Chapter 29: Elatrium (2)

The deep scent of the forest and the breath of life.

A place where green waves shimmer.

The Forest of Life and Prosperity—Elatrium.

“Chuu!”

There, a creature with dazzling golden fur—Chuchu—had arrived.

[Have you come… servant of the Great Being…]

[We have waited… waited so long… Clearwater Herb … Lunadria…]

[The Breath of the Seed… we have prepared plenty…]

Countless gazes poured onto Chuchu!

“Chuchu.”

With its arms folded and head nodding, Chuchu stood tall.

The special <Clearwater Herb > and <Lunadria> cultivated by its master—

They were already prisoners to the charm of those flavors.

“Chu!”

No need for words now.

Chuchu proceeded straight to the exchange: <Clearwater Herb > and <Lunadria> for <Breath of the Seed>.

“Chuuu!”

Smack! Its right palm extended boldly.

A clear sign—it would trade with the Elatrium offering the most <Breath of the Seed>.

[Trade… with me…]

[I have more… choose me…]

[I even pulled out the roots… for mine…]

The winning bidder was the Elatria who had uprooted even the roots to create its <Breath of the Seed>.

Whrrrrrl!

Dozens of <Breath of the Seed> pieces!

Without dropping a single one, Chuchu packed them all into its belly pouch.

“Chuuu–!”

Chuchu bowed with one hand on its stomach—a gesture of appreciation for a good deal.

“A pity… if we had more time… we could have made even more…”

“The land… is no longer fertile… it’s hard to produce like before…”

The other Elatrias sighed.

At that moment—Chuchu’s eyes sparkled.

It was time to unveil its second offer to the Elatria.

Now was the perfect moment.

“Chu!”

As it stepped forward again and cried out—

“Oh… Clearwater Herb … Lunadria… is there more…?”

“Next… I want to be… the one with the most <Breath of the Seed>…”

The Elatria looked at Chuchu with eyes full of hopeful anticipation.

“Chuuu!”

But Chuchu shook its head.

It meant there were no more Clearwater Herb or Lunadria.

Disappointment visibly filled the faces of the Elatrias.

“Chuchu!”

But—it was too soon to despair.

Chuchu’s second proposal was something to make the Elatria’s ears perk up.

[You will… provide… fertile land…?]

“Chu! Chuchu!”

[Land as fertile… as in the days of our past prosperity…]

Naturally, the Elatria couldn’t believe it so easily.

And that was understandable.

Back when Elatria was in its golden age,

They had thrived on the Land of Abundance, blessed by Gagia.

But with Gagia’s blessing gone, no land could match that bounty—

Or so they thought.

But… what if Chuchu’s claim was true?

“Proof… we need proof…”

“Chu!”

Chuchu nodded as if expecting that.

And from a smaller pouch it had prepared beforehand—

Shrrrk!

It pulled out a handful of soft, fine-grained soil.

It was a clump of earth that Popo had tilled.

[Th…this…!]

[A…ah…!]

The Elatrians were struck with awe.

And rightly so.

Because this soil was—

[Mother’s… blessing… has descended…]

It was because the long-lost blessing of Gaia had settled there.

[Where… is this place…]

[Please… tell me… I will provide… as much of the Seed’s Breath… as needed…]

[I beg you… servant of the Great Being…]

The Elatrians all wept in unison.

Elatrium, which had been fading into decline within the glory of its past—

Now, faced with the chance to regain the brilliance of those radiant days, it couldn’t help but be stirred.

“Chu!.”

Seeing the Elatrias like that, Chuchu lifted the corners of its mouth.

Just as it had planned.

“Chuchu!”

Chuchu straightened its back proudly.

Then—slap!—placed its palm out flat.

There was only one meaning to this gesture:

Hand over all the Seed’s Breath you have right now!

***

“Chuchu!!”

Like a streak of light, Chuchu dashed back toward the Lair.

Its belly pouch felt heavy.

It really had gathered that much harvest.

‘Chuchu.’

At the same time, one thought arose in Chuchu’s mind.

At first, it had simply wanted to restore the land where Elatrians once stood to a fertile state.

But was it truly necessary to restore that specific place?

‘Chuchu.’

Even while running, Chuchu shook its head.

It remembered.

The recent event, when an unwelcome guest had invaded the Lair.

What if…

What if Elatria had surrounded the Lair?

They wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere near, blocked by Elatrium’s defense.

‘Chuu!’

So then—

Let’s use Popo’s power to make the land around the Lair fertile.

And reconstruct Elatrium around it.

That way, the Lair would become an even safer haven.

‘Chuchu!’

Even to itself, it sounded like a brilliant idea!

If it worked, its master would surely smother it with head pats!

And give it even more delicious food!

“Chuuuu!!”

Chuchu’s footsteps racing toward the Lair grew even faster.

***

While Chuchu was negotiating with the Elatrians—

At that same moment, a new wave of change began to stir within Dania, who had been quiet until now.

Woooom!!

Inside the egg, having absorbed the last of its remaining magic power, Dania had fallen into a deep slumber.

But now, a faint—yet vivid—scene began to rise before Dania’s eyes.

[Huh…?]

With a dazed mind, Dania stared at the vision.

[KWAHHHH!!]

A massive mountain range.

Dragons gathered atop it.

From each of their bodies, radiant energy flowed like waves.

The Red Dragon, imbued with blazing fire.

The Green Dragon, bearing the strength of the earth.

The Gold Dragon, summoning powerful whirlwinds.

The Silver Dragon, surrounded by a clear, blue stream.

The Blue Dragon, engulfed in massive lightning.

The White Dragon, exuding a freezing polar chill.

The Black Dragon, shrouded in a corrupting aura of decay.

Each emitted a different hue of energy, converging into a single point to form a bright, warm vortex of light.

Light.

Swirling.

Becoming one.

The light gradually took shape, forming a single egg.

All the dragons, breathing heavily from exhaustion, gazed upon it with reverence.

“Now, a new hope will be born.”

That wish echoed like a chant, and all the dragons’ hearts became one—infusing into the egg.

[Kyu]

Dania, witnessing the scene, realized something.

It wasn’t just a life—

It was a special dragon, containing the power of all dragons.

[Kyuuuu..]

That light and energy trembled, as if life itself was awakening, wrapping around Dania.

Before long, Dania’s heart began to pound faster and faster.

***

WOOOOOOOM!!

Dania began to radiate far more intense magic than usual.

“Oh!”

Is it finally hatching?

Or… could something be wrong?

Half expectation, half concern.

I rushed to Dania in a heartbeat.

“Dania!”

I called out its name—

But then—

Uung!!

Dania only pulsed with waves of mana—there was no response.

‘It doesn’t seem like anything’s wrong.’

From what I could see, Dania’s mana flow—though intense—was still stable.

Also, the mana contained in the egg was gradually fading.

Dania had absorbed nearly all of it.

That meant hatching was imminent.

“At last… Dania is…!”

“Popo!”

Moved, I looked at Dania with teary eyes, and Popo bounced with twinkling eyes like +_+ beside me.

“Haha, Popo. Looks like Dania’s finally coming out.”

“Popo!”

We both fixed our eyes on Dania with high anticipation.

If not today, it would surely hatch tomorrow at the latest.

‘Huh?’

Then I noticed something strange.

The mana flowing inside Dania’s egg—

‘It’s not just one color?’

A mixture of various hues blended together like a shimmering rainbow aurora.

It felt warm yet cold, dazzling yet serene.

Do dragons usually have mana like this?

I wasn’t sure, but one thing was clear: the mana Dania possessed was no ordinary power.

‘Whoa. That mana density is insane.’

If ambient mana density is considered 1, and mine is around 10—

Then Dania’s mana density?

‘100.’

Even I, who had mastered the Draconic Basic Mana Cultivation Method, found it overwhelming.

“Incredible, our Dania.”

Is this what it’s like to be the proud parent of a gifted child?

A pleased smile spread across my face.

“Popo!”

Popo bounced beside me and looked up at me.

By now, I could tell what Popo meant just from a glance at its expression.

@_@ A face clearly asking to be praised too.

“Yes, yes. Our Popo is so cute too!”

I ruffled Popo’s head.

Then Popo tightly shut its eyes with a >_< expression and bounced around in delight.

It was expressing joy with its whole body.

“Our Popo… huh?”

Just as I was about to give Popo a hug—

“Chuchu!”

Chuchu suddenly poked its head out of a burrow.

“Oh, back already?”

“Chu!”

Chuchu scurried straight toward me.

Ah, our Chuchu really works so hard.

“Great job, Sergeant Chu!”

“Chuuu!”

At my words, Chuchu stood upright and saluted, right hand to its forehead!

“Any success?”

I wondered how much Breath of the Seed it had managed to collect this time.

Last time, it brought about 20.

But this time, it had taken quite a bit of Clearwater Herb and Lunadria too, so surely it brought back at least 50, right?

“Chuchu!”

As if reading my mind, Chuchu dumped the Breath of the Seed from its belly pouch.

“Chwarururururu~!!”

“Uh…”

I was speechless at the sight.

What the—how many did it collect?!

There were clearly hundreds.

“Wow, Chuchu! What is this?”

“Chuchu!”

At my words, Chuchu straightened up, puffed out its belly, and gently patted its chest with its paw, eyes closed like U_U.

A gesture saying: Just trust me, will ya?

“Our Sergeant Chu, truly outstanding!”

As I gently patted Chuchu on the head,

“Chururuu~!”

Chuchu let out a blissful cry, melting with happiness.

“Chu!”

Then suddenly, Chuchu began gesturing animatedly with its hands and feet toward me and Popo, trying to explain something.

Using Popo… to make the land around the lair fertile… and then bringing the Elatrias… here…?

“…You’re saying… you’re relocating them?”

“Chu!!”

Chuchu nodded vigorously at my words.

Alright. Once again, I’ve perfectly interpreted what Chuchu meant… Or wait, no.

What? You’re summoning the Elatrias here?

“Is that even possible?”

“Chuchu!”

Those Elatrias… weren’t they trees?

So aside from the Mandragora, there were other plants that could move?

Well, not just ordinary plants — they’re tree spirits, after all.

“Chuchu! Chuchuchu!”

At my reaction, Chuchu excitedly added further explanation.

“…By relocating them, the lair becomes even safer… and due to the effects of Elatrium, the mana concentration inside the lair will become denser?”

“Chu!”

Oh. That doesn’t sound bad.

No, not just “not bad”—it sounds really good.

“Wow. Our Chuchu. Great job. How did you even come up with this?”

“Chuchu!”

Puffed with pride from my praise, Chuchu shrugged its shoulders with its signature ‘Didn’t I do great?’ expression.

“Haha. Yes, good job. Our Chuchu.”

Pat pat.

Once again, I gently stroked Chuchu’s head in praise.

“Alright, then—carry it out!”

“Chuchu!”

“Popo!”

Chuchu and Popo responded in unison to my command.

And thus began the mission for the grand relocation of the Elatrias!

First, we had to enrich the soil around the lair.

How?

Popo diligently secreted its bodily fluids.

Then Chuchu took those fluids outside and scattered them over the surrounding soil.

And me? What was I doing?

“Alright, Popo. Next up—cherry tomatoes!”

“Popo!”

I was in charge of food supplies.

Because secreting fluids took a toll on Popo’s stamina, I worked hard to provide it with snacks and nourishment.

And so, in no time, we successfully covered the surrounding area with Popo’s secretions.

Now, the land around the lair had become more fertile than anywhere else.

“Chuchu!”

Chuchu came back outside.

In other words—

It took out a small twig from its belly pouch and firmly stuck it into the ground.

This small twig was a part of the Elatrias—a physical connection to them.

Chuchu had said: if we plant this in the land blessed as it described, we’ll see whether its words were true or not.

And the result?

It’s real… It’s really happening…

The time has come… to reclaim our lost glory…

『Grrrrrraaaaaaahhh!』

Ruuuuummmmble!!

With a massive tremor shaking the earth,

From the far distance—

A wave of green came surging in.