Chapter 26

[Master! Can I thread the diamonds here?]

[Master! What is this?]

Indeed. What is this? Judging by the timing, it seems to be something related to a certificate. I stopped the dwarves who were about to pour the diamonds with their shovels. I need to figure out how to handle this situation with the diamonds.

"Take good care of it. Don't just crush the diamonds and kill them. If you place them in a sunny spot and arrange them nicely, they will come out more often."

Since I don't know what it is yet, I should skip it for now. If I keep it well, it might come in handy someday.

I wanted to see the certificate again, so I touched the letter icon. This desire to keep looking at it... The process repeated, and the window popped up again.

I hadn't seen a proper game system screen since I came to this game, which made me feel a bit unsatisfied. But now that there's something tangible on the screen, I feel incredibly proud.

What do I need to do to level up? Is owning shares like owning real estate?

Can I achieve my dream of owning a house here, which I couldn't in reality? Can I get a certificate of proof in other terrariums besides the 26th one?

I was giggling while looking at my phone when Elder poked his face in, curious.

"What's so funny?"

Elder needs to be more careful. I thought my heart was going to drop. The impact of seeing a face up close is vastly different from seeing it from a distance. It's a very beneficial face, but it's too harmful to my heart.

I calmed my blushing face and showed him the phone screen.

"What is that?"

"It's a certificate. It says that since we swept away all the fire around here, this terrarium will give me benefits. It will also guarantee my status."

"That's a good thing to receive. It's fortunate, Jay. I was worried that we might receive unfavorable looks for causing a big commotion in the terrarium. It seems the terrarium was more concerned about the safety of the village from fire."

By "big commotion," he must mean when Mesquite and Elder swept away the druids and dryads. I guess my actions were no different from PKing in the village, but now that I think about it, it did go by without any issues.

"But now that we've put out the urgent fire, the village will focus on law and order. If we want to cause trouble again..."

"We'll have to do it in secret. We need to clean up thoroughly. Let's bury Mesquite's roots deep in the ground."

Elder answered matter-of-factly. Since he didn't say he wouldn't do it, I guess if something like that happens again, we'll have a conflict. I wonder who my dryad takes after to be so fiery.

"By the way, they say I'm a 5th-grade gardener. It's amazing to have a title."

I've never even been a 9th-grade civil servant in reality, but in the game, I'm a 5th-grade gardener. It seems this kind of special treatment is not easy or common. Don't beginners usually start by sweeping the beginner hunting grounds outside the village? Was that just my preconception?

"My master, Jay. The status guaranteed by the terrarium is very important. Many druids exist, but many of them disappear without making much of a contribution."

"So, I'm a bit special among the many druids?"

Mesquite looked at me with admiration. This is the thrill of being a newbie who's ahead of the game with diamonds!

I kept reading the certificate out of curiosity, and the day grew dark.

We were in a position where it would be awkward to return to the village, so we decided to camp out in a suitable spot.

It's my first time camping, so I'm a bit nervous. I'm a delicate flower that never even joined the Girl Scouts in elementary school. But I'm not the type who can't sleep without a bed.

I walked a bit from where I was sitting and found a good spot. It was a place with many trees around.

According to Mesquite's advice, areas with many plants are less likely to be affected by fire, meaning there's a very low chance of fire appearing. Of course, we also swept away all the nearby fires.

Thanks to the thick equipment and robes, the night breeze wasn't that cold. I sat beside a tree that was good for leaning against and watched the three dryads chat.

To be safe, one of us would stay awake while the others would return to the terrarium artifact to recover stamina. Mesquite was firmly chosen as the one to stay awake.

"Mesquite doesn't need to sleep?"

"Dryads can live without eating or sleeping. However, we can't avoid injuries from battles. The most important thing is for our little world tree, Jay, to be healthy. Since we are connected by one soul, when Jay is tired, the dryads feel tired, and when Jay feels refreshed, the dryads feel the same. Jay can rest without any worries."

The performance of the main body affects the dryads... It's like a computer. No matter how good it is, it's useless if the power is terrible. Sob. I'll repent for my past self.

Night fell. It was a quiet space filled only with the rustling of the grass where I lay, with no sound of insects.

The stars, which are hard to see in Seoul, were densely scattered, creating a beautiful night sky. The only light came from the moon, stars, and the faint glow of my terrarium artifact.

If it were me in the past, I wouldn't have been able to endure such extreme darkness, but with Mesquite standing guard beside me, I wasn't that scared.

Because I had drunk so much of the fatigue recovery potion, I couldn't fall asleep even when I tossed and turned.

Lying on this desolate grass field was something I had never imagined, but contrary to my worries, it felt quite good. The grass seemed to embrace me like cotton.

Just lying there without doing anything, I felt my body, which had been heavy like a water-soaked sponge, gradually becoming lighter.

It must be a rest skill.

I touched the faintly glowing terrarium artifact.

In the normal field, the two dryads were diligently tending to their areas. Near Elder's area, a small daisy flower had bloomed.

With its red petals and doll-like black stamens, it was very cute and beautiful, even though it was just one flower compared to the other two dryads whose mother plants were trees.

Elder's area was filled with items I hadn't seen before, thanks to the diamonds I gave him.

Although I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't provide a house, Elder's desire for furniture was no different from mine. He had decorated the area around his mother plant with various items.

A soft cushioned rocking chair, a bookshelf and table made from a carved tree trunk, and chairs had appeared.

There were no books on the bookshelf, but it seemed Elder intended to use it as a display for a singing golden bird statue and a small gold harp.

A lamp made from a cluster of fireflies was placed on the table. I imagined Elder would read by the light if he ever got any books.

When Elder's flower petals touched the scattered streetlights, it looked like fairy dust was sprinkling.

The golden fence, which was separate from the many other fences, was decorated around Elder's mother plant.

The mushroom, bench, and stone bridge that Elder had randomly drawn from the box were harmoniously gathered in one area. Elder was a dryad who really knew how to invest in diamonds.

In contrast, Daisy's area was quite barren, as she had almost returned all the diamonds I gave her.

The single red daisy flower blooming in the lush grass field was cute, but compared to Elder's area, it felt a bit dull. Then I noticed a small topiary next to the flower and changed the angle to see what it was. Daisy tried to hide it with her body.

But she couldn't hide from my eyes, which could freely adjust the viewpoint 360 degrees up and down.

"J?"

It was a J-shaped topiary that she had been trying to hide. Why...? Ah... My nickname?

I took my hand off the glass dome and covered my mouth, rolling around. She's so incredibly cute. The one item I bought for her, which she won with a single ticket, was a topiary of my nickname.

"Jay, you look happy."

Mesquite raised his hand to prevent my rolling head from hitting anything. Mesquite's hand, as big as my head, wasn't soft due to the gauntlet, but it was comfortable like a pillow.

"Even though I'm the one who shines the most with diamonds, Elder is so cute because his inner thoughts are so easy to read. Daisy, who is blindly devoted to me, is also so lovely. And Mesquite, just being with you makes me feel so secure and happy. I suddenly feel like coming here was a good decision. I think I have really good dryad luck. I want to go on adventures and have fun together as soon as possible... I want to do everything we can!"

"My master, Jay. I feel the same. Meeting you has been a stroke of luck for me too."

Although Mesquite's face was hidden in the darkness, I imagined he was looking down at me with his usual considerate gaze.

Mesquite urged me to sleep, saying it was late. He unfastened the buckle on his armor and took off his large cloak, covering me with it and saying it was time to wait for tomorrow.

While I was looking at the terrarium artifact because I couldn't sleep, the smoky scent from Mesquite's cloak made me start to feel drowsy.

I did overdo it a bit today. It's been a long time since I moved so much, like when I used to run around in my school uniform. Now that I think about it, I'm curious about what Mesquite bought at the workshop...

My blurry vision turned completely dark. I hope tomorrow comes quickly. I was pulled into a deep sleep as soon as I closed my eyes.