The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

Episode 55. Special Crops (2)

The elixir is a special plant that grows well even in polluted land where the soil’s energy has been depleted.

While ordinary plants absorb air through their stomata, elixirs grow by absorbing mana.

The nutrients in Mana are superior to those inherent in Okto.

Because of this, plants called elixirs were able to grow even in harsh environments.

‘But since they are plants, it’s not like they aren’t affected by the environment at all.’

Appropriate temperature and humidity, even sunlight, unpolluted air, etc.

Even the same plant grows differently depending on the environment.

The World Tree’s Garden is the best environment in the world for growing plants.

I was convinced that even if it was just a few days apart, it would have a positive effect.

‘It’s true that it’s been a long time since it was picked, but it’s not an elixir.’

If you plant it again in the ground, it will regain its vitality.

Even if not, it was a loss anyway.

“Plant this? Here?”

“It doesn’t matter if you consume it after returning to the Magic Tower, so let’s just plant it here until then.”

Only then did Sage put aside his misunderstanding and relax his expression.

I felt wronged.

“I would never have given you a gift and then taken it back?”

When did I ever act in a way that made me look like such a bad adult?

This secretly hurts.

“… … I’m okay with that. I guess I’m a little disappointed, though.”

Sage muttered quietly, perhaps embarrassed.

“little?”

“… … A lot.”

“No.”

“i know.”

If you knew, why did you do that earlier?

Sage looked away as he stared silently.

I’ll let him off easy because he’s still a kid.

I patted Sage on the shoulder and headed toward a sunny spot.

Swish! Swish!

I dug the ground with my hands.

Fully grown root plants do not need to be planted deeply.

If you bury it at an appropriate depth, it will take root on its own, so all you have to do is scrape off some of the soil with your hand.

Knock knock!

When I finally covered it with soil, the elixir reacted immediately.

The long, two-lobed leaves rising above the roots have regained their primary, bright light from their dull green.

“Wow.”

It’s a mystical sight.

Sage poked the leaf with bright eyes.

“By the way, can you reproduce with elixirs?”

I asked the World Tree secretly.

“The World Tree shakes its branches to express a mysterious negation.”

“… … It is possible, but not now? There are conditions.”

“The World Tree powerfully affirms.”

Well, if that were possible, why would I work?

He would have started a business right away, started farming elixirs, and formed an army.

It was too fraudulent to be realized.

‘It’s not like it’s not possible at all.’

He said that all I had to do was meet the conditions.

I gradually learned what the conditions were.

It was a time when I was trying to console myself with my regrets.

“The Hwayangcho and Suumcho are taking root in the garden of the World Tree!”

“Structure placement rewards are activated!”

“The essence of Hwa-yang-cho and Su-eum-cho bears fruit!”

“Hiyat?”

Sage’s sudden scream made me turn my gaze towards her.

“what’s the matter?”

“Hey, look at these guys!”

Sage pointed to the fireweed and the water sapling.

At one point, both plants were revealing their roots above ground rather than underground.

The roots crawled toward each other and soon became entangled like threads.

A stem grew above it, leaves sprouted, and finally fruit was born.

Boom! Roll!

The ripe fruit rolled on the ground.

I picked it up carefully.

‘……what’s this?’

Aren’t Hwayangcho and Suumcho root plants paired?

This is the first time I’ve heard of it bearing fruit.

The smell was refreshing like dew.

The skin was soft enough to be peeled off with the hand, and the flesh was moist and bursting with juice.

‘Is this what it means to harvest special crops? Purification?’

The essence of elixir.

I have never even heard of it in the catalogs of auctions where all kinds of rare items are put up for sale.

‘It’s not a bad thing, I guess.’

They say it’s the essence of elixir, so how could it be bad for your health?

It didn’t take as long as I thought, but the final action was the same.

“Okay, eat.”

“… … Is it okay to eat this?”

Sage poked the berries with his fingers.

“maybe.”

“… … I will believe you.”

Sage, who was handed the fruit, hesitated and did not swallow it right away.

You said you believed, but are you still worried?

Finally, she took a deep breath and reached out her hand to me with a look of strong determination in her eyes.

“This one, you eat the rest.”

“……I?”

There were two beads hanging from one tap.

I was thinking that since there were two elixirs originally intended to be given, wouldn’t it be better to take both of them?

Swish!

Before I could answer, the World Tree snatched one of the seeds first.

It was a quick action, as if he had been waiting for it.

Such sudden actions of the World Tree have always returned to my advantage.

It means that if I take this, something will get better.

‘Then I shouldn’t decline.’

Sage and I put the essence into our mouths at the same time.

The colorful flavors hit my tongue and the flesh went down my throat like water.

The subsequent change was not an increase in mana.

“I have consumed the essence of Hwayangcho and Suumcho!”

“Your natural affinity increases dramatically!”

“The races of the great nature feel a great instinctive favor towards the Druids!”

“The high affinity for nature allows you to eavesdrop on the ‘whispers of Mother Nature’!”

“The medicinal properties of the essence are accumulated in the World Tree!”

“The World Tree’s powers are strengthened!”

Several messages came to mind.

The first thing that could be understood was the strengthening of the World Tree’s abilities.

The rest was a mystery.

‘Whisper of Mother Nature?’

I checked it on the skill list.

“Whisper of Mother Nature

─Conveying the whispers that Mother Nature remembers.

─I hear sounds that I shouldn’t hear. ”

‘… … ?’

Even the explanation was vague.

It was a sentence that needed to be chewed over.

‘Let’s move on for now.’

Next.

‘The favor of the race of Mother Nature.’

This was also an ambiguous expression, but it was better than the whisper of Mother Nature.

Because I had an inkling of it.

‘Spirit first.’

A halo of light swirled around me.

The spirits swarmed and clung to me.

It was a distance that was even closer than before.

Now, I wonder if the World Tree will be able to listen to my commands as well.

It was quite a positive result as the unnecessary process of going through the World Tree in order to command was omitted.

‘And the spirits.’

There would be many other species of spirits besides the watchman hawk.

Unlike the Guardian Eagle, who had been contracted from the egg, other spirits could be hostile to me.

The idea was that this could be prevented.

‘Finally… … elf.’

Elves are called children of Mother Nature in this world.

Although it is an expression of the past, the fundamentals have not changed.

Since we don’t leave Earth 1, we rarely encounter each other, so it’s rare for it to be effective.

‘We’ll meet soon.’

Galaga City will try to avoid war with the savage city of Pulseer as much as possible.

The envoy of Pearlseer who will be arriving soon.

The leader of the Galaga City negotiation team that was to welcome them was an elf.

‘It is also assumed that the person in charge of Greenwood is of elven royalty.’

I was hoping to have a chance to contact the head of Greenwood someday.

It would have been a great help then.

“I feel bloated.”

The effect of the essence on Sage was different from my case.

She absorbed the mana into her body as per the universal effect of the elixir.

But the amount was extraordinary.

The effects were so noticeable outside the body that hair stood on end and clothes flapped.

Even if you take Hwayangcho and Suumcho together, you won’t see such a noticeable effect.

It seemed like the amount of mana that Jeongsu held was enormous.

“It’s because your entire body’s mana is saturated. It’s just a feeling, but there’s nothing wrong with your body, so bear with it.”

“Ugh, I feel sick.”

“Just bear with it for a few days and you’ll be fine afterward.”

“Isn’t there a way to get better quickly?”

“It depends on your efforts.”

The method of absorbing the surplus mana that had reached saturation was simple.

You just have to practice.

Methods included using magic or training the body.

It may be much more intense than usual, but it will all be beneficial to you.

‘I will grow up smoothly.’

In addition to his innate talent, he also made up for his acquired shortcomings.

Sage’s path ahead was smooth.

***

The Draxia Mercenaries have been more active than ever in recent times.

It was a reward for the achievements he had built up step by step, but the decisive feat was the successful resolution of the request against Centrim’s Quadruple.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the commander’s office of the Draxia mercenary group was heavy today, in stark contrast to the future of the group that was in full swing.

Even the leader, Draxia, and Hela and Waver sitting in front of him had solemn expressions without a hint of playfulness.

Hela said, shaking the papers in her hand.

“Sir, are you really going to do this?”

“That’s right.”

“I disagree.”

Waver listened, sinking deep into the sofa.

“We’re doing well these days. Is there really a need to take on such a dangerous task?”

“This will be an opportunity for the mercenary group to grow further.”

Despite the recent energy in the mercenary group, its members were extremely tired.

With the already strict qualifications of a mercenary and the picky subjectivity of Draxia added to the mix, the recruitment difficulties were so severe that they were not living up to their reputation.

The story was that when there were too many requests, only the existing employees suffered.

And as a way to overcome the current situation where support from Okseok is sluggish, Drexia put forward the value of worrying about uselessness.

The idea is that if you build an overwhelming reputation, talented people will naturally bow their heads and come to you.

“It’s a request from the city government. It’s a rare opportunity.”

“We know that too, sir… … .”

The lofty city government did not easily hand over the spoils to its subordinates.

Once you are recognized, you are guaranteed a stable income.

It was an opportunity I would have greatly regretted missing.

“You can see right through me that I have a dirty mind. The escort for the negotiation team that will receive the Pearl Sea delegation? You’re putting mercenaries in such an important position?”

The city government’s request was indeed difficult.

It is an important meeting that will determine whether war breaks out or not.

Depending on the outcome, each person’s profit and loss differed.

It would not have been surprising if something major had happened during this meeting.

“It’s not that the city government is powerless, so why would they send in mercenaries when they can just use their own capable subordinates?”

“It’s a scapegoat in case things don’t work out well.”

It was an unusually serious attitude for Waver, who was not interested in anything in the world.

Draxia didn’t let this go.

“Have you heard any stories?”

“… … Yes, well.”

“I won’t ask for the source. Just tell me.”

“There are a lot of people out there trying to get their hands on it. They’ll have to keep an eye on the city government, but if things don’t go their way, they might go crazy.”

“Hmm.”

“You heard that, sir? Let’s let go.”

Draxia sighed after thinking about it for a while and said,

“… … No, I’ll force it.”

“No! As you get older, you become more stubborn!”

“Your language is rude.”

“evil!”

Hela groaned and struggled after being hit by a powerful blow that could shatter rocks.

“Whether there is a war or not, the city will be in turmoil. In such times, you have to go with the flow rather than be swept away.”

“… … .”

“They say that when a typhoon comes, the center is the calmest. If it’s a city government, it’s the eye of the typhoon. You can’t miss it.”

“… … Haa, I don’t know.”

Finally, realizing that she couldn’t break her stubbornness, Hela stormed out.

Waver shrugged his shoulders with a bitter smile.

“It seems like you’ve made a decision, so I’ll have to put aside my personal opinions and follow it. I’ll try to appease that rascal.”

“While you’re at it, teach them manners too.”

“That’s too much.”

Waver, who answered jokingly, soon lowered his voice as if telling a secret.

“For your information, it’s really dangerous. There’s a chance that you’ll have to put your life first, whether it’s a request or something.”

“Is this a story that goes around among the nobles?”

“… … .”

“It’s an obvious trick that will happen even without warning. Don’t worry.”

Draxia raised his heavy body.

“I will go forward myself.”

Waver’s eyes widened.

***

Two days later, late at night after seeing Colin and Sage off.

I arrived at Cromwell’s office.

“What’s going on? Come find me urgently.”

I planned to take on the commission after resting for a few more days.

The reason for this early visit was an urgent message from Cromwell.

“Why is there such a commotion outside? What’s going on?”

The cafe on the first floor was bustling with customers.

The interior is nice, but it’s not a real cafe.

It was obvious that the people who were pretending to be customers and killing people were actually contractors.

The meeting of the contractors was no ordinary event.

“Something happened. Something that warranted my calling you in a hurry.”

“Are you planning on washing your hands and cleaning up the office?”

“I have a plan, but not yet. It seems like it’ll just make things more difficult.”

Cromwell handed me an envelope sealed several times.

“what’s this?”

“It’s a confidential city government document assigned to each brokerage firm.”

“Why are you showing it to me?”

“It’s a request from the city government.”

The gesture of breaking the seal paused.

“I would like to recommend you for this assignment.”