Chapter 277: The Young Tree and the Gift From God |
The young tree that had sprouted beside the giant tree already stood about as tall as my waist when it appeared. Given that the trembling of the ground had ceased, it was almost certain that this young tree was the cause.
The appearance of the young tree itself was unremarkable, and it didn’t seem to possess any special power. However, given the circumstances of its appearance, it couldn’t possibly be an ordinary plant.
“What should we do…?”
“Even if you ask me… I think the best choice would be not to touch it.”
It seemed clear that the “Mountain God” was involved in some way. Touching it carelessly could lead to unpredictable outcomes. We might not anger him, but at the same time, we could potentially provoke his wrath. Therefore, not intervening seemed the safest course. There’s truth in the saying, “Do not court the wrath of gods unprovoked.”
Woodsorrel seemed to agree with the decision not to touch the young tree, but unlike me, she chose to seek out someone who might know more. Saying, “I’ll go and call the Great Mother!” she dashed off toward Button.
“Boss, what’s happening?”
“I don’t know. Woodsorrel has just gone to ask Button. Make sure not to touch this young tree under any circumstances.”
I informed Tigar and the others who were pale from the scene about the young tree that had broken through the ground following the brief earthquake and how it was very likely related to the “Mountain God”. Then they instinctively took a step back from the young tree, putting some distance between themselves and it.
[Hmm… Indeed, it is the work of our Lord. It seems, Antares, that this sprouted from a seed you had given him]
“…Ah, you made that thing sprout.”
The seed, a product of the divine tree’s curse, seemed to have given rise to this young tree. While a part of me wished it had sprouted more quietly, expressing such a thought aloud was out of the question; I had no desire to offend the god.
However, the “Mountain God” had mentioned before that this tree, which sprung from the seed, was akin to a sister to him. It seemed our choice to refrain from touching it had been the right one.
[Also, it appears the gift for you has finally been decided. Here.]
“This is… seeds?”
Saying this, Button carefully dug around the base of the young tree with her front paws. What she found there was a basket woven from the tree’s roots, filled with seeds of various sizes.
There were three types of seeds. One was a large oval seed about the size of a baby’s fist; around a hundred seeds were somewhat distorted and cone-shaped; and countless tiny seeds were as small as grains of sand. It seemed that the smaller the seeds, the more numerous they were.
“Hmm. These seeds appear to be from plants that can grow in the desert where you and your friends are headed. Our Lord is quite flexible when it comes to plants. He must have created these to aid you.”
Just then, she casually mentioned that these plants were created from scratch. Truly, it was the work of a god. And these seeds were all apparently suited for the desert. It was intriguing to think about what kind of plants they might grow into.
Button who had changed to her human form in an instant began to describe the kinds of plants that would sprout from the seeds she had heard about from the “Mountain God”. The largest seed, it seemed, would grow into a tree that produced water from its roots. When asked how it could do such a thing, she explained that this tree instinctively used water spiritual arts, much like breathing.
Could a tree really use spiritual arts? At first, it seemed impossible, but as I thought about it, I remembered that I had been using spiritual arts since I was a mere insect. I had captured numerous creatures who used spiritual arts as if it were second nature to them; using spiritual arts wasn’t a privilege reserved for humans or demons. Therefore, it wasn’t that far-fetched for a tree, a living being, albeit an immobile one, to use spiritual arts.
If this tree were cultivated successfully, it could create a body of water larger than the pond in this flower garden. A plant that could alleviate the scarcity of water in a desert was extremely valuable.
The oddly shaped seeds turned out to be grape seeds. Surprisingly, they could be cultivated even in the desert, a water- and nutrient-poor environment, provided they had the bare minimum of moisture. Although it would be several years before the fruit could be harvested, the resulting grapes were said to be incredibly juicy and sweet.
As someone who loves sweets, these were very good news for me, and Lorenz who had knowledge about winemaking was delighted at the prospect of making wine. Personally, I thought it better to enjoy the fruits as they were, but I understood that there were those who preferred wine. Perhaps it was I who should compromise.
As for the last of the small seeds, they were a type of grain that could grow in any environment, even without water. However, their taste depended on the nutrients they received during growth. In harsh conditions, they would taste worse, but with ample nutrients and water, they would become delicious.
With these grains, we wouldn’t starve to death. An essential water source, sweets to enrich life, and food that will keep you from starving—these seeds were perfectly suited for exploring unknown lands.
“I can only be grateful to the ‘Mountain God’. I wish I could thank him directly, but…”
“Your earnest feeling is admirable, but that feeling alone is enough. Even for our lord, creating new plant species is quite difficult. He will likely rest for a while. When he awakens, I shall convey that you all were grateful.”
When Button mentioned that meeting the “Mountain God” wasn’t possible, I must admit I felt a sense of relief. Not that I was afraid of disappointing Chirik, but the thought of facing that pressure again was indeed daunting.
Nevertheless, I finally received the promised gift from the “Mountain God”. This meant that the time to depart from this flower garden was drawing near. We had stayed much longer than anticipated. It was time to express our gratitude before setting off.
“Thank you. We are grateful for all the care we’ve received from Button and the others.”
“Think nothing of it. It was a pleasure for us as well. Therefore, let’s postpone your departure until tomorrow. We shall have a farewell feast.”
Seeing no reason to refuse Button’s request, we decided to leave tomorrow. I shared the news with Tigar, Chris, and the others, informing them of our departure date and the preparations needed, including gathering supplies for the farewell feast.
At first, my comrades were eager to see the seeds bestowed upon me by the “Mountain God”. It was natural for them to be curious about seeds created by a god. However, since the seeds themselves didn’t have any remarkable appearance, most of them quickly lost interest.
Lorenz was the one who still took a strong interest in them. He was overjoyed at having found material for his travelogue. He meticulously noted down everything about the seeds’ appearance. However, something caught my attention, so I asked him.
“Oasis Tree, Sand Grapes, Dry Grains…? Are there similar plants to these?”
“Not at all. These are just temporary names based on the characteristics of the plants I’ve heard about.”
“Hoo. That makes them easy to remember.”
It seemed Lorenz had only given them temporary names, but it looked like these names might become official, thanks to Button who was listening to our conversation. Well, clarity never hurts.
So I set out beyond the flower garden to gather food for the feast, accompanied by Chris, Woodsorrel, and Farl, along with Gora and some little monkeys clinging to his back. But we did not all travel as a single group since the food we needed to gather varied.
“Alright, off we go.”
“We’ll gather as much as we can.”
Gora and the monkeys were tasked with gathering nuts and fruits from the trees, while our destination lay within the heart of the forest, at a river teeming with fish and crabs.
The river that flowed through the forest was clear, with large fish swimming leisurely in its depths. Larger creatures such as bears occasionally fished here, so simply reaching in with one’s hands would likely result in the fish escaping. That’s why catching these fish was not only an act of gathering food but also a form of training.
“Shi!”
[He’s quite skillful, isn’t he?]
“Fufu, he really is.”
I stepped into the flowing river, making myself as still as possible to minimize my presence. When a fish swam between my legs, I quickly slipped my hand into the water and snatched it up with a swift grasp.
The river water was cold, which might have lowered the body temperature of other demons. But I had an exoskeleton that could withstand both high heat and cold so there was no problem. Even if I were submerged all day, I could move as if nothing had happened.
Remaining motionless, erasing my presence, and then capturing a fish in an instant proved to be a surprisingly difficult task. Any hint of killing intent could cause tiny movements in my body which would send vibrations through the water that would scare the fish away. The practice of maintaining my stealth until the moment of action was perfect training.
While I was honing my skills by catching fish, Chris and Woodsorrel were busy flipping over stones in the stream to collect the crabs hiding underneath. Woodsorrel looked at my training with a mix of astonishment and resignation, while Chris seemed to wear a gentle smile. For me, seeking to grow stronger at every opportunity, it was natural to use every spare moment for training.
[Aaah, so we part ways tomorrow, huh…]
“It’s not like it’s a goodbye forever, right? We’ll visit once things settle down.”
As they gathered together, Woodsorrel and Chris who had grown close talked about the days to come. Parting with Woodsorrel whom I had not seen in a long time was hard for me, but it was something that couldn’t be helped.
And as Chris said, this wasn’t a final farewell. We could visit the forest again, and the forest dwellers were always welcome to visit us.
“True, but when are you going to…? Hmm? Going? Oh, that’s it!”
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Woodsorrel shouted telepathically and dashed off alone toward the flower garden. Chris and I exchanged puzzled glances, and in that moment of distraction, the fish at my feet made its escape.