Brain bloom

Volume 1, Chapter 159: Family

Just as Mori had expected, she was able to remove the so-called seal.

But that so-called divine seal is actually quite intriguing.

Perhaps due to her mastery of multiple skills, Mori's familiarity with the structure of magic has reached its peak, and as the coffin deliverer, she saw through the structure of the seal at a glance.

There was indeed divine power flowing within it... but this divine power seemed impure in nature, as if it contained some impurities.

Otherwise, the clouds near the seal wouldn't have turned gray...

But it was just a fleeting thought, and she couldn't bring herself to pull out the shovel and take it home to study it properly—she didn't want to make enemies of such a powerful thunderstorm cloud worm.

There are even more exciting things waiting for me.

"Open the box, open the box, open the box~~?" Sen hummed excitedly, taking three steps at a time and waving his little hands.

She walked towards the thick clouds, needing to find a secluded spot to open the box.

The "Gravekeeper's Legacy" obtained in Frozen Bear Town last time gave Mori some useful items, especially the Debt Collection Bow, a great companion.

This time the box is of much higher quality, making Senshi even more excited about his haul.

Oh right—she suddenly realized that if she changed her Intelligence to Luck before opening the app, she might get even more rewards? Although Luck is a very mysterious attribute, it's worth a try.

Mori then said to the little guy who had witnessed everything, "Fufu, you have to keep this a secret for me. I never pulled it out."

"Well, Morishi-neechan, I heard that you guys are used to a rule called 'transaction parity'?"

"...Uh, what are you talking about?"

"I'll keep it a secret for you, what will you give me?" Fu Fu's expression deepened, as if her thoughts were just as profound.

"Okay, what do you want..."

Morishi held Fufu in her hand, her mind instantly conjuring up a whole bunch of lies. This little rascal knew too many of her secrets; she needed to be properly disciplined to prevent future trouble. But Fufu's price quickly made Morishi abandon that idea.

"I hope you and Princess Dandelion will always be happy, and that you will always keep me by your side."

"This... is what you wanted?"

"Ah."

"If we lose you, where will we find such a convenient little guy again?" Mori Shi agreed with a smile.

Having received her promise, Fufu's color gradually faded, as if she had calmed down, and she willingly slipped back into her pocket. Clearly, she had decided to keep Senshi's secret.

After walking for about a minute, Mori looked up at the distant sky and yawned, thinking that dawn would arrive in a little while, and as for the matter of humility, he should take advantage of the night to finish it as soon as possible.

As he spoke, Mori arrived at a place resembling overlapping camel humps.

From a distance, it looked like a complex mountain range. She parted the clouds and stepped into the middle, then dug out pieces of white cloud from other places, piling them into four walls of clouds, which were barely enough to conceal her from view.

Next—in order to open the box, she was preparing to exchange her Intelligence for Luck, a skill she had already mastered.

Just as she was about to start, a sudden, frantic sound blew away the white cloud cabin that Mori had prepared.

"Dad, are you alright?"

"...Damn it." The latter was as panicked as if she had just run into a policeman while doing something wrong, but she had to pretend to be calm. "Oh, it's Melia... What a coincidence, what a coincidence."

"It seems Dad is alright, that's good. Phew... it's good that he's alright."

It was Melia, and it seemed she had flown in. Her hair was a little disheveled, and she looked slightly tired. A bead of sweat slid down from the tip of her high nose and disappeared into the clouds.

Mori was taken aback: "Wait, what are you doing here?"

“There was a very strong surge of power just now, almost like the thundercloud worms awakening. I was worried about Dad, so I came straight here…”

"Please don't call me that... Also, thank you for your concern."

“We are father and daughter, that’s a fact.” She wiped away her sweat, her tone firm. “It’s a fact that you and I both know, right?”

Helpless, Mori quickly changed the subject: "By the way! Those thundercloud bugs were terrifying!"

"Yes, thankfully it only lasted a moment. I don't know why, but I guess it sensed our arrival, felt the danger, and tried to struggle a few times, but failed."

“This is a very convincing hypothesis, and I think so too.” She nodded repeatedly.

"Because we are close relatives, of course we have the same thoughts—let's continue."

"...Continue what?" Mori involuntarily took a few steps back, his scalp tingling, and he felt a sense of inexplicable terror permeating the air.

“Of course, it’s about finding rare associated minerals.” She blinked, as if asking, “What else could it be?”

"Separating to search is more efficient..."

"Separately to search? Hmph, that was just an excuse I made up. So that I could be alone with you and continue the conversation we didn't finish earlier."

She casually summoned a gentle breeze, scattering the white clouds that obstructed her view, and a sly smile appeared on her face. She spoke her mind frankly, directly and arrogantly—

"Now my wish has come true, and I can finally spend time alone with my dad."

Mori was extremely annoyed, thinking that it would have been better to just pull the shovel out and not put it back in...

There was at least some hope against the Thundercloud Worms, but against Melia, there was only utter despair. She had lost even the courage to resist, and could only weakly say, "I'm not your father..."

"Stubborn to the end."

Having shut her up with those words, Melia took her hand and happily walked forward. To an uninformed person, they looked like sisters—but in reality, they were more like an energetic daughter forcibly dragging her tired father shopping.

They strolled among the clouds.

Against the backdrop of white, the colors on their bodies were vibrant and sharp.

With each step forward, the sound of footsteps is quietly treasured by the white clouds; all that remains is the ceaseless sound of the wind in the vast sky.

Mori couldn't break free from that hand and could only let her hold him as she walked slowly behind him.

On the way, Melia didn't try to ask any more questions, and Mori also kept quiet about those things. Although they both knew what was going on, neither of them really laid everything bare... They both felt the warmth from each other's palms and cherished every step they took.

family……

The word lingered in Morishi's mind, making her forget the unopened treasure chest and all her doubts, and she just silently watched that strong yet petite figure.

Regardless of how she views all of this, Melia is her daughter.

They share the same soul...

Gradually, Mori quickened his pace and walked to her side, walking alongside her.

“What, Dad?” Melia’s white teeth were revealed in her sweet smile as she turned her head to look at Mori. “Have you given up resisting? Are you finally willing to admit it? What a wise choice.”

Sen sighed helplessly, neither admitting nor denying it.

She stopped sighing, opened her eyes wide, and pretended to look at the clouds around her.

"Rare minerals are really hard to find."

"Yes, it's really hard to find."

Melia's smile deepened.

……

(P.S. This is the only update today. I'm having serious writer's block. I need to sort out the rest of the plot.)

Volume 1, Chapter 160: What?

"Although Dad is a man of few words, he is extremely reliable..."

Melia brought up the topic again, a faint look of longing on her face. But when she turned to look at Mori, that longing quickly faded. Moreover, her voice became more reassuring.

"But strangely enough, you look completely unreliable, even though you're my father."

"Wait... is that a compliment?"

"Of course it counts, because of you and your... strawberry vine? Anyway, rather than taking up arms to protect my pitiful daughter, I'm more suited to be an elegant and dignified young lady in the deepest part of the garden, surrounded by flowers."

Upon hearing this assessment, Mori was on the verge of tears.

And no matter how you look at it, Melia doesn't seem like someone who's pitiful and needs protection...

"Tsk tsk, since you think I'm that kind of girl," she said, suppressing her resentment, "then Melia, don't you think it's weird? You used to be the world's strongest man, the father of the muscle-scarred man, and now you've become a cute girl like me..."

She couldn't help but boast a little, but quickly stopped herself—it was so embarrassing.

“Of course I feel that way.” Melia’s expression was complicated. “But… that’s the strange thing. You two are completely different, yet I can still feel a sense of longing in you… a very strong sense of longing. Indeed, a father is a father.”

"In short! Never call me that in front of others."

"Then what should it be called?"

"Call me Mori Toki."

"Wouldn't that be a bit much? But it feels very warm... it brings us closer." She nodded and reluctantly agreed.

After this matter was resolved, it was fully light. Along with the light in the sky, a red pillar of light rose from the ground, seemingly coming from the direction of the heavens.

That means that the wish has already been fulfilled.

This devilish lady, who is always honest and kind, must have been searching diligently ever since they parted ways. Unlike the lazy Mori, or Melia who has ulterior motives.

They exchanged glances and quickly walked over there, since rare minerals were the main focus of their trip.

But along the way—they also had an unexpected gain.

It was Mori who discovered it; it was a wondrous cloud, perfectly hidden beneath the ground beneath Melia's feet, making it difficult to spot. It was milky white, but subtly different from the surrounding clouds.

Mori discovered it through his keen awareness of spiritual power.

It's like a patch of four-leaf clovers hidden in a flowerbed full of clover. They're the same thing, but they have a strange difference.

Although he could spot it, Kesen couldn't tell what it was. But Melia was different. She just looked down and examined it for a few seconds, and immediately understood its species: "This is a cloud egg of a thundercloud worm. It's incredible."

She carefully dug up that special white cloud, peeling away the mist like unwrapping layers of packaging, finally revealing its true form.

A large, round ball that needs to be held in both hands, possessing a pure and pristine white color.

The child of the thunderstorm cloud insect - cloud egg.

Mori tried to hug it, and it felt light and airy. But if you pressed down on it with your fingers even slightly, or even just touched the outer shell, it would feel like you had been struck by lightning, making your fingers numb and your body stiff.

Sen couldn't help but marvel at the immense power contained within. This was just an egg, and it already possessed such power reserves; one could only imagine how powerful a thousand-year-old insect would be.