Chapter 3

We quickly found a compromise.

It was that I would buy items and give a portion to the child, just like the conditions the child initially put forward.

The child explained that the prices here were high because the market was crowded with travelers and guided me to the outskirts of the village.

On the way, the child watched me turn my head wildly at the unfamiliar scenery and said with a smile, "Is it your first time here? It must be quite surprising, right? But this place is under the influence of the World Tree, so the situation is better. Most of the villagers are full of energy."

What exactly is the World Tree? I felt so sorry for the girl, who was hungrily eating the bread and milk I had given her, that I couldn't bring myself to ask right away.

In this village, as expected, diamonds were used as currency.

At the bakery the child led me to, one diamond could buy three loaves of bread and two bottles of milk. The prices were insane... Thinking about the large bundle of diamonds jingling in my coat pocket made me feel uneasy.

It's like carrying a large sum of money without any protection, right? And my phone...

"Do you want more...?"

Suddenly feeling tense and at a loss, I wanted to be nice to the child beside me.

I believe that the only person I can trust is you, even though I just met you today, kid.

But the child refused, saying that the reward was too much compared to what they had done.

I was worried about what to do with the leftovers, and the child casually said, "Just put it in your pocket. You can eat it later."

But how can this small pocket hold all this...? It went in well.

It felt like there was an unknown space inside; the pocket didn't bulge, and I couldn't feel the weight.

Oh, I keep drifting away from reality...

"Here it is. It's far from the orchard, but you can get a good room at a low price. But you'll have to wake up early."

While I was confused, the child steadily guided me to a guesthouse.

It wasn't like the motels I knew, but a real wooden guesthouse, the kind you'd see in a fantasy story.

The first floor was a restaurant, and the second floor was for lodging. It seemed like the kind of place where mercenaries would come to drink and share important information.

I began to suspect that this place might not be Korea.

"I'll be going now. Thank you for sharing your food. I wish you good luck on your journey, Druid!"

"Wait, wait. Don't you want to work more for me? I need your help. I'll pay you whatever you want."

"Can I do anything? I can only introduce the village to you."

"You can do something only you can do!"

I can't just grab a random passerby and ask, "Sir, where exactly is this place?" I'm a complete stranger here and need a lot of information to confirm my suspicions.

It's dangerous for a young girl to wander around in a foreign place where she knows nothing!

But the child's expression turned wary, and they took a step back.

"Does someone like you, a Druid, really need the help of a young girl with no special abilities?"

I understand what you're worried about. I don't know what this "Druid" title means, but it's strange for an adult to ask a child for help. It feels like a kidnapper's tactic.

"Thanks for introducing me to the guesthouse. But I have a lot of questions about this village. You know a lot about it, right? If you're worried, we can talk in the guesthouse restaurant."

The restaurant on the first floor isn't very large, but it's open, and the owner seems to be standing at the counter, so the child might feel safer.

Fortunately, the child agreed, saying, "Oh, if that's the case, I should help you!"

"Oh, Daisy! It's been a while. Did you bring a guest? You've grown so much. Come on in!"

So her name is Daisy. I've been with her without even knowing her name. Compared to the innkeepers who were rude and told us to go away, this owner was very kind.

It seemed that the owner treated young Daisy well, and the child's face looked very comfortable. I was grateful for the good place Daisy had recommended.

I didn't know what to order, so I asked the owner to recommend something and ordered two servings for Daisy and me. I also said I would stay for about a day and paid with two diamonds.

The owner, looking pleased, called out to the kitchen, "Two lamb stews here!"

Anyway, can Daisy eat more after having bread and milk? Contrary to my worries, the child looked very happy. She must have been hungry...

"Thank you for the meal! The food here is amazing. The owner often takes care of me."

"Really, I'm looking forward to it after you say that."

"Ask anything! I'll do my best to explain everything I know!"

We sat in a place far from the counter. I wanted to ask questions that wouldn't make the locals think I was too strange.

I needed to know what was common knowledge here. I planned to ask simple questions until the food arrived to let Daisy eat comfortably.

She was eating so quickly earlier. I thought she wouldn't be able to answer properly while eating. Okay, what should I ask first?

"Where are we? Oh, that was a strange question. What's the name of this village?"

"Here is the 26th Terrarium of the World Tree. Sometimes people get confused with the numbers."

Hmm, it's an unfamiliar name for Korea... I really feel like I'm in a strange place. How do I get home from here? By the way, where have I heard the word "Terrarium" before?

"Is there any special meaning to the numbers?"

"It means the 26th branch of the World Tree. The smaller the number, the closer to the World Tree."

Daisy, who had completely relaxed her guard, seemed eager to share all the knowledge she knew.

She also seemed very proud of being helpful despite her youth, and she spoke excitedly without stopping, her cheeks flushed.

From her words, I learned about the naming convention of the villages. The Nth Terrarium of the World Tree, where N is determined by the branches of the World Tree.

The smaller the number, the closer to the World Tree, and the larger, the farther away. The farther from the World Tree, the more damage from "fire."

I don't understand what she's saying at all. What is the World Tree, and is "fire" the "Fire" I know...? But it seems too basic to ask.

"Wow, you're really smart. You know a lot, don't you?"

It came out in a textbook reading tone, but I did my best to praise Daisy. Praise makes even whales dance, and I wanted the excited child to tell me more.

Daisy definitely became more talkative when she was excited.

"But why do you call me a Druid?"

This isn't common knowledge, right? Please, please...

"Because you came here to go on an adventure, right? Isn't that the case? Everyone avoids other villages because of the fire. Plus, you came here when the World Tree's branch was bearing fruit, so I assumed... Was I wrong?"

"No, no. I'm probably a Druid. Maybe."

Wow, a hypothesis suddenly popped into my head when the child answered. Is this place <Terrarium Adventure>? The game my friend showed me and asked to pre-order.

At the time, I was worried about the <Infinite Diamonds> server shutting down and didn't really look into the game, but the background here reminded me of an RPG game, so I thought it might be a reasonable assumption. I saw words like "Terrarium" and "Druid" in the pre-order success message...

But why am I in a game that hasn't even opened yet? Virtual reality games haven't even been invented in the real world yet, let alone <Terrarium Adventure>, which is just a mobile game.

[???] I completed an achievement and got a strange key as a reward, and when I used the key, my phone malfunctioned and I was suddenly enveloped in white light... When I came to, I was in a strange place, not my home. Ah, I need a cigarette.

I took out my sleeping phone and looked at it with a heavy heart. Is this a dream? It feels strangely real for a dream...

"Do you know what this is?"

I wish Daisy could look at my phone. If Daisy has a phone, maybe I can borrow it. Or maybe I can use a phone at the guesthouse. My phone is broken, and when I turn it on, the dwarves will probably start chanting for diamonds again.

"That's a wallet."

"Right... a wallet. Do you have one?"

"No, I don't have enough diamonds to need a wallet. I don't have any at all."

Oh no. By my standards, this is a phone, but here it's a wallet. The dwarves called it a wallet too.

I took a deep breath. It was time to accept reality.

Honestly, I had a feeling from the moment the dwarves talked to me and diamonds came out of my phone. This world is very different from the one I know.

I would gladly accept it if people from the kitchen suddenly came out clapping, saying it was a hidden camera.

Feeling frustrated, I was about to tear my hair out when the food arrived. Daisy was staring at the generous portions of meat in the bowl with her mouth open. I gestured for her to eat first.

"But... shouldn't the Druid who paid eat first?"

"I'm not really hungry. But if I don't eat the food the chef worked hard to make, he'll be very sad. I'll be a bad person. Can you help me?"

It was a lie, but it worked. My request was like asking a fish to swim in water, and Daisy happily started to eat. She ate well, focusing on the meat first, which showed her honest appetite.