Brain bloom

Wouldn't it be wonderful to pair up with the first Pope? Perhaps this sacred relic can even be made into all sorts of powerful equipment, which would be quite interesting.

Unlike Mori, Irene couldn't relax and continue sunbathing with her. Even though she wanted to ask Mori a few more questions, the hardworking porters kept her from resting. The busy ants she had summoned had already brought over boxes of fixed bottles of wine, all silently watching Irene, waiting for her to speak.

"Senshi, I'll go open the door first and deliver a letter to my old friend, after all, it's a request from Princess Dandelion."

"Go ahead, I won't hold you up."

She put aside her gentle demeanor and walked to the back with a serious attitude, leading the group to the backyard. Along the way, she gave them instructions, roughly meaning that if food was still scarce, they should use copper coins to summon her for help, and not to do anything bad.

As always, Mori shrugged, thinking that she should be adopted by an angel.

Mori didn't know why Dandelion had asked her for help. Perhaps she wanted to buy some local specialties from the Demon Realm? Maybe she needed a specific friend to get them? If that was really how she dealt with demons, Mori wouldn't be surprised.

Because all signs indicate that the Four Seasons People are not kind.

She herself was the one who could make this judgment based on some instinctive thoughts. In fact, she had many thoughts that could not be called honorable; and on many occasions, she had a desire for "killing".

If it weren't for their unwavering will, the group of melon cutters would never have had the chance to return.

"If you knew that the person delivering the coffin was one of the Four Seasons, what would your reaction be? Would you still come at me like this?"

She looked up at the two crystal boxes approaching like shooting stars, and before she knew it, she could clearly see their contents.

It looks like a hand bone.

The two hands, with bones from shoulder to fingertips, one on the left and one on the right, are exactly the same length and age, undoubtedly a pair. This suggests that these scattered bones may belong to the first pope.

While she was pondering this, the two boxes had already descended to low altitude, preparing to land, their flight accompanied by a whooshing sound as they broke through the wind.

They were heading for Dandelion's socks, but Dandelion was still at home, preparing bread for Morishita. Morishita sensed something was wrong and hurriedly cast a mid-level wind spell on the trail, trying to blow them away and prevent them from hitting the roof.

Before she could react, the two crystal boxes seemed to sense something, their trajectories twisting in incredible arcs as they hurtled towards Sen Shi. They then landed at her feet, slamming into the earth and creating two trembling roars.

Once embedded in the soil, they found peace.

"That was terrifying! I thought it was going to hit my little toe." Morishi was still shaken. He quickly called Fufu to help him get it out, before the dandelion sprouted and everything could still be explained.

"Hmm, no!" Mori realized that the problem should be addressed at its source, so he changed his instructions to Fufu. "Go tell Dandelion to take off her socks, or more bones will fly over."

"But, Morishi-neechan, it's daytime now, this request is strange... What if the princess throws me out of the house? I've finally gotten close to you all, I don't want to leave..."

Mori gave Fukufu a thumbs up and said seriously, "Don't worry, for the Four Seasons, asking to take off their socks is a perfectly normal thing. In most cases, it's an expression of affection, so just go ahead, Dandelion will like you even more."

"—Mori, what nonsense are you spouting? What just happened?"

Hearing the sound, Sen Shi and Fu Fu turned around and found that Dandelion, carrying a small basket in one hand and a jam jar in the other, had come out of the wooden house at some point.

Dandelion only came out after hearing the loud noise; clearly, she had taken everything Sen Shi had said to heart. The latter looked embarrassed; he hadn't even managed to fool Fu Fu, and had instead ended up getting himself into trouble.

"Dandelions, it's like this... this custom, in our time... uh..."

"Mori, could you please wait a moment?"

She ignored Morishi's offhand remark, instead carefully examining her to make sure she wasn't injured before focusing on the crystal box Morishi hadn't yet put away—

"What's with these two Eden Crystal Boxes? The sacred aura of the bones is so strong... They must be relics from the thirteen great cathedrals, the hands of the first pope. Strange, why are they here again?"

"This just fell from the sky suddenly... Fu Fu can testify to that."

"Hmm, is it sudden?"

Sen grabbed Fufu and threw her back into his pocket.

Dandelion gritted her teeth: "Same as last time! The skull was like this last time too. That's why the Holy Coffin Kingdom slandered us as thieves. It's disgusting and absurd."

"Don't be angry, I'll figure something out. Whoever comes, leave it to me."

“How can we leave everything to Moritoki? It’s alright, I’m not a weak garden flower.” With that, Dandelion walked resolutely closer to Moritoki. “Moritoki, things aren’t going well, and I really wanted to lighten your burden… Now it’s happened again, proving how much the enemy hates us.”

"So what are your thoughts?"

"We need to turn to others for help."

"Others? You mean willing?"

Dandelion gently shook her head and explained in an optimistic voice, "The power of wishing will sacrifice her life force, and I will feel guilty. But I begged her to contact the Queen of the Demons and Banshees in the Chaos Lands. If we can get her protection, we will be much better off."

Sen Shi was stunned for a moment.

The Chaos Land is a peculiar nation, seemingly composed of powerful monsters, beasts, demons, and all sorts of evil and mighty beings. And the one who unites these outcasts into a powerful nation is none other than the being commonly known as the "Demon Queen."

That was all she knew, so she could only ask:

"I remember you mentioned before that since this is the person you want to ask for help from, why don't you tell me the specifics first? Besides, I don't want you to beg others like that; you clearly have me..."

Volume 1, Chapter 127: This Queen

"You clearly have me..."

Mori himself didn't know why he said such a strange thing; it sounded like he was complaining and jealous...

But I said it anyway.

She was summoned by Dandelion at great personal cost in order to help him. Even though her true identity differed greatly from the "hero of national restoration" that Dandelion had anticipated, Mori Toki still tried her best to help with a guilty conscience.

She wanted to see Dandelion revive the kingdom of flowers and sit on the queen's throne... As for bearing her a little princess? Forget about it.

Mori inexplicably arrived in this world and was reborn as a girl. Coupled with a mountain of inexplicable problems, all of this happened in less than ten days, far too little time for her to adapt to the world.

But she never complained about these pressures and worries to Dandelion.

Instead of complaining, he tried to accept it, spent as much time as possible by her side, and pretended to be a reliable hero.

That's no easy job.

Although the enemies are stirring, Mori Toki has finally gained some strength, and with the business showing some promise, everything should gradually improve with mutual support...

But at this very moment—Dandelion suggested asking someone for help, and what's more, it was a queen who sounded extremely powerful.

When Sen came to her senses, her heart was filled with resentment, and she blurted out these complaints without thinking. Her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment. She sounded like a wronged girl lamenting her situation; it would be a lie to say it wasn't shameful…

Dandelion, of course, was unaware of Sen Shi's complex thoughts, and calmly explained her reasons.

"It's not what you think. It won't be a groveling affair, but rather an equal political transaction. Besides, I want to share your burden, since you have many enemies, and they're all at the national level."

"Um……"

After reluctantly accepting it, Mori tossed the newly arrived crystal box into his bag, allowing the hands to reunite with the holy skull.

She gestured for Dandelion to continue: "Then let's introduce each other."

"Meria Sen, commonly known as the 'Queen of Demons and Banshees.' She is extremely powerful, having reached the threshold of demigodhood, and is even hailed as the strongest being of her time. She earned this title because she rules over all the demons and other evil forces in the world."

"Oh, that sounds really strong."

While praising him verbally, Mori secretly regarded him as the final boss of the game, who was supposed to be invincible in the story but ultimately had to hand over the treasure to the players.

Dandelion and she both sat down, and she took out small bread rolls and wonderfully colored jam, handing them to Mori. Then she continued telling the story of this demon queen—

"The world has always been turbulent. The human world barely exists under the shadow of demons, devils, and many other evils. But these powerful beings are actually hiding in various parts of the world, quietly developing their power. They either build their own palaces or find a random nest..."

Sen Shi was stunned. Wasn't this referring to what players called dungeons in the gaming era?

To confirm, Mori tried to give a name.

"For example, in my time, there was that 'Uncrowned Old Man' who caused a great disturbance in Blood Amber City? He was an extremely powerful half-demon who kept several bloodbone dragons under his command. Back then, because too many adventurers bothered him, he slaughtered half the city..."

"Yes, I know about this too. It's mentioned in the adventure novel of the great writer Tokai Apple. I'm referring to these reclusive evil powerhouses—but the Demon Queen has united them all, and they are now loyal to her."

"...What?" Mori Toki, who had just stuffed the bread into his mouth, forgot to bite it and let out a muffled sound of surprise.

"Impressive, right? Not only in this world, but even some of the great devil nobles in the devil realm have broken away from the power of the ancient devil king and come to the human world to follow her. That is a terrifying country."

Sen Shi gasped.

In other words, this banshee, who appeared out of nowhere, has gathered together all the bosses from every dungeon, big and small, across the entire world...

"This...this is the 'Land of Chaos' on the map..."

Dandelion nodded.

Suddenly, Sen Shi felt that the grass on his head had turned green, and the sky above him was even bluer. The world was still peaceful. How wonderful.

"With such a bunch of monsters gathered together, the world hasn't been destroyed yet..."

"On the contrary, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without these threats, there was much less war, and commerce, agriculture, and magic all saw significant improvements."

After swallowing the bread with an indescribable taste, Sen Shi knew that there would be no more dungeons to run and no more loot to collect. Because all the dungeons had become one massive national-level dungeon, something no human could possibly conquer…

"Whether it's an independent town or a small kingdom, or a major power like Silvermoon City, the Holy Coffin Kingdom, or the Peda Empire, they all hold the Demon Banshee Queen in high esteem and try to please her every year. In other words, if there were no gods in this world, then this queen would surely be at the top."

Sen Shi finally understood why this queen commanded the respect of Dandelion, who even considered seeking her help. If it were her, she would also make many efforts; as long as the other party was willing to provide protection, securing peace would not be a problem.

But Mori was still somewhat unwilling.

"She has no reason to break the peace to help us, does she? Our enemies are three parties."

"It all depends on what price we're willing to pay."

"So what are you planning to give? Wine?"

In response, Dandelion pointed her finger at Mori.

The latter chewed on the strangely flavored jam bread, completely bewildered.

Could the jokes from before really be coming true? Mori wondered. Did he have to become a persuader and use his words to win the other party over? Probably not. Dandelion might be a bit of a showpiece, but she wouldn't make such a foolish choice, would she?

"So, you want me to come up with ideas?"

"No, I've already thought it through."

"...What is that?"

"You yourself."

Upon hearing this, Mori's gaze became strange, as if he were staring at Dandelion, yet also seemed somewhat expectant, his heart filled with complex emotions.

While Sen was lost in thought, Dandelion poured a bucket of cold water on him.

"To be precise, it's the thing on your head."

"Could it be... a dead branch?"

“No, no, no.” She quickly shook her head, terrified. “Your withered branch could poison a country. It’s too much to give it as a gift! I mean your… future fruit.”

"strawberry?"