Elixirs are special plants that grow well even in polluted land where the soil's vitality has been depleted.

While ordinary plants absorb air through their stomata, elixirs grow by absorbing mana.

The nutrient called mana is superior to the nutrients inherent in fertile soil.

As a result, the plants called elixirs grew, overcoming even harsh environments.

'But since they are plants, they probably aren't completely unaffected by the environment.'

Appropriate temperature and humidity, even sunlight, unpolluted air, and so on.

Even the same plant grew differently depending on the environment.

The World Tree's vegetable garden is the best environment for plants to grow in this world.

I was confident that even if it was just a few days, planting them would have a good effect.

'It's been a while since they were pulled out, but they're not just any elixir.'

If I planted them in the ground again, they would regain their vitality.

Even if not, it was a break-even situation anyway.

"You're planting this? Here?"

"It doesn't matter if you consume it after returning to the Mage Tower, so I'm just saying we should plant it here until then."

Sage finally let go of her misunderstanding and relaxed her expression.

I felt wronged.

"Would I really give a gift and then take it back?"

When had I ever acted like such a mean adult?

This was kind of hurtful.

"...It's okay with me. I'd be a little disappointed, but."

Sage muttered softly, as if embarrassed.

"A little?"

"...A lot."

"I won't do that."

"I know."

If you know, then why did you act like that earlier?

As I stared at her silently, Sage avoided my gaze.

I'll let it slide since she's still a kid.

I patted Sage's shoulder and headed to a sunny spot.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

I dug the ground with my hands.

A fully grown root vegetable doesn't need to be planted deep.

If you bury it at a moderate depth, it will take root on its own, so scraping the ground a little with my hands was enough.

Pat, pat!

As I covered it with soil as a finishing touch, the elixir reacted immediately.

The two long leaves that had sprouted above the root regained their bright, primary green color from a murky green.

"Wow."

It was a mysterious sight.

Sage poked the leaves with her sparkling eyes.

"By the way, can you reproduce with elixirs?"

I secretly asked the World Tree.

[The World Tree shakes its branches, expressing a subtle denial.]

"...It's possible, but not now? There are conditions."

[The World Tree vigorously affirms.]

Well, if that were possible, why would I even work?

I would have immediately set up a business, started an elixir farm, and formed a legion.

It was too fraudulent to be realized.

'It's not like it's completely impossible either.'

It said it would be possible if the conditions were met.

I could find out what the conditions were gradually.

It was then that I was soothing my disappointment.

[Hwayangcho and Sueumcho take root in the World Tree's vegetable garden!]

[The structure placement reward is activated!]

[The essence of Hwayangcho and Sueumcho bears fruit!]

"Hiyat?"

At Sage's sudden scream, I turned my gaze to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, look at them!"

Sage pointed at Hwayangcho and Sueumcho.

At some point, the two plants had revealed their roots on the surface, not underground.

The roots crawled towards each other and then intertwined like a tangled skein of thread.

A stem grew above them, leaves sprouted, and finally, a fruit was borne.

Thump! Roll, roll!

A fully ripe fruit rolled on the ground.

I carefully picked it up.

'...What is this?'

Weren't Hwayangcho and Sueumcho a pair of root vegetables?

I had never heard of them bearing fruit.

The smell was as refreshing as dew.

The skin was so soft that it could be peeled off by rubbing it with my hand, and the flesh was moist, full of bursting juice.

'Is this what it means to be able to harvest a special crop? Essence?'

The essence of an elixir.

I had never even heard of it in the catalogs of the Auction, where all sorts of rare items were put up for sale.

'Well, it probably isn't a bad thing.'

It's the essence of an elixir, so how could it be bad for the body?

It didn't take as long as I had thought, but in the end, the action to be taken was the same.

"Here, eat it."

"...Is it really okay to eat this?"

Sage poked the fruit with her finger.

"Probably."

"...I'll trust you."

Sage, who had received the fruit, hesitated without swallowing it right away.

She said she trusted me, but was she worried?

Soon, after taking a deep breath, she held out her hand to me with a look of firm resolve.

"Here, you eat the other one, mister."

"...Me?"

There were two essences on one stem.

Since the elixirs I was originally going to give were two, I thought it would be better for her to eat both.

Ssssk!

Before I could answer, the World Tree snatched one first.

It was a quick action, as if it had been waiting.

Such an unexpected action from the World Tree always turned out to be a benefit to me.

It meant that something good would happen if I consumed this.

'Then I shouldn't refuse.'

Sage and I put the essence in our mouths at the same time.

A variety of flavors hit my tongue, and the flesh went down my throat like water.

The change that followed was not an increase in mana.

[The essence of Hwayangcho and Sueumcho has been consumed!]

[Nature Affinity has greatly increased!]

[The races of Mother Nature feel a great, instinctive favor towards the druid!]

[The high Nature Affinity allows you to overhear the 'Whispers of Mother Nature'!]

[The medicinal properties of the essence are accumulated in the World Tree!]

[The World Tree's abilities are enhanced!]

Several messages popped up.

First, what I could understand was the enhancement of the World Tree's abilities.

The rest was a mystery.

'Whispers of Mother Nature?'

I checked it in the skill list.

[Whispers of Mother Nature

─Conveys the whispers that Mother Nature remembers.

─You can hear sounds that should not be heard.]

'...?'

Even the description was vague.

It was a sentence that needed to be mulled over.

'Let's move on for now.'

Next.

'The favor of the races of Mother Nature.'

This was also a vague expression, but it was better than the Whispers of Mother Nature.

Because I had an idea.

'First, the spirits.'

A cluster of light swirled around me.

The spirits had gathered and were clinging to me.

It was a distance that was even closer than before.

Could they now listen to my commands, not just the World Tree's?

It was a very positive gain, as it would eliminate the unnecessary process of going through the World Tree to give a command.

'And the spiritual beasts.'

There would be many other types of spiritual beasts besides the Sentinel Hawk.

Unlike the Sentinel Hawk, which I had contracted with from an egg, other spiritual beasts could be hostile to me.

It meant that this could be prevented.

'And finally... elves.'

Elves are called the children of Mother Nature in this world.

Although it was an old expression, the fundamentals had not changed.

Since they didn't leave District 1, there was little chance of meeting them, so the effect would be rare.

'I'll probably meet them soon.'

Gellerg City would try to avoid a war with the barbarian city of Persear as much as possible.

The soon-to-be-welcomed envoy from Persear.

The head of the Gellerg City negotiation team that would greet them was an elf.

'The head of Greenwood is also presumed to be of elven royalty.'

I was looking for an opportunity to make contact with the head of Greenwood someday.

It would be a great help then.

"My stomach feels bloated."

The effect of the essence on Sage was different from my case.

She absorbed the mana into her body, as is the universal effect of elixirs.

However, the amount was extraordinary.

It was to the point where the effect was visible on the outside, with her hair floating up and her clothes fluttering.

Even eating Hwayangcho and Sueumcho together would not show such a clear effect.

The amount of mana contained in the essence must have been enormous.

"It's because the mana in your whole body is saturated. It's just a feeling, there's nothing wrong with your body, so bear with it."

"Ugh, it feels bad."

"It'll be fine after a few days."

"Is there a way to get better quickly?"

"It depends on your efforts."

The way to absorb the excess mana that had reached saturation was simple.

Train.

It was a method of using magic or training the body.

The intensity would be much higher than usual, but it would all be helpful to her.

'She'll grow smoothly.'

In addition to her innate talent, she had even filled in her acquired shortcomings.

Sage's future was a smooth road.

***

The Drexier Mercenary Corps had been unusually lively recently.

It was partly because their steadily accumulated achievements were being rewarded, but the feat of safely resolving the request against Centrim's Quadraple was decisive.

On the other hand, contrary to the bright future of the group, the atmosphere in the Drexier Mercenary Corps' commander's office was heavy today.

Both the commander, Drexier, and Hella and Waver, who were sitting in front of him, had solemn expressions without a hint of playfulness.

Hella said, shaking the document in her hand.

"Old man, are you really going to do this?"

"I have to."

"I'm against it."

Waver chimed in, sinking deep into the sofa.

"We're doing well these days. Is there really a need to take on such a dangerous job?"

"It will be an opportunity for the mercenary corps to grow further."

Contrary to the vitality that had been pervading the mercenary corps recently, its members were extremely fatigued.

The already strict qualifications for a mercenary, coupled with Drexier's picky subjectivity, resulted in a recruitment difficulty that belied their name value.

The more requests there were, the more the existing employees suffered.

And as a way to overcome the current situation where the support of gems was sluggish, Drexier put forward a value that made contemplation useless.

The idea was that if they built up an overwhelming reputation, talent would bow their heads and come in on their own.

"It's a request from the city government. It's a rare opportunity."

"We know that too, old man..."

The noble city government did not easily hand over scraps to those below.

As such, once they were recognized, a stable income was guaranteed.

It was an opportunity they would greatly regret if they missed it.

"You can see their ulterior motives clearly. The escort of the negotiation team that will meet the Persear envoy? You're putting a mere mercenary in such an important position?"

The city government's request was indeed tricky.

It was an important meeting that would decide whether a war would break out or not.

Depending on the outcome, each person's profit and loss would change.

It wouldn't be strange if a major incident occurred during this meeting.

"It's not like the city government is powerless, they can just use their own capable subordinates, so why would they put in a mercenary?"

"It's a scapegoat in case things don't go well."

For Waver, who was usually indifferent to worldly affairs, it was a rare serious attitude.

Drexier did not let it slide.

"Have you heard anything?"

"...Yes, well."

"I won't ask for the source. Tell me."

"They say there are many who are eager to get their hands on it. They'll watch the city government's mood, but if things don't go their way, they might go crazy and rampage."

"Hmm."

"You heard him, old man? Let's back out."

After much thought, Drexier said with a sigh.

"...No, I'll push through."

"No! You old man, you're just getting more stubborn as you get older!"

"Your words are rude."

"Ack!"

Hella, who had been hit with a flick on the forehead with the power to break a rock, writhed and groaned.

"Whether a war breaks out or not, the city will become unsettled. In such times, one must ride the flow, not be swept away by it."

"..."

"They say the calmest part of a typhoon is its center. The city government can be called the eye of the typhoon. It's a line we can't afford to miss."

"...Hah, I don't know."

Hella, realizing that he wouldn't back down, kicked her chair and left.

Waver shrugged with a bitter smile.

"Since you seem to have made your decision, I guess I'll have to set aside my personal opinion and follow. I'll try to appease that troublemaker."

"While you're at it, teach her some manners too."

"That's a bit much."

Waver, who had answered jokingly, soon lowered his voice as if telling a secret.

"For the record, it's really dangerous. A situation might arise where you have to worry about your life first, regardless of the request."

"Is it a story circulating among the nobles?"

"..."

"It's an obvious trick even without a warning. Don't worry."

Drexier raised his massive body.

"I will step in myself."

Waver's eyes widened up and down.

***

Two days later, on the late night of the day I saw off Colin and Sage.

I arrived at Cromwell's office.

"What's wrong? You called me in a hurry."

I was planning to take a few more days off before taking on a request.

The reason for my early visit was Cromwell's urgent call.

"It was unusually noisy outside, what's going on?"

The cafe on the first floor was bustling with customers.

The interior was decent, but it wasn't a real cafe.

It was obvious that the ones sitting around as customers were contractors.

A gathering of contractors was not an ordinary event.

"Something did happen. Enough to call you in a hurry."

"Are you planning on closing up shop and tidying up the office?"

"I have a plan, but not yet. On the contrary, I think the work will only increase."

Cromwell handed me a document envelope sealed in several layers.

"What's this?"

"It's a private official document from the city government assigned to each brokerage."

"Why are you showing it to me?"

"It's a request from the city government."

My hand, which was about to break the seal, paused.

"I'm going to recommend you for this request."

(End of Chapter)