Chapter 361 - 351: Picking Mushrooms

Seeing Moira Lynch come downstairs, Kai York asked if she wanted to go out and shovel snow.

"Shovel snow? Forget shoveling snow. Everyone’s coming with me to pick mushrooms."

As she spoke, Moira Lynch sent the pictures to the three of them. "In three hours, these types of mushrooms will be ready to harvest."

"But our batteries aren’t fully charged yet," Kai York said timidly, raising his hand.

"But if the mushrooms aren’t picked in time, they’ll get overripe, and overripe mushrooms don’t taste good. Why don’t you call some other people to come take your place?" Moira Lynch suggested.

"They can take some back with them, which saves you a trip."

Hearing Moira Lynch say this, Shane Rhodes and the other two didn’t hesitate. They pulled out their Intelligent Brains and started contacting their families. Everyone has siblings, after all.

"How many people would be appropriate to call?" Kai York suddenly asked, looking up.

"Don’t call too many people. Not all the mushrooms need to be picked, and if too many people come, they might trample them. It’s best to get people who are careful," Moira Lynch said.

"Alright, got it."

In no time, six people appeared at the front door.

Moira Lynch granted them access and let them in.

The moment they entered the small courtyard, they were stunned by the scene before them.

As far as the eye could see, there were mushrooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

There was barely any room for them to step.

To maximize their yield, Moira Lynch and the others had only left a few narrow paths to walk on.

Following the mushroom-free paths in single file, they walked with extreme caution. It took a tremendous effort, but they finally made it to the front of the Elf Tree House.

Because Moira Lynch had asked for careful people, Shane Rhodes and the others had called mostly women.

Shane Rhodes had called his two older sisters, Joy Rhodes and Yvonne Rhodes. One was eight years older than Shane, the other five.

To put it simply, the last time Moira Lynch had seen these two was on television.

The two of them gave Moira Lynch a gentle smile.

Joy Rhodes was the first to speak. "Thank you for looking after our little brother, Shane, all this time."

Moira Lynch shook her head modestly. "He’s helped me a lot, too. We’ve been helping each other out."

Next were Hugh Finch’s older cousin and younger sister, Melody Finch and Anna Finch, who also greeted Moira Lynch warmly.

Last were Kai York’s sister, Victoria Yardley, and Caden York, whom Moira had met once before.

"We still have to wait a little over two hours before we can pick the mushrooms, so you’ll have to wait a bit," Moira Lynch said.

"We know. Kai York already told us," said Caden York.

Over the next while, since they were all young, they quickly warmed up to each other and started having fun together.

Even though Moira Lynch had lived two lives, she had only been in her twenties in her past one.

At first, Moira Lynch found the enthusiasm of Joy Rhodes and the others a little overwhelming, but they were very tactful and never made her feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Anna Finch snuck up to Moira Lynch. Her large, dark eyes blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering like little fans.

"Can I help you with something?" Moira Lynch asked.

Anna Finch nodded, then pulled a red bracelet from her pocket. "My dad bought this for my birthday with his own pocket money. Can I... can I trade it for a few tendrils of Soul Resurrection Grass?"

As she spoke, her eyes were filled with pleading and hope.

"What do you want that for? A kid will get a nosebleed from eating it," Moira Lynch said.

The last time Kai York ate just one tendril, his nosebleed shot out three meters.

"It’s for my dad. Grandpa has some, but he guards it like the apple of his eye. He won’t even let anyone else look at it. Dad stares at Grandpa’s wine bottle so pitifully every day. It’s just too sad."

Anna Finch shook her head as she spoke.

’In reality, she thought her dad was acting too spinelessly, begging Grandpa for a drink every day. He was a grown man, but he was acting more like a grandson than a son.’

’That’s why she wanted to try her luck with Moira Lynch this time.’

Moira Lynch looked at the bracelet. It seemed to be made of polished rubies and looked dazzlingly brilliant.

"Deal."

Moira Lynch agreed readily. It was just a few tendrils of Soul Resurrection Grass, after all, and she had plenty to spare.

Her wish granted, Anna Finch was as happy as could be.

A little over two hours later, the alarm Moira Lynch had set went off. Everyone instantly perked up at the sound.

Looking out the window, they saw that the mushrooms in the courtyard had grown much larger than when they first arrived.

Although some mushrooms were growing more slowly and were still quite small, this actually made the harvesting more convenient.

"I’ve been meaning to ask, how in the world did you get mushrooms to grow on the tree itself?" Caden York asked, gazing at the Elf Tree House. It was covered in mushrooms that looked even more robust than the ones in the courtyard. The sight was truly breathtaking.

"Just did, I guess," Moira Lynch said.

’To be honest, she hadn’t expected it to work so well either. It had just been a whim, something she wanted to try. She never thought it would be such a resounding success.’

"But this method of growing mushrooms wouldn’t work for other Elf Tree Houses. Not all of them have courtyards, after all," Joy Rhodes commented.

Hearing Joy Rhodes say this, Moira Lynch suddenly thought of something else. ’Patience,’ she asked in her mind, ’these mushrooms won’t damage the Elf Tree House, will they?’

’If they did, the gains wouldn’t be worth the losses.’

[They will not.]

Hearing Patience’s reply, Moira Lynch was finally able to relax.

She turned to Joy Rhodes and said, "If you can’t grow them outside, you could try growing them inside. As long as you keep them moist, it should be fine."

Hearing Moira’s words, everyone’s eyes lit up. Why hadn’t they thought of that?

If they couldn’t grow them outside, they could grow them inside!

They would have to try it when they got back. But for now, it was time to harvest mushrooms.

The mushrooms on the ground were easy enough, but the ones on the Elf Tree House were much harder to pick.

Soon, working together, they managed to pick all the mushrooms. They piled them in the living room, forming a veritable mountain.

The yield was clearly immense, and this was only the first harvest.

All that remained were the mushrooms growing in high-up places.

Kai York had scattered the spores for these mushrooms back when he’d grown wings, with the goal of not missing a single spot. There were even mushrooms hanging from the highest branches of the Elf Tree.

For a situation like this, they could only rely on tools.

After another tremendous effort, they finally managed to pick all of those mushrooms as well.

With the work finished, the group prepared to leave. As they went, Moira Lynch gave each of them a generous portion of mushrooms.

But even so, the amount of mushrooms left over was still staggering.