Brain bloom

"So finally..." Dandelion clenched her fist and waved it in the air, extremely excited, "I can finally taste what a watermelon tastes like."

No wonder she only auctioned half this year, keeping the other half for herself... Mori looked at her with a pang of sadness. Even though she could pick the best every year, she had never tasted that sweetness...

Sen Shi gently patted Dandelion's shoulder and comforted her, "Buy them every year from now on, it'll be my treat."

She was happy for a while before she returned to a serious demeanor and continued chatting.

"I don't know what method those botanists in Silvermoon City used, but after eating the melon seeds they spat out, they couldn't grow a variety that could grow into a big, sweet watermelon. In fact, all the nobles who won the bid for the watermelons in previous years wanted to get involved in this business and break Silvermoon City's monopoly on their own, but all of them failed. No one could grow it."

Have you ever had this thought?

"Yes, but... Lord Balzac of Silvermoon City has been good to me. If I were to get into watermelon cultivation, I'm pretty sure I'd succeed."

She boasted about herself.

"But this might incur the wrath of Lord Balzac, after all, watermelons are his big business—don't forget, he gave me my winery and farmland, alas."

Living under someone else's roof really restricts you in every way, which makes Mori feel helpless, and it's a problem that needs to be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

It seemed impossible to make a profit from watermelons—in fact, she knew that watermelons weren't the right product for them. Watermelons were agricultural products, requiring a long growth period, while they needed to earn money quickly to acquire enough fighting power to establish themselves in the world; the returns from watermelons were too slow.

Dandelion then revealed some inside information: "It's said that after a few more generations of cultivation, they'll all be very sweet melons. At that time, exporting watermelons will bring in a staggering amount of wealth—do you know what that means?"

"Will we be able to steal even more money then?"

“…No, that’s not it.” Dandelion glared at Mori and said softly, “We need to be on guard.”

"To prevent the land from being reclaimed."

"Um……"

Sen Shi directly pointed out what his princess was worried about. From any perspective, the arable land around Silvermoon City was insufficient, and watermelons required land to grow. In the future, a princess of a fallen kingdom who would have abundant land but could not bring any profit and would be helpless would definitely become a thorn in the side.

"Don't worry, that won't happen."

When Mori spoke these words gently, he leaned closer to Dandelion, so that she would feel that someone she could rely on was right beside her.

……

Upon entering Silvermoon City, Sen Shi's strongest impression was its prosperity. Tudor-style buildings were scattered throughout the city, which was filled with a dense and intricate network of roads. However, the main avenues were wide and clean, and the entire city did not feel oppressive at all.

The architecture is aesthetically pleasing, with strange mechanical structures everywhere. Occasionally, strange things in the style of steam and gears move around on the streets. According to Dandelion, this is the fundamental reason for Silvermoon City's power, a technological product called "pseudo-learning craftsmanship".

After listening to her explanation, Mori roughly understood that pseudo-technology was based on steam machinery, with magic added to compensate for its shortcomings.

The pseudo-industry provided the city with astonishing productivity, which sustained its prosperity.

"Mori, let's go to the plaza first and I'll show you some things that are very important to us Four Seasons People."

"Ah."

As they walked, Dandelion introduced many things to Sen Shi, such as the most famous night market in Silvermoon City, which has been maintained even now that ghosts are rampant. It is the only nightlife left in the world and is therefore extremely famous.

There's a famous legend about the night market here—the most terrifying monster of our time, the Demon Queen who single-handedly united most of the monsters in the world and created the nation of "Chaos Land," didn't destroy humanity because the night market in Silvermoon City was free for her.

Sen Shi was quite interested in the so-called Demon Queen Banshee, but not in the night market or the legend. In her opinion, it was probably just a barbecue night market where you could eat skewers and crayfish and drink some beer at night.

In Silvermoon City, there are all kinds of shops everywhere. Even if they look inconspicuous, the shop owners may have been legendary figures.

In short, this is one of the few major cities in the world, and Mori sees it as full of opportunities.

"Princess, do you like this city?"

"Why do you ask that?" Dandelion didn't quite understand what Sen Shi was planning.

“I’m here to help you restore your kingdom. The only things I’ll consider are your safety and how to eliminate the enemy—so I’ll use everything I can. But I’m not some emotionless machine. If you have any goodwill toward this city, then we’ll avoid becoming its enemy.”

"...Are you trying to take care of my feelings?"

"of course."

She smiled helplessly and nodded: "Okay, I admit I have some affection for this city, after all, I've lived here for a long time."

Mori found her thoughts to be correct. When listening to her introduce the city, she clearly felt a sense of familiarity with Silvermoon City. That's why Mori asked such a question. After all, if some things are not made clear, the rift may grow bigger and bigger in the future, and she hates such potential problems.

“If we can restore the kingdom… it doesn’t matter if Silvermoon City is destroyed. I can tell what’s important.” She said in a low voice, worried that other passersby might hear.

"It doesn't matter. There are many paths to national restoration. We will always find a path that brings joy to all of us and makes our enemies cry out in despair."

She looked at Moritoki in disbelief, never expecting that Moritoki would actually consider her feelings...

“If not… Restoring a kingdom isn’t something you can just do by talking about it, Mori Toki.”

"No? Then I'll open a path for you."

I don't know where the confidence came from, but Moritoki just felt that he could do it.

……

(Transitional chapters are in progress, and some blandness is inevitable.)

Volume 1 #050: A Business That Guarantees Profit

“I come here often because it reminds me of the most painful times.”

When Dandelion and Senshi reached the bustling square, Dandelion spoke with deep emotion. Then, she raised her hand from beneath her robes and pointed to the center of the square, at a wondrous monument made of either crystal or glass.

Sen Shi looked at the monument from afar. Three golden names were listed side by side on it, but he couldn't make them out clearly. The monument wasn't particularly tall, yet it possessed a strange sense of weight, as if it were a microcosm of history? But it didn't seem that ancient.

“That’s the ‘Three Heroes’ Memorial,” Dandelion said.

"Who are the Three Heroes?"

"The three people who quelled the war among the flowers were hailed as so-called heroes."

Sen Shi understood why, upon returning to her residence, Dandelion hadn't even planted any grapevines yet, but insisted on taking her to Silvermoon City for a stroll first.

This place has the history of the Four Seasons.

She looked into the dandelion's eyes, and there was a special emotion in them.

At first, Mori wondered if this feeling was respect or admiration. After all, the Land of Flowers was a victim of that war, and they were the ones who ended it. But they weren't; the dandelion was actually coldly looking at the monument.

"The war would have continued in an even more terrible way, destroying not only the Kingdom of Flowers, but... Lord Balzac appeared. He used political means to forcibly mediate the war and refused to give way to either side."

Sen listened to these historical accounts silently.

"By hindering the war, they angered both nations, who then threatened Silvermoon City, saying they would raze it to the ground. But three figures stepped forward, standing before the armies of both nations, and with their overwhelming strength, ensured the peace of Silvermoon City."

Sounds like a fairy tale, right? But this is reality, one of the most famous legends of our time. Anyway, that's how this monument came to be.

"What about the three heroes? Judging by their age, they won't have died of old age, will they?" She was very interested in these guys.

"They're all still alive, but they haven't shown up in a long time."

"To fight the army all by himself...that's pretty impressive."

"Yes, there are people like that in the world from time to time."

Mori gradually formed some ideas in his mind. Perhaps what they needed wasn't a large army, but figures like the Three Heroes who could be enshrined in monuments. Or rather, to become such figures? But that wasn't enough; they needed more people.

Or... it doesn't have to be human?

Mori knew very little about contemporary heroes. But she was intimately familiar with those naturally powerful species. Although the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing overall structure, overall situation, and overall character) had changed, there were still countless places that time hadn't altered.

Perhaps we can win some over...

"What's wrong? Why are you smiling so sinisterly..." Dandelion wondered why she wasn't paying attention. "These are all very important things, don't get distracted."

"No, no, please continue."

"After the war ended, the pitiful princess of the fallen kingdom of the Flower Kingdom became a difficult case to deal with. With Tu Mi by my side, no one dared to suggest killing me, but of course, no one dared to take me in either. They thought they would give me some compensation to get rid of me and wait for Tu Mi's soul to dissipate before taking action."

"As expected of a princess, you were very young back then, weren't you? You already saw through all this." Sen Shi patted her on the back at the right time, trying to cheer her up and distract her from the pain of losing her country.

“No, I was too young then to understand anything. These words were spoken by Lord Balzac—” A nostalgic smile appeared on her face, “and at an international conference, in front of dozens of important figures, he said them out loud.”

"...Didn't you get yelled at to death?"

She smiled sweetly.

"The atmosphere was very awkward at the time, and everyone felt that it was too direct. The young and hot-blooded Rain Wizard was the most ruthless and almost attacked me directly. But in the end, Lord Balzac still came up with a solution. He took the loss himself and gave me a large piece of his territory... plus some money from each family, that was the war compensation."

After hearing this, Mori remained silent for a long while before finally letting out a sound.

"What an intriguing fellow. He wasn't even a participant in the war, yet he's willing to give up precious land... He doesn't seem like someone who's ashamed..."

"Later, with his strong political skills and the reputation of the Three Heroes, he raised the banner of a permanently neutral city. The city began to prosper from then on—that's all I have to tell you, Mori Toki."

Her voice was as gentle as a feather, but it carried a hint of melancholy.

Mori wrote down everything she said.

"I will remember this; it is the history of the land of flowers."

"Yes, you and I are the only two people in the world who are qualified to record this history. We will not forget those who extended a helping hand, nor will we let any enemy go unpunished."

Beneath the monument to a hero whose name is unknown, Dandelion affectionately grasped Mori's hand and gave him the gentlest smile of her life.

"Thank you again for coming to my side, Mori Toki."

"I should thank you for giving me a new life."

If it weren't for the strange looks from passersby, the two of them probably would have held hands for a long time before separating.

……

As soon as they left the square, Mori suggested they browse the various shops. This would allow them to familiarize themselves with the market and also see if there were any opportunities to spend money. Having money but leaving it to gather dust in one's bag is the most foolish thing a miser could do.

They walked into a particularly bustling street, where they could occasionally see steam rising from the chimneys of some houses, and always hear the sound of wind-ups being tightened.

Sen asked quietly, "Since Lord Balzac is that kind of person, I think if we grow a few watermelons for ourselves, he won't take your land back, will he?"

"It's not that simple. It's because Tu Mi is gone... The reason I'm still alive is because everyone still fears Tu Mi. Mori, do you really think someone who can sit on the throne of lord and manage such a city into a world-class lord can be a kind person?"

Mori realized her thinking was somewhat superficial, nodded, and said nothing more. She was indeed less sensitive in this regard; Dandelion was probably better able to take care of herself…

"I'd better stick to my strengths," Sen Shi sighed, stroking Dandelion's robes for a while before flipping through the magic book at her waist. "What lousy equipment this is. I should replace it while I still have enough resources."

"...What's wrong? I keep touching it, it's itchy."

"Which shop sells high-grade tailoring materials? And which shop sells magical materials? It doesn't matter if it costs a little more, I want to make something for you."

"I...I won't be polite, are you sure you want to spend money?" Although she wanted to refuse with a touch of modesty, Sen Shi's eyes were very firm. "The things here are very expensive."

"It's ok."