Chapter 337
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Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.
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After I was given the pruning shears, I pruned the potted plant and then worked on rebuilding the city. We had finished demolishing all the unnecessary buildings, were improving the roads radiating out from the palace, and were nearly done reorganizing the city blocks. It would be fair to say that the streets inside the walls known as the Black Wall now rivaled those of an NPC city.
Every house that had once been a mere facade now had enough strength and space for residents to live in, along with room layouts no one would be ashamed to show.
The houses were fully functional, but we mustn't forget the Scars, who had given the cityscape its beauty. They were engaged in heavy labor as well, but at the same time, they carved patterns into every house wall to increase its strength. Those patterns gave the city a more festive atmosphere.
The Dark Elves had also played a part in ensuring a stable food supply for the residents. They freely served nuts and fruit cultivated in the forest where they lived, as well as the meat of monsters hunted in the fields.
I logged out, deeply moved by the sight of the developing city. The next day—that is, today—I logged in and went straight to see Iris. That was yesterday's promise, after all. Keeping one's word is only natural.
"So... what is going on here?"
"P-please don't move!"
At Iris's direction, I was now being made to strike various poses. There were many kinds: holding something overhead with both hands, reaching toward the heavens, lying limply on the ground, and so on. At her request, I had even removed all my equipment and was completely naked.
No, I wasn't embarrassed at all. If she were asking me to expose my real body, that would be another matter, but this was a game, and my body here was only an avatar. Besides, I had modified it so much that it no longer retained its original form, and no matter how you looked at it, it was still just bones. There shouldn't have been anything embarrassing about it.
However, Iris was embarrassed despite being the one who had told me to get naked, which made me feel strange. The person watching was more embarrassed than the person being watched... It made me feel like an exhibitionist.
"May I ask what these poses are for?"
"Um, it's a hobby."
"...Huh?"
"Just kidding! I'm using them for the fountain's design... Though half of it is a hobby."
Oh? She was going to use a skeleton as the design for a statue to be placed at the blood fountain. I was already looking forward to seeing how it would turn out. I thought she muttered something quietly at the end, but I couldn't make it out, so I must have imagined it.
The posing continued for about ten minutes, and when everything was finished, I put my equipment back on. I happened to see Iris's tentacles wriggle in disappointment. Did she really like this skeleton body that much?
"Do you think it will turn out well?"
"Yes! I've already finalized the design. All that's left is to make it!"
"That's good."
Iris was cheerfully manipulating something. She was probably working on the statue's design. I should leave soon so I wouldn't disturb her concentration. Just as I was thinking that, Iris stopped moving her tentacles, as though she had remembered something.
"The city's reconstruction will be finished soon, won't it? Shiitake says she wants to go to that desert soon... the 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea.'"
"Hmm... If I remember correctly, you wanted to secure sand to mix into cement, right? Should we go with only a few people, like we did to Hell, or coordinate everyone's schedules and go together...? The latter, I suppose."
I had heard that the 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea' was a dangerous desert beyond the 'Tempting Dark Forest,' where the Dark Elves lived. Like Hell, it was a dangerous, unexplored field, but Hell had a safe zone near Felphenir-sama. Since the 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea' had no such place, we should consider it even more dangerous.
We would be better off taking the entire clan's forces there. Coordinating everyone's schedules would be necessary, but that was one of a leader's jobs. We had done it many times before, so it should be fine.
"Got it. I'll send everyone a message, then. However, there's a good chance the expedition will take a long time, so I'd like to go after the exhibition. Is that all right?"
"I think that's best. I'd like everyone to focus on growing their plants for now."
"All right. We'll plan accordingly... How are things on your end?"
"They're going well. Probably because they've become more susceptible to mutation, but it looks like the results will be interesting. How are things with you, Izamu?"
"Things are going well here too. I'm sure I'll be able to show you something interesting."
"Hehe, I can't let you outdo me either!"
After chatting a little longer, I left Iris's workshop. Iris must have been growing an incredible crop too. I couldn't lose either!
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Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your 【Tail Attack】 level has increased.
You learned the 【Tail Attack】 Martial Skill, Wild Tail Attack.
Your 【Staff】 level has increased.
Your 【Archaeology】 level has increased.
Your 【Linguistics】 level has increased.
Your 【Evil Eye of Death and Chaos】 level has increased.
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Three days had passed since then. Everyone's potted plants, including mine, had grown well and were ready to harvest at any time. In other words, we could hold the exhibition whenever we wanted. When I told Konrad, he said that his armed merchant ship would arrive on the continent of Tinbrika tomorrow. Thus, we decided to hold the exhibition tomorrow.
The judges would be thirty-two people: two elders, four adults, and two children from each of the four Races. Ann and the rest of the 'Blue-Scaled Pirate Crew' would also be coming to the city that day. Since this was a festival piggybacking on the event, the more people we had to enjoy it with, the better. I had a feeling tomorrow would be lively!
"Hmm, now that's an interesting acorn you've grown. What do you think?"
As I dripped 'Scorching Hellblood of Resentment' over it and spoke to it, the sapling, which had grown to about two meters tall, tilted a branch quizzically. It had several hundred fruits growing on it, but their shapes were bizarre beyond belief to me. To the sapling, however, they were perfectly normal, and it had no idea what I found so strange.
Until it produced acorns, the sapling's name had been unknown. Even when I used 【Appraisal】, the result had displayed only 'Growing.' Apparently, that was part of the event's mechanics: the kind of plant it would become was not determined until it had fully grown.
In other words, all the care given to it while it was growing affected the result. It wasn't just me—even Jigoro had done a fair amount of watering and additional fertilizing. When the acorns appeared, we finally learned what kind of tree it had become. This was the result of the 【Appraisal】 I performed at the time.
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Crimson Orb Dragon-Scale Wise Tree Quality: Excellent Rarity: T (Treasure-class)
A tree characterized by crimson orbs and bark resembling dragon scales.
Unlike most plants, it possesses the intelligence to understand language, but it is not a monster.
The orbs scattered along its trunk are clumps of sap rather than gemstones.
Normally, it would bear fruit only after growing larger, but the flowerpot's effect has caused it to bear fruit while still a sapling.
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The tree was called the Crimson Orb Dragon-Scale Wise Tree. It sounded grand, but it was merely a literal description of its appearance, so there was nothing particularly surprising or unexpected about it. It had first borne fruit yesterday, and counting today's harvest as well, we had already obtained several hundred acorns.
However, the acorns surprised me more than the name did. Although they had all been harvested from a single tree, there were somehow four different types. Let me go over their characteristics in order of abundance.
The most common were acorns with shells as red as fresh blood. According to 【Appraisal】, they were called 'Wise Tree's Crimson Fruit.' Although the shells were a poisonous-looking color, their insides were the same cream color as ordinary acorns. They were highly nutritious and apparently not very astringent, making them excellent for eating. Since they seemed delicious, they could probably be used as food for the city's residents.
The second most common were acorns with shells and flesh that were pitch-black. They were called 'Wise Tree's Black Fruit,' and they were useless to every Race except one particular kind. That Race was the Undead. Perhaps because death-miasma ash had been used, these fruits apparently served as an ingredient in a healing potion exclusively for the Undead. They could be called the best fruits for me.
The two types mentioned above made up over ninety percent of the total. That meant the remaining two types could be considered rare acorns. Furthermore, ninety percent of those rare acorns consisted of a type called 'Dragonblood Fruit.'
Their shells were as hard and rough as metal, and they were filled with a viscous liquid. Drinking that liquid granted the consumer Dragon-level attack and defense for a set period. It was an excellent effect, but... some people might be reluctant if they knew the liquid had been extracted from Cal's feces.
The rarest type was a gray acorn shaped exactly like a heart. It was about the size of an adult man's heart, had no shell, and throbbed steadily. It was called 'Resentment Ashheart Fruit,' and it was a dangerously toxic substance that invariably cursed anyone who consumed it.
It was a naturally occurring cursed item, and without a doubt, it was the 'Resentment' portion of 'Scorching Hellblood of Resentment' in condensed form. Moreover, we had no idea what would happen if someone ate it. I would explain that at the exhibition as well, but I had to make absolutely certain that it never ended up in anyone's mouth.
"I don't know whether you can win, but... I hope everyone appreciates how wonderful you are."
Overall, I was personally delighted with the results. All that remained was to wait for the judging. As I gazed at the Crimson Orb Dragon-Scale Wise Tree happily bathing in blood, I looked forward to tomorrow's exhibition.