Chapter 49

If I wear this, won't it make Mesquite, who is already strong, even stronger? It might also be good for Daisy, who is growing rapidly.

"Give it to the Daisy child."

Despite my hesitation, Mesquite immediately declared that he would yield. Uh... Wouldn't it be good if he could become even stronger? This is a piece of jewelry that matches the combat bonus, after all.

"My master, Jay. I am strong enough even without it."

Wow... That's so cool! To be so strong that you don't need the bonus from such a ring. He said it so calmly, without any hint of regret, which made my heart ache and swell with emotion. So cool...

"Still, if you become... even stronger... if you get even stronger from there..."

On the other hand, Daisy seemed to be quite coveting the diamond ring. She was glancing at it sideways, not as much as Elder, but still.

Our child is very focused on getting stronger. But it seems to bother her that Mesquite so easily gave up the ring.

Is she feeling burdened, thinking that he is being considerate of her? After all, Daisy is still the weakest in the team.

Mesquite quickly resolved the child's dilemma. He had Daisy wear the ring first. Then, if she could land a single effective hit on Mesquite while wearing the ring, it would mean she needed to improve, and he would leave the choice to me.

The result was, as expected, very clear. Daisy flew around more energetically than before with the ring on, but she never managed to get past Mesquite's shield.

***

Great, now that I've eliminated the tax, the residents will move in quickly. But "quickly" means... it takes a while for word to spread, right?

It's just a matter of time. I had no intention of staying here until the terrarium was fully restored.

I need to return to the 26th terrarium to complete the quest, and then visit the 18th terrarium to remove the temporary badge after completing it. Busy, busy. Right now, I prefer playing a card-drawing RPG to a management game.

On the other hand, leaving the 28th terrarium completely empty also felt wrong.

Even if the World Tree's branch can protect the terrarium from fire threats, an empty ghost town just doesn't feel right.

This dilemma was unexpectedly resolved. Daisy Dryad, who heard about my grand travel plans, volunteered to stay and manage the place.

She thought it was the best way she could help me. Given her experience as a public service worker, she was the perfect fit.

Additionally, since the 28th terrarium is tied to my artifact, as long as Daisy Dryad doesn't leave the terrarium, there won't be any problem with the soul connection, even if I'm far away.

She was happy that she could now move around the terrarium, unlike before when she was confined to the orchard. Daisy is free! Freedom!

If her current party composition and skill level were a concern, it would have left a lingering feeling.

Her dream might not be a desk job but a field job, right? But seeing her excited about exploring every corner of the terrarium, it seems like my worry was unfounded.

"Thanks. I was at a loss about what to do while I'm away from this terrarium."

"Don't mention it. I'm the one who should be grateful. I was always bound to the orchard. I'll visit the distant outskirts and plant Red Daisy flowers everywhere. Since the Forest's authority is with my king in the artifact, can I freely decorate this terrarium?"

"When I return as the official administrator and remove the temporary badge, there might be red flowers symbolizing you and our Daisy blooming everywhere. Just imagining it is cool! This is your territory now, so what can't you do?"

At my words, he was already planning to turn an entire area into a Red Daisy flower field. If his plan goes through, this terrarium will be the Red Daisy Terrarium, not the 28th. That sounds fine too.

Still, to return to the 26th terrarium... more mountains? I can't help but sigh.

I spread out the map and carefully examined if there were any overlooked side paths by Elder. Of course, there weren't any.

However, as I carefully looked at the map, I noticed something I hadn't considered important before becoming the temporary administrator of the 28th terrarium.

This terrarium is isolated, right? The 28th, 27th, and 26th terrariums are connected in a V shape. Let's assume that the carriage fire boss roams the entire low mountain between the 26th and 27th, which I started from. That boss monster was very dangerous.

Then why didn't the 29th terrarium, next to the 28th, come to the rescue? The map clearly shows that there is a 29th terrarium next to the 28th.

Even if the 28th is relatively far from the 26th and 27th, it's not so far that communication would be cut off. It seems like Scarecrow would have requested support in advance.

I remembered a cookie shop CD game I played when I was young.

To get customers to my shop, I had to reduce the number of monsters roaming their village, as they were hindering travel.

There must be something on the path between the 28th and 29th terrariums. In other words, there must be a formidable obstacle like the carriage fire boss that cut off communication! It's clear!

Now that the 28th terrarium's issues are resolved, it might seem like a minor problem, but if I just pass it by, it would be like giving up on potential residents from the 29th terrarium.

Even if I don't go all the way to the 29th terrarium, wouldn't it be worth checking up to the midpoint? Daisy Dryad didn't seem to have any special information about this. Ultimately, I need to go and see for myself.

The dryads agreed with my suggestion. Do as you wish. If there is a dangerous obstacle as I predict, they are worried about facing it, but they said my will is their will.

"Are you leaving right away? Stay for at least one more day... Although it's all destroyed, I can show you around the 28th terrarium. All... destroyed... but if you look carefully, there might be a place that is less damaged..."

"I'll just check the path to the 29th and come back. It took about three days to get here from the 26th, so I should be back in at most two days. Ah, if you feel lonely..."

"No, I won't feel lonely. I'm not a wild dryad that bloomed alone without the Forest. I'm a blessed dryad contained in Jay's soul. Jay's soul is very cozy and warm, so I can't feel the cold emotion of loneliness. That's a luxurious emotion that dryads belonging to druids can't even think about. I just feel a bit regretful. We haven't known each other for long..."

Daisy Dryad said with a face full of regret. Still, she's my dryad. Even if our souls are connected through the artifact, the desire to be with the owner is no different from other dryads.

Ah, I'm feeling a bit soft-hearted. Am I particularly fond of Daisy types?

But it's still daylight, and my curiosity is overwhelming my emotions, making me want to leave immediately. All I did was use up diamonds. I didn't fight for long, and I leveled up by defeating the giant fire bug, so my fatigue is fully recovered.

In other words, I'm so energetic that I feel an excessive urge to do something.

Then Daisy Dryad stroked her chin, thought deeply, and suddenly had an epiphany.

"Ah! No, be careful! Now that I think about it, this is my first experience as a druid's dryad, so there was something I didn't immediately realize. Jay's artifact. If you're worried, check the terrarium artifact from time to time. If you want to see, you can see the 28th terrarium at a glance. Since I'm practically inside the artifact, you can communicate with me by thinking about the artifact. Your thoughts will be conveyed to the dryad inside the artifact. When you look at the artifact, you can also see me, so there's no need to feel regretful."

At her words, my eyes immediately moved to my left arm. When I looked into the hemispherical glass and thought about seeing the 28th terrarium, the village came into view. It was like an aerial shot, and I couldn't zoom in to see details, but it was a fixed perspective, like looking at