Valuable Information at a Steep Price
The advice was divided into two neat categories.
Construction Field Advice
1. Find suitable materials in the Black Forest: Como Tree, Tiese Stone.
Agriculture Field Advice
1. Find land suitable for farming near Grace Lord’s Castle (Hint: Looking good doesn’t mean it’s good).
2. Edible fruit: Orange-colored, about the size of a fist, bitter taste. Must be cooked before eating. — Nado Persimmon Tree fruit tastes best when blanched in boiling water to remove the astringency, then roasted over fire.
3. Make good fertilizer: Grind dried Dural leaves, ferment with Moh moss for one week, then mix thoroughly into the soil.
“Huh? That’s it?”
It was far more crude and lacking than the terrain information she had bought with the same amount of points last time.
Donghee stared into the empty air with wide eyes, hoping something more might appear.
But inside the blue status window floating before her, no further information showed up.
“Isn’t this a scam?”
If she had gone through twice the hardship, it should have given her twice the knowledge. Had she known the information would be this short, she would never have chosen forced acquisition.
Unable to shake the feeling that she had been swindled, Donghee glared at the sapphire-blue status window as if she wanted to kill it. If she could, she would have grabbed it by the collar and shaken it.
Apparently displeased with her reaction, the status window flickered wildly and quickly scribbled out new text.
Paying only a few hundred points and expecting so much? How shameless of you, User.
“Only a few hundred? It was a full 1,000 points!”
Would you like to cancel the purchase?
“Is that even possible?”
Donghee stopped shouting and asked in a much gentler tone.
Yes. However, canceling the purchase will only refund half of the points spent, and the acquired information will be cleanly erased from your mind.
Please be advised that as a side effect, previously acquired information may suffer damage or errors, and your memory may decline.
Would you like to cancel the purchase?
After rapidly spitting out the message, the status window displayed the options [Cancel Purchase], [Confirm Purchase], and [Write Review] in sequence at the bottom.
Canceling or confirming the purchase made sense, but what was “Write Review” supposed to be?
Donghee couldn’t shake the feeling that the status window was copying internet shopping malls.
“Do I get something if I write a review?”
There is no such reward.
“Then why did you even put that option there?”
It looks more professional that way. So, will you cancel the purchase? Refund is 50%. Side effect is memory decline.
Wow. This thing was basically a thug—it just wasn’t holding a knife.
“That’s the same as saying you won’t let me cancel!”
My, User, your reading comprehension is lacking. I clearly stated that while there may be minor side effects, cancellation is still possible.
Donghee struggled to calm her boiling anger and glared at the scammer-like status window with everything she had.
Whether she liked it or not, the window kept repeating the infuriating message that cancellation was possible, along with the useless “Write Review” option.
“I’m not canceling.”
She couldn’t cancel after suffering through that forced acquisition with her whole body trembling. She would only get half her points back, and there was a chance the information she had previously acquired would be damaged. There was no need to cancel.
Besides, her memory was already terrible. If it got any worse, she was afraid she might one day forget who she was.
And who knew? Maybe those short, pitiful lines of information held incredible value.
Judging by how the status window was acting, this seemed to be a necessary hurdle she would have to pass before she could buy the next level of information anyway.
Even users with poor memory can acquire quality information with only minor side effects. This is a hidden point. We look forward to your continued patronage and will return soon with a discount event. Hehe.
Donghee waved her hand wildly, trying to shoo away the status window that had so kindly reminded her of her bad memory.
The window didn’t actually disappear just because she waved at it, but doing so at least made her feel a little better.
Once the status window vanished from sight, Donghee felt drained. She collapsed into her chair with a heavy sigh.
The moment her cheek touched the soft fur, exhaustion crashed over her all at once.
She considered taking a nap right there, but curiosity about the value of the information she had suffered to obtain suddenly struck her.
Donghee jumped up from her heavy body, flung open the carriage door, and stepped outside.
The cold wind instantly blew away the lingering nausea. It had been the right decision to come out.
As soon as Chloe stepped out, the two waiting knights straightened up in front of her.
“Could you bring Builder to me?”
Since Morta Village and the Black Forest weren’t far, she figured she should first learn more about the Como Tree and Tiese Stone.
At her words, the younger-looking of the two knights gave a crisp bow and ran off toward where Builder was working.
In the distance, she could see Builder loudly giving instructions to the construction workers. Even from afar, it was clear how diligently and sincerely he was pouring himself into the task.
A short while later, the knight returned with Builder, whose hair was drenched in sweat. He came running and stopped before Chloe, panting.
“My lord, you called for me?”
Perhaps because he had eaten that delicious ramen, Builder’s expression was much brighter than it had been that morning. He gazed at Chloe with clear, innocent eyes like a child looking up at a hero.
His fervent stare felt a bit overwhelming, so Donghee cleared her throat and asked in a dignified voice.
“Do you happen to know anything about the Como Tree or Tiese Stone?”
Builder frowned slightly as if thinking, then broke into a bright smile and answered cheerfully.
“The Como Tree… isn’t that the tree that grows in the Black Forest? As for Tiese Stone, it’s the most common rock around here. That gray stone right next to you, my lord, is also Tiese Stone.”
He looked absolutely delighted to be able to answer his lord’s question.
“Where?”
Donghee quickly turned her head this way and that, scanning the ground in search of Tiese Stone.
Scattered across the dirt were broken gray stones lying about everywhere.
“Huh? This is Tiese Stone?”
“Yes. But it’s a completely useless rock. It’s so weak that even an old man over ninety could crush it in his hand.”
Tiese Stone was an incredibly annoying thing.
On windy days it would kick up clouds of gray dust, and on rainy days it would turn the ground into a muddy mess. If it rolled into the fields and got wet, crops wouldn’t grow properly, making it even more troublesome than weeds. During planting season, the first thing people did every morning was pick out any Tiese Stones that had fallen near the crops.
Builder stomped on a piece of Tiese Stone at his feet as if it were a cockroach, clearly irritated just thinking about it.
“Really?”
Donghee picked up one of the stones from the ground, puzzled.
It was quite large, yet surprisingly light in her hand. It felt less like holding a rock and more like holding a chunk of chalk.
“It’s so light?”
“Yes. When the wind is strong, the smaller pieces can even get blown away.”
No matter how light it was, the idea of a rock flying through the air was rather threatening.
“Someone could get hurt.”
“If it hits a person, it would turn to powder immediately. I’ve never seen anyone get injured by it.”
“Is Tiese Stone common in other regions too?”
“Not really. It’s a rock mostly found in areas near snowy plains, and it only appears in villages connected to the Black Forest.”
“So you’re saying it’s a stone that can only be obtained in our territory?”
“Yes.”
It looked fairly solid on the outside, so Donghee squeezed the Tiese Stone in her hand with suspicion.
The fist-sized gray rock immediately cracked apart and crumbled into powder, scattering away in a puff.
“Whoa.”
She had crushed a rock with her bare hand.
For a moment, Donghee felt like the Hulk. It seemed like it would be pretty effective for stress relief too.
But the dust made her cough, and she waved her hand frantically in front of her face.
Builder, who had been watching, also fanned the air vigorously to clear the Tiese Stone dust floating around Chloe. Fortunately, a timely breeze carried the dust far away.
“That’s strange, though. If it crumbles this easily, shouldn’t it all be in powder form already?”
“It clumps back together when it gets wet from rain.”
“Would it be difficult to use for building houses?”
“Yes. Even if you use it to fill gaps while it’s wet and sticky, once it dries, it crumbles at the slightest impact. It’s useless. The dust can even make children and the elderly sick. It interferes terribly with farming too. If we could just clear out all the Tiese Stone, crop yields would increase dramatically.”
As he spoke, Builder picked up another piece of Tiese Stone and hurled it far away from Chloe.
The stone drew an arc through the air, and the moment it hit the ground it turned into a cloud of gray dust that rose like smoke before being swept away by the wind in an instant.
Donghee fell into thought as she looked at the seemingly useless Tiese Stone.
The status window must have mentioned it because it actually had some use.
In that case, she would have to research it together with the Como Tree that had been mentioned alongside it.
“Builder, do you know anything about the Como Tree as well?”
“I’ve heard that Como Trees grow in the center of the Black Forest.”
There was no confidence in Builder’s voice.
“Have you never seen one yourself?”
“No. I only heard about it in passing when my father was teaching me about trees. Most people in the village probably don’t know about the Como Tree either.”
“Then I really should be grateful that your family has been carpenters for generations.”
If not for Builder, it would have taken much longer to learn about the Como Tree.
Donghee felt newly grateful for his presence and gave his broad shoulder a couple of encouraging pats.
Of course, since Builder was much taller, she had to reach quite high, but the kind man immediately bent at the waist the moment Chloe placed her hand on his shoulder.
He was quick-witted too. Donghee was growing fonder of Builder by the minute.
“Do you know exactly where in the Black Forest they grow?”
At her question, Builder’s face darkened instantly.
“I heard there is a colony of Como Trees in the center of the Black Forest. But I don’t know what it’s like now.”
He looked so downcast, as if failing to give an exact answer was some kind of crime.
“The center… that means we’d have to go deep into the forest.”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’ve heard they hate sunlight and only grow in the dense shade where the trees are packed tightly. They’re shorter than other trees and have thicker trunks.”
While listening to Builder’s explanation, Donghee lifted her head and stared at the sky.
It had only just passed lunchtime; there was still a long time before the sun would set. But if they went deep into the Black Forest, the people could be in danger.
As she pondered what to do, Red Bear, who had been watching her, spoke up first.
“My lord, I and a few of my men will enter the Black Forest and search for the Como Tree habitat.”