Chapter 57

Along the way, I could see places where Bago had settled and made his home. Piles of sunken logs, ground dug out in a circular shape, and a heap of dead leaves that seemed ready to crumble at any moment.

Seeing this made me feel so sorry that my hand kept reaching for Bago's head. Forget it, let's forget all the bad memories.

Bago's gaze, following me with small steps, was entirely focused on me, like a little puppy. Yeah, what good would it do to take in such a damp place with your eyes?

On the opposite side, the exit was also covered with vines hanging like curtains, so Mesquite swept them away with his lance.

We had to walk for quite a while until we could see the end, and I was once again amazed by Bago, who had unknowingly controlled this vast area. If he didn't just cry and whine, he could really become a formidable offensive dryad.

When we came out, Mesquite raised his ki to search for nearby fire, while Elder moved his staff around, sensing the surroundings.

"The World Tree branch in the 28th terrarium has regained its strength and improved significantly, but this place is still within the influence of the 29th terrarium, so it seems to have been touched by a druid to some extent."

He said that the fire was under control, maintaining a balance, and a fresh life force could be felt.

Well, that's a bit of a problem. To burn this swamp, we'll need a lot of fire. It won't work. Since it's come to this, let's try to revive some old experiences?

"Daisy, you need to hit it without using your strength."

Pointing to the fire Mesquite had barely found, he told Daisy. If you hit it with full strength, it will go out, so you need to hit it gently, just enough to split it in half.

The child, who had always hit with full strength, showed a difficult expression at my request. My child has grown to the point where she needs to control her strength...

In some games, there's a quest like this: Reduce the monster's HP to a certain level and capture it. If the HP is full, capture won't activate, and if it's too low, the probability of capture is low. Such a quest is given when I'm strong enough to one-shot field monsters.

It dies with one hit! To complete the quest, I had to take off my equipment and poke it with bare hands, not using skills. It still died... When you get too strong, it's hardest to hit gently.

I lifted Daisy's small hand and took off her diamond ring. It's not about taking it back. You're already strong, so you need to take off your equipment.

"Can I do it?"

The child's determined words... Why do they come out in this ironic situation where she's asking if she can hit without killing? Normally, it would be, "Can I control this fire?"

I had to give a silly answer like, "I believe in you."

To prevent Daisy from one-shotting the fire, I threw diamonds to strengthen it. She moved very delicately, splitting the fire exactly in half without killing it.

It was a bit sad to see the child, now much stronger, struggling to hide her strength, but it was so cute to see her trying her best to fulfill my request.

Just like we did at the beginner's hunting ground, we split the fire, threw diamonds into each, and made them grow, then split them again... We multiplied them in large numbers.

Thanks to this, it became quite troublesome to deal with everything after we were done. To deal with the fire on a large scale... It seems too early to use Bago, so we need Elder's power.

Elder, can you use Graft once? Even though diamonds are being wasted, Elder has been doing something else since the beginning. I poked his side.

The fires were moving, burning the surroundings, as if using the diamonds thrown into the swamp as kindling. By this point, Elder should be grumbling, right?

"Where are you looking?"

"You're gathering the fire recklessly, so I have to protect the surrounding plants from burning."

I noticed that Elder's staff, which emitted a white light, was pointing to a small puddle a little away. There was a very small pool of water that had collected from the swamp.

How could plants survive nearby? When I looked, it was a plant I knew. Small, cute round leaves floating on the water.

"It's duckweed!"

I know this. I've seen it a lot. It floats in ponds, in rice fields, and is used to decorate aquariums. It's a relatively common plant, so it naturally fits into the landscape where water collects.

I didn't expect it to be in such a small puddle. Feeling proud that I could show off my limited knowledge, Mesquite smiled and praised me.

"You're right. It's duckweed. It seems to have hidden in this corner and avoided the fire's attention all this time."

While Daisy was throwing the bundle of diamonds I had given her to draw the fire's aggro, we gathered around the small puddle.

The duckweed was so small that when the giant Mesquite moved, the vibration made it sway helplessly on the water. The duckweed, covered in water, sparkled like droplets on a window.

"It looks like the puddle is too small for all of them to live in."

"You're right. Duckweed has excellent reproductive capabilities. Normally, this small puddle would have been overwhelmed quickly."

"It has excellent reproductive and purification capabilities. At this distance, it can receive water from the swamp but not much of the negative effects. Since it has excellent purification capabilities, it must have been purifying the pollution while living here. However, it seems to have been suppressed due to the continuous use of purification and the poor environment."

Oh, they are small and good. What's good about them is that they are perfect for the new swamp! They purify the water and bring life to the dead land. They create a new home!

Bago, who was squatting right below me, was watching the floating duckweed with curious eyes. Everything he sees outside is new and interesting. Even common duckweed.

The sound of leaves burning sporadically and thick smoke filling the sky high up indicated that the fires were actively burning the trees in the swamp like a blackout.

Daisy looked at me with eyes asking if she could stop throwing. She must have felt a great burden from throwing so many diamonds into the ground.

Around this time, Elder, who had just noticed the bundle of diamonds Daisy was holding, started to get angry. He asked where she was scattering such precious things.

"It seems we need to put it out before the damage gets worse. The fire can't spread beyond the swamp."

Holding Elder's arm, I said, Can you use Graft? Yeah? I'll give you more diamonds than what I threw over there.

"The empathy has already been raised for the fight with that dryad. But how much more do you plan to waste diamonds?"

"Waste? I'm using them where they're needed, so it's not a waste!"

Wasting diamonds for me is when you pour them to see your pretty smile once. But this is necessary for my aesthetic sense, so it's not a waste, right? Anyway, no.

Elder, with a displeased look, extended his staff toward me. It felt different from our usual bond.

Anyway, let's try to sprinkle some rain. We need to cover the dead water with clean water. When the sapling dryad made the surroundings a sanctuary during the carriage fire fight.

Putting out the fire is a side effect. To regenerate the land and prevent the fire from approaching for a while, we need this rain of life.

It seemed that the empathy had already been raised, as Elder said. I didn't need to concentrate and try to grasp the feeling like during the carriage fire fight. As soon as I grabbed Elder's staff, the feeling from that day came back instantly.

My heart raced as if I had sprinted, and Elder's staff sparkled. White flower branches bloomed like signal flares, and the sweet fragrance signaled the time.

Now. Dwarves, it's time to work. The range is wider than before, so you need to turn the faucet all the way.

The feeling of my heart thumping when using Graft was still miraculous, even when I experienced it again.

The gray smoke emitted by the burning fires was swallowed by the approaching dark clouds. It felt like branches were sprouting from my body, causing an itchy sensation.

Elder's staff was long and slender, about as tall as Elder, so I had to move my whole body to swing it. The giant tree-like aura surrounding my body also moved, making every movement feel grand.

Pitter-patter. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground was like a knock announcing the start.

The fire workers who were busy removing the dead trees in the swamp are now ready to leave. The rain poured down like a flood, chasing away the fire with a terrifying force.

The black soil, covered in ash, was overturned, and bright soil burst out like fireworks. The stagnant water was overturned, and clear water filled the space.

The fallen branches, shaken by the flood, formed a low levee, and the fresh air that seeped in pushed away the heavy, gloomy atmosphere.

The once dark and gloomy area, which resembled a forest of death, was transforming into a pure and life-filled region, like a fruit revealing its succulent white flesh after peeling off its rotten skin.

The small puddle that Bago was watching with shining eyes was also flooded by the pouring rain. A thin stream of water flowed toward the swamp, creating a long path. The duckweed, like small boats, floated into the swamp, now filled with clean water.

The rain was so