Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Isn't It Safer Next to the Dinosaurs?
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Isn't it safer next to the dinosaurs?
A cabin built halfway up the mountain.
That was where Emilia was cooking.
"Haa. That again?"
A familiar voice came from behind.
Silbi was coming in through the door.
"What."
"That tasteless root porridge! You eat nothing but that three times a day!"
Silbi's voice was laced with worry and pity.
Emilia answered flatly without stopping her stirring.
"What difference does it make if I eat something else?"
Silbi fell silent at those words, at a loss for reply.
It was the plain truth.
They were elves.
A race slowly withering away since losing the World Tree.
"...You're right. Still, there's such a thing as mood!"
Silbi grumbled as she dragged over a wooden chair and sat down.
Emilia silently placed a bowl of root porridge in front of her.
The evening meal thus began, quiet as always.
One bite,
two bites,
no reactions during the eating.
Of course not.
"...It has no taste."
Elves who had lost the World Tree had lost their sense of taste too.
"Why make a fuss now? Taste was the first thing to go after losing the World Tree. That was 200 years ago."
"..."
Emilia silently set down her spoon at Silbi's words.
Her gaze drifted to the back of her hand.
There were faint wrinkles there.
For elves, a race that didn't age until right before death, it was a shocking change every time.
"The wrinkles seem deeper."
At Emilia's lament, Silbi looked at the back of her own hand.
A small black spot had appeared there.
A sign of aging.
The two stared silently at each other's hands.
For a long time, wordlessly.
"Silbi, you know. I have dreams sometimes."
It was Emilia who broke the silence. Her voice was soft as she spoke of the dream.
"When I wake up in the morning, I see the World Tree's branches. I hear the wind, and the spirits laugh as they call my name."
"And we don't age."
"Yeah...."
The two fell silent again, lost in memories of the past.
Silbi, unable to bear the silence, spoke up.
"Shall we look at the Gallery?"
With the suggestion, Silbi gestured.
A translucent window promptly appeared in the air, filled with countless broadcasts.
One stood out among them.
🆙 LIVE BROADCAST [Yushun-i Getting Secretly Filmed While Bathingㅠ] [Shihanbu] "Haa. Look at that title. Right, Emilia?"
Silbi grumbled as she looked ahead.
The elf who had looked like a corpse moments ago was gone.
In her place was Emilia, eyes alight with life.
An elf with sparkling eyes watching Shihanbu's broadcast.
Silbi was dumbfounded for a moment.
Then she realized she wasn't much different.
Lately, she couldn't sleep without watching Shihanbu's nighttime broadcasts.
"He's really fatally addictive."
She chuckled and clicked on Shihanbu's broadcast.
It was right then.
"Huh?"
A surprised groan escaped Silbi.
On the screen, Shihanbu sat cross-legged in the middle of the poison mist.
"Every time I see him, he's so boring.... Huh?"
She let out another shriek.
Shihanbu on the screen.
A pure, unforced energy burst from his body.
"That energy... why does it feel so familiar?"
"Right? It feels so nostalgic... Huh?"
Emilia gasped mid-sentence.
She pointed to a part of the broadcast screen.
It was Shihanbu's index finger.
"Gasp!"
"Kyaa!"
Screams burst from both simultaneously.
The tip of the man's finger on the broadcast was turning to wood.
"It's definite!"
The startled Silbi jumped up from her chair, shouting.
She looked ahead.
Emilia was staring at the broadcast, tears streaming down.
"We found... it. Finally found it!!"
Those words convinced Silbi too.
And that conviction.
💬 Live Chat — Elf Viewer It's the World Tree! — Another Elf We found the World Tree!!! bore fruit in the ecstatic chats.
The elves' joy poured out like a waterfall.
As Silbi tried to join the excited fray,
Shihanbu, checking the chat, spoke up.
⚙ BROADCASTER ⚙ [Elves-nims, are your heads okay? Calling a human the World Tree?] He flatly denied it.
"Is this guy treating elves like idiots?!"
The furious Silbi typed into chat with trembling hands.
— Silbi Then what about that finger! The reply came as if prepared.
⚙ BROADCASTER ⚙ [Ah, this? It's a chronic condition I have. In my country, it's called epidermodysplasia verruciformis-like, or tree-man skin.] The calm reply flowed out without a flicker in his eyes.
And then.
⭐ Verified Info — Knowledgeable Person Such a disease does exist. Called tree-man syndrome, where the skin gradually turns to wood. A rare condition. The verification from the Gallery's encyclopedia-like high-nick poster appeared.
As Silbi wondered, 'Is it real? Did I mistake it?',
Bam!
"Don't make me laugh!"
Emilia slammed the table.
Startled, she turned to see a spirit there.
A spirit that had gone dormant with the World Tree's withering.
It had appeared beside Emilia.
"Caught red-handed!"
As Silbi, with irrefutable proof, tried to type into chat,
It was already flooded.
— Elf Fan Yeah, the spirit woke up, right? No denying it? World Tree confirmed? Gotta live with elves? — Tasting Elf Not just the spirit! My taste is coming back a bit too! — Wrinkled Elf My wrinkles—three of them—are gone! The elves were pressing him.
As evidence piled up one by one, practically forcing surrender,
⚙ BROADCASTER ⚙ [Hmm... Elves say they've suffered so much since losing the World Tree, but now you can't tell people from trees. How tragic.] Shihanbu turned the elves into a collective group of lunatics.
"Argh! You'll go down fighting to the end!"
As the angry Silbi tried to post a rebuttal comment,
⚙ BROADCASTER ⚙ [Alright, human broadcast ends here. Elves are scary.] Shihanbu fled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The penthouse in the western forest.
Having safely escaped the poison mist zone, I was
"Awoong! Awuung! Awuuung!"
listening to the baby wolf pup's scolding.
"Sorry for leaving you behind."
I sighed and tossed it a chunk of roasted meat.
"...Woong!"
The pup took the meat in its mouth, as if saying it'd let it slide this time.
Relieved at the sight, I looked ahead.
The fox and ox were drooling at the meat.
"So, do you know?"
With the question, I held out my hand.
A mandrake on the verge of death was in it.
I was asking if they knew how to cultivate it.
Then,
"Kyeng, kyaeng!"
"Moo-oo!"
Beastkin cries came back.
The Beastkin speech magic seemed to have worn off.
But their expressions conveyed plenty.
They didn't know.
"Useless... but not entirely."
They had told me the mandrake's location.
They'd dealt with that Third Elder's underling bringing food too.
Too many contributions to call useless.
This meat was even procured by the ox.
"Should I ask the viewers?"
The moment I thought of the viewers,
my face soured involuntarily.
I recalled that post I'd read.
📰 Gallery Post [I Believe Our Elves Should Raise Shihanbu!] Author: WorldTreeLover
300k Recommendations — OP We cannot lose the World Tree again! We elves must confine and care for Shihanbu! Water from us! Food from us! Sexual needs? We'll handle that! No freedom, but he'll be happy! A post that made me mutter "crazy bitches" on sight.
The problem was it had 300k recommendations.
"At least the comments were somewhat sane."
— Cynical Viewer Ew, elves were quiet lately, now acting up like 200 years ago. — Softie They were cute all wrinkly after losing spirits. ⭐ Heavenly Demon — Heavenly Demon Heh heh, do the elves want to die? Daring to kidnap the Vice Cult Leader? — Snow Girl Elves, want a scolding? — Reasonable One Not even confirmed yet, this is a bit... — Reply ↳ Then we raise him once confirmed! Recalling that post, I shuddered all over and muttered,
"That's why I didn't want to say I'm a Descendant of the World Tree."
The only thing I do in the wilds is Gallery lurking.
I knew well the elves' obsession with finding the World Tree.
"More worrying, though."
I might leave the Abandoned Continent someday.
"If I run into elves then..."
In my mind, I saw myself chained.
Surrounded by elves gazing at me lovingly.
"Gives me chills. And that Third Elder woman is a problem too."
Maybe the dinosaurs' side really is safer?
Thinking that, I turned on the broadcast.
Chats poured in immediately.
💬 Live Chat — Viewer Oh, out of the poison mist? — Elf Cult Shihanbu domestication prayer day 1. — Desperate Elf World Tree-nim, can I lick just once? — Green Hater Ah, green freaks at it here too. Ignoring such chats, Shihanbu thrust his hand toward the screen.
⚙ BROADCASTER ⚙ [Ughhh.... *cough*!] Showing the dying mandrake.
— Lurker Lol why pick a mandrake that coughs like you lol ⭐ Top Laugh — Heh Heh Heh, yeah. Funny how it coughs like the owner. — Plant Nerd Plant world's Shihanbu lol Ignoring those chats, I stated my purpose.
"Anyone know how to cultivate mandrake? I'd like to try."
The viewers' reaction summed up in one word.
— Consensus No?? No one knew.
Not even.
⭐ Encyclopedia — Knowledgeable Person Hmm, even I don't know that one. The Knowledgeable Person didn't know either.
In this bind, scratching my head, I decided.
"Guess I'll just plant it roughly?"
It's a plant anyway.
It'll grow on its own.
As I dug the soil with that thought,
"Whatcha doin', Myo?"
A voice came from right beside me.
Ruby was there before I knew it.
"Why'd you come?"
Ruby fidgeted at my blunt question.
After twirling her head fur for a while, she held out the fish hidden behind her.
"Eat it, Myo."
Ruby's eyes were fixed on the fish.
Drool pooled in her mouth.
Her body was even thinner than last time.
"...Just eat it yourself, why give it to me."
"Just eat it, Myo. Wanted to give it to you, Myo."
I took the fish.
Ruby looked happier than me.
Guess I should roast some meat as thanks later.
As I thought that,
Ruby rested her chin on my shoulder.
"So whatcha doin', Myo?"
"Ah, trying to grow this mandrake."
As I went to plant the roots in the dug hole,
"That'll kill it if ya plant it like that, Myo."
An unexpected reply from Ruby.
"You know how to cultivate it?"
"Of course, Myo! Beastkin are cultivation masters, Myo!"
At that, I grabbed Ruby's hand.
The squishy jelly and soft fur felt great.
"Eek! Human in heat again, Myo!"
Ruby freaked and tried to pull away.
I hurriedly got to the point before she bolted.
"Wanna live in my territory and cultivate mandrakes for me?"
Ruby blanked at my offer.
After hesitating long, she spoke.
"P-promise protection, and no food tribute... then I'll come, Myo!"
Not asking for pay, but exemption from tribute?
"That's all you want?"
"Y-yeah, Myo! That...."
Her words trailed off, ears folding slightly.
Whatever she was about to say seemed embarrassing.
"What is it."
"...Can I bring family too, Myo?"
"How many."
"Five includin' me... Myo."
Five unpaid workers?
This is a total steal.
"Of course! I'll definitely protect you all!"
"Really, Myo?! Thanks, Myo! I'll fetch 'em right now, Myo!"
Ruby bounced away joyfully.
I shouted after her.
"But it'll be okay?"
Dinosaurs won't let Beastkin go easily.
"It's fine, Myo! Dinosaurs come at night, Myo!"
Ruby flapped her ears as she ran off.
As I watched fondly,
chats appeared.
💬 Live Chat — Capitalist No-wage full labor? — Moralist This is too much... — Blood Cult Fan ...Shihanbu, you're trashier than the Blood Cult. Chats condemning me appeared.
My carefully ignored conscience stung.
But I had my say too.
"I was gonna pay wages! They said they didn't need 'em!"
— Hater Shut up, trash. — Outraged How dare you joke about wages? — Disappointed You really... ⭐ Elf Cheer — Hehe! Great! Justification for domestication growing! Elves isolating society's villain! "No, I mean, I wasn't refusing to pay!"
No one listened to my excuses.
As I stubbornly asserted my innocence,
One chat popped up.
— Bunny Fan But isn't our goddess taking too long, Myo? At that, I looked at the sky.
The sun had set, moon risen before I knew.
Sensing something wrong, I frowned,
Snap-
Twigs crunching underfoot.
Shihanbu looked aside.
Someone emerged from the forest's darkness.
A Beastkin rabbit he hadn't seen before.
"Pleased to meet you, Lord of the Western Forest."
A polite greeting.
But disgust toward me—no, humans—was on the rabbit's face.
He raised his head and spoke.
"Traquator-nim requests your presence."