Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Dodagi's Lush Leaves
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-Huuuh….
The dried root, lying face down on the palm, curled up as much as it could.
Its eyes, glancing at Cheon Doun, trembled uncontrollably.
*Is he going to poke me? Is he going to poke me with that thing?* As if to say that, Cheon Doun lowered the needle.
“This one… I’ll have to put it to sleep before I poke it.”
“Put it to sleep? How?”
Instead of answering, Cheon Doun took a moisturizing cream out of his waist pouch.
He sat on the dirt ground of the yard. Crossing his legs, he laid the dried root on his lap.
The serious atmosphere prompted the siblings and Manager Kim to sit down as well.
Cheon Doun opened the lid of the moisturizing cream.
After scooping some out with his finger, he began to gently apply it to the dried root's body.
-Hu, huuuh?
A dampness enveloping its entire body. A stick-free hydration.
A gentle touch, rubbing softly to help its juices circulate.
-Hu, huuuh… huuuh….
*Ahhh. I'm melting.* The dried root's eyes slowly closed.
The corners of Cheon Doun's mouth lifted. Having done this once before, his touch was skilled at lulling a Mandragora to sleep.
“Ohh. It’s sleeping. It’s sleeping. That ferocious root is sleeping peacefully.”
Manager Kim was surprised to see the dried root's eyes completely closed.
The ferocity of it swinging its fine roots at the slightest approach. The sensitivity of its eyes snapping open at the smallest sound.
That same plant now had its mouth slightly open and began to breathe softly.
Time to finish up. Cheon Doun carefully turned the root over.
He applied cream to its back and began to pat it with three fingers, as if playing the piano.
*Pat, pat, patter-patter.*
Its leaves bobbed with the light tapping.
-Huuh, huuuh, huuh.
Like making noises in front of a fan, the dried root's sleep-talking came out in choppy bursts.
Its languidly relaxed leaves drooped limply toward the ground.
‘That should do it.’
The coolness of the cream and the patting of the massage had dulled its senses. Now was the right time to insert the needle.
Cheon Doun picked up the IV needle.
He laid the needle flat against the root's back and gently poked it in.
-Huuh…?
*Did something just sting me? What was that?*
*Scratch, scratch.* The dried root mumbled in its sleep and scratched the spot where the needle had gone in.
It didn't wake up. Seeing this, Manager Kim looked like he'd been tricked.
“Don't tell me it was just being dramatic this whole time?”
“Well. It’s still a baby.”
“How did you come up with such an idea? Putting it to sleep with moisturizing cream. I never would have thought of it.”
There was no option to use sleeping pills or spells.
These were already weak individuals. There was no telling what would happen if they were forced to sleep.
“Such a safe way to put them to sleep. I'll have to try it myself later.”
Manager Kim said, his face burning with motivation.
It would be difficult unless he had Mandragora cells transplanted into him, but Cheon Doun didn't bother to say so.
“The needle is in. Now, try injecting the nutrients.”
“Ah! Right. Just a moment.”
Manager Kim took out a five-centimeter IV bag and connected it to the needle.
The size was reminiscent of a miniature, but the fluid dripping half a drop at a time showed that the IV bag was functioning properly.
“How effective are the nutrients?”
“In theory, its energy should recover quite a bit after about three bags. After that, natural healing should do the trick.”
“Natural healing?”
“Yes. The examination showed that it wasn't absorbing mana properly, even when it consumed it.”
Its body had been in a state of prolonged malnutrition and suspended animation.
The dried root's bodily organs were not functioning properly.
“Over 80% of what it consumed was likely passing through without being absorbed. To put it simply, its body is like a leaky pot right now.”
That was why it hadn't gained any weight despite being fed plenty of mana.
It had desperately consumed the garden's mana to survive, but most of what it ate flowed out without being absorbed.
“The good thing, though, is its strong appetite. Its will to live is strong. Once its bodily functions recover, it should gain weight quickly.”
Manager Kim looked at the IV bag.
“These nutrients will restore its damaged bodily functions. As long as its absorption organs start working properly, the rest is natural healing. It just needs to eat its fill and live here.”
“Is that all it needs?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief. Then it should be fine to leave this one in the garden, right?”
“Yes. I'll show you how to change the IV bag later.”
Having received confirmation, Cheon Doun took the root and the IV to the garden.
When he buried the root in the garden, Manager Kim took a stand from his bag and stuck it in the ground next to it.
“You can hang the IV bag here. I made a special stand for it.”
Once the IV bag was hung on the stand, the Mandragora nutrient infusion was complete.
The Mandragoras in the garden circled around the dried root receiving the IV.
One of our kind has returned. The giant Mandragora brought it back.
The garden dwellers' bodies swayed. *Dum-chit, dum-chit.* It was a dance of joy.
Cheon Doun watched them for a moment before turning to the glass tank.
“Now there's just the metal root left.”
The metal root, left alone in the tank, was huddled anxiously in a corner.
Cheon Doun took the metal root out of the tank.
‘Its surface is metal. I wonder if the needle will go in.’
Cheon Doun gently pressed the root with his finger.
-Huuuh?
The metal root wriggled, fluttering its leaves as if it were ticklish.
“It’s surprisingly soft.”
It wasn't surprising. Kim Nari was a Machine Lifeform, but she was usually no different from a human. Considering that, it wasn't particularly strange.
Even if it was mixed with metal, its base was still a plant.
In that case, the method is the same. Relax it with a moisturizing cream massage, then insert the needle.
Cheon Doun sat on the ground just like before and scooped out some cream.
As he applied the cream starting from its leaves, the root's eyes widened. *What is this blissful sensation?*
-Huuuh….
The root's eyes slowly closed.
Until that moment, Cheon Doun thought he would be able to insert the needle without any trouble.
But the moment he turned the root over and touched the needle to its back, its surface hardened like real metal.
-Hu, huuuh!
Its languidly relaxed body stiffened rigidly.
The root flailed on Cheon Doun's palm.
-Huuh, huuh…!
The metal root crawled into Cheon Doun's sleeve.
The base of the root peeked out from the sleeve, but thinking it was well hidden, the metal root held its breath.
*I won't come out from under this adult Mandragora's leaves. I'll hide here.*
The root wrapped its leaves around Cheon Doun's wrist to secure itself. Its parched body trembled.
Silence fell. Cheon Doun quietly put the needle down.
“This one won't work.”
This reaction was different from before.
Fear born from experience. A learned physical response.
This was the reaction of a test subject who had undergone chimera experiments. Cheon Doun's gaze darkened.
The siblings also wore grim expressions.
Cheon Doun patted the metal root through his sleeve. After a little time passed, the root, having calmed down, emerged from the sleeve.
It only poked its face out, as if still scared to come out from under the adult's leaves.
-Huuuh…?
“Yeah. It’s okay. Come on out.”
-Huuh….
The metal root wriggled its way out.
As if its tension had melted away, it flopped down onto Cheon Doun's palm. Cheon Doun patted the root's leaves.
“An IV won't work for this one. Look for another way.”
“Understood.”
Manager Kim agreed immediately.
He was a perceptive man. He could guess why the metal Mandragora reacted that way, so he nodded without complaint.
“What's the condition of this one's body?”
“It's similar to the dried root. It seems it couldn't gain weight because it wasn't properly absorbing what it ate. Other than that, there are no side effects from being combined with metal.”
“That’s a relief, at least. You said absorbing the nutrients externally is minimally effective, right?”
Manager Kim nodded.
“Yes. In theory, it's only about 5% as effective as an IV.”
“If it's 'in theory,' that means it could be more effective.”
Of course, it could also be less, but it was worth a shot.
Cheon Doun brought a bowl from the house.
He tore open an IV bag, poured it into the bowl, and laid the root inside.
-Huuuh…?
The metal root lay on the bottom of the bowl, blinking its eyes.
It didn't seem to mind, staying put and swishing its fine roots around. Each time, the shallow pool of IV fluid splashed.
-Huuh, huuh!
Experiencing water play for the first time, the metal root excitedly splashed in the IV fluid.
“Find a new way to administer medicine to this one.”
“Understood.”
“Do you need to take it with you to study? I think it'll be too stressed if it's separated.”
“Then I'll leave the Mandragora here. I've already documented all the overall data, so it should be fine. I'll come and go as needed.”
“Okay. Do that, then.”
Cheon Doun placed the bowl containing the metal root in the garden. At that, the garden dwellers gathered around the bowl.
Just like before, they began to circle around the bowl.
-Huuung!
-Hung, hung!
The dried root has returned. The silver root has returned, too. The big adult Mandragora brought them both back.
Their joy piercing the sky, the garden dwellers swayed their bodies from side to side.
“That side is settled for now. I think you said you completed the hair loss treatment earlier. Is that right?”
“Yes. That’s right. I've finally completed it.”
Manager Kim took a spray bottle from his bag.
“The manufacturing formula is almost identical to the Mandragora nutrient solution. In fact, it's safe to say I discovered it while making the nutrients.”
Manager Kim looked at Dodagi, who was sitting on Cheon Doun's arm.
“It'll be quicker to see it for yourself. May I spray it on that Mandragora?”
“As long as it's not harmful.”
“It's not harmful.”
Manager Kim sprayed the solution near Dodagi's head.
-Huuung?
When the cold substance was sprayed on its head, Dodagi shot up and backed away.
The root's head was now damp. From it, a thin sprout popped up. It grew rapidly, turning into a small leaf.
-Hu, huuung?
Dodagi tilted its head at the leaves sprouting vigorously from its head.
A Mandragora typically has three leaves. Five at most.
But now, a total of over thirty leaves had grown.
-Hung!
Dodagi's eyes widened at its suddenly lush leaves.
The densely grown leaves formed a round shape, like an afro.
Weighed down by its leaves, Dodagi couldn't keep its balance, its head wobbling from side to side.
“You see. This phenomenon occurs when nutrients are concentrated in one spot.”
Unable to support the weight of its head, Dodagi fell flat on its back on the palm.
*What in the world is happening? My leaves have suddenly become so majestic.*
Dodagi touched its new leaves here and there with its fine roots, tilting its head in confusion.
“Can't you change it back? It's too heavy to even get up.”
“Ah, don't worry. This is an early version of the spray. The leaves that just grew will fall out naturally over time.”
“So you completed the hair loss treatment based on that.”
“That’s right. I modified the formula so the grown leaves—that is, the hair—wouldn't fall out, and created the treatment.”
The moment Manager Kim finished speaking, the sound of a pot dropping rang out.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the sound.
There stood Nam Giseok, who had just finished washing the dishes, having dropped a bowl.
Nam Giseok stared blankly at Manager Kim. His gaze shifted to Dodagi.
Feeling the stare, Dodagi sat up.
Each time its small body moved, the afro of leaves on its head swayed with volume.
“So… lush.”
Nam Giseok mumbled, staring at Dodagi's leaves.