Chapter 79

After finishing the message input, a list of people to transfer to appeared. Since the hornets can only send 1:1 messages like Between, with each having their own paired recipient, it seemed that the initial sender could choose the transferee.

The names on the list were all druids I had sent the diamond cart to before. Wow, this is more sophisticated than I thought.

When I found and touched Kallon's name, my phone vibrated. A hologram-like image of a hornet appeared on the screen, then instantly buzzed and disappeared.

Wow, this is cool! When sending an iMessage, it makes a swoosh sound, but this one makes a buzz. Since there are no iPhone users in this world, I wish someone could empathize with me. I suddenly felt lonely.

But when my small dryads, who had been watching the hornet fly, let out an exclamation, that feeling vanished instantly.

"My master, Jay. What will you do now?"

Mesquite asked as she watched me insert the queen hornet's chip into the slot where the drone hornet's chip had been.

"Kallon said it would be dangerous for him to leave the terrarium immediately... so I plan to stay for a while."

I could feel my dryads tensing up.

"It's safe inside the terrarium! I don't know much about it, but you can see the inside situation of the terrarium through the administrator's wallet. The 18th terrarium's administrator is very calculating and won't let any harmful elements stay in his terrarium."

I recalled how the 18th terrarium's administrator had expelled a sapling with a single button in the 28th terrarium.

"The people who targeted my 28th terrarium, though not as great as me, were quite impressive. I want to meet them to see how they can help me. Perhaps meeting them will give me a clue to solve the traffic problem in the 28th terrarium."

But I have something to do first! That's visiting the artifact workshop in this 18th terrarium!

Let's go to the market! Since it's earlier in number than the 26th terrarium, the market must be huge! The workshop must be large and full of beautiful artifact furniture!

Elder was the most enthusiastic about my idea.

***

Finding the market was not difficult. Not only was the 18th terrarium much larger in scale than the 26th, but the 18th terrarium's administrator, known for his quick calculations, played a significant role.

He was someone who collected diamonds obsessively to maintain this massive terrarium without 'infinite diamonds' like me. The roads were designed to lead to the market no matter where you went, and the signs were very helpful.

It seemed that anyone visiting the 18th terrarium would be lured into the market by the aggressive sales tactics, just like being sucked into an ant hell while distracted. I could imagine the tremendous effort put into opening the druids' wallets.

The market in the 18th terrarium was not just a market alley. A huge building like a Greek temple was circularly situated, with shops densely packed inside.

There was a structure that allowed access to the second floor via stairs, making it feel like a spacious two-story department store.

The orchard in the 26th terrarium was already large, but changing the first digit made all landmarks significantly larger. I now understood why people tried to get to a lower number. It's not just about safety; the infrastructure is like night and day.

As I was about to enter the market, people at the entrance who were distributing something gently stopped me.

"Customer, I'm very sorry. For the smooth passage and safety of others, we recommend that large dryads be turned into artifacts! This includes all tree-type dryads. Only up to two small flower-type dryads can enter. Please understand!"

He looked at the mountainous Mesquite and Elder with a troubled expression. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed hard to find people with dryads inside. A few small dryads were visible, but they were few.

I was hesitant because my dryads were reluctant to leave me. Additionally, it was frustrating that I could spend my diamonds freely in the market, but if Elder turned into an artifact, I would only be able to imagine it. This was a rare opportunity to see Elder's face light up.

"How can it not be allowed?"

"Customer, I'm really, really sorry. This is the policy of the terrarium, and we cannot make exceptions. Other customers also follow this policy without issue. You can summon your dryads again once you leave the market area, so please follow the policy despite the inconvenience."

It wasn't like the characters were being put away due to lag... Anyway, this was the rule of this terrarium, and other people followed it without complaint, so I didn't want to stand out. Besides, I wasn't a gardener like in the 26th terrarium, so I couldn't buy the entire market area.

"Then, would these two be okay?"

I pointed to Daisy and Bagot. Daisy, though much larger, was still less problematic, and they were my dryads that had been treated as saplings. The guide said it would be fine.

As I looked up at Mesquite like a chick separated from its mother, she smiled and pointed to my wrist.

"My master, Jay. It's not a dangerous place, and Daisy will be with you, so don't worry and enjoy yourself."

Bagot was not yet a sturdy dryad in Mesquite's opinion. Unlike Mesquite, who was trying to reassure me, Elder scowled, clearly not wanting to turn into an artifact. I had to comfort Elder, just as Mesquite had reassured me.

"I can't promise to be back soon, but I'll buy a lot of what you want."

He started to throw a tantrum, saying that those saplings wouldn't be of any help and that he should stay put. I made a mistake. If I had known this would happen, I would have covered Elder's eyes before entering the market.

There were many things that could attract Elder. Various flashy items, whose uses I didn't even know, were gleaming as if trying to lure me. From Elder's perspective, it was like a sparrow visiting a modern mill.

The sparrow had come to inspect, but the mill was modern, with reinforced glass blocking the grain mill. No matter how much the sparrow pecked, it couldn't reach the grains. It was a pitiful situation, with the sparrow's beak unable to touch the tempting grains.

"Saplings! They've all grown! The policy here is that only dryads as big as you can't enter, so we have to follow it. That's human society! So why are you so big! You have a pretty face and a big body! You have everything, everything!"

It turned out to be a compliment disguised as criticism. I can't say anything bad to that face.

I gestured to Elder, who was much taller than me, and Mesquite smiled at us. To Mesquite, who was much taller than me, we probably looked like chicks chirping.

"So it's good! You like my face, don't you?"

"Right! I totally like it!"

"Then, isn't it better to take me with you?"

"But it's not forever! You can sit in my artifact and ask me to buy things for you. I'll buy everything you want, so why are you acting like a child? Look at our well-behaved Daisy and Bagot. They listen well and don't throw tantrums like you."

"I'm stronger than them."

"Hey! Did you raise them? I raised them all! You came out fully grown from the World Tree, but I fed Daisy with nutrient-rich fruits, put rings on her, and threw diamonds to level her up! My babies are all strong, damn it!"

As I argued with Elder, I felt a commotion around us.

What, what. Are they fighting over there? Is it a couple's argument? People started to whisper. Hot... It's not a couple's argument, my face turned red.

"Elder, stop it. Jay is uncomfortable."

Mesquite, who had been watching our antics, stepped in when she saw me covering my face in embarrassment. Mesquite calmed Elder by mentioning his childhood in the World Tree, effectively scolding him.

After raising you... Indeed... I wanted to give her a passing necklace for her incredible criticism. Pui pui pui, I'll remember this for next time.

In the end, Elder, with a pouting face, went into the terrarium artifact with Mesquite.

I was about to enter the market with Bagot, who was looking around nervously, and Daisy, who was gazing at me happily.

"Is that Jay?"

"Whoa, you scared me. Who are you?"

A woman in a stylish suit approached and bowed to me. What's this about now?

"The administrator sent me after confirming that Jay entered the market area. I am a personal shopper who will assist Jay in shopping in the market area. The market area is large and complex, so I will help Jay find the desired items easily."

They sent someone to focus on opening my wallet, didn't they? This person is really scary. Anyway, a personal shopper... I've never seen one! This is the top-tier service that follows VVIPs in department stores, right? This is a bit overwhelming...

When I looked at her with a slightly skeptical eye, she assured me that she would follow me discreetly without being a bother.

I couldn't say, "I'll take my daily wage and lie to the administrator that I worked, then go somewhere else to rest." She looked so proud of her job that I felt it would be a huge offense to say that.

"What kind of shopping do you want to do first? I'll guide you to the desired area."

Thinking about it, having a personal navigator to explain such a complex area would be helpful... Good things are good, right?

"Ah, then I'll leave it to you! Thanks to the support of the administrator, I'll spend a lot of diamonds."

"Our 18th terrarium's administrator didn't mean it that way..."

"Oh, I know, I know. Then, please guide me to the artifact workshop first! Do you have random boxes here?"

Of course, they did. They couldn't not have them. There's nothing better than gacha items for opening users' wallets.