Terrarium Adventure - Chapter 33

I was able to hear the answer to my question from Dandelion.

After completing the quest that she had requested, we returned to the center of the colony.

When I handed her the two diamonds that were the remains of the small dandelion driards she looked devastated.

“Unfortunately…there were a few children born on the parameters of the colony. After I found out and went over it was already too late to save them.”

The other driards that were connected to her also looked depressed.

“The souls of these children that were burnt can no longer return to me, nor to become one with the world tree. Even so, thank you for taking revenge for the lives of these children. I will bury the soul of these children in my heart, and bring them to the world tree along with me in the future.

Dandelion tried to return the diamonds to me.

“I no longer need these. We are not able to use the crystallized sap of the world tree. But I’m sure it will be useful to you, druid. I am aware that druids purchase items using these in human societies. After being used like that, I am sure these will one day return to the world tree as well.”

Even if I were to take those diamonds I knew I would never be able to use them. Finally, after my consistent refusal, Dandelion packed away the two diamonds in her handkerchief.

“You asked about the Daisy driard right?”

I had asked her if Daisy too had an unlocked skill like the other two driards. I also wanted to change the heavy atmosphere after passing her the diamonds.

“Due to the limited size of her roots, she has no unlocked skills. That is if we are referring to the general Daisy plant that I am aware of.”

At those words, Daisy seemed upset. That’s not right! Was this how the difference in ranking showed itself?

“But, you can earn a new one. Like myself.”

Dandelion gently touched Daisy’s forehead with the end of her fingers. The same place where her crown was located on her head.

“Become the king of a forest. If your natural root is shallow in-depth, you can expand on it by combining many roots to become one.”

Daisy’s smile returned.

Dandelion took out a round crystal bottle that had a blue glow, from under a rock and handed it to me. It looked like a branded perfume bottle that was the size of my hand, filled with a pearly liquid to the brim.

The bottle sparkled like a jewel after reflecting the light that leaked into the center of the colony. Was that our prize for the quest?

“This is called Panacea, which contains the strength of our dandelion driards. Just as how our plants are used as a core ingredient in many medicines, the driards that are born directly from the plants too are born with its medicinal ability. We collected this over a long period of time and assembled it with my strength and recovery powers. It is able to cure most known illnesses as well as some other sicknesses caused by a driard.”

Oh…it sounded like an item that was a cure to all diseases! I received it respectfully with both hands.

Wow, she really didn’t need to…so this bottle is able to cure anything? What an item that could potentially close all the hospitals out there…Wonder if a sickness caused by a driard was something like a debuffer?

I was looking at the bottle of Panacea with fascination and my driards joined in and looked at it with curious eyes.

Out of all of them, Elder was the one with the most unique expression. Pretty green emerald eyes shined brightly frankly expressing the urge to possess the Panacea.

You’re not a magpie, just because it sparkles brightly, you can’t have it.

“Elder, you also have healing abilities right? Can you make something like this?”

“…Even if I and those driards possessed healing abilities we are different in nature. Of course, I can replicate something similar. But nothing of this quality in that diamond bottle.”

“What! This is a bottle made from diamonds?”

Does this mean that all objects that glow with a blue light were made from diamonds? It can’t be? How do you even make a bottle out of a diamond?

“So you’ve noticed. You are right. That bottle was gifted to us by an alchemist who visited the colony a long long time ago.”

“To preserve a driard’s condensed source of energy. There is nothing like the sap of the world tree which is a source of energy. And this medicine is not something you can obtain so easily as you think. You have to live for centuries like that driard and continuously assemble your energy into it to form that one bottle.”

“Oh…”

I guess hospitals are still needed after all! While listening to Elder, I was suddenly curious. How old Dandelion was. If you require centuries to make a bottle of Panacea I bet Dandelion was much older. Now that explained the maturity in Dandelion.

“But are you sure you can give something this precious to me?

“Your help was worthy of this. We are thankful to you for saving the colony from danger. We can always make the Panacea again. And that is not all.”

There’s more? Isn’t the Panacea plentiful enough? We did struggle a little due to the fire that had consumed the driard but the rest of them were relatively easy….

Dandelion grabbed the top of her cane. Then she broke off a portion of her cane without hesitation. I was shocked by her act to damage her own weapon. Was that allowed?

From the part she had broken off it consisted of white cotton and green veins, so from afar it looked like a dandelion seed.

“I will give you this.”

“How can you break your own weapon…? Isn’t this also something very precious?”

What if the performance of the weapon deteriorated. Wasn’t she giving me too much? I am a very materialistic person in nature so I was grateful! Had I known this was going to happen I would have volunteered to pick up the trash from the parameters of the colony while at it. Even though the area was clean, that is.

“It definitely is precious. Since I can never produce something like this again.”

Then put it back. Put it back. How could I possibly accept this? If it was something gifted due to abundance I would gladly accept, but if it was something given after carving out what was yours, then it was a burden!

“This is not just a token of my thanks. I feel you would need it later on. Please accept it.”

This time no matter how much I refused it didn’t work like it did with the diamonds. Dandelion passed me the broken off cane with the white cotton that was swaying from it.

“Another meaning of my flower that has been forgotten is ‘the revelation of god’. It is said that a long time ago when everything alive on earth nearly drowned and disappeared due to the great flood, the first flower survived with god’s revelation. With God’s guidance, the seeds were saved from being drowned in water and arrived in a safe location to spread its roots. The descendants of that flower are our dandelions. Even though the small driards are not aware of this tale, I as the king succeeded this myth and meaning of our flower.”

The myth Dandelion mentioned was a story I had heard before. There was a time when I was curious and obsessed with myths and tales and read whatever I could lay my hands on. But to hear it directly from a living, breathing Dandelion, it was a totally different impression. It feels like it has happened for real.

“The reason I am giving that broken piece to you is to give you a portion of our strength in revelation. Even the broken piece bears the meaning of revelation. With its power, you will be able to reveal another power of its own.”

I am sure that this item was impressive and grand since it was from the king of the dandelion forest…but in all honesty I had no idea how I could use it.

Since its powers were associated with god I’m sure it was a majestic item right? But what could it possibly mean to reveal another power?

I waved my hand to call Daisy over, who was surrounded by the dandelion children. Then I placed the broken piece of Dandelion’s cane near her.

Well…nothing happened like I expected. It’s not working. I thought it would reveal another skill of Daisy’s. Perhaps this wasn’t it.

I was looking at Dandelion with a blank look.

This isn’t working. How do you use it? Could there possibly be a level restriction on this item? If so that was disappointing.

“Unfortunately all that I succeeded…is the information I have just told you. This was the first time I experienced the power of revelation myself. Which told me to deliver these two items to you, druid. So I am not sure myself what it means to reveal the power of another.”

If this was a game the information on this item would be classified with [???], I guess?

I was currently rather sick of question marks.

It seemed like this was a great item but we didn’t know how to use it.

But since Dandelion wanted to give this item to me, I’m sure there will come a day when it is useful. I placed it safely in my pocket. Honestly, I was already satisfied with the panacea, which I knew how to use. And felt that I had been rewarded plenty for my earlier quest.

Dandelion lifted her cane up a little higher and collected some of the fog back into it. Since we had wiped out the surrounding fire she was now able to conserve her own energy.

We had completed our quest and toured the colony and were about to start our journey towards the 28th Terrarium when….I faced a major crisis.

“Nobody mentioned there was a mountain?”

“How is this a mountain? It’s just a little steeper than the normal ground?”

Elder and I checked the route on the map we had bought previously. But as I looked at it in detail, I saw there were contour lines that I had learned to read in my high school days.

These contour lines, the lines that distinguished height right? The most common questions in a geography paper in school. Why did no one mention the presence of a mountain to me before?

“To me, anything higher than 10 meters is a mountain to me, okay.”

“Don’t be absurd.”

Elder looked at me in disbelief. I hated the thought of climbing stairs and mountains! To the extent where I had applied for a high school in another town because I wanted to avoid steep stairs!

In university, I had no choice and went wherever my scores took me so I climbed stairs while dreading them so much. And whenever I was lazy and had to go up a steep hill I took a taxi. Humans apparently will waste money on their own comfort.

“Are there no cable cars?”

Elder’s face told me he had never heard of such a thing before. So I guess that’s a no. None.

I was already tired just by looking at the map.

I lacked exercise and endurance and only ran when I was late for class. I hated moving excessively and sighed. I was warm and sweaty and feeling sticky all over but couldn’t’ even shower.

Although I wasn’t vocalizing it, my body language clearly showed my unhappiness to which Mesquite stepped in to mediate.

She suggested that we rest at the Dandelion colony for the day since it was going to be dark soon. Yes! I might be in a better mood tomorrow!

I might heal from the energies I receive from the dandelion flowers and be able to climb the mountain better tomorrow.