Chapter 7

People were busy carefully selecting fruits, shaking their heads at the ones they had already chosen and engaging in deep discussions about the color and luster of others. To me, they all looked like the same transparent spheres.

Still, when it came to choosing one, I found myself hesitating. I wanted to buy all the fruits here and keep peeling them until I found a good one, but that would be problematic afterward. There might be a limit to the number of mercenaries I could manage, like in typical card games, or a possession limit might exist.

Since I didn’t know exactly what a dryad looked like, I decided to try picking one first.

“Do you want to give it a try?”

I asked Daisy, who was staring at the fruits hanging from the branches with her mouth agape. Daisy was startled and asked, “Me?”

“It doesn’t matter which one, just pick one!”

Encouraged by me, Daisy hesitated for a moment and then pointed to a fruit with her finger.

“Wait a minute!”

Suddenly, a thin man approached us, waving his arms.

“Are you going to pick two, including that child and you, or just one?”

“Why does it matter?”

“This is a very important ritual for me! I’ve been waiting my turn to pick according to my lucky number. Six people have already picked, so if I pick one more, it will be just right.”

“Whatever….”

I was about to stop talking and acknowledge the diversity of people in the world.

“And please, you pick it! My fortune today says that the color red is inauspicious! Do you know how many red things I’ve avoided on my way here? Your bringing that red-haired child here has disrupted my plan! So at least help me by matching my lucky number!”

Is he crazy? What a weirdo… When I looked at him as if he were insane, he suddenly started yelling at Daisy too.

“Hurry up and do something about that unlucky hair! If you can cover it, do so, or get out of here when I pick the fruit!”

“S-Sorry.”

Daisy, looking very intimidated, covered her hair with both hands and hid behind me. What an absurd situation!

“I can’t listen to this anymore! Why are you yelling at a kid? Why are you trying to dampen our spirits with your superstitions? Just pick one, and it’ll be fine! Superstitions won’t guarantee anything good!”

I shouted, holding Daisy’s hand tightly. The room suddenly became noisy as the guides gathered around us for Daisy’s sake.

“What? Do you know how much this fruit costs?”

“300 diamonds might be expensive for you, but why should we cater to your whims? If you want to match your number, just buy two yourself!”

Some people chuckled at my words. What a laugh. Actually, this was something I would never have done before. I used to be too embarrassed to be the center of attention in front of a crowd.

But now, with my newfound confidence, I felt bold. I realized that having a lot of money made me more assertive.

“Daisy, you said you liked that one, right?”

I picked the fruit right in front of the man. Strangely, it was warm.

For a moment, I was amazed by how luminous it was, but then I picked the one next to it, the one next to that, and all five fruits hanging from a small branch extending from a large branch.

I hadn’t planned to do this, but I asked Daisy to help me carry a few since I couldn’t hold them all.

“Do you have the means to pay for all of them?”

“Is this just for show?”

Someone muttered, and the man nodded eagerly, thinking it was his chance. Of course, I told the guide I would pay with diamonds.

Everyone looked at me with suspicion, but the guide calmly and politely brought a box labeled ‘1500’. The size of the box was the same whether it was 300 or 1500; only the number was different.

I took out my phone and woke it up. The black screen immediately changed to the <Infinite Diamonds> screen. I ordered the dwarves to scoop them out.

“Scoop them out with shovels. Or pour them in by cart.”

Holding my phone, I looked at the box and the rude man and others. Watch this; this is the difference between you and me.

I shook my phone like I was shaking out pills from a bottle into the box. Immediately, a rumbling sound was heard, similar to the sound of beans spilling out of a broken bag.

People’s expressions changed rapidly. Their eyes widened, their mouths opened, and their skin turned pale. The rude man in front of me looked even more shocked.

For a long time, the room was filled only with the sound of my phone pouring out diamonds. It was so quiet that even breathing sounds couldn’t be heard.

“Sir, the number of diamonds has exceeded the limit.”

When the guide said this, I looked at the box and saw that the number 1500 had disappeared, leaving only +158. Did these dwarves really tip over a cart?

“Is that so? Then I’ll pick one more, then.”

To make up the remaining 300, I shook my phone again. The dwarves’ cheers could be heard from my phone, and the number became +312. Ah, it’s hard to get it perfectly right.

“The rest is a tip. Thank you for your guidance.”

The guide, now even more polite, bowed deeply. I pushed Daisy’s back and asked her to pick another fruit she liked.

“You are my luck. The fruit you pick will bring me luck. The grade doesn’t matter. Just pick any one.”

Daisy blushed and hesitated, looking back and forth between me and the rude man. When I gestured, she put the fruit in her pocket and picked one from a branch that was at her height. I ruffled her hair affectionately.

“I’ll guide you to the greenhouse.”

The guide who had brought the box led me to a separate room.

“What if I took your lucky number? What will you do? If you feel wronged, try 18. 18 has an 8 in it! 18! Hahaha!”

I followed the guide, holding a bunch of fruits in one hand and Daisy’s hand in the other. The room was still silent.

I feel great! When I stood up to the rude man, my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, but now I feel very relieved and refreshed. Money is the best! Spending money is even better!

A dark corridor continued, and the slope suggested we were heading underground. The darkness disappeared instantly, and the bright light was blinding.

The greenhouse was incredible. Despite being underground, light reached everywhere. The light felt very warm on my skin.

Daisy looked happy and relaxed. The light seemed to be pouring from a giant crystal on the ceiling. The room was surrounded by crystal-like glass, and the floor was made of gold with strange patterns engraved on it.

On a platform about one step higher, there was a large stone container filled with sparkling soil, with a carved tree on it. Next to the container stood a large stone tablet emitting a blue light.

“Place the fruits here to prepare for the dryad’s blooming. You can check the genetic information of the fruits through the stone tablet.”

“Genetic information?”

“Would you like a more detailed explanation? Or would you like to proceed with the blooming?”

It was a welcome sound. The very polite guide, who was thoroughly attentive to my well-being, immediately responded when I showed the slightest hint of curiosity. No need for an explanation.

“Do you know that the World Tree holds the genetic information of all dryads in the world?”

“...”

Should I pretend I know? I glanced at Daisy, who was looking around the greenhouse with bright eyes.

“The World Tree can create all dryads through these fruits. However, no one knows which dryad will be born from which fruit. It might not even produce a dryad and just become nutrients for future dryads. It serves as fertilizer for the dryads that will be born later. No one knows until the fruit is bloomed in the greenhouse.”

“I see.”

“This stone tablet helps you check the genetic information of the dryad at the germination stage when you place the fruit here. The genetic information provides intuitive information about the dryad’s grade. The grade is determined by the environment in which the plant grows, the season, its lifespan, the beauty of its flowers, its rarity, and whether it is a medicinal or poisonous plant. In other words, the rarer and more valuable the plant, the higher the grade of the dryad.”

It’s complicated… So, like, ginseng would be special? Daisy, who had finished looking around, stood next to me. I patted her head.

“You can check the genetic information first and choose not to bloom if you don’t like it. In other words, you can use it as fertilizer for a better grade dryad to be born next. Since you have many fruits, it should be fine to use normal-grade ones as fertilizer.”

Is it like getting a rare one is a jackpot, as with the first man I met here? But suddenly, Daisy’s expression darkened.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um… Sir, I just remembered something urgent… Can I go first?”

“Suddenly?”

“It’s really urgent! I completely forgot! I need to go right away!”

Before I could stop her, Daisy handed me all the fruits she had and ran out of the greenhouse. What could be so urgent that she would do that… Maybe I held her back for too long? If that’s the case, I’m really sorry. She’s so kind that she didn’t say anything and followed me…

Feeling uneasy, I stared at where Daisy had gone and then turned to listen to the rest of the explanation. The guide looked puzzled, staring at where Daisy had gone.

“That’s strange….”

“What is?”

“Nothing, nothing. Would you like to proceed with the blooming now?”

“Yes, as soon as possible. I’m worried about the child.”

When I said this, the guide tilted his head again. Then, he snapped out of it and led me to the stone container. I placed one of the fruits I was holding on it.

The fruit trembled when it touched the soil. At the same time, the stone tablet glowed intensely, and some characters began to appear.

I’m so excited! Dryad! Will the characters from the gorgeous illustrations on the <Terrarium Adventure> pre-order page appear? What if something strange like a Mandrake from <Harry Potter> comes out?

But the characters on the stone tablet read ‘NO DATA’… What the…?

“Looks like you didn’t have good luck from the start. This fruit doesn’t contain the information of a dryad. It’s best to use it as fertilizer for the next dryad to be born.”

But the next three fruits showed the same message. So, out of the six fruits I picked, four were duds. Are you kidding me? In a paid draw, can duds even come out?

“You don’t have to be too disappointed. You can resell these fruits at their original price. They are rich in nutrients and are more effective than fruits that have already sprouted dryads. If you sell them as fertilizer to a druid raising high-grade dryads, you can pick more fruits.”

I could always pick more fruits outside and try again if I wanted to. But I’m so excited, and this keeps happening! Please, just give me something! Normal or rare, I’ll buy a few of these nutrient-rich fruits and raise them!

I always poured affection into everything I got first. My first pet, equipment, mercenaries, and so on. Even if I couldn’t use them anymore, I wouldn’t release or sell them but keep them like talismans. It’s very meaningful that one of the many things found me right away. I’m a bit sentimental.

This time, I prayed that a dryad would definitely come out and placed the fruit that Daisy had picked herself on the port.