Chapter 111. What Was Already Growing

The gold light covering the Blackstone Supply Road gathered in front of Carlos.

The system had finished calculating the rewards.

--

[Hellbound Conquest Level 5 rewards]

[Blackstone Supply Road claimed]

[Base rewards]

[Stone x600]

[Iron x300]

[Blackstone Blocks x80]

[Uncommon Reinforced Road Marker Blueprint x1]

[Blackstone Road Authority Fragment x1]

[Additional condition completed: Crossing integrity above 75%]

[Reward quality increased]

[Additional condition completed: Hostile supply convoy captured]

[Captured Supply Wagons x4 transferred]

[Captured cargo awarded]

[Preserved Provisions x100]

[Sealed Supply Container x1]

--

Carlos read through the list twice.

The stone and iron were enough to keep Ironroot building. He did not know what Blackstone Blocks could do yet, and the Road Authority Fragment needed to be inspected after everyone was safe.

The four wagons disappeared from the bridge behind them. The system had transferred them with the rest of the rewards instead of forcing the injured party to pull them through the portal.

Another notification appeared.

--

[Conquest exit opened]

--

The Conquest Portal opened inside Ironroot.

A horn sounded from the western Gatehouse before Carlos stepped through.

The two Shield Militia moved into position beneath the covered entrance. One raised his shield while the other looked toward Kaia for confirmation.

Kaia entered behind Carlos and lifted one hand.

"Returning party. Stand down."

The Militia lowered their weapons, but they did not leave the gate until every member of the party had returned.

Carlos looked at the new Gatehouse and smiled. It was working the way they wanted it to.

Nobody had run through Ironroot shouting for orders. The horn had called the defenders, and the defenders had known where to stand.

Mira reached them with both Hearthkeepers. Her eyes moved over the blood on Garr’s shoulder and the shield Guardian’s arm.

"Let’s have you seated now," she ordered. "Before you both fall somewhere dirty."

"Not falling," Garr said.

"Then you can walk there yourself."

Garr went without arguing again.

Carlos stored his spear and looked toward the cucumber bed. Rowan was already there and did not even look toward him.

Cedric stood beside the portal leading to the cultivation district, while Tarin and Sela waited outside the four rows. Blue floated above the spring basin with the other Slimes gathered below it.

The marked cucumber vine had not changed much. Its newest leaf still carried one thin blue line.

Rowan crouched beside it without touching the leaf.

"You stopped the Mana Water?" he asked.

"As soon as you told us."

"Good."

Carlos waited for more.

Rowan checked the soil, the stem and the underside of the marked leaf. Then he placed two fingers against the wooden frame instead of the plant. It seemed as though he had done it before and was doing it again to make sure his decision was right.

A system panel appeared.

--

[Clearwater Cucumber Vine]

[Uncommon Grade]

[Growth Stage: Climbing]

[Health: Excellent]

[Potential cultivation trait]

[Water-touched]

[Trait stability: Low]

[The trait may stabilize during fruit development under careful cultivation]

[Warning: Additional Mana Water may force an unstable mutation]

--

Carlos read the warning twice.

"So it is like that time with the Silverwood tree?"

"No, well... somewhat," Rowan said. "It may become mutated too. It may also lose the trait before fruiting. We cannot be too certain right now, my lord."

Tarin lowered his ears slightly.

"Did we do something wrong?"

"All twenty vines are healthy," Rowan answered. "You did not do anything wrong. Now you have one vine that requires different care."

He pointed toward the third row.

"Mark this frame. Use clean spring water only. Keep its runners separate from the vine beside it. Record every change."

Tarin and Sela nodded.

Carlos looked at Blue. "No Mana Water on the cucumbers until Rowan changes that order. Alright?"

Blue nodded immediately. The inspection should have ended there. Instead, Rowan stood and looked across the Spirit Farmland.

His attention stopped on the silver trunk rising above its edge.

The Tidal Silverwood’s blue-veined leaves moved even though there was almost no wind. The tree had grown high enough to cast shade across part of the spring basin.

Rowan stared at it. Then he looked at Carlos.

"When did you last inspect that tree?"

Carlos did not answer immediately.

"Some time ago."

"When?"

"Before the Pocket Dimension..."

Rowan walked toward it.

Carlos followed because there was no useful excuse he could give. Shit had been stressful and out of his control for a while now.

The Tidal Silverwood had begun as the most valuable crop in Ironroot. Then the raids, conquests, new buildings and cultivation district had kept adding problems that demanded attention first.

That did not explain why he had stopped checking it.

Rowan placed one hand against the silver bark.

--

[Tidal Silverwood Tree]

[Epic Grade]

[Growth Stage: Mature]

[Health: Excellent]

[Water Requirement: Satisfied]

[Mana Requirement: Satisfied]

[Harvest: Ready]

[Current effects]

[Water-aligned creatures recover mana 10% faster within the tree’s surroundings]

[Available harvest]

[Tidal Silverwood x5-7]

[Silverwood Fruit x4-8]

[Chance of Water-affinity Fruit: 20%]

--

Rowan read the panel without speaking.

"It is healthy," Carlos said.

"Because the Spirit Farmland, Mana Spring and Blue have kept its requirements satisfied. Not because we took care of it."

Carlos sighed. They had really forgotten about the tree while it took a few days to grow.

"Can we harvest it safely now?"

Rowan examined each mature branch before answering.

"Yes. Not by cutting the trunk. We take only the marked outer branches and ripe fruit. Then we inspect it again before the next harvest."

Carlos called Elias, Boro, Tarin and Sela over. The two unnamed Farmers came as well, but Rowan made them watch from outside the Spirit Farmland.

He handled the first branch himself. The pruning tool cut through silver bark with more resistance than ordinary wood. Blue light travelled away from the cut and into the trunk. The tree remained upright.

--

[Tidal Silverwood x6 obtained]

--

Six fruits hung beneath the upper leaves. They were silver with a faint blue colour near their stems.

Rowan turned each one before removing it.

--

[Silverwood Fruit x5 obtained]

[Water-affinity Silverwood Fruit x1 obtained]

[Tidal Silverwood harvest completed]

[Tree health: Excellent]

[Next harvest requirements currently under evaluation]

--

The final fruit felt cold in Carlos’s hand. A thin layer of water formed over its skin and disappeared.

Mira had come from the kitchen after treating the wounded. Her attention fixed on the fruit.

"Can you let me see that, Carlos?"

Carlos handed it to her without saying anything.

She did not cut it. She held it near the covered High-quality Emberhorn meal and watched the faint red light beneath the pan’s lid.

"The heat is reacting," she said.

"What does that mean?"

"I do not know yet. But my intuition is twitching right now. Water can control heat, or it can ruin what the pepper is doing. I need to test a small piece before I use the fruit."

Carlos remembered the sealed container awarded from the captured convoy.

He opened it beside the kitchen.

--

[Sealed Supply Container opened]

[Mana-binding Salt x3]

[Rare Preservation Cloth x5]

[Blackstone Cooking Slab x1]

[Copper Coins x500]

--

Mira inspected the salt first.

--

[Mana-binding Salt]

[Uncommon Grade]

[A mineral seasoning that helps compatible ingredients retain and distribute mana during preparation]

[Warning: Excessive use may bind conflicting properties and spoil the meal]

--

"This may carry the pepper through the meat..." Mira said.

"Alright! I am going to find out before I promise another attempt," Mira continued.

Carlos nodded. The Unknown Lord could wait until Mira understood the ingredients.

The final conquest reward remained inside his inventory.

He summoned the Blackstone Road Authority Fragment.

It appeared as a broken square marker. Gold light moved across its surface and pointed toward the Domain Portal.

--

[Compatible regional route detected]

[Historical destination identified]

[Aurelian Settlement Supply Approach]

[Connection status: Severed]

[Route restoration unavailable from current location]

--

Carlos looked from the marker to the portal leading into the cultivation district.

"Wait, I can use this in Aurelian Settlement." Carlos spoke out loud in surprise. "FUCK YEAH!"

"FUCK YEAAAH!" Brann shouted too.

Soon, all the Bearkin started chanting it like a war cry, making Carlos see Kaia’s eyes turn dead. He only prayed her favorability wouldn’t go down this way.