Chapter 36 : The Silence Before the Verdict

Huka, who obtained exclusive filming rights for Jaeho,

was initially very excited about the opportunity.

However, once the close-up filming began, there was actually nothing useful to capture.

Everything Jaeho did was related solely to flowers.

Instead, the more interesting things were the people around him and the scenery in the heart of the Elysia Garden.

In fact, the broadcast was receiving quite positive reactions.

Having completed the Epfeltz Flower Ring, Jaeho earned the right to freely explore the city, and he was still conducting exploration broadcasts within the city.

“Now, as you can see, these greenhouses were built by the excellent mages of the Red Tower, each equipped with magical fields that allow temperature and humidity control.”

-ham6787: Try changing the temperature!

“Haha, if you did that, the Elves would probably come down hard on you.”

ㅡEldyd: So, is Alicia really running a flower shop?

“That’s right. All these greenhouses and the flowerbeds outside are tended to personally by Alicia.

And the Elves are helping wholeheartedly.”

ㅡ hipnyo: But what’s the point of growing flowers?

“Well, that’s…”

No one dared to ask Jaeho directly.

“Ah! Wait a moment. There’s Mei, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Elysia Garden, working at the flower shop, so let’s try interviewing her.”

Just then, Huka spotted Mei working in the flower shop.

Among the Four Heavenly Kings, she was the easiest to approach.

ㅡ nomind: Hey, if you say the wrong thing, you’ll get killed by an Elf.

ㅡ Eldyd: No dealing with the “dirt-stained scene” types.

Ignoring the teasing pouring into the chat window, Huka approached.

“Hello, Mei!”

“Ah, Huka!”

Huka’s smile stretched ear to ear with pride.

“We’re currently live, so can you answer some questions from the viewers?”

“B-b-broadcast monster…”

Mei’s face paled.

“I… I think you should ask Alicia instead…”

“Oh, that…”

Though she didn’t say it, Mei understood from Huka’s expression.

She too had experienced that same fear before.

“Then I’ll ask…”

“T-thank you… This was an earlier question: Why does Alicia grow flowers?”

“Well… she wants to run a flower shop.”

“Oh… why does she want to run a flower shop?”

“She just likes flower shops. I heard she started trying to open one in New World.”

No one believed that.

ㅡ jjina: Probably just putting on a front. Who openly talks about that on broadcast?

ㅡ handol: But Mei’s expression looks genuine though?

ㅡ clzls: Guess she hasn’t told even the Four Heavenly Kings.

ㅡ danpat: I heard rumors that it’s a cover for something else?

ㅡ Eldyd: You’re really going to broadcast drug talk openly?

“Haha… Anyway, Mei is the person who’s known Alicia the longest among us Four Heavenly Kings. Any special feelings or ‘something more’ between you two?”

“Well… not really.”

It was a failure!

There was no way to sustain content just by touring Elysia Garden forever.

Besides, Mei, being the most approachable of the Four Heavenly Kings, was someone Huka would be interacting with often.

Now that she had turned so rigid on camera…

“I’m… a professional broadcaster!”

Would he let things fall apart like this?!

Deciding to exaggerate her awkward but affectionate character, Huka changed his approach.

But intoxicated by his own social standing, he made a big mistake.

“Are you and Alicia… a couple?!”

“?”

Thus began the romantic speculation about Jaeho and Mei.

***

Once the greenhouses were officially put to use, the variety of cultivable flowers increased significantly.

This allowed for many new experiments, and the encyclopedia project progressed smoothly.

Yet Jaeho suddenly began to question the efficiency of such blind cultivation.

“Many flowers produce similar effects.”

For example, the recovery effect of the potion made from the Epfeltz Flower was outperformed by the Lunus Flower that Mei had gathered on an expedition.

However, it was too early to fully replace the Epfeltz Flower, as its unique effect of was overwhelmingly valuable.

The passive effect of was coveted even by top-ranking players.

Recently, the value of the Epfeltz Flower Essence Jaeho produced soared, precisely because after reaching a 100% observation progress rate, the passive was added.

In contrast, the special effect of the Lunus Flower was…

[*Effects]

[1. Possesses moderate stamina recovery effect]

[2. Has the <maternal effect> effect.]

[<Motherhood> : Damage received over 5 seconds is redistributed as 2% increased damage over the following 10 seconds.]

What was this complicated and annoying option?

It was fine for blocking a powerful hit, but taking a healing potion at exactly the right time?

It was a somewhat unsatisfying effect.

“Then… can we only extract the needed effects from these two materials?”

A sudden thought struck him.

What if he combined the special effect of the Epfeltz Flower with the recovery power of the Lunus Flower?

One of Jaeho’s greatest advantages was his rapid action speed originating from Muji.

Once he decided, he immediately started potion production.

He plucked the petals of both flowers separately, then boiled them in filtered water made only with pangaruru and finished the process.

[*pangaruru is a raw material name]

[ <immersion> state initiated.]

[Stamina is continuously decreasing.]

Since the system produced the results automatically, Jaeho was just repeating the routine he had always done.

[Overlapping stamina recovery effects detected.]

[You selected <Lunus Flower> .]

[Effect 1 of <Lunus Flower>, ‘moderate stamina recovery’, applied.]

[Two special effects can be applied to the potion.]

[1. <Weak but strong> ]

[2. <Motherhood> ]

[<Alchemy> skill level insufficient; only one special effect can be applied.]

“Works as expected.”

What he learned as a bonus was the existence of the Alchemy skill.

Despite having made and sold potions diligently until now, he had no idea such a skill even existed.

“Does acquiring the skill mean I can apply multiple special effects?”

It was a skill he absolutely needed if he planned to continue selling potions.

“Oh, no. I’m not planning to just make and sell potions forever.”

[Applied the <Weak but strong> special effect.]

[New potion recipe completed!]

[You have attracted the attention of the Alchemical Society.]

Alchemical Society?

[You have acquired the skill <Basic Alchemy>.]

[Alchemy proficiency slightly increased.]

“Eh?!”

Perhaps due to the attention from the Alchemical Society, Jaeho suddenly acquired the Alchemy skill, something he had no sign of obtaining until now.

“Whenever I try something new, something unexpected always comes up.”

He barely understood what abilities he possessed.

But this was a special circumstance unique to Jaeho.

Most players followed the so-called ‘orthodox routes’ and the ‘safe paths others have gone before.’

“Alright then…”

Now, all that remained was waiting.

A small glass beaker dripped the filtered liquid drop by drop.

About three minutes later, as the last drop fell, a notification confirmed the potion’s completion.

[<Spirit Cosmetic Epfeltz Potion>]

[Rank: Advanced]

[An advanced recovery potion created through Spiritization Agent alchemy.]

[Effect: 1. Instantly recovers 30% of total stamina.]

[2. Increases base recovery rate by 15% for 10 minutes.]

[<Weak but strong> : When stamina drops below 5%, damage taken is halved for 3 seconds.]

The sample potion was finally complete.

Satisfied with the results, Jaeho nodded.

At the same time, this project made him realize the infinite possibilities that existed in New World.

“I think these combinations could be applied to flower arrangements or wreaths too.”

For wreaths given to mages, only the ‘Moon Flower,’ which is good for mana recovery, was used.

If other flowers were mixed in, they could surely create even stronger items.

The problem was…

“I definitely have to go with custom orders.”

It was possible to sell pre-made products to NPCs, but players were different.

Each battle and environment required different options and buffs.

“I need to use the Auction House to promote the potions, adding detailed explanations here and there…”

After reviewing the completed potion descriptions, Jaeho finally managed to insert the additional explanation he wanted.

[Wedding / Ceremony / Opening / Funeral Wreaths]

[Event Bouquets]

[*For inquiries, please contact Alicia of the Elysia Garden! (Message Code: a1251da)]

Jaeho emphasized his identity as a somewhat subtle flower shop owner.

However, by focusing only on promotion, he unwittingly revealed his class.

***

As soon as Jaeho’s Epfeltz Potion with promotional text was listed on the Auction House, the community exploded.

Though the potion’s performance was excellent, what caused more uproar was the fact that Alicia was the same person as the Spiritization Agent.

ㅡ What exactly is Spiritization Agent?

「- Seems related to spirits? Especially since Elves are so involved.

ㄴ – Literally means ‘Spirit Flower Master’ or something…

ㄴ – I’ve felt for a while their worldwide naming sense is really lame.

ㅡ Hey, so what class does Spiritization Agent belong to? Combat? Crafting? I saw them fight pretty well recently.

ㄴ – Probably crafting. Combat classes depend a lot on physical stats anyway.

ㄴ Yea, look at Alicia’s face. She looks like someone who’d throw punches in real life.

ㄴ LOL

ㅡ Flower shop? Why buy flowers in a game? The potions seem useful but it’s tricky. Too weak for rankers, too expensive for casuals.

ㄴ – Where do the regular users fit in?

ㄴ – Isn’t it more shocking that someone with that face is running a flower shop?

ㄴ – I heard on broadcast she said she seriously runs a flower shop.

ㄴ – Oh, I watched that broadcast too. But is she really dating Alicia and Mei?

Despite all the gossip and speculation, Jaeho’s potions sold out immediately upon listing.

Literally, there was no supply left.

Because of this, via the message code added to the potion description, Jaeho was flooded with inquiries.

ㅡ I’m contacting to place a bulk order for Epfeltz Potion.

ㅡ Sorry, we do not accept inquiries about potions.

ㅡ Hello! I am…

ㅡ Sorry, no inquiries about potions.

ㅡ Alicia! We are the world’s largest game broadcast…

ㅡ Sorry, no inquiries about potions.

“Damn! I promoted the flower shop but got zero flower-related inquiries!”

Jaeho grumbled, and Wansik laughed softly.

“Who buys flowers in the first place? And change that message code immediately. I never thought someone in your position would reveal it.”

“That definitely needs to be changed. It’s driving me crazy…”

The constant barrage of messages was making the game nearly unplayable.

“Why refuse potion inquiries when you’re supposed to be making money?”

“Making potions in a flower shop? Ridiculous.”

“Don’t stereotype just because of her face. Your flower shop idea is ridiculous too.”

“That’s a different matter.”

Meanwhile, Jaeho finally changed the message code.

“This still feels like auditory hallucinations. Ugh…”

“You idiot. You should hire a call center instead.”

Wansik’s words unexpectedly piqued his interest.

“You’re surprisingly useful too, huh?”

“This bastard… Think about why I earned the nickname ‘SMAN’ here. The sacrifices I made for you…”

Ignoring Wansik’s tirade, Jaeho left the flower shop and looked for an Elf.

“Ah, Alicia! What’s the matter?”

“I’m wondering if it’s okay to dispatch some workers to the Logger’s Camp?”