Chapter 28: The Dragon’s Remedy

Back on the Floating Island, I rolled up my sleeves to tackle the day’s tasks.  

First, I prepared the vitality drinks for tomorrow’s delivery. 

Boxes filled with vitality drinks stacked up neatly.  

The juice, cooled in the Ice Cave, likely gained a bonus heat resistance effect.  

Next, I headed to the herb garden. 

The basil had grown lush in my absence, so I harvested it and filled a basket.  

Chopping fresh basil with a knife released a rich aroma along with green juices. 

I put the minced basil into a glass jar, added olive oil, and voilà—basil pesto was complete.  

“What a great scent.”  

The fresh mix of olive oil and basil was appetite-inducing.  

“How about making basil pasta with this?”  

“Absolutely yes!”  

I boiled water and cooked the pasta I’d set aside earlier. 

I mixed the cooked pasta with basil pesto, a bit of milk, and a pinch of salt, then stir-fried it.  

“Top it with grated cheese, and it’s done.”  

“Looks delicious! Let’s eat!”  

I twirled the green-tinted pasta around my fork and took a bite.  

“Basil transforms pasta into a whole new dish!”  

Elenia’s lips curled into a smile.  

“The basil makes it taste so refined!”  

“Piiit!”  

The pasta was coated generously with basil.  

Another delicious dinner to cap off the day made me happy.  

Now for the final task of the day.  

Dig dig.  

I started digging into the soil.  

“What are you planting?”  

“Plum seeds. They’re great for indigestion. Plums grown here should be even more effective.”  

“Such dedication.”  

“Of course! If the dragon recovers quickly, it’ll do its business properly, right?”  

I carefully planted the plum seeds and watered them generously.  

“Grow big and strong.”  

It was a busy day.  

I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed.  

***

“Busy, busy!”  

Elenia was bustling around from the morning. 

Woken by the noise, I slowly lifted my eyelids.  

Flutter flutter.  

“Snow?”  

Something white was floating in my vision.  

Snow in summer?  

“You’re awake? Look at this!”  

I turned my head. 

There stood a plum tree, covered in beautiful white blossoms.  

“Look! The plum blossoms are in full bloom!”  

White petals danced in the breeze, filling the Floating Island with their fragrance.  

“Such beautiful flowers.”  

I got lost in the moment. 

People go flower-viewing with family in spring. 

Now I understand why.  

Elenia was flitting about, collecting nectar from the flowers.  

“Gathering nectar this early?”  

“Collecting nectar is always fun.”  

With Elenia gathering nectar, the tree would likely bear fruit by the afternoon.  

Time to make a digestive aid for the dragon.  

That afternoon, as expected, the tree was laden with ripe plums. 

To get plum juice to the dragon quickly, I had to move fast.  

It didn’t take long to fill a basket with the green fruits.  

I washed the plums in a basin by the well.  

“Hup!”  

I grabbed a plum with both hands and split it open.  

“Removing the pits?”  

“Yup. The pits have toxins, so it’s best to use just the flesh.”  

I mixed the pitted fruit with sugar, stirred well, and sealed it in a large glass jar.  

“Leave it like this, and it’ll become plum juice.”  

I was too excited to sit still.  

While delivering vitality drinks and tending to the Floating Island, all I could think about was the plum juice.  

The next day, Elenia and I pressed our ears to the jar.  

Bubble bubble.  

Bubbles rose in the plum juice.  

“Pretty cool, right? That’s fermentation happening.”  

“Wow! It’s like it’s breathing!”  

Fermentation happened quickly on the Floating Island. 

Does it accelerate only what I want?  

Given the island’s weed-suppressing function, it might also promote the growth and fermentation of what I desire.  

It’s almost like I’m bonding with the Floating Island. Is this because I keep building rapport?  

“Looks like it’s ready to strain.”  

I removed the fruit pulp and bottled the liquid.  

“I’ll make pickled plums with the leftover pulp.”  

I mixed in a big spoonful of gochujang from Yujin’s mom and stirred well.  

“So this is gochujang.”  

“It’s spicy with a hint of sweetness. The perfect kind of heat.”  

I filled a large bucket with well water, added a generous amount of plum juice, and stirred. 

It’ll take at least a bucket to satisfy a dragon.  

“Plum tea is complete!”  

“Let’s get it to Vivita!”  

I hurried north with the bucket. 

The dragon was still coiled up, eyes closed.  

Its massive size meant it had been lying there for days to recover.  

Its breathing was still rough, likely from lingering indigestion.  

“Vivita, wake up and try this.”  

Rustle.  

The Red Dragon raised its long neck and looked at the bucket I brought.  

“Fabir planted a plum tree and made this plum juice just for you. Considering his effort, give it a try.”  

“Grr.”  

The dragon’s eyes sparkled, seemingly touched.  

“No need to thank me, just drink.”  

The dragon lowered its head and opened its mouth wide. 

I tilted the bucket, pouring the plum tea in.  

Gulp.  

Suddenly, the dragon flinched, its throat moving.  

And then—  

BURRRRRP!  

A dragon-sized belch echoed across the Floating Island.  

“What a belch.”  

I pinched my nose. 

An assassination attempt? 

What did it eat to produce that stench?  

“Grr.”  

“You feel relieved? That’s great!”  

I sighed in relief. 

With the dragon’s indigestion solved, I’d get my golden droppings again.  

“You’re not constipated, are you? Eating only meat can cause that. You need fiber. I’ll bring vegetables later, so don’t be picky and eat them.”  

Eating well is important, but so is digesting well to stay healthy. 

Don’t humans get sick when waste builds up inside?  

This was all out of concern for the dragon, definitely not to squeeze out more droppings!  

“Grr.”  

The dragon suddenly bowed its head.  

A top predator bowing to me?  

“You’re thankful? No big deal. Family helps each other out.”  

“Grr?”  

“Of course we’re family! We all live on the Floating Island together, don’t we?”  

Elenia whispered in my ear.  

“Sneaky.”  

“You agreed to this too.”  

I’d been waiting for a chance to make the dragon a permanent resident of the Floating Island, and today was the perfect opportunity.  

Time to drive the wedge in!  

“Grr?”  

The dragon’s eyes gleamed, and it nodded.  

“Grr.”  

“You’re happy to have family too? Same here!”  

Dragons are solitary by nature and don’t form groups. 

Being accepted as part of its pack was a big deal.  

Ding.  

[The dragon has become family.]  

[As more living beings settle on the Floating Island, it will regain its vitality.]  

[The Floating Island’s rapport has increased by 10.]  

The Floating Island seemed thrilled to have the dragon as family too.  

Feeling accomplished after resolving a major task, I returned to the center, where Elenia shook her head in disbelief.  

“To think a dragon would accept a human into its pack.”  

“Is that surprising? I heard the empire has dragon knights.”  

“Dragon knights? They just ride oversized lizards that can’t even fly and call themselves that. This dragon is a fire dragon, one of the ancient ones.”  

“Oh, is that so?”  

“What’s with that casual reaction? You should be more shocked!”  

“Sorry, I thought all dragons were the same. I’m too busy to know much about them, so it doesn’t hit me hard. Anyway, it settled on the Floating Island, so the plan worked, right?”  

Elenia clutched her forehead and shook her head.  

Ding.  

[The Floating Island’s rapport has reached the threshold.]  

[You have been promoted to ‘Competent Manager.’]  

[You now have access to suppression and promotion functions.]  

“Oh? I got promoted!”  

“Really?”  

From ‘Rookie’ to ‘Competent.’ So I’m a capable guy now?  

And I could now control plant growth as I pleased?  

“It says I can access suppression and promotion functions.”  

“Try it out. Ask the Floating Island, and it’ll suppress growth.”  

“Floating Island, suppress the plum tree’s growth.”  

Ding.  

[The growth of the plum tree is being suppressed.]  

[The plum tree’s growth rate has been adjusted.]  

“Oh! It works!”  

What a great function!  

Now the opposite.  

“Floating Island, promote the plum tree’s growth!”  

Ding.  

[The growth of the plum tree is being promoted.]  

[The plum tree’s growth rate has been adjusted.]  

Bloom.  

Plum blossoms burst forth on the branches of the tree that had just been harvested.  

“This is awesome!”  

With this, I could grow only the plants I wanted, when I wanted, without wasting effort.  

Farming was getting more and more fun. My motivation surged.  

“Alright! I’ll harvest all the plums, make plum juice, and sell it as a digestive aid!”  

I rolled up my sleeves again. 

As Elenia gathered nectar, pollination happened, and fruits formed.  

I harvested the plums immediately and made more plum juice.  

But that wasn’t the end.  

The real game-changer was—  

“Promote the fermentation of the plum juice.”  

Ding.  

[The fermentation of the plum juice is being promoted.]  

The freshly made plum juice ripened to perfection in no time.  

Elenia, her belly bulging from gorging on nectar, landed on my shoulder.  

“Give it a good name like you did with the vitality drink.”  

“Any ideas for a name?”  

“The dragon drank it, released its pent-up gas, and regained its energy, right?”  

“That’s quite an intro… So?”  

“Call it ‘Gas Vitality Water’!”  

“Gas Vitality Water? Oh, that’s good! It’s catchy!”  

“Right?”  

“Elenia, you’ve got a knack for naming things.”  

“I’ve been told I’m pretty smart.”  

Elenia puffed out her chest proudly.  

Thus, a new product, Gas Vitality Water, was born.  

This was bound to be a hit too, right?