Chapter 900
Chapter 900
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 900
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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I summoned a bottle filled with green liquid. Hevil’s Accelerator.
It had an amazing effect that made plants grow in an instant and bear fruit. And it was great value for money too. One drop affected about ten square meters. I had over two thousand bottles of Hevil’s Accelerator.
‘A hundred bottles of Hevil’s Accelerator should be more than enough to make a forest.’
The Drought Hell was nothing now.
I dropped one drop of Hevil’s Accelerator at the base of a tree. It took effect right away. The sapling shot up rapidly. Branches spread out, and leaves grew thick and lush.
But it didn’t brighten my face.
Normally, one drop of Hevil’s Accelerator should make a plant bear fruit. But this apple tree’s growth halted midway.
‘What’s wrong?’
The tree started to wither.
I figured out the problem immediately.
Water. There wasn’t enough water. I kept pouring water on the tree. In the end, I succeeded in making it bear fruit.
The number of apples was fewer than I’d expected.
“...Twenty. Way too few.”
I harvested the apples before they could shrivel up. Not to eat them. To germinate the seeds and grow new trees.
‘I had to fetch water from other worlds in between... Is that why only twenty fruits grew?’
Bringing water from another world wasn’t easy. A small amount would be one thing. But a ton? That was no joke.
‘Did I use about thirty tons of water to grow one apple tree? And it still wasn’t enough.’
To grow it properly, I’d probably need over fifty tons.
‘Or maybe because I poured all the water in one spot...’
I looked at the apple tree. Five minutes without water. It was dying. The leaves were shriveling and falling, absorbed into the red sand.
‘If it would just rain, maybe I could grow them in bulk?’
Drought Hell.
Waiting for natural rain with a name like that was foolish.
“There is a way, though.”
A flute that could summon torrential rain.
I could use this flute to call down rain for three hours, then scatter tree seeds and Hevil’s Accelerator to create a forest.
‘With Hevil’s Accelerator... it should work.’
I had a plan, but I was missing something. Apple seeds. The flute could only be used once for three hours, so I needed as many seeds as possible.
‘Damn. Time for some grind.’
???
I went to the hell shop alone. Mammon was standing at the counter just like before. Ignoring his greeting, I got straight to the point.
“Mammon. I need a water tank.”
“Keke. You need water, I see. Wouldn’t you like some new apple tree saplings, by any chance?”
“Pass on the saplings.”
“Oh. So you succeeded in growing an apple tree. Impressive. Do you have a plant-growing skill, perhaps?”
“Cut the crap. I need a water tank.”
“No water tanks. But we have something similar.”
“Why didn’t you mention something like this earlier?”
“Keke. It slipped my mind.”
Lies. He knew I’d come back and held out on me.
“What about water?”
“Of course it’s empty. Water’s very expensive in hell. Clean water goes for 10 AP per liter. Shall I get some for you?”
“That’s highway robbery...”
“Now, now. Water’s value depends on the environment.”
I let it slide. Arguing with him got me nowhere.
“Do you buy stuff too?”
“Of course. Got anything good? Ah, we buy demon beast corpses cheap. They’re the most common thing in hell.”
“Apples.”
I held out a red apple.
“Ho ho. You’ve already harvested fruit. Excellent. I’ll buy them at 20 AP each.”
“......20 AP? I bought the sapling for 20,000 AP.”
“Just like value changes with environment, it changes with the person too. I don’t need those apples much. 20 AP is because we’re here—if it were elsewhere, not even 10.”
I clicked my tongue and pocketed the apple.
“Not selling.”
“As you wish.”
“...Anything related to lifespan?”
“You mean gaining lifespan, right? We have it. Let me show you.”
“800,000 AP.”
I scowled at the scale he offered. Buying lifespan from targets was secondary. I had the money. But 95% fee? Out of 100 days bought, only 5 ended up in my hands.
Efficiency in the toilet.
‘...Better than nothing. With Complete Recovery, I could give my lifespan to Elena...’
She’d be touched, of course, and I could win her over.
“......Can’t you knock it down a bit? To like 400,000 AP...?”
“Haha. No.”
Mammon snatched the scale back. I clicked my tongue. Truth be told, even 400,000 was too much.
“Any other options?”
“None.”
He said it firmly. When Mammon, who always tried to squeeze every AP out of you, said no that definitively, there really wasn’t. I sighed and left the shop.
“Come again.”
If I cleared the Drought Hell, I’d get a ton of AP. Factoring in monthly income, I might scrape together 800,000.
‘Worst case, use an Elixir.’
???
Crunch!
Elena and I bit into apples.
Since I grew them, I felt no attachment... It was all Hevil’s Accelerator anyway.
“Delicious. The best apple I’ve ever had.”
“...I agree.”
“Though I prefer grapes, of course.”
Did he need to add that?
With our bellies full of apples, Elena and I sat leaning against the wall side by side. It was evening now. Too early for bed, and too hot outside to tend the trees. We had no choice but to rest.
“Hey, last time you said you committed a grave sin against your family. Can I ask what happened?”
I asked carefully.
To gauge trust, ask about something important to them. If they answer openly, trust is high. Especially for distrustful Elena, this was a key question.
“...You’re curious about that?”
“I want to know what you went through. But if you don’t want to say, it’s fine.”
“Anyone else, maybe not. But you... It’s not bad to tell you. My life won’t last much longer anyway...”
She fell silent. She seemed lost in thought, then spoke.
“What I’m about to say is the Valderte family’s shame. Can you swear not to tell a soul but me?”
“I swear.”
“Good. I’ll trust you.”
Elena said. She gazed at the lamp hanging from the ceiling and began.
“It was right after Father died and I took over as family head. Before I was called the Illusion Duke. Ever heard of the Three Extremes Duke?”
“The previous Valderte head’s moniker, right?”
“Yes. What they called Father. He’d mastered fire, ice, and wind elemental magic to the extreme. I hate to brag, but Father was incredible. I once saw him drop a meteor... Even now, it gives me chills. Then he died suddenly.”
“Why so abrupt?”
“Poison. Even the strongest human, one who could drop meteors, is still human. Father died from extreme poison.”
I had a feeling what happened.
“That poison... don’t tell me.”
“Right. Mother’s doing. My mother, sunk in luxury and indulgence, didn’t love Father. And she was extremely promiscuous. Probably more than street whores. Over a hundred men linked to her. It took effort to hush it up quietly.”
“So you killed her?”
“That too, but she tried to make me her puppet. She wanted to control me after I became head. She needed money and power. I refused, and we clashed every time we met. Raised voices were standard. She hit me often too.”
“......”
“I endured. She was my mother. But she crossed the line. Brought her lover into the family estate. Servants all saw. The Valderte name would hit the dirt. The more debauched she got, the less legitimate I seemed. The family decayed.”
Elena had lived for the family. She opposed the crown prince because she knew he’d doom them as emperor.
“I had one last talk with Mother and knew there was no saving her. So I killed her.”
“...Without illusion magic?”
“Regrettably, Mother was special too. Blessed by a fairy as a child. My illusions worked briefly, but wore off. So I killed her to cover it surely. I used ten years of lifespan on the retainers and servants for illusions. Altered their memories.”
“Committed a sin to hide a sin.”
“Yes. But I don’t regret it. In that sense, I’m grateful to Viscount Goldrex. He didn’t expose Mother’s shame there. Truly thankful.”
“Not as big a deal as I thought.”
“...Not a big deal? I committed familial treason for the family?”
“Not from my view.”
“...True. Not to you. Hm. Thinking of Mother now, I get it a little.”
“You get it?”
A promiscuous woman? Surprised, I looked at Elena.
“A little. Just a little.”
Elena’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“So when do I get your story?”
“My story? Suddenly?”
“Don’t brush me off. I noticed long ago you’re hiding something. Doesn’t seem related to me, but... Feels unfair I’m the only one sharing. Spill.”
“Later. I’ll tell you later.”
“Lame answer... Whatever. I’ll hold you to it. Isn’t it bedtime now?”
Elena scooted closer abruptly. I stood in panic.
“Already? We can sleep later.”
“Sleep now for a good rest. Don’t dodge. Stay still. I’ll put you to sleep.”
“Ah, true, but no illusion needed today.”
“Why? Deep sleep via illusion helps you too, right? You said waking refreshed feels great.”
“Relying on illusions all the time isn’t great. And... you keep trying to illusion me. Something up?”
Elena frowned like my suspicion was absurd.
“Doubting me?”
“N-no, not that.”
I waved it off. Couldn’t let built-up trust crumble.
Elena snorted and reached out.
“Then trust me and sleep. Consider it my care for you.”
Sleepiness hit.
No resistance, eyes closed. Opened to morning. Elena sat beside me. She hadn’t slept, looking oddly pleased.
“Awake?”
I stood and looked around. Nothing changed.
But yesterday nagged at me.
‘...There’s a way. End Playful Life.’
Back in reality, I checked auto-play on my smartphone.
Auto-play switched to third-person centered on me. I could set speed to fast-forward or rewind to review past events.
This let me see what happened while I slept.
‘Gasp! No way!’
Seeing the past, I was stunned.
‘Sh-she... While I was asleep, I got groped?! Elena did this...?!’
Never expected it. My head reeled from shock.
But it didn’t feel bad.
‘Totally fresh!’