Chapter 84: World Tree's Birth Festival (3)
The market in Sky Flower Cradle was not much different from a market in a human city. There were slight differences in the items being sold, but for the most part, it was more or less the same. However, while a typical market would have alleyways spreading out like cobwebs in all directions, Sky Flower Cradle had thin stems extending vertically and horizontally.
As one entered the market, there were rows of elf weavers selling handmade blankets and clothes, and on the opposite side, there was a food alley selling snacks like rice cakes and fish cakes.
Hyejin Macaron, the deputy leader of the 13th Extermination Squad, didn't particularly enjoy this market scene.
"Ugh, it's hot and humid. Squad Leader, can we just leave?"
"..."
"Why are you so fascinated by the fish market? What's so interesting?"
Her complaints were endless, but Squad Leader Kaen just quietly watched the fish swim.
"Ugh..."
Helpless, Hyejin put her hands on her waist and looked around. Once the squad leader became lost in thought, it would take a while to snap him out of it.
"This place is so annoying, seriously."
She disliked elves. More precisely, she disliked all pointy-eared fairy folk.
Idling around here was both agonizing and disgusting to her, but she had no choice when it came to her duty.
"Why did Tower Master send us here when it's not even certain that Professor Maizen is here?"
Her mission was to monitor Maizen, who was suspected of being corrupted by dark magic. She was reportedly in Sky Flower Cradle, where first-year students were conducting field experience. Professor Maizen had suspended all activities and was currently in a state of seclusion, following orders received from Stella. External activities must have been blocked, so how did Maizen manage to come all the way here?
"I just can't understand it."
Leaving Kaen, who was absentmindedly observing the fish, Hyejin walked through the market streets alone. There was nothing to see or buy, but she was bored.
"Huh? That child is..."
While leisurely strolling through the streets, she unexpectedly came across a familiar face. It was the co-author from Stella who appeared during the presentation of the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique.
"Hmm, was his name Baek Yu-Seol?"
She didn’t remember him because of the formula; she just found him cute and memorable. An ordinary student from Stella would have come to Sky Flower Cradle to visit high-end tourist sections, but Baek Yu-Seol was wandering around the market.
"Oh my, student. Have a look at these."
As she was thinking, an old woman wearing worn-out clothes grabbed the hem of Baek Yu-Seol’s coat. She was a poor woman who sold vegetables and greens on a mat laid out on the ground. There was a little girl next to the old woman with a noticeably gaunt face, as if she had been starving for a long time.
"Sure."
He sat down and slowly looked around the mat. Hyejin, who had thought Baek Yu-Seol would ignore the old woman and pass by, widened her eyes in surprise.
Whether they were a commoner or a noble, the moment they became students at Stella Academy, their arrogance would reach the sky. Only teenagers with the noblest talents in the world gather were admitted.
‘Well, not all students are arrogant bastards, I suppose.’
Hyejin never graduated from an academy. Her unfavorable image was due to the arrogance displayed by academy-trained mages who boasted excessively about their talents.
"Hm..."
She approached Baek Yu-Seol and looked around at the vegetables.
Even if they were elven vegetables, the wares weren’t anything special. In human society, it was akin to selling on the roadside.
There were a lot left. It seemed like business hadn’t been going well.
And then, she noticed something.
"Huh? Is that...?"
Hyejin discovered something that made her doubt her eyes. Among the seemingly useless vegetables was a fairy spinach. It had a common name, but it was a rare herb through and through. It was comparable to 100-year-old wild ginseng that was popular among humans. Perhaps it could even rival a 500-year-old wild ginseng.
‘I have to buy it.’
Hyejin gulped and waited. It couldn't be helped because Baek Yu-Seol was holding the fairy spinach, examining it from different angles.
But it was fine.
Most scholars couldn't easily distinguish fairy spinach. It required a special discernment for sensing mana and exceptional observational skills, as well as extensive knowledge of plants. A mere 17-year-old student like him wouldn't know about it. In fact, she believed no one in this place would know. It would be left neglected in this rundown spot.
‘If I buy it at a low price and sell it at a high price...’
Hyejin’s mind was filled with a bundle of swirling fantasies, but at that moment...
"Where did you dig this up, ma’am?"
"Oh, I found it in the plot. It looked unique, so I bought it."
"Please don’t sell this."
"Hmm?"
"It's an incredibly valuable herb. You would need an appraiser to determine its true worth, but..."
Baek Yu-Seol took out a piece of paper from his pocket, signed it, and placed it next to the fairy spinach.
Upon seeing that, Hyejin’s pupils couldn't help but dilate.
’What is this? Could it be...?’
Confirming Hyejin’s anticipation, Baek Yu-Seol took out a magic stamp from his pocket and stamped it.
"This is a certificate of alchemical quality assurance. If you go to the Alchemical Sky Flower branch that should be on top, you can have them evaluate the price. You probably won't have to worry about meals for a while."
"Oh my... Is that so?"
"Yes."
Then he took out a candy from his pocket and handed it to the little girl along with the fairy spinach.
"Kid, no matter who asks for it, you must never give it away. Soon, alchemists will come looking for it, and if you sell it to them, you can buy as many toys as you want."
"Really? Can I even eat rice?"
"Huh? Yeah... You’d be able to eat rice too."
"Wow..."
"Enjoy the candy."
"Okay."
"I'll buy some other vegetables."
With that, Baek Yu-Seol picked up a few vegetables that he wouldn't use, put them in a bag, paid a few coins, and disappeared.
From behind, Hyejin looked at him with a bewildered expression.
‘What's with him...?’
A quality assurance certificate. There was no way it would be attached to ordinary spinach, so Baek Yu-Sell must have recognized it as fairy spinach without a doubt.
‘But how?’
Of course, if a student had a keen interest in herbs, they might have heard of fairy spinach. However, even exceptional herb discerners would find it impossible to identify it without special tools.
After all, there was a reason behind the existence of Alchemical Sky Flower, the magical herb identification office.
Unless one possessed special abilities like Hyejin and had all the knowledge, it was impossible to discern it just by looking at it with the naked eye.
‘That... He turned out to be even more peculiar than I thought?’
Ever since she found out he was the co-author of the paper on the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique, she knew there was something extraordinary about him, but she thought that was all.
However, she felt that there was something else hidden; something she didn't know.
‘But still... Isn’t it too foolish? Just giving it away like that?’
If he bought the fairy spinach for a cheap price, he could have earned a tremendous amount of money.
‘Hmph, I can buy it before they go to Alchemical Sky Flower anyway.’
As Baek Yu-Seol disappeared into the distance, Hyejin sat down in front of the child with a cheerful smile to buy fairy spinach at a low price.
However, her hand suddenly stopped.
"Grandma, can we have rice today?"
"Huhuh, of course. Your grandma will definitely buy it for you."
"Wow, really?"
"Of course, of course."
She overheard the conversation between the child and the old woman.
While she would have been oblivious before, the fact that they could innocently look forward to eating rice pricked her conscience.
‘Damn it!’
‘Why did that damn Stella kid have to say something like that?’
It would have been better if Baek Yu-Seol deceived the child and bought it himself. She could have even forcefully snatched it from him.
"Ugh..."
"What's the matter?"
"Huh? Oh, no! There's nothing wrong. I just thought these cabbage leaves looked really fine! They must have absorbed a lot of nutrients!"
"Uh huh."
In the end, without even touching the fairy spinach, Hyejin ended up buying useless cabbage.
"Ugh... I'm really unlucky!"
Holding a black bag close to her chest, Hyejin was in deep thought when Kaen approached her and asked, "Hyejin, what's that?"
"Oh, it's a souvenir."
"A souvenir? Your taste has become unique. We're moving immediately. I sensed a disturbance nearby."
"Huh? A disturbance?"
Kaen’s expression stiffened as he pulled out his wand.
"It's a mission."
In response, Hyejin also took out her staff with a serious expression.
Although she was partly enjoying her outing, once a mission arose, she had to take it seriously. She carefully placed the cabbage bag in a corner and grasped her staff.
Suddenly, a shimmering staircase appeared in the air, lifting Kaen and Hyejin high up into the sky.
People called it the ‘White Castle,’ referring to the elf king's palace.
It was built with a rare tree called the alabaster tree, which had a pure white bark and was harder and stronger than most rocks. It was truly an ingenious idea constructing a palace with alabaster trees, the smallest branches of which held astronomical value. Magic scholars couldn't help but be amazed by such a concept, knowing it was something only elves would come up with.
Alabaster trees had immense magical value, making it highly regrettable for efficiency-minded mages who couldn’t gain access to them. However, if those mages ever set foot in the White Castle, they would understand why it was spoken of in such awe. The spire-like White Castle rose sharply, reminiscent of a crystal situated at the highest point in the three realms. When gazing at the night sky, it gave the illusion of being a magnificent star rather than a building.
On the day of the World Tree's Birth, the elf king would emerge from the White Castle and traverse the entire Sky Flower Cradle, riding down the world tree's stem in a spiral formation until reaching the Eternal Waterfall, and then returning to the White Castle. The elf king's journey through the Sky Flower Cradle could easily be observed by elves and other beings. Although it was called a journey, it simply involved ascending and descending the stem of the world tree that was located right in the middle of the city. This allowed people to witness the journey from any location within the Sky Flower Cradle.
"Long time no see..."
Emerging from the White Castle, Elf King Florin carefully raised her head, ensuring her mask remained in place.
"The king has revealed herself!"
Following someone's exclamation, overwhelming gazes that seemed capable of piercing through the tightly wrapped dress could be felt. Many fairies, humans, dwarves, elves, spirits, and other races had gathered in the Sky Flower Cradle to witness the World Tree’s Birth festival. There were more individuals present than usual. It was almost suffocating, but she managed to endure it.
Because she was the king. Because it was her duty.
Step by step, as she walked toward the stem, daffodils bloomed in her footsteps as if announcing the arrival of spring. With each step she took, different flowers bloomed, as if keeping watch over her steps.
This was the day when the king conveyed the will of the fairies to the world tree on their behalf.
Whoosh…
The wind blew.
Suddenly, people raised their heads, realizing that a shadow loomed over the entire space.
"What is this?!"
"Ugh..."
Golden branches enveloped the sky as if embracing it. It was the reaction of the world tree to the voice of the elven king.
Florin did nothing.
She simply walked along the trunk of the world tree, descending in a spiral.
That was enough. Just by walking along the world tree, the will of all the elves, fairies, spirits, and druids would be conveyed to the world tree through the elven king.
As Florin slowly started to walk, it felt as if someone plucked a star from the sky and the sun was clutched in her hand, scattering into a brilliant display of iridescent colors as they fell into the world. The elves kneeled and prayed upon witnessing this spectacle, hoping that their wishes would reach the world tree.
The other races could do nothing but watch. Enchanted by Florin’s movements which looked graceful as if she were walking on clouds, they looked on with bated breath.
Sometimes, intelligent beings with language boasted about themselves.
They believed that they could describe and express anything in their language.
However, their arrogance crumbled and shattered when they encountered extraordinary beauty and wonder beyond their imagination. They keenly felt the inadequacy of their language. Perhaps everyone present there felt the same way.
Boom! Thud!
As the iridescent blossoms bloomed throughout the world tree, changes began to unfold in the entire city of Sky Flower Cradle. It started with tiny buildings hanging like fruits from the branches and flowers that bloomed in all directions. Far away, an amusement park sprouted in a garden as tall towers were erected, bridges were built, and roofs were adorned. According to the whims of the elves, the world tree nurtured its territory.
Florin walked down for a long time until she reached the Eternal Waterfall located at the very bottom. Having come this far, she had already completed half of her journey.
The rest was simply retracing the path she originally took.
With that thought in mind, she crossed the bridge connecting to the Eternal Waterfall and gracefully stepped on the upward-spiraling trunk.
'This is...'
Suddenly, she detected a faint sinister energy. It was, without a doubt, dark magic. Florin turned her head slightly to look at the elite elven warriors accompanying her for protection. They possessed excellent magical abilities, but unfortunately, they seemed unable to detect this dark magic. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, realizing that she was possibly the only one there who could sense the dark magic.
During the World Tree's Birth, the elven king could not utter a word.
At that moment, the elven king had to be the bridge that connected the world tree and its people. If she were to intervene and express her intentions, everything would fall apart.
Yet, it was not acceptable to simply let the intruder, the dark mage, invade Sky Flower Cradle. A powerful dark mage would have been noticed long ago, but this dark magic was mysteriously discreet, and no one had detected it.
‘An extraordinary dark mage has infiltrated our territory.’
She needed to inform someone about this fact. But how?
‘It’s impossible. At least until the end of the festival.’
That left only one option. After the festival, she had to go there herself.