Brain bloom

Although it's only a single level, reaching double digits signifies the start of your official gaming career—allowing you to choose your first freelance profession. Even though skill learning in this game doesn't strictly require a high level, a profession can still unleash the power of skills and provide more attributes.

This attribute is experienced physically. Mori felt that his mental strength had become more expansive, and his physical strength and power had also changed slightly.

While she was contemplating which career to choose and how to change jobs—

"What are you spacing out for? Did the wheat flour cause you any side effects?" the princess asked.

"No, no, I won, didn't I?" Otherwise, she wouldn't have leveled up; wheat flour has a pretty good amount of experience points.

"Yes, you won." Dandelion continued wiping the other leaves, then praised, "I just opened my eyes and saw that you used that weapon to create a powerful poisonous mist that corroded the annoying wheat flour. Almost instantly, the opponent was killed by the poisonous mist. It was quite a miserable death."

Mori didn't witness it firsthand, but he could imagine the general idea, because this ham weapon could unleash considerable toxic area-of-effect damage.

"...I'm probably like that myself, which is why I fainted."

"Haha, that's right. After smashing it, Wheat Flour didn't even utter a last word, and you passed out too. It really scared me to death. That poisonous fog was quite frightening, but luckily we Four Seasons People have a relatively strong resistance to poison."

Sen Shi breathed a sigh of relief, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the ham lying nearby, leaning against a large tree. Besides that, there were several frozen wild boar carcasses and a bag of unidentified items. It was clear these were the spoils Dandelion had collected; she had recovered her health.

"How long have I slept?"

"Not long, half an hour."

"By the way, did anything fall out of the wheat flour?"

Dandelion nodded happily, then used her finger to summon a small branch and hooked the bag placed under the tree. Inside were the spoils of their battle; although monsters didn't drop items directly like in a game, they could still obtain things through combat.

The knot on the ribbon was untied, revealing a bag brimming with seeds, each one exceptionally plump and a tempting pale golden hue. This was no different from the game era; defeating the roaming regional boss, Wheat Flour, would drop the most valuable concretion—wheat seeds that could be used to grow bountiful varieties.

“These are all good things. If we give them to the harvest priests of the Flower Kingdom, we can get a very generous reward.”

After blurting it out unconsciously, Mori realized his mistake and could only cough a few times, his face full of embarrassment...

The dandelion wasn't saddened by this; it simply grabbed a handful with its little hands, watching the golden drops leak through its fingers like raindrops, neither pleased nor disgusted.

"It's so nice to talk about history with you. It gives me the feeling that my country really did exist. That's good."

"The Kingdom of Flowers certainly existed."

"Yes, these are seeds that will surely yield a bountiful harvest. Our country did purchase them from the people in the past. Historical records also show that many of our neighboring friendly nations were plagued by famine, so we used this kind of food to aid them every year."

"Yes...that's how it is." So in the game era, what you can exchange with seeds is not only the reputation of the Flower Kingdom, but also the reputation of neighboring countries. This kind of small detail is the charm of the game.

"Does anyone still want it in this day and age?"

"Of course, there are many places where people don't have enough to eat. We can sell them to the officials in Silvermoon City. I think this much will be worth two gold coins. Silvermoon City is where I currently live, and the place we're going back to."

When the two gold coins were mentioned, Dandelion happily showed off her other harvest—a few vines with a glassy texture. As a seasonal creature, Mori instinctively recognized them as grapevines, very special grapevines.

"This is?"

"This is second only to your harvest! We'll rely on this to expand our business in the future—a dream variety that can produce the finest wines. Heh heh, lucky us, it really got eaten by a wild boar..."

Just as Sen Shi was completely bewildered and wanted to ask her for an explanation, her little pointed ears suddenly twitched, disturbed by a sound. It wasn't the sound of the sea breeze whipping up waves outside the forest, nor the cries of seagulls soaring through the sky, but rather an unusual movement within the forest.

The footsteps of several people.

They both noticed at the same time and nodded to each other. Mori hurriedly packed everything into his magical bag and followed the nature mage, hiding together in the small patch of bushes that had been created. The nature magic worked very well, concealing their presence within it.

No matter how close they got to a town, this was still a world shrouded in war and chaos. The wilderness was beyond the reach of law; only swords and magic mattered. They were all prepared for battle, silently watching the direction from which the approaching figures were—

There were four people in total, and the leader was a handsome young man dressed in an expensive robe.

His golden curly hair and sickly pale skin suggested he was a young nobleman in poor health. Yet, the young man's expression was kind, without a trace of arrogance.

He was surrounded by a hunter, a safari, and an elderly steward. They were all clearly loyal old subordinates, as they knew their positions very well and moved through the forest with a practiced and natural air.

Sen Shi took a closer look and found that the hunter and scavenger followers were all around level 20, so there wouldn't be any danger if they really fought—except for the old butler who was level 41 and was a bit of a problem.

"Strange, I clearly heard a girl's voice earlier," the hunter said, puzzled.

"You must have misheard me. You've been married for a long time, why are you still having these youthful daydreams?" The noble young master teased with a smile, then patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe it's an elf... I heard there have been elves appearing on Frozen Bear Coast recently. Could she be the kind of girl you're hoping for?"

The group laughed for a short while before becoming more vigilant, as they had entered the wild boar's den.

The nest was empty, with nothing but bloodstains.

“From what I can tell, there’s no danger here anymore,” the most experienced hunter said after surveying the surroundings. “There was a battle here, probably the vengeful spirit of the wheat flour that bullied that girl… However, the leader of this place, the wild boar, seems to be dead as well.”

"So we came all this way for nothing?"

"Yes, that means both kinds of difficult monsters were wiped out by people who came before us."

The hunter looked disappointed: "I won't be able to get the bounty."

The nobleman patted him on the shoulder again: "The bounty is nothing. Now that the monster who bullied the little girl is dead, we should be happy."

The elderly butler, who had remained silent until now, maintaining his composure and uprightness, finally spoke, reprimanding his young master with the stubbornness of an elder.

"You're such a nice guy, as always. But the master won't be happy for you. After all, you'll be taking over the Black Wildcat's banner, and that's not something a kind person can do well."

Hearing their noisy conversation, Mori and Dandelion, who had been secretly observing, felt relieved, as there was no danger. In the relaxed atmosphere, Mori turned to Dandelion, wanting to discuss what to do next. But to her surprise, she discovered that her princess wasn't the only one hiding beside her…

Volume 1 #009: A Love Song of Salt, Wheat, and Yeast

Behind the bushes, only Morishi and Dandelion were there, but Morishi noticed something on Dandelion's shoulder.

It was a sphere of deep blue light, hovering there. Its luster was dim, yet exceptionally vibrant, reminiscent of the deep, untamed ocean in the depths of winter. It was clearly weightless, which was why the dandelion hadn't noticed it. And without a doubt, it possessed life.

Sen Shi was immediately excited, because he had never seen anything like this in the gaming era.

The tiny orb of light was unaware that Sen was watching it. Instead, it flickered on and off in a rhythmic, breathing-like manner, with a dense concentration of spiritual energy within it, easily reminiscent of a magician.

"Princess," Mori said softly.

"Ok?"

"Is this your magical creation? Or some kind of exotic pet?"

"You mean?" Dandelion turned her head with a hint of doubt, followed Sen Shi's gaze and noticed the ball of light resting on her shoulder. "Huh? What's this? It's not mine."

Mori immediately aimed her finger at it, even visualizing the shape of a fire blade in her mind—the most powerful instantaneous spell she currently possessed. This was a sign of vigilance; Mori had silently come to regard the dandelion as something that needed protection.

However, the dandelion's palm gently enveloped it, not to protect it, but to pinch it to prevent it from escaping.

With a mischievous smile on her face, she had just found something interesting while she was bored, so of course she had to play with it.

"Come, earth, hold me back."

As Dandelion uttered the name of this natural magic, she bent her fingers, and immediately vines responded, extending from the ground to weave a small cage out of thin air. Without a shred of pity, Dandelion casually placed the captured orb of light inside.

"Let me see what this little thing is."

Only then did Sen Shi begin to investigate seriously, and the other party's information immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Level 14 - Darling of the Sea - Salt Sprite]

"Hmm... Salt Fairy?"

After uttering the name, no corresponding knowledge came to mind; it was indeed something not found in the game.

However, the dandelion knew a bit about it and was quite interested, observing the docile salt sprite from every angle as if it were a rare animal. After getting tired of looking at it, it put its hand to its mouth and licked it with its pink, pointed tongue—

"It's really salty..."

"You're not a pig's leg or a salted fish, were you pickled? How could you be salty? You didn't sweat that much either."

"No, no, no, if you don't believe me, why don't you lick it yourself?" The princess said without any hesitation, offering her pretty hand. "I just held the salt elf's hand, you'll know if you lick it."

Sen Shi blushed slightly and looked away, rejecting the hand that was so close that even the palm lines were clearly visible.

"I... let's change the subject. After all, it's not like a cat has to lick its paws... cough, so what is Salt Fairy?"

"Don't you know, Mori Toki? It's actually a unique legend from the seaside. It's said that after thousands of years or something, the salt in the sea will condense into an incredibly beautiful blue gemstone, and then gradually give birth to a soul, which is the salt spirit."

After saying that, Dandelion added a short paragraph:

"From a practical point of view, it's even better. It's said that once you catch it, you'll never have to worry about salt for the rest of your life. Just think how much money you can save. You can put as much salt as you want in your cooking."

Having understood the origin of the salt spirit, Mori Tokiya's eyes lit up as he stared at the blue light:

"Are there any transaction prices we can refer to? I think such a precious little guy could generate a lot of value."

"This is something that only exists in legends, so there's no real information about witnessing it. Until we encountered it, I thought the so-called legends were just nonsense to fool children."

"But why is the salt sprite perched on your shoulder? The only things that are truly meant for us Four Seasons are flowers and plants."

—"Because of gratitude."

A voice, as faint as a mosquito's buzz, drifted out, its gender indiscernible, as natural as the sound of water droplets splashing or the wind rustling through grass. But strangely, it carried with it a comprehensible message. It was the salt spirit speaking; just as Sen had suspected, it was indeed a living creature.

“Thank you for killing the wheat flour,” the salt sprite said again. “I bless your victory.”

"...For this?"

"Hmm... Ah, are we leaving already?"

At this moment, outside the bushes—

The four-person team led by the young nobleman had thoroughly swept through the battlefield, but having gained nothing and with low morale, they were planning to leave. Both Sen Shi and Dandelion subconsciously touched their throats, sharing the same thought: there was no need to lower their voices any longer.

She then returned to the current topic.

"Do salt spirits and wheat flour have a grudge?" Just as he said this, Mori suddenly realized the mystery. "I get it, I understand now, that's why you came to thank me!"

"What do you understand?"

"The relationship between them! Think about it, wheat flour and salt are both ingredients used to make bread, and there's also yeast—these three are the perfect combination for bread. Don't you think flour and yeast are like a couple, and salt is the third party? So the salt spirit wants yeast and hates wheat flour. Yes, there must also be a very handsome yeast spirit or something."

"...What's in your head? It's not just full of mud, is it?"

The princess looked at Mori with embarrassment, genuinely believing it was a terrible joke. Worse still, she had placed all her hopes on this hero and was too embarrassed to directly point it out—would she have to endure these lame jokes the restoring her kingdom?

Mori was speaking very seriously; he wasn't joking.

So much so that neither of them noticed that the Salt Sprite had quietly slipped out through the gaps in the vine cage and was following the departing four, gradually disappearing into the distance. The two realized what was happening only afterward, but it was too late. Dandelion hurriedly pushed aside the obscuring bushes, wanting to give chase, but was gently stopped by Mori's hand.

She grasped the dandelion's slender wrist, feeling the pulse of life within it. But if she hadn't come, this life would have been the only one left in the world to experience the four seasons.

“Princess, don’t chase after them. If we go out that way, we’ll run into the noble young master who just left.” Sen Shi’s tone was unusually serious. “Your status is different. We can’t afford to cause any unexpected trouble. Please be careful.”

"Ooh, salt sprites..."

"Don't think about it anymore. It's a real shame to lose it. You can only lick your own paws a few more times as a souvenir."

As he finished speaking, a soft sigh escaped his lips. Mori looked on with regret in his eyes and gazed in the direction the salt spirit had flown away.