Chapter 900 – 900. God’S Atlantis
I summoned a bottle filled with green liquid. It was Hebil’s catalyst.
It had an incredible effect of making plants grow and bear fruit in an instant. Of course, the cost-effectiveness was also good. One drop could affect about 10 square meters. I had over 2,000 of these Hebil’s catalysts.
‘With about 100 Hebil’s catalysts, I could create a forest and still have some left over.’
The drought hell was nothing now.
I dropped a single drop of Hebil’s catalyst under a tree. The effect was immediate. The sapling grew rapidly. Branches extended, and leaves became lush.
However, my face was not bright.
Normally, when you sprinkle a drop of Hebil’s catalyst, the plant should even bear fruit. But this apple tree stopped growing midway.
‘What’s the problem?’
The tree began to wither.
I immediately realized what the problem was.
Water. There was a lack of water. I kept pouring water on the tree. Eventually, I succeeded in making it bear fruit.
The number of apples was less than I had expected.
“…20. That’s too few.”
I harvested the apples before they withered. Not to eat them, but to germinate the apple seeds and create new trees.
‘I had gaps in time because I had to keep bringing water… Is that why only 20 fruits grew?’
Bringing water from another world was not easy. A small amount of water was one thing. But when the amount reached 1 ton, it became a big deal.
‘Did I use about 30 tons of water to grow one apple tree? And it’s still not enough.’
To grow it properly, I would need 50 tons or more.
‘Maybe it’s because I only poured water in one spot….’
I looked at the apple tree. It had been 5 minutes since I last watered it. The apple tree was dying. The leaves were withering and falling, absorbed into the red sand.
‘If it rained, could I grow them in large quantities?’
Drought hell.
Thinking about that name, waiting for rain to fall naturally was a foolish thing to do.
“There is a way.”
「Rainstorm Flute
Disposable
Can summon a rainstorm.
The rainstorm lasts for three hours.
Rank: S」
A flute that could summon a rainstorm.
If I used this flute to summon a rainstorm for three hours, then planted tree seeds and Hebil’s catalyst, I could create a forest.
‘If I use Hebil’s catalyst… it’s possible.’
I had a plan, but there was something missing. Apple seeds. The rainstorm flute could only be used once, for three hours, so I had to gather as many apple seeds as possible.
‘Damn it. The start of manual labor.’
•••
I went to the hell shop alone. Mammon was standing at the counter as I had seen him before. Ignoring his greeting, I got straight to the point.
“Mammon. I need a water container.”
“Heh heh. So you need water. Perhaps you need new apple tree saplings?”
“I don’t need saplings.”
“Oh. It seems you’ve succeeded in growing apple trees. Impressive. Do you perhaps have a skill for growing plants?”
“Stop with the nonsense. What I need is a water container.”
“There are no water containers. But I have something similar.”
「Large-Capacity Watering Can
A watering can that can hold a total of 300 tons of water.
Rank: C」
“If you had this, you should have said so earlier.”
“Heh heh. I forgot.”
That was a lie. He knew I would come back and didn’t say anything.
“What about the water?”
“Of course, it’s not included. Water is very expensive in hell. Clean water is sold for 10 AP per liter. Would you like to purchase some?”
“That’s an outrageous rip-off….”
“That’s harsh. The value of water varies depending on the environment.”
I brushed it off. There was nothing to gain from fighting with this guy.
“Do you perhaps buy things too?”
“Of course. Do you have any good items? Ah, I buy monster corpses cheaply. The most common thing in hell is monster corpses.”
“Apples.”
I held out a red apple.
“Ho ho. So you’ve already harvested the fruit. Very well. I’ll buy them for 20 AP each.”
“……20 AP? I bought an apple tree sapling for 20,000 AP.”
“Just as the value changes depending on the environment, the value also changes depending on the person. I don’t need that apple much. It’s only because this is here that I’m buying it for 20 AP. If it were somewhere else, it wouldn’t even be worth 10 AP.”
I clicked my tongue and put the apple back in my pocket.
“I’m not selling.”
“As you wish.”
“…Do you have anything related to lifespan?”
“You mean something that gains lifespan. Yes, I do. Let me show you.”
「Scale of Lifespan
Allows you to trade lifespan with a target.
60% of the lifespan is paid to the system as a fee.
35% of the lifespan is paid to Mammon as a fee.
Rank: A」
“It’s 800,000 AP.”
I frowned at the scale he presented. Buying lifespan from a target was one thing. I had enough money, so it was possible. But 95% of the lifespan was taken as a fee. Even if I bought 100 days, I would only actually get 5 days.
The efficiency was terrible.
‘…But it’s better than nothing. I have complete recovery, so if I give my lifespan to Elena….’
Elena would surely be moved, and I could win her over.
“……Can’t you lower the price a bit? To about 400,000 AP….”
“Haha. No can do.”
Mammon grabbed the scale and hid it behind his back. I clicked my tongue. Actually, I didn’t even have 400,000 AP.
“Any other way?”
“No.”
Mammon said firmly. Seeing Mammon, who tried to squeeze out my assets, say that so firmly meant there really wasn’t any other way. I sighed and walked out of the shop.
“Come again.”
If I succeeded in conquering the drought hell, a large amount of AP would come in. If I calculated the AP that came in every month, I might be able to gather 800,000 AP.
‘If all else fails, I’ll have to use an elixir.’
•••
Crunch!
Elena and I bit into the apples.
Since I grew the apples, I had an attachment to them… not at all. It wasn’t so much that I grew them, but that Hebil’s catalyst did all the work.
“It’s delicious. I’d even say it’s the most delicious apple I’ve ever eaten.”
“That… I agree.”
“Of course, I like grapes more than apples.”
I wondered if there was a need to add that.
After filling our stomachs with apples, Elena and I sat leaning against the wall side by side. It was evening now. It was too early to sleep, and it was too hot to go outside and grow apple trees. Naturally, we had no choice but to rest.
“About what you said before, that you committed patricide. Can I ask what happened?”
I asked carefully.
A way to check someone’s trust is to ask about something important to them. If they tell you without hiding anything, their trust level would be high. Especially for Elena, who had deep distrust of humans, it could be a special question.
“…Are you curious about that?”
“I’m curious about what you’ve been through. If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay.”
“If it were someone else, I wouldn’t, but if it’s you…. It wouldn’t be bad to tell you. Anyway, my life doesn’t have much time left….”
She closed her mouth. She seemed to be lost in thought for a while, then opened her mouth.
“What I’m about to tell you is the disgrace of the Baldert family. Can you swear that you won’t tell anyone else and that only you will know?”
“I swear.”
“Okay. I’ll trust you.”
Elena said. She looked at the lamp hanging from the ceiling and opened her mouth.
“It was when my father died and I had just inherited the position of head of the family. It was before I was called the Illusion Duke. Have you ever heard of the Three Extremes Duke?”
“That’s the nickname of the previous head of the Baldert family.”
“That’s right. It’s the name my father was called. It was a name given to him because his elemental magic of fire, ice, and wind had reached its peak. It may be presumptuous of me to say, but my father was a great man. I once saw him cast a spell that dropped a meteor… Even now, I get goosebumps thinking about how amazing it was. That father suddenly died.”
“Why suddenly?”
“It was poison. Even if you are called the strongest among humans, even if you can drop a meteor, the fact that you are human does not change. My father was poisoned to death.”
I had a hunch about what happened.
“That poison, could it be.”
“That’s right. It was my mother’s doing. My mother, who was immersed in luxury and pleasure, did not love my father. And she was very promiscuous. Perhaps my mother was more promiscuous than a street prostitute. There were over 100 men related to my mother. It took quite a bit of effort to handle it quietly.”
“So you killed her?”
“That too, but my mother tried to make me her puppet. She tried to control me as she pleased after I became the head of the family. Because my mother needed money and power. I refused my mother, and every time my mother and I met, we clashed. Raising our voices was a given. It was common for me to be hit by my mother.”
“……”
“But I endured it. Because she was my mother. But my mother crossed the line. She brought her lover into the family. And all the servants saw it. I thought the reputation of the Baldert family would fall to the ground. The more promiscuous my mother was, the more my legitimacy would fall, and as a result, the family would gradually decline.”
Elena had lived for the sake of the family. The reason she antagonized the crown prince was because she knew that if the crown prince became emperor, the Baldert family would decline.
“I had a final conversation with my mother, and I realized that there was no hope for her. So I killed my mother.”
“…Without using illusion magic?”
“Unfortunately, my mother was also a special human. She received a blessing from a fairy when she was young. Even if she fell under my illusion magic, it would naturally wear off over time. That’s why I killed my mother. That was the only way to hide it for sure. I used 10 years of my lifespan to cast illusion magic on the rest of the vassals and servants. I manipulated their memories.”
“You committed a disgrace to hide a disgrace.”
“That’s right. But I don’t regret what I did that day. In that sense, I’m grateful to Baron Goldrex. Because he didn’t reveal my mother’s disgrace in that place. I’m truly grateful to him.”
“It’s not as big a deal as I thought.”
“…Not a big deal? I committed patricide for the sake of the family?”
“From my perspective, it’s not a big deal.”
“…That’s right. From your perspective, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Hmm. Now that I think about my mother, I understand her a little bit.”
“You understand her?”
A woman who lived a promiscuous life? I was surprised and looked at Elena.
“A little. Just a little.”
Elena’s face was slightly flushed.
“So when are you going to tell me your story?”
“My story? Why suddenly?”
“Don’t ignore me. I noticed a long time ago that you were hiding something. It doesn’t seem to be related to me… but it’s unfair that only I’m talking. Tell me.”
“Later. I’ll tell you later.”
“That’s not a satisfactory answer…. Well, fine. I’ll look forward to later. Isn’t it about time to sleep now?”
Elena suddenly approached me. I was flustered and got up from my seat.
“Already time to sleep? We can stay up a little longer.”
“You can get a good night’s sleep even if you sleep now. Don’t avoid me and stay still. I’ll put you to sleep.”
“Ah, well, yeah. But you don’t have to use illusion magic today.”
“Why? It would help you to sleep deeply with illusion magic, wouldn’t it? You said you feel refreshed when you wake up after sleeping deeply.”
“It’s not good to keep relying on illusion magic. And, you keep trying to cast illusion magic on me… is there something going on?”
Elena frowned as if my suspicion was absurd.
“Are you suspecting me?”
“Ah, no. It’s not like that.”
I waved my hand in denial. The trust I had built up was in danger of collapsing.
Elena snorted and reached out her hand to me.
“Then trust me and sleep. This is a consideration I’m giving you.”
Sleepiness washed over me.
I didn’t resist the sleepiness, so my eyes closed, and when I opened them again, it was morning. Elena was sitting next to me. She hadn’t slept, and her face looked somehow happy.
“Are you awake?”
I got up from my seat and looked around. Nothing had changed.
But thinking about yesterday, I kept having doubts.
‘…There’s a way. End game.’
[The game is terminated.]
I returned to reality and picked up my smartphone and entered auto-play.
When using auto-play, it changes to a third-person perspective centered on me. Here, you can set the playback speed to proceed automatically, or conversely, rewind to review what happened in the past.
Using this function, I could see what happened even when I was asleep.
‘Huh! No way!’
I was shocked when I saw the past.
‘S-Surely, while I was asleep, I was sexually harassed! That Elena did such a thing…!’
I was stunned by something I had never expected. It was a shock.
But it wasn’t like I felt bad about it.
‘It’s totally new!’
