Chapter 98
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Homecoming (2)
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"Home?"
Ril's sudden declaration that she wanted to go back to her home—the elves' dungeon—certainly caught him off guard.
"The Master just permitted nearby demon tribes to settle in, right? So on the way, I figured I'd grab some seeds from a few plants back home!"
"Seeds?"
"Yeah. They're not as blessed as the Divine Tree, but plants touched by elven hands grow pretty fast."
The elves' dungeon had always cultivated countless crops and amassed a fortune through trade with dungeon merchants, so it stored vast quantities of seeds. She was saying she'd bring back a few of them.
"You're going to give those to them?"
"Huh? Give? No, we sell them. Sell the seeds for a high price, and once production ramps up, the Master gets more tribute, right? It's a win-win."
Alfred had already negotiated with the demon tribes, and Ril knew the details. She blinked innocently as she asked. The tribute was a fixed percentage of the harvest from the village the demons would build.
'Sounds like a solid plan.'
Primary revenue from selling seeds, secondary from increased tribute as village output grew. Perfect.
"The elves were already spotted patrolling the dungeon outskirts, so our seeds are no secret. We profit off that. Oh! Of course, all profits go to the Master."
"That part I get... but why bring Dryad along?"
Her proposal to fetch elven seeds was tempting enough to accept, but he couldn't fathom why she also wanted to take the Divine Tree—Dryad—with her.
"I want to check on Mom while I'm there. See if the seed the Divine Tree gave her is growing well... and if possible, bring the one originally planted at our house."
"Divine Tree?"
"Yeah. There was only one in the dungeon originally, but Mom handed it over to me. Now that I'm staying here, I should give her the new seed and bring my linked Divine Tree here."
He already knew about elven traits. They linked with trees to share life force and alleviate an innate deficiency. High elves specifically needed Divine Trees for this.
"Distance doesn't affect filling the void much, but having my linked Divine Tree nearby improves my condition and boosts my strength a bit."
"What does that have to do with Dryad?"
"Well... transplanting a Divine Tree isn't easy. It starts losing energy from the moment you uproot it. With Dryad's help, we can minimize that loss!"
So that's it? All this buildup for just digging up and replanting a tree?
But wait.
"Dryad agreed to go?"
"Yes! I got her permission."
Dryad usually hated Ril clinging to her, so her willingness was suspicious.
"Ril's been sticking to Dryad because her link to the Divine Tree weakened after coming here. That void made her seek Dryad's presence to fill it..."
As he voiced his doubts, an elf who had come with Ril whispered the truth.
"Dryad agreed because transplanting the tree should reduce how much Ril clings to her..."
"Ah."
No wonder she accepted so readily.
"So... Master. Could the Divine Tree and I pop home for a bit?"
Ril gauged his reaction as she asked. Her eyes held no deception, just a hint of worry.
'Worried about Rene?'
Ril's mother, the high elf Rene, had left the seed from the fruit he'd eaten with Ril and the other elves. They'd exchanged messages via dungeon merchants since, but Ril hadn't seen her recovery with her own eyes.
'Hmm. Fine for Ril, but Dryad leaving is tricky.'
Dryad tending the garden, accelerating crop growth, and maintaining the outer forest was invaluable. Her absence now, with new recruits flooding the ruins, would cause issues.
"How long?"
"Hmm... I move fast in forests, but fetching the linked Divine Tree... four or five days?"
"Hmm..."
A day or two was manageable, but over four without Dryad? Problematic. Even without that, sending these two outside felt risky.
'Last time they went out, they ran into enemies.'
The outside was chaos now. Displaced demons roamed, humans hunted them in the south after restarting war. Dungeon merchant intel—bought at a premium—mentioned elite forces targeting a southern dungeon.
'Hmm... wait, maybe?'
"Once you reach the dungeon, does transplanting the Divine Tree take long?"
"No? Normally yes, but with Dryad's power, it's quick."
"Checking Rene's condition, grabbing seeds, uprooting the tree... all in under five hours?"
"Uh... probably? Seeds are sorted and stored, checking Mom is..."
Good. And Dryad and Ril were registered as [Employees]...
"Why?"
Magic included spatial transfer spells. They overcame distance via incantations to send targets far away. Mages had long studied their utility.
But the verdict? Not that convenient.
Mana cost skyrocketed with distance, formulas grew complex, stability dropped. Inanimate objects were easier than living beings.
Even the Empire's capital 'Temple of Return,' built by countless mages to summon heroes from anywhere, hit limits and now only retrieved hero corpses and holy relics.
In practice, only short-range blinks—under 10m, solo caster—saw use.
Long-range group transfers required massive rituals and artifacts... never easy.
Or so he thought.
"Whoa..."
Ril gaped at the familiar forest before her.
Trained by her mother as future dungeon leader, she knew this defied all logic.
"Not meters, but a two-day walk... via spatial transfer?"
"Heh!"
Ril's awe at her Master made Dryad puff up proudly, like he was her dad.
Master had said wait 24 hours after her request, so they did, then visited him. No mana flux, no complex formula—just a blink, and they were at her forest home, right before the dungeon.
Ril thought it a joke when he agreed, nearly bluescreened at the impossibility, but shrugged it off.
"...Whatever! If it's amazing, it's amazing!"
Had she known even basic magic, she might've fainted. Instead, she dashed into the dungeon. Headaches? Pass. Mom first.
"Ah! Divine Tree! Over here!"
Dragging Dryad, teleported beside her.
"...Divine Tree?"
"Grrr..."
"Eek! Grinding teeth again. What's wrong, Divine Tree? More bad guys like last time?"
At the dungeon entrance, Dryad scowled fiercely. Ril linked, recalling her reaction only to past foes.
"Huh...? Nothing?"
No hostile presences via link. Dryad just glared at...
"Grr...!!"
The dungeon entrance. Something inside made her grimace.
"Divine Tree. Need the bathroom?"
Ril puzzled over it.
"Anyway, hurry! No clue why, but Master said five hours max!"
Dryad irked her, but Master's deadline loomed. Ril urged her in. Dryad grumbled but followed without resisting.