Chapter 53: Cypress Home and the Beastman Gate

“Elenia! Look at this! It’s a cypress seed!”

At my shout, Elenia came rushing over in a flurry.

“What?! Let me see! It really is a cypress seed!”

“We have to plant it right now!”

“Of course. Have you decided where?”

“I think the very center of the island would be best.”

I dug a hole in the open clearing at the exact center of the island, where nothing obstructed it.

“Planting it?”

I placed the cypress seed in the hole and gently covered it with soil.

At that instant.

The cypress seed germinated and began growing at a terrifying speed cheering.

Ding.

[The vitality of the Floating Island is rapidly decreasing.]

“Floating Island! Activate suppression function!”

Ding.

[Suppressing the growth of the cypress tree.]

[Vitality consumption has returned to normal.]

[A massive life form has taken root on the Floating Island.]

[You have acquired 1 Growth Point.]

[Current Growth Points: 1]

“Phew… it almost drained all the vitality.”

The cypress tree stopped growing at around 30 meters tall.

Its top seemed to touch the sky, and its trunk was so thick that ten adults linking arms could barely encircle it.

Standing majestically in the center of the Floating Island like a castle, it was truly imposing.

“It’s insanely thick!”

“The inside of a cypress tree is hollow, so there’s plenty of room to live inside.”

“The problem is there’s no entrance.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

Elenia approached the cypress tree and slipped inside through a knothole.

Then.

Flash.

Sparkling green dust scattered from the tree, and its shape began to subtly change.

Creak— Crack— Crunch.

Soon an entrance and windows were formed.

“Wow! Elenia, you’re amazing!”

“What are you doing just standing there? Hurry up and come in.”

Elenia beckoned from the entrance.

I quickly stepped inside the cypress.

“It’s so spacious inside! Look at this wood grain.”

The interior was as vast as the trunk’s thickness suggested, and the ceiling was so high you’d need a ladder to touch it.

When I placed my hand on the wall, it felt smooth as if planed, and the wood pulsed with life, as though the tree were breathing.

“This is my house?”

Thump thump—

My heart raced, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“You like it that much?”

“Yes! I’m so happy I could fly!”

“I’m happy too, seeing you happy.”

For a long while, I was overwhelmed by indescribable emotions.

After calming down a bit, I moved the mattress inside.

Flop. I lay down on the mattress and gazed up at the high ceiling.

“It’s so cozy…”

Sleeping outside under the stars had its charm, but a warm house was far more comforting.

My heart settled peacefully with a sense of security.

Elenia landed beside me.

“How will you decorate the inside?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.”

“There’s no rush. We can fill it little by little as needed. How about preparing for winter first?”

“That sounds good.”

My mind was already filled with thoughts of decorating the house.

First, I need to lay a carpet on the floor. 

The beastman village should have good ones.

Then I remembered Balbo, the beastman chief I had seen in the elf forest not long ago.

“Alright. Let’s go see Balbo.”

Finally, the time had come to enter the beastman village.

***

I flew north with Dorori.

Cold air brushed against my cheeks.

I’d heard that in the past hundred years, humans invited to the beastman village could be counted on one hand.

Steeling my trembling heart, I looked ahead.

Far in the distance, beneath snow-capped mountains covered in eternal snow, the beastman village came into view.

As I approached,

“Stop right there!”

“What the— a human?”

Grrr.

A wolfman let out a threatening growl, baring his throat at me. Beside him, a bearman roared in a booming voice.

“How dare a mere human come here without fear!”

“Please calm down. I was invited by Chief Balbo.”

The wolfman raised an eyebrow, then his eyes turned sharp.

“Chief Balbo invited a human? Where do you get off spouting such lies? Are you insulting our wolf tribe?!”

The wolf guard, unable to contain himself, aimed his spear at me.

Well, with almost no interaction between humans and beastmen, it was only natural they wouldn’t believe the chief had invited a human.

“I’m not here to cause trouble. There was a meeting in the elf forest recently, right?”

“How does a human know about that?”

“That’s when Chief Balbo invited me.”

“There shouldn’t even be humans in the elf forest in the first place!”

“You won’t believe me, I know. That’s why I brought this.”

I took out the item I had carefully kept in my pocket.

“Here, look. The ever-blooming flower, ‘Rose of Sharon.’ It’s a token of friendship from the elves.”

The two beastmen’s eyes grew wide as saucers.

They couldn’t possibly not recognize it. Chief Balbo should have something similar.

The wolfman snorted “Hmph!” and spoke to the bearman.

“Hey. I’ll go to Chief Balbo quickly, so keep a tight hold on this guy.”

“Don’t worry. A puny human like this is more than enough for me alone.”

As the wolfman ran into the village, the bearman blocked my path with his massive frame.

Whooosh—

A gust of wind made his pure white fur flutter.

“By the way, have you finished molting already?”

“Yes, I have. Why do you ask out of the blue?”

“Your fur looks so thick and nice.”

…It looks so fluffy. 

A carpet made from fur like that would be incredibly soft and warm on the floor.

If he had just molted recently, there should be plenty of fresh, warm carpets in the market.

My butt itched with the urge to go in and check the market right now.

“Human, why do you keep looking at me with those creepy eyes? You’re practically drooling…”

“No way. You’re seeing things.”

“No, your eyes were definitely weird.”

Animal instincts are terrifying.

Their senses are no joke.

“Hey! Human merchant!”

Just then, I saw Chief Balbo approaching from inside the village, with the wolfman attendant following behind.

“Whoa, the chief himself is coming out here.”

The bearman stepped aside and bowed to Balbo. He hadn’t expected the chief to personally come greet me.

“What was your name again?”

“Fabir.”

“Right! Fabir. I was quite surprised to hear you actually came.”

“I wanted to contact you first, but I had no way to. Please forgive the sudden visit.”

“Of course, of course! Just coming here took great courage. You’re here to do business as I suggested last time, right?”

“Yes. Today I’d like to look around the village and do some market research.”

“That’s the spirit. I’d love to show you around myself, but I’m a busy man. Instead, I’ll assign my attendant to you. Ask him anything you need.”

“Thank you.”

Balbo turned to the attendant beside him.

“Alec. He’s my guest, so treat him with courtesy. And make sure no trouble arises in the village.”

“I will keep it in mind.”

Alec bowed. With sharp eyes and a sturdy build, he was a valiant wolf warrior.

After parting with Balbo, I entered the village with Alec.

Bears, wolves, foxes, penguins, and sea lions—five tribes had come together to form the current beastman village.

They were strong warriors and hunters, and their hostility toward humans stemmed from territorial disputes with the empire long ago.

Even though I was from the kingdom, not the empire, to them I was just another human.

Hostile glares poured from all directions. Rough growls echoed everywhere.

“How is a human here?”

“Mommy, I’m scared!”

“How did a human even get into the village? Someone call the guards!”

“Isn’t that Alec next to him? Why is he just letting the human walk around?”

Buzz buzz.

Confusion filled the beastmen’s eyes.

Children seeing a human for the first time hid behind adults, peeking at me with faces full of fear and curiosity.

I had prepared myself for this, but it made me realize once again just how high the invisible wall between humans and beastmen was.

“Alec, please guide me to the market.”

Contrary to expectations, the market was quiet.

In a wide clearing, there were only a few crude wooden stalls scattered about.

“Is this the only market?”

“Yes, this is the only one. Anyone who wants can come here and sell.”

I looked around the market a bit more.

There were spears with sharp claws embedded, bowls carved from bone, nets woven from rope, and the like.

Among them were fish and monster meat.

By hunting monsters and fishing, they had adapted to the harsh, cold environment through hunting.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t see any restaurants.”

“We don’t cook food like humans do. At most, we grill or boil meat.”

In a barren land where food is scarce, cooking could indeed be considered a luxury.

“Oh! A carpet!”

While browsing the market, I finally spotted the carpet I had been searching for and ran straight to the stall.

“Oh my goodness!”

Perhaps because I approached too eagerly, the fox lady jumped back in fright.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Alec, who had followed, calmed her down.

“He is Chief Balbo’s guest.”

Only after seeing Alec did the fox lady clutch her chest in relief, though discomfort still lingered on her face.

“Wow! These carpets are amazing! You made them all yourself, right?”

Even so, my full attention was already on the carpets.

Various fur carpets were displayed, each softer and cozier than I had imagined. Too luxurious to simply lay on the floor.

They were high-quality items that would drive anyone crazy if sold as fur clothes. But since they were already covered in fur, beastmen probably didn’t need to make clothes from it.

I wanted to buy them all. But since I couldn’t cover the entire house, I picked the one I liked best.

“I’d like to buy this one. How much is it?”

“T-two scales.”

“Scales?”

I paused while reaching for gold coins.

Do they use a different currency here too? And scales?

“This is what I mean.”

Alec showed me a scale the size of a thumbnail.

The blue-tinged scale gleamed like fish scales and was hard like a seashell.

“This is a hydra scale.”

“Hydra?”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

A hydra was a three-headed water serpent—a monster I had only heard of in stories.

“Long ago, when a hydra suddenly appeared and plunged the five tribes into crisis, we joined forces, defeated it, and founded this village here.”

“What an incredible history.”

“Since then, the hydra’s scales have been used as currency in our village.”

I reluctantly set the carpet down, licking my lips. I’d have to come back after earning some scales.

“I’ll have to head back for today.”

“I’ll see you out.”

Promising to return next time, I turned to leave.

Shiver shiver.

But outside the village, Dorori was trembling violently while waiting.

“You must be freezing. Sorry for making you wait.”

I hugged Dorori’s neck. Her molting still wasn’t complete, so she couldn’t fully withstand the northern cold.

At this rate, her body would stiffen and she wouldn’t be able to fly properly.

“This won’t do. We need to warm you up first.”

***

Alec watched Fabir with suspicion.

He had intended to send the human away quickly, but suddenly Fabir started pulling things out of his bag.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to light a fire in the brazier.”

Today was especially cold and damp. Starting a fire outside on a day like this was no easy task.

Alec wondered if he should point that out, but decided to let it be.

How did a human who didn’t even know such basic things win the chief’s favor? 

Truly strange.

Why did he have to follow this human around like a puppy?

Though he obeyed out of respect for the chief, he wasn’t happy about letting a human into the village.

Definitely suspicious. 

He’d heard there were humans who made strange medicines—maybe…

No. Chief Balbo wouldn’t fall for such tricks.

Still, humans were untrustworthy creatures.

If he noticed anything suspicious from this one, he would immediately arrest him and bring him before the tribal court.

With that thought, Alec glared at the human still crouched down, stubbornly trying to start a fire.

If your brain is lacking, your body suffers.

“You’ll only tire yourself out. It’d be faster to ask the chief for help—”

At that moment.

Whoosh.

“As expected, coal catches fire easily.”

“F-fire?!”

Alec’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.