Chapter 122: Vault

This was a banquet hosted by Regracio himself, which meant every attendee was a noble, but to his surprise, the gazes aimed at him didn’t carry the hostility he had braced for.

"Are Marquis Karloitz and his faction not attending the banquet?"

"No, thank goodness."

"Good. That means there won’t be any unnecessary conflicts."

"Mr. Leon, where did you go?"

"I took a look around. Neither Marquis Karloitz nor any of his followers showed up."

"What a pity." He had wanted to meet the Marquis one more time before leaving. Since their last encounter, Karloitz hadn’t sent any more Dark Elves, and there was no telling what he might be plotting.

’Forget it. Doesn’t matter.’ Once he returned to the Great Forest, he would never have to deal with these people again.

That said, Ethan still had to supply the royal family with Mana Grass, there was no guarantee Karloitz wouldn’t lash out in desperation.

’If he comes, let him come.’ With Pearl — the know-it-all of the Great Forest — plus the help of the beastmen, he wasn’t afraid even if Karloitz sent Dark Elves or monsters, and if things truly got bad, he could always ask Walter for help.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Regracio walked over with a group of elves in tow, from the look of him, he had put away quite a bit of wine, the elves trailing behind all wanted a word with Ethan, their eyes bright with curiosity and anticipation.

Ethan raised both hands in surrender. "Please line up. One at a time."

...

The next day, sporting dark circles under his eyes, Ethan collapsed into the carriage. Those elves had pestered him for nearly the entire night.

Leon smiled wryly and pointed behind them, a massive wagon followed right on their heels, loaded high with all sorts of gifts — every last one from the elves at yesterday’s banquet.

"Are those gifts or bribes, meow?" They all hoped that once Ethan finished supplying the royal family with Mana Grass, he might sell them some too.

Pearl harrumphed, then hopped onto Ethan’s lap and started kneading his shoulders.

"We’re here." The carriage had traveled steadily south toward the Great Forest, eventually stopping before a giant tree stump.

"According to the map, it should be right here..." Based on what Regracio had given them, this was the elven race’s Seed Vault, but the place looked far too desolate, aside from the massive stump, there was absolutely nothing, how could this possibly be the Seed Vault?

Just as they stood there puzzled, an elderly voice rang out. "Hmm? You are..."

They turned, an old elf sat beside the stump, leisurely smoking a pipe, upon seeing Ethan, he froze.

Ethan stared back in equal confusion. "Why are you here?"

"I should be the one asking you that, why are you here..."

"Mr. Ethan, do you know this gentleman?" Leon asked, glancing between them.

"Do you two know each other?" Elara echoed.

Seeing their confused expressions, Ethan pulled the pendant from his pocket.

"This old gentleman gave it to me." He turned back to the old elf.

"Sir, we’re here looking for the Seed Vault."

"The Seed Vault?" The old elf stood up slowly, leaning on his cane.

"You haven’t come to the wrong place. I am the guardian of the Seed Vault."

Ethan hadn’t expected that the old elf he had met before would turn out to be the Seed Vault’s guardian.

"If you wish to enter the Seed Vault, you must pass a test," the old elf said.

"A test? What kind of test?" Ethan asked.

"You must prove that you can use the seeds responsibly," the old elf explained.

"Use them responsibly? What does that mean?" Elara tilted her head.

The old elf took a slow puff from his pipe and exhaled a thin cloud of smoke. "Some people use seeds to seek exorbitant profits."

"Hmm..." Elara fell silent, as a merchant, she knew perfectly well that turning seeds into money was a normal thing to do.

The old elf seemed to read her thoughts. He smiled, pointed at her, and said, "The seeds in here are not meant for doing business."

"Then what are they for?" Ethan asked.

"To prevent species extinction."

"Prevent extinction?"

"This Seed Vault was established jointly by humans and the elven race," the old elf explained.

"Only humans can reliably expand seed stocks through farming. I assume you all know this?"

"Yes." Ethan and the others nodded.

"Therefore, this Seed Vault will only open when someone who truly understands farming appears." If one didn’t understand farming, even obtaining the seeds would only lead to their ruin, Ethan had experienced this deeply through his own study of agriculture.

"Last time, I saw this young man farming." The old elf pointed at Ethan.

"Moreover, his method of farming is quite special."

He was referring to Ethan planting lettuce in the inn’s yard, Ethan hadn’t expected the old elf to have been watching him even then.

"Furthermore, he can turn those crops into delicious food." The old elf smiled warmly.

"Therefore, I have no reason to deny him entry into the Seed Vault."

"Thank you for your approval."

"Come in," the old elf said.

"Wait — are you saying only he can go in?" Elara pointed at Ethan.

"That’s right, tou two are not qualified to enter the Seed Vault." The old elf gestured at Leon and Elara.

Their faces fell in unison.

"Meow, what about me?" Pearl asked.

"A cat?" The old elf considered for a moment.

"Hmm, you may enter."

"Meow~" Pearl cheered.

"I’ll go in and take a look, be right out," Ethan told Leon and Elara.

Elara sighed wistfully. "What a pity. I really wanted to see what precious seeds were inside the Seed Vault."

Elara had every reason to be disappointed. ℴ

Ethan knew how to farm, and his skills were extraordinary, if she could just see what seeds the Vault held, she could pick out the most valuable ones and have Ethan plant them, then she could sell the harvest at a premium and earn massive profits.

Unfortunately, the old elf wouldn’t let her through the door.

"Miss Elara, don’t worry. Mr. Ethan will definitely bring out something good," Leon said, trying to comfort her.

"Mm." Elara nodded, although disappointed, she chose to trust Ethan.

"Let’s go," the old elf said.

"Okay." Ethan nodded and followed the old elf toward the Tree of Life.

The old elf waved his cane, and a door materialized on the massive trunk.

"This Seed Vault was built by a wise dragon," he explained as they walked inside.

"That dragon foresaw that one day plants would face extinction, it commanded humans, elves, dwarves, and beastmen to collect plant seeds from across the world and preserve them here."

"Oh? Then why build it underground?" Ethan asked.

"Most plants grow in the soil," the old elf explained.

"Places connected to the earth make it easier to cast protective magic, the dwarves built the Vault underground for that reason."

Ethan nodded in understanding.

They descended a flight of stone steps and arrived before a heavy iron door, the old elf opened it, and a massive underground space opened up before Ethan’s eyes.