Chapter 131 : Rendezvous (2)
From a certain day, Bell would tilt his head as he looked at a plant in the vegetable garden. That plant was located in the middle of the vegetable garden, and surprisingly, not a single weed grew near it. Whether it was self-isolation or artificial isolation, it was for now a solitary figure, like a remote island.
Of course, crops are not meant to be grown overlapping. This is because the fertility of the soil, which is the nutrients in the soil, has its limits. In that case, how much fertility does that plant suck up?
When Bell asked Allen, he surprisingly answered readily.
“It’s a mandrake.”
“Man… what?”
“Mandragora.”
“Heeik!”
Bell was terrified. In fact, the mandrake was more famous for its harmful effects than its efficacy as an elixir.
“Why did you plant that dangerous thing!”
They say that if you pull out its root, it screams and drives people mad. For a mage or an alchemist, it was a great find, but for an ordinary person, it was no different from a bomb planted in the ground.
“It was in a slightly bad condition because it had been stored outside for a long time. It needed to regain its vitality.”
“Ah, so you were trying to grow it as a rare plant, not an elixir? Then what.”
It was common sense that an elixir could only grow in the bosom of Mother Nature and could not be artificially cultivated. But well, it seemed like that guy could do it. Bell had already experienced many reversals of common sense. He could now let the cultivation of an elixir pass.
As long as he didn’t pull it out of the ground again…
“No, it’s an elixir, so I have to eat it.”
“I can’t do it.”
Bell started packing his bags. He had decided not to run away from home anymore, but since he had the time, he quickly packed his bags.
“I have no intention of making you do this.”
“Right, I have many abilities. I’m good at housework, I’m good at tending the vegetable garden, and I’m good at serving guests. I’m not a talent to be consumed by digging up a mandragora.”
Compared to his previous boast that he was a talent that Delight Conquem was obsessed with, that megacorps courted, and that the city government was anxious about, the content had become a bit shabby.
“I will do it.”
“Hmm.”
Beta is an android. Could a machine with intelligence really be fine after hearing the scream of a mandrake that destroys a person’s mind? For a mage or a researcher, it would have been a very interesting topic.
“Just watch quietly from there.”
For Allen, a contractor, it was a useless curiosity. If Beta were to break down, it would be too much of a price to pay for curiosity. Even if it was fine, what if Beta accidentally crushed the mandrake’s root while pulling it out? Either way, the loss would be immense, so it was wise not to make it do it.
Allen pushed back the two useless freeloaders and squatted down next to the mandrake.
Bell thought, ‘No way.’ He’s probably just going to fiddle with the leaves as usual, check its condition, and watch it for a bit. Surely he wouldn’t suddenly harvest the mandrake without any warning, as if he were pulling out some weed?
Ssuuk!
He harvested it.
“Kkeuaaaaaak!”
A scream rang out. A scream that resembled the sound of metal scraping from a torn throat. It was Bell’s scream.
“I-I’m dying! If you have a complaint, you should say it or hit me, why are you trying to assassinate me…!”
Bell, who had been shouting with injustice, suddenly felt something strange. They said that the scream of a mandrake was so loud that it could be heard even if you covered your ears. But why couldn’t he hear anything?
Bell, who had closed his eyes tightly, trembled and lifted one eyelid.
“Huh?”
Allen was holding the root of the mandrake. Indeed, the mandrake had the shape of a person, as the rumors said. It was natural to feel disgusted or grotesque that a plant root had the shape of a person.
Bell felt a sense of grotesqueness. At himself, who felt a sense of comfort upon seeing the mandrake.
“Why… is it quiet?”
The mandrake had a comfortable expression, like a baby in its mother’s arms. It was even cute, like a real baby, with its mouth closed demurely and breathing comfortably. It was the exact opposite of the ominous rumor of the mandrake that killed people with its scream.
“What’s that again?”
In addition, it was holding something like a round bead with its hand-shaped root. They said the root of the mandrake resembled a person, so was it even holding a toy?
And Allen snatched that bead-like something. It didn’t seem to be a toy, but a transformed root. The mandrake’s expression distorted.
Gulp!
Allen paid no mind and swallowed the bead. Then he planted the mandrake back in the ground and said.
“It’s dangerous, so manage it with care.”
Then he left, saying his business was done.
“……”
Bell was dumbfounded. The fact that the mandrake didn’t scream, and the fact that Allen had only taken a part of the root and eaten it, instead of swallowing it whole.
“You cruel bastard.”
The former might not be that surprising. How many times had common sense been overturned while he was here? In fact, the story that the mandrake screamed was probably a false rumor spread by the powerful to eliminate competitors and monopolize it.
The latter was different. Bell could guess why Allen had acted that way.
“You’re going to eat it little by little, aren’t you?”
Since the root would grow back anyway, his intention was to eat a little at a time and then eat more when it grew back. That was the purpose of growing crops, so it wasn’t something to be criticized. But what bothered Bell was the appearance of the mandrake. The fact that it had contorted its face, as if it were in pain because it resembled a person, had left a strong impression on him.
The contractor, who had iron or gunpowder flowing in his veins instead of blood, didn’t seem to care, but Bell was different.
“Phew, you’ve also been dragged in by a really mean guy.”
Should it be called misery loves company? Bell felt pity for the mandrake. That’s why he had started digging up the land that Allen had neatly arranged. He had to at least plant it in a sunnier place, since it was pitiful. Since the story that the mandrake screamed seemed to be a false rumor, there was nothing to be afraid of.
And so, the moment a part of the mandrake’s root was revealed. The root’s eyes flashed open, and it opened its mouth wide…
Bell hurriedly filled the hole. It was an instinctive action. His hair stood on end, his hands and feet trembled, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Bell instinctively realized that he had almost crossed the River Styx.
Why had it been quiet when Allen had dug up the root, but was trying to scream now? That question was not important.
Kwak! Kwak!
Bell set up a fence around the mound of dirt where the mandrake was buried. Meticulously and thoroughly, so that he wouldn’t accidentally step on it while working. A servant should just do as his master tells him, but he had acted out of line. Bell blamed himself for ignoring Allen’s warning and finished the work.
***
The mandrake is a plant that bears fruit. But perhaps because the legend of the mandrake originated from its root. The essence of the mandrake, unlike the case of the Hwayangcho and Sueumcho, was contained in its root.
The taste was a little bitter. The crunchy texture was similar to that of a raw sweet potato or yam. As I swallowed it down my throat, system messages appeared one after another in one corner of my vision.
「You have consumed the essence of the Mandrake!」
「Nature affinity greatly increases!」
「Due to the high nature affinity, the class of the druid increases!」
「You have a strong control over Mother Nature!」
「A skill is created!」
Previously, when I had consumed the essence of the Hwayangcho and Sueumcho, I had acquired the Whispers of Mother Nature skill. It seemed to be the same this time. The difference was that this time, several skills were created.
‘To think my class has risen like this… as expected, a druid needs to raise their nature affinity.’
There is a class in FP. To put it simply, it’s like the 1st job change, 2nd job change in other RPGs. From a martial artist’s perspective, it was breaking through a wall, and from a mage’s perspective, it could be said that they had gained enlightenment.
The fact that the druid’s meager skill window had become abundant was the reward. I looked at the list of skills.
‘Green Will, Shimmering Earth, Protection of the Forest…’
I roughly knew what they were like. It was similar to controlling the flames at the railway station in District 20. Perhaps the knack and skill I had gotten a feel for at that time had been created as a skill.
「The medicinal properties of the essence are accumulated in the World Tree!」
「The ability of the World Tree is enhanced!」
「The World Tree periodically secretes the accumulated medicinal properties!」
「Excessively consumed medicinal properties will be naturally restored after rest!」
A few lines were added to the same message as before.
‘Should I interpret this as a superior version of the doping agent I use?’
The doping agent I buy from Bordon is also, if you set aside the toxicity, a medicine refined from the medicinal properties of plants. It meant that the World Tree would replace those medicinal properties. Moreover, the medicinal properties secreted by the World Tree were not from some medicinal herb, but from an elixir. If you were to compare their efficacy, it would be like the difference between a firefly and a full moon.
But that didn’t mean I had to throw away the doping agent I was using well.
‘I can use the World Tree’s medicinal property secretion as a substitute when the effect of the doping agent reaches its limit.’
The doping agent I used was limited. It was not popular, so it was difficult to expect any improvement in quality. The difference between adding 10 to 1 and adding 10 to 10 is heaven and earth. The time would come when the effect of the doping agent would not satisfy me. I could save the World Tree’s medicinal properties for that time.
For now, it was the stage of personally obtaining and consuming elixirs to increase the medicinal properties.
It was then. A long limousine sped down the road and stopped in front of me with a smooth cornering. As the back door clicked open, I got in and sat on the seat.
“Hello. Welcome to the use of Karsche’s self-driving premium taxi service, Future Pass.”
The voice came from a speaker, not a person. There was no driver in the driver’s seat, which was separated by an acrylic plate. This was because this limousine was a state-of-the-art model equipped with a self-driving service.
“I will confirm the destination.”
Future Pass was not a service that anyone could use. As a service that targeted the powerful of the city, the VIPs, as its main customers, the price was not cheap. There was even a rumor that the personnel team of the head office personally managed the customer list.
I was not a rich person who was extravagant enough to burn a check just to use a taxi, and I did not have a job that fit the customer criteria. So, the reason I was currently using the Future Pass service was as a reward for a deal.
‘Future Pass is a taxi service operated by Karsche.’
I had negotiated with Karsche to receive the right to use Future Pass as a reward. It wasn’t a request for a lifetime customer, but just a one-day use, so they had sent a positive answer.
The advantages of Future Pass are diverse. Fast and accurate driving, a comfortable ride, and sturdy armor that can protect the body even in an emergency. It’s not something to be dismissed as just a taxi.
However, the advantage of Future Pass that I had paid attention to was in a different part.
“We will depart for District 2.”
District 2. The fact that I could enter and exit the upper districts of this city without any suspicion.
***
In Gellerg City, movement between each district was free. This was also the case for Districts 1 and 2, which were commonly called the upper districts. That was nominally the case.
Districts 1 and 2 were the residential areas where the upper class of the city lived, and the center of the city’s administration and politics. It was legally possible for dirty slum dwellers or lowly commoners to set foot there, but it was not permitted by custom. The periodic patrols of the Public Security Bureau also gave strength to this.
They went around with their eyes wide open to prevent any unfortunate incidents, so it was human psychology to shrink back even if one had not committed any crime.
I was in that District 2. Thanks to Future Pass.
“We have arrived at your destination.”
The customers of Future Pass are the upper class guaranteed by Karsche. As long as I used Future Pass, I didn’t have to worry about being interrogated when entering or exiting District 2.
“If you call us after you have finished your business, we will pick you up again.”
I got out of the limousine, leaving the polite farewell behind. The place I had gotten off at was the entrance of a luxury apartment in District 2. Like the front desk of a hotel on the first floor, a servant was waiting at the front of the entrance, and guards stood on both sides.
I opened the entrance door and went inside. Perhaps because I had gotten off the Future Pass limousine, no one sent a suspicious gaze until I got on the elevator.
1, 4, 10… As the numbers on the display changed, my heart pounded.
Ding!
When the elevator finally stopped. I clenched and unclenched my fist, trying to hide my tension.
“Phew.”
The 30th floor. A location near the top of the apartment. I had arrived at the address that Greenwood had left.