Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Mad Mage (4)
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-Crackle, crackle.
A delicious aroma wafted from the smoking device I'd made myself, accompanied by the crackling sound of the firewood burning away. I pulled out the bamboo skewer loaded with beef, brushed on the final layer of sauce, sprinkled it thinly with pepper, then put it back in the smoker and closed the lid.
"Whew, now I really want a beer."
Salty jerky and a cold beer? Ahh... nothing beats that. But what I was making now was 'emergency rations.' I couldn't touch it yet. Maybe later I could save up the scraps and pair them with some beer?
While waiting for the jerky to finish, I started grinding the grains, seeds, and dried fruits I'd harvested and dried in advance. Bored, apparently, El pitched in to help on her own.
"I love the food Master makes."
"For someone who says that, you sure devoured that inn food pretty well."
"That's... because the inns Master picks all have amazing food!"
"Haha. Just kidding, kidding. Thanks for the praise, El."
I poured maple syrup from the maple tree over the grains, seeds, and dried fruits that El had ground. The sweet scent of the maple syrup mingled with the nutty aroma of the grains and seeds, and the tangy smell of the dried fruits.
"But how do you even know how to make stuff like this?"
El's question made me burst out laughing. Mercenaries were known for surviving on jerky so tough it could pass for tree bark and biscuits crawling with bugs, after all.
"It's food from where I used to live."
One meal a day, simple energy bars! Recalling the packaging of the energy bars I often ate for breakfast, I stirred vigorously with the spatula. Ah, how I miss mass-produced food.
"When things got busy, it was hard to sit down for a proper meal, so I'd eat these instead."
"I see...!"
"I based it on those memories. Way better than just biscuits."
Much better, nutritionally speaking. Carbs from the grains, fats from the seeds, sugars from the syrup, and vitamins from the fruits. Add in the jerky for protein and salt, and it was practically a perfect meal.
'Of course, this is only possible because I chose the Druid class.'
With periodic access to fresh grains, seeds, fruits, syrup, and more. If I'd been a warrior or mage, I'd have been stuck with far inferior nutrition.
Self-sufficiency is key. Especially in a pseudo-medieval world like this.
I told El to watch over things until the energy bars set and the jerky finished smoking, then opened the [Dimensional Garden].
Time to harvest the Black Opium for Khalid and tend to the garden.
'Come to think of it, it's been ages since I last entered the Dimensional Garden.'
I hoped the fields were in good shape. The Dimensional Garden maintained optimal conditions for any plant to grow. 'Any plant'—which meant weeds and wildflowers would be thriving too. Maybe even forming a forest.
I pushed through the dense trees and tall grasses. As expected, the weeds had exploded in growth. The Opium patch I'd carefully maintained was fine, but everything around it was overrun with reeds and weeds taller than my waist.
"Sheesh, when am I ever going to get through all this?"
I had so much else to do. Overwhelmed, I stopped and scratched my head. No good options came to mind besides rolling up my sleeves. If only I had a tractor... fat chance.
"...No helping it."
With a sigh, I headed to the center of the Dimensional Garden, where I'd stashed some farming tools.
-Thud!
After a few steps,
I felt something soft, squishy, and fluffy underfoot collide with my shoe, startling me into jumping back. What, what was that?! Had I just kicked a rat or something? I hurriedly parted the grasses. Once I'd cleared them all...
"Huh?"
There it was—something familiar.
No, calling it 'that thing' was rude.
"Puu...?"
Better to say familiar 'friends' had appeared. I scooped up the dazed Puu spinning in circles and met its eyes.
"Why are you here...?"
I'd kicked it too hard, apparently. I held Puu until it came to its senses. Meanwhile, other Puus scattered through the grasses began gathering at my feet.
"Wh-whoa. Hold on, don't crowd so close."
What if I stepped on you and popped you?! Treading carefully to avoid them, I made my way to the World Tree area, where flowers and grass had at least kept things somewhat tidy. Finally! With the grasses out of the way, I could see them properly. I gently set down the Puu I was holding and counted the ones milling about. One, two, three... seven, eight, nine, ten. Ten in total.
"What are you guys doing here...?"
Then it hit me.
[You can summon special gardeners.]
Right—the reward from completing the Moon Temple quest.
Is that why they were in the Dimensional Garden?
"Wait, if that's the case...!"
I glanced between the weed-choked garden and the Puus.
"...With you guys, I can do it."
I grinned at the Puus. The ones who'd been bouncing happily until a moment ago started trembling at my smile. Whoops, did I look too much like a greedy boss?
"Alright, Puus. Fall in."
-Puu!
-Puupuu!
-Puuu!
At my command, the scattered Puus huddled together. I lined them up (roughly) by size, naming the biggest Puu One, then Puu Two, Puu Three, Puu Four, Puu Five... up to Puu Ten. A bit arbitrary, maybe, but better than calling them all just 'Puu.' To tell them apart, I stuck differently colored leaves on their heads, crossed my arms, and addressed them.
"I'm giving you a mission now."
-Puu?
-Puuu?
"Not really a mission. It's simple—something you're best at."
-Puuing?
"Garden maintenance."
-Puu.
"Yeah, simple. But super important. Like tending the Moon Temple."
Their beady black eyes sparkled.
"Alright, Puu One. You, Two, Three, and Four—start weeding."
-Puupuu!
"Puu Five, Six, and Seven—furrow the weeded soil."
-Puuu!
"And Puu Eight, Nine, Ten—your job's crucial too."
-Puuing?
"You're smaller than the others, but don't get down. You've got the perfect task."
-Puupuu....
"Black Opium is so delicate, one touch drops all its leaves. It needs tiny helpers like you."
-Puu!
"Love the enthusiasm. Now scatter. Come to me if you're stuck."
-Puupuu!
And so the Puus' garden management began. They charged out energetically, yanking the overgrown weeds from the neglected Dimensional Garden. They furrowed the cleared soil for new plants, while the rest harvested Black Opium. Meanwhile, I sorted their harvest into goods and scraps, collecting seeds. What would've taken me a week alone was done in hours. I couldn't help but marvel.
"Good, good... That's enough Black Opium. Plant the seeds anew."
I handed Black Opium seeds to the small Puus. I checked the fields they'd prepared—rich, even soil, perfect for anything.
'In that case, let's plant these new seeds I got.'
Snowflake Tree, Ice Moss Tree, Snow Lotus, Silver Snow Pea, and Snow Peas. Five polar plants. I'd figure out uses after growing and testing them.
I divided seed pouches among the Puus. They planted meticulously, covered with soil, and dropped round water droplets on top. The seeds sprouted instantly, even without my skills.
'What are those water droplets?'
I opened the old book and found the [Special Gardeners] entry. I hadn't spent much time with the Puus yet, so not much useful info. Just that they were special spirits created by Linshaka and Nemea...?
"Oh!"
[Special Gardeners can improve plants in various ways. Examples include moon-greeting flowers that bloom only on new moons, cacti that bloom flowers instead of spines, and more....]
They can improve plants!
Lightning struck my mind at that line. I'd only used existing plants before, but with Puus, I could breed them however I wanted. Simply, a potato-rooted tomato-stemmed plant. Or more complex...
'Even weaponized plants that function as <soldiers>.'
Untested, so maybe premature, but possible.
'What I can do simply right now...'
Improving Snow Peas that shoot hard seeds.
Strengthen seed hardness, control shooting speed and force...
Precise targeting for destruction might be tough, but for suppressive or defensive fire? Perfect.
Silver Mountains monsters are mostly undead. Set the range right, and blind shots would drop plenty.
"Puu One through Ten, fall in!!"
Improvement possibilities were endless. I closed the book and gathered the Puus.
Plant improvement, commencing.