Chapter 277: The Young Tree and the Gift From God

Chapter 277: The Young Tree and the Gift From God

The young tree that had sprouted beside the giant tree already stood about as tall as my waist when it appeared. Given that the trembling of the ground had ceased, it was almost certain that this young tree was the cause.

The appearance of the young tree itself was unremarkable, and it didnt seem to possess any special power. However, given the circumstances of its appearance, it couldnt possibly be an ordinary plant.

What should we do?

Even if you ask me I think the best choice would be not to touch it.

It seemed clear that the Mountain God was involved in some way. Touching it carelessly could lead to unpredictable outcomes. We might not anger him, but at the same time, we could potentially provoke his wrath. Therefore, not intervening seemed the safest course. Theres truth in the saying, Do not court the wrath of gods unprovoked.

Woodsorrel seemed to agree with the decision not to touch the young tree, but unlike me, she chose to seek out someone who might know more. Saying, Ill go and call the Great Mother! she dashed off toward Button.

Boss, whats happening?

I dont know. Woodsorrel has just gone to ask Button. Make sure not to touch this young tree under any circumstances.

I informed Tigar and the others who were pale from the scene about the young tree that had broken through the ground following the brief earthquake and how it was very likely related to the Mountain God. Then they instinctively took a step back from the young tree, putting some distance between themselves and it.

While this was going on, Woodsorrel returned with Button who had transformed into her original form of a demon fox. She then put her nose close to the trees leaves and sniffed it. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded her head and placed a forepaw against the giant tree.

[Hmm Indeed, it is the work of our Lord. It seems, Antares, that this sprouted from a seed you had given him]

Ah, you made that thing sprout.

The seed, a product of the divine trees curse, seemed to have given rise to this young tree. While a part of me wished it had sprouted more quietly, expressing such a thought aloud was out of the question; I had no desire to offend the god.

However, the Mountain God had mentioned before that this tree, which sprung from the seed, was akin to a sister to him. It seemed our choice to refrain from touching it had been the right one.

[Also, it appears the gift for you has finally been decided. Here.]

This is seeds?

Saying this, Button carefully dug around the base of the young tree with her front paws. What she found there was a basket woven from the trees roots, filled with seeds of various sizes.

There were three types of seeds. One was a large oval seed about the size of a babys fist; around a hundred seeds were somewhat distorted and cone-shaped; and countless tiny seeds were as small as grains of sand. It seemed that the smaller the seeds, the more numerous they were.

Hmm. These seeds appear to be from plants that can grow in the desert where you and your friends are headed. Our Lord is quite flexible when it comes to plants. He must have created these to aid you.

It seemed Lorenz had only given them temporary names, but it looked like these names might become official, thanks to Button who was listening to our conversation. Well, clarity never hurts.

So I set out beyond the flower garden to gather food for the feast, accompanied by Chris, Woodsorrel, and Farl, along with Gora and some little monkeys clinging to his back. But we did not all travel as a single group since the food we needed to gather varied.

Alright, off we go.

Well gather as much as we can.

Gora and the monkeys were tasked with gathering nuts and fruits from the trees, while our destination lay within the heart of the forest, at a river teeming with fish and crabs.

The river that flowed through the forest was clear, with large fish swimming leisurely in its depths. Larger creatures such as bears occasionally fished here, so simply reaching in with ones hands would likely result in the fish escaping. Thats why catching these fish was not only an act of gathering food but also a form of training.

Shi!

[Hes quite skillful, isnt he?]

Fufu, he really is.

I stepped into the flowing river, making myself as still as possible to minimize my presence. When a fish swam between my legs, I quickly slipped my hand into the water and snatched it up with a swift grasp.

The river water was cold, which might have lowered the body temperature of other demons. But I had an exoskeleton that could withstand both high heat and cold so there was no problem. Even if I were submerged all day, I could move as if nothing had happened.

Remaining motionless, erasing my presence, and then capturing a fish in an instant proved to be a surprisingly difficult task. Any hint of killing intent could cause tiny movements in my body which would send vibrations through the water that would scare the fish away. The practice of maintaining my stealth until the moment of action was perfect training.

While I was honing my skills by catching fish, Chris and Woodsorrel were busy flipping over stones in the stream to collect the crabs hiding underneath. Woodsorrel looked at my training with a mix of astonishment and resignation, while Chris seemed to wear a gentle smile. For me, seeking to grow stronger at every opportunity, it was natural to use every spare moment for training.

[Aaah, so we part ways tomorrow, huh]

Its not like its a goodbye forever, right? Well visit once things settle down.

As they gathered together, Woodsorrel and Chris who had grown close talked about the days to come. Parting with Woodsorrel whom I had not seen in a long time was hard for me, but it was something that couldnt be helped.

And as Chris said, this wasnt a final farewell. We could visit the forest again, and the forest dwellers were always welcome to visit us.

True, but when are you going to? Hmm? Going? Oh, thats it!

Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Woodsorrel shouted telepathically and dashed off alone toward the flower garden. Chris and I exchanged puzzled glances, and in that moment of distraction, the fish at my feet made its escape.