Brain bloom

About ten minutes later, Mori finished replenishing the mental and physical energy he had previously consumed.

"Good, the sound has disappeared..."

She opened the door slightly, secretly observing her surroundings. The tree spirit had vanished, and the area returned to calm, leaving only a scene of devastation.

Sen tried imitating a bird's call a few times—no response. She breathed a sigh of relief, then opened the box, preparing to go back and retrieve the lost gold coins. Then she'd try another method; perhaps that would defeat the tree spirit.

She was unwilling to just run away like that.

But just then—a furious voice came from the other end of the forest; it was the tree spirit again.

"...No way? We've been found out already?"

She hurriedly picked up the box, preparing to run away again, her earlier resentment vanishing like a dream.

But along with it came the angry shouts of two men, one loud and one soft.

"I told you not to take this road! The shame of the lord is indeed here. Damn it, they're even more ferocious than before... Even if the army comes, they won't be able to handle it!"

"Stop talking nonsense. It's all because you're dawdling. Otherwise, would we need to take this shortcut? Let's run."

Volume 1 #063: Tree Spirits and the like are extremely vengeful

The Lord's Shame? This unfamiliar term stirred Sen Shi's nerves. Could it refer to the tree spirit?

Having piqued her interest, she immediately hid in the most secluded corner, concealing herself with a clump of weeds. Not long after, two hurried figures emerged, looking quite disheveled.

They were all middle-aged men, with an average level of 82, and were well-equipped, making them surprisingly strong.

One of them was a mage, and the staff he carried was the very kind of item that Dandelion had coveted for a long time, the kind that was listed for over seven gold coins in Silvermoon City. His robes were also meticulously crafted, and one could feel the power flowing through them.

The other man had a rugged demeanor and was clearly a seasoned warrior. He held short axes in both hands, and his thick armor couldn't conceal his muscular physique.

But the two powerful figures were filled with fear and kept glancing behind them—because the furious tree demon was chasing after them.

Could it be that these two powerful individuals couldn't defeat the tree demon? Sen Shi found this strange; they were definitely experienced veterans, yet they could only flee in disarray from the tree demon's pursuit...

“You shouldn’t have dawdled,” the magician said regretfully. “And you shouldn’t have gone to pick up that gold coin…otherwise, even if we had taken a shortcut, we wouldn’t have been in danger.”

"Stop talking. How long have we been working together? As long as we're safe, that's all that matters. Besides, the gold coins are right in front of you, don't you want them?"

"That gold coin was definitely bait meant to humiliate the lord, yet you went and picked it up."

"I found it." The soldier waved the gold coin in his hand, which was covered in dust. It was the one that Sen Shi had lost.

"For a single gold coin? What if we get crushed by the Lord's shame? Our year-long dragon-slaying plan will be ruined!"

After saying that, the mage turned around, gritted his teeth, and cast a spell on the ground. It was an ice spell; a thin layer of ice spread out on the ground, looking so smooth it would hurt your butt, probably meant to make the tree spirit slip and fall.

"Slap them to death? That's not our fate."

The two continued to mock each other, but their cooperation was remarkably seamless.

The warriors swung their axes from time to time, slicing through the thin branches blocking their path. Meanwhile, the mages held the rear, ensuring they could use various spells to thwart the tree spirits' pursuit.

“…Slaying a dragon.” Mori’s eyes lit up as he hid in the shadows.

Dragon.

Most dragons in the world possess immense power and have an obsession with wealth. While it might be difficult for Sen Shi to defeat a poor tree spirit, a wealthy dragon… she gripped her bow tighter.

Yes, this is an opportunity.

She thought about it carefully. Silvermoon City's island terrain was so complex, the city was rich, merchant ships came and went frequently, and it was surrounded by the sea. It really was a good place for dragons to build their nests.

A wicked smile crept across Mori's face as he glanced at the charred tree spirit he had burned, deciding to deal with it later. For now, he'd seize the opportunity to hunt a dragon, just like before.

She awkwardly concealed herself in the jungle, following the magician and the warrior.

Maintaining a distance where she wouldn't lose track, the journey was through dense jungle, and the undulating terrain kept her hidden. There was one near-discovery, but the vines on her head proved effective; perhaps those who can hide in all four seasons are quite suited for stealth...

Following them all the way, Mori was plotting. When they and the dragon fought and both were badly injured, she would secretly shoot them both dead... uh? Shoot them both dead?

Mori was startled, touched his face, and found that he had unconsciously smiled...

Given her usual personality, these two people held no grudge against her; they were complete strangers. At most, she would have secretly shot the dragon to death. But now, this less-than-friendly thought naturally crept into her mind…

……

at the same time.

The dandelion is checking on the most important grapevine, which, after absorbing nutrients from the soil last night and being nourished by the moonlight, has become very healthy and vibrant.

Next, by using the unique agricultural knowledge of the Four Seasons Farmers to plant and cultivate it for a few days, it can become a very vigorous original seed, and the planting area can be gradually expanded.

The dandelion waved its hand and summoned the salt sprite.

"Fufu, what's your fastest flying speed?"

"I don't know, but it's several times faster than the airships made by human pseudo-science. I've compared them."

"You know about this? Oh, I guess it's Lord Balzac's airship... Since it's so fast, if I asked you to go to Frozen Bear Town, would you get lost?"

"No, the seawater there has a peculiar taste."

"If you go now, will you be able to come back tonight?"

"We can make it in time for dinner."

"Then help me deliver a letter."

"Well, Sister Kesen asked me to stay here to protect the princess."

"It's alright, I'm very strong too. Besides, I'm a princess, so listen to me."

"Ok."

Dandelion was overjoyed. Although her grand salt-selling venture was off, Fufu's role as a messenger was incredibly convenient. She planned to write to the Black Cat family to purchase some slaves for combat and to ensure the winery's security.

I wonder what the situation is like over there. There was that commotion about the devil and the Peda Empire before; I wonder if it caused any unrest… News doesn't travel that fast across the sea. But she's someone who does big things; she must have a firm grasp on the world situation.

So Dandelion wrote a few questions at the end of the purchase list, wanting to understand the current situation of Frozen Bear Town.

After writing the letter, Dandelion sealed it with sealing wax and prepared to give it to Fufu.

"Then could you please send it to me... uh?"

Like a clap of thunder, a huge sound came from outside the window, like the roar of an approaching storm, but it didn't come from the sky.

"The Four Seasons One!" a strange voice roared.

"That voice... it's actually the Lord's shame? Huh... why is he coming over so angrily?" Dandelion looked terrified, and the letter in her hand fell to the ground.

"Ghosts, girls! You despicable seasonal beings! I can't take it anymore..." The charred tree spirit brandished its bare branches, holding them like a knife to the grapevines, threatening the winery owner, "I'm going to tear down your winery! How dare you bully me like this!"

"...Fufu, hurry, hurry and go find Senshi!"

……

In fact, Sen Shi's guess about the relationship between this tree spirit and the winery is correct, but not complete.

Before the dandelion arrived, this place was all hills and uninhabitable.

This tree spirit was originally very weak, just a hundred-year-old juvenile species in the forest, with a level of only 20. It would attack travelers on mountain paths, simply to make itself stronger.

Until a few years ago, a landlord moved here—the still young Dandelion.

The tree spirit was unsure whether to attack, but the dandelion did something big.

Through some unknown method, she communicated with the island and even with nature—as a result, nature transformed the land into flat ground, providing it for them to live in and use.

The tree spirit's land was thus taken away, and it was furious. It tried to negotiate several times, but Tu Mi waved it away each time. However, the tree spirit's tragedy didn't end there. It possessed a branch with special properties that could improve the soil's fertility. So they took the branch and let the tree spirit go, promising to return next year.

The tree spirit, having lost its prized branches, felt its pride trampled upon and became depressed, frequently causing trouble and seeking revenge.

But Tu Mi always shooed it away, because she needed to harvest more branches.

And so, in the course of their battles, the tree spirit grew rapidly, transforming into a powerful, dangerous, and perpetually berserk monster with incredibly rich combat experience.

……

(Three updates today! Actually, I've been updating quite a lot...)

Volume 1 #064: The Trial of the Dandelion

The hibiscus is gone, and the dandelion's reliable sapling, Sen Shi, has just gone out. That tree spirit really knows how to pick its timing...

Dandelion looked nervous because she lacked confidence in defeating the tree spirit, who was known as the "shame of the lords."

"come out!"

The tree spirit made a loud noise with its branches, which almost made the ground tremble.

She was also somewhat annoyed, because this ferocious monster, feared by the residents of Silvermoon City, was something they had nurtured as a threat. However, Dandelion couldn't understand why it was such a coincidence—that it had appeared during the winery's weakest period?

Normally, aren't they all afraid of the blooming flowers and haven't come to visit on their own initiative for a long time...?

Uh—wait a minute, something occurred to her. The direction Sen Shi went out on, wasn't that the road where the tree spirit lived? She had even specifically asked about the monsters in the area… The more Dandelion thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

She peered out the window and saw the tree spirit's charred body in the distance, clearly caused by some kind of large-scale fire magic.

"Come out! Prepare to face my wrath!"

"Wait a minute..."

"Tell me, why did you send the Four Seasons to burn me before the branches have even grown out?!"

Just as I thought... It was Sen Shi who angered the tree spirit, which is why it came to retaliate. Dandelion was depressed for a while, but then she thought about it and tried to look at things in a positive light.

Those were the ancestors of the most glorious era, the true heroes who could restore their kingdom. How could they not be able to deal with this little tree demon?

Since he deliberately spared its life and even reduced the power of his magic, using such a small trick to provoke it and force it to cause trouble at the winery—it can only mean one thing! This was a test deliberately given by Sen Shi!

To test whether the dandelion truly possessed the qualities of a queen—yes, that must be it—the dandelion figured everything out.

"Is that so? Our ancestor didn't want to serve mediocre people, so he used this method to test my magnanimity..."

She wasn't sad at all; instead, she smiled confidently. She knew that Mori was a kind person and wouldn't give her a challenge she couldn't complete.

Since that's the case, she can go for it and make sure to achieve results.

"Fufu, do me a favor," she said to the salt sprite.

"...Should we deliver the letter? Or go find Mori-toki-neechan?"