nothing else is left?"

“Hmm.” Dandelion nodded and said without hesitation, “To exist for even a day is already an incredible miracle. Don’t forget, there are countless things that can’t even exist.”

Mori listened intently to Dandelion's every word, and at that moment, the way the slime girl drank the seawater became exceptionally adorable. Occasionally, if she stopped to wipe her mouth or rest, Mori would begin to worry that she might die young.

In contrast, the slime girl seemed to sense their gazes and drank even more vigorously, but would occasionally turn around and grin at them.

The evil power is preserved within its body, transforming into nourishment to sustain life.

A deep, boundless black gradually stained its other eye. The dandelion explained it this way: it was another fruit to be given to Mori, a fruit that could fulfill wishes. One could foresee how dazzling a black gem it would become in the future.

Another half cycle, or three hours, had passed. Because he was afraid of the cold, Mori had already put on his clothes, but he was still barefoot.

Suddenly, she felt a stirring in her heart. Coming to her senses, she found a dark shadow perched on her shoulder. Though it was no longer necessary, and whether out of nostalgia or deliberate design, the ancient Demon King still disguised himself as an owl.

This time it was even more thorough, with layers of feathers stuck all over its body, as if it really were its own.

"It is a terrible place, almost as terrible as the realm of demons, a place where resentment and hatred gather."

"I am flattered by your compliment."

The ancient demon king used considerable power to defend himself, thus protecting his feathers. Fortunately, half of the turbid sea had been drunk away, diluting the evil aura; otherwise, the ancient demon king's feathers would have been completely melted away the moment he appeared.

Its golden eyes surveyed all directions: "Coffin bearer, I was afraid you'd forget, so I came to remind you."

“Your glass is already full of fresh wine,” Mori said, then handed it to him. “Enjoy it slowly, old owl.”

"Heh heh, how delicious... Never mind, I won't drink this. I need to conserve my strength for the upcoming battle."

"You're not leaving?"

"I want to see the revival of this land of the Land of Flowers with my own eyes. I'd like to find a good spot for Yuan in advance, to see where the best place is to observe the Winged Clouds." It spoke with hopeful anticipation, in a relaxed tone, "Unfortunately, it's pitch black everywhere."

"It's not completely purified yet."

Its gaze locked onto the slime girl: "...Hmm? The daytime of hell? I've heard of this plant in ancient texts, it's really amazing."

The slime girl seemed to know her name had been called, raising her black, diamond-like eyes as if she had spotted prey. Ignoring the dandelion seeds hitting her, she charged straight at the ancient demon king, her slightly open mouth revealing a hearty appetite.

What's going on?

"You think I'm going to eat you?"

"Oh my God."

"It even dares to eat those who live in all four seasons."

The ancient demon king was not afraid, only surprised. But the slime girl was pulled back by the dandelion and pushed back into the murky sea to eat voraciously.

With the Ancient Demon King as a chatterbox, the waiting time wasn't so boring.

Before he knew it, Mori realized that the water beneath his feet was no longer cool seawater, but earth that had been blackened. It should have been covered with greenery and flowers, but now it was a pitiful sight. But this was not tragic, because the purification work was nearing its end.

The slime girl's eating slowed down; it could no longer drink too much seawater at once.

It slowly closed its mouth with a sense of loss and reluctance when it could no longer drink anything, and the purification was over.

But it seemed oblivious to its impending disappearance, maintaining its cheerful demeanor. It approached the dandelion, unconcerned about being swept away. This time, it gave the princess who summoned it a hug—a hug devoid of any appetite.

Simply embrace her, using your soft, transparent body to feel the unique warmth of vibrant life.

Then, it melts and seeps into the earth with satisfaction.

The places it nourished immediately shed their grime, restoring the soil to its natural state, and sprouting tender green shoots. Two fruits remained atop the green.

A flawless, translucent, and soft round black diamond—this is the treasure that can respond to evil and grant wishes. As previously agreed, it was given to Mori.

There was another one. Dandelion picked it up and examined it for a while, then chuckled and said, "So that's its heart! Ha, so that's how the World Tree's seeds came about... Hmm, let's bury it here then. The new Kingdom of Flowers will be based on this."

When you brush away the soil, the dandelion buries its first harvested green fruit along with it.

The soil was leveled, a drop of special nutrient solution from the Four Seasons Plant was added, and it was gently watered like spring rain.

As if the slime girl's appetite had been awakened once more—in an instant, the entire black wasteland within sight was transformed, covered in lush, tender green grass. The slime girl had successfully completed her mission, and now she had taken root here, forever watching over this land.

Volume 1, Chapter 396: The Great Army

No one could help but feel moved. Even the ancient Demon King, who had come to visit and was used to the desolation of the Demon Realm, and who himself was the primordial evil that brought disaster, was amazed by the revitalized land.

"Ha! It reminds me of the past, of a world full of lush greenery. It's truly something to reminisce about."

"There are still some buildings missing."

"The people from the Holy Coffin Kingdom will handle this... well, I've discussed it with them enough already. It's just... um, I wonder when it will be finished."

Just as Mori was about to ask a few more questions, the sunlight was suddenly blocked out. A heavy shadow fell from the sky, resembling a massive, overwhelming thundercloud. With the troubles of the murky sea resolved, it could now freely enter the former no-fly zone and gaze upon the endless green expanse from above.

The Thunderstorm Cloud Insect was also marveling: "I never imagined that the land where the Four Seasons Live could be so beautiful!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Dandelion smiled knowingly.

Then, she lay sprawled on the grass, watching the seed she had planted herself slowly sprout. She gazed at it lovingly for a while before finally stretching comfortably.

Sen Shi gazed at everything around him. Although the plants were slowly recovering, it would probably take some time for the animals and the ecosystem to recover. But nature wouldn't shirk its time just because it was troublesome. Perhaps next time he came, Sen Shi would see butterflies fluttering and deer strolling around.

At this moment, Dandelion said to Mori, "Coffin bearer, you seem to be a goddess who governs nature, right? I remember... you can make plants grow faster or something."

“Oh, yes.” Mori touched the branches and leaves above his head. “Every time I use the power of the True God, my own strawberry vines become more lush. This is the influence of the power of the True God.”

Dandelion nodded and touched the tender sprout.

"This is the bud of the World Tree. In time, it will grow to be enormous, reaching all the way to the realm of the gods. It will bear one fruit every hundred years, which will be the cornerstone of the future of the Kingdom of Flowers, ensuring that nature never dries up, that the weather is favorable, and that everything is in harmony."

After listening to the explanation, Mori crossed his arms thoughtfully, clearly understanding her meaning.

"Then I'll try to accelerate its growth, but I can't guarantee success. You want a fruit that only bears fruit once every hundred years, right? I hope I can get you a few."

"No, no, no, nature is so beautiful now, there's no need for fruit. I do hope you can help accelerate growth... but, mainly for something else—"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Dandelion raised her slender finger, pointing at the thundercloud insect that was admiring the greenery of the earth. Perhaps Sen Shi was used to this, because this time, without Dandelion speaking, he understood her intention.

"Let the World Tree grow taller, pierce it, and hang it forever to serve as our country's protector. What do you say?"

"Stop messing with my cloud..."

As expected, it was pretty much what Senshi had thought. A second later, the thundercloud worm darted away with a "whoosh," and Senshi didn't know if it would come back... Just as the joke was going on, she and Dandelion were both smiling slightly, but the cheerful atmosphere was broken.

The Ancient Demon King suddenly vanished, and a few seconds later, the Thunderstorm Cloud Worm was brought over by the Ancient Demon King. Its attitude was unusually serious, but its actions this time were, to be fair, a bit strange.

"Did the Ancient Demon King really take your joke seriously? He even brought Yun back to curry favor with you?"

"...No way?"

The ancient demon king himself answered their questions, his deep voice descending from above and resonating in their hearts: "Your business is done, isn't it? If so, then leave. This thundercloud worm is extremely terrifying, and I think we'll need it to deal with the curse."

"The purification work is already complete..."

"Don't you want to leave yet..." The ancient demon king was getting a little anxious.

It made a special trip here, not just to remind Mori not to forget the drink from the murky sea. It also concerned its daughter's final fate, so it did everything it could to ensure that these two key figures wouldn't let it down at the most crucial moment.

“Alright.” Dandelion sat up from the ground and stroked the grass affectionately. “I’ll come back sometime. Hmm, it’s time to go.”

"Hopefully, this will solve the problem," Mori said from the side.

Without giving them time to reflect, the Ancient Demon King urged them on, finally grabbing them and hoisting them onto the back of the Thundercloud Worm, setting off for the agreed-upon destination—

Their destination was no longer the sacred site of the Holy Coffin Kingdom, the most important city in the human world, which could not be used to unleash a curse that could destroy everything. They could only consider other places, such as—the Realm of Demons.

As the ancient demon king shared his thoughts, Mori looked surprised: "If your world were destroyed as well... wouldn't you be heartbroken? I thought the demons would disregard everything and choose the human world as the location."

"This is for the sake of success. In the realm of demons, my power is the greatest. There is also the true god who is temporarily in charge of the throne for me, and the helpers I have invited. They all need the desolation of the realm of demons to stimulate their spiritual power." After saying that, the ancient demon king muttered in an almost inaudible voice, "Besides, you are a god of the human world, and you would not allow it."

"Ancient Demon King, which powerful figures have you summoned?"