I hurriedly tore open the packet and poured the seeds into my hand. “Guys, check this out! I got a special prize.”
Scholar Wu and the kids crowded around me.
“Wait, lemme put these in a box for safekeeping.” I headed to the nearest table, took out a small velvet-lined jewelry box, dumped its contents on the table, and safely deposited the seeds into the box. “There are five of them. Let’s check the info on each one and write them down for Scholar Wu.”
I gently picked one up and held it up for everyone to see.
[King of Ginseng:
A seed that may grow into the supreme ruler of all ginseng plants in the world. Once bonded with a person, it will bestow its blessings upon the person’s ginseng crops, significantly boosting their growth rate and quality.
Note: There is only one King of Ginseng in the world.]
With trembling hands, Scholar Wu took out a magnifying glass and held it in front of her right eye, squinting to examine the seed’s most minute details.
“I’ve heard of this in legends,” she said in a hushed voice filled with wonder. “When the gods walked the Earth, they had both plant and animal companions who were the rulers of their kind. Folktales say the White Tiger was fond of the Peach Girl.”
I had read a lot of these stories from books, too. “And the White Tiger’s other companion was the Mountain Witch.”
Scholar Wu laughed and put the magnifying glass back into her interspatial storage. “Yes, but I doubt a seed could grow a witch!”
“Hey, you never know,” I said. “Let’s check the other seeds.”
The description for the other plants was the same as the one for the [King of Ginseng]. The kids and I were delighted to see the [Lord of Rice], [Queen of Tea], [King Corn], and [Lady Wheat] seeds. Of course, we intended to grow all of them.
Alas, there was no Peach Girl seed in the packet.
“I was going to wait until after I returned from my trip to the North before planting crops in the pocket dimension, but I don’t think I can wait.” Looking around, I saw everyone’s eager expression and said, “Let’s go and sow these seeds right now!”
We all went to the western field, which we all agreed was the most auspicious site for planting the special plants. I made the golems till the field and by testing out the seeds, we found that they each needed lots of free space around them.
“Looks like these five seeds will take up the entire western field,” I said. “I expect it will be worth it to sacrifice one season’s crop.”
Scholar Wu said, “I’m not surprised that they need more space. There’s a saying that ‘One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.’ I wonder if they will be as powerful as the Peach Girl.”
I gave her an alarmed look and shook my head vigorously. “No, no way! I’m sure the plants won’t be strong enough to level mountains with one flick of a finger.”
Kharli frowned, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Wasn’t the Peach Girl a big troublemaker? I don’t care if our plants aren’t powerful, but I hope they will be nice and tame.”
“I bet they will be cute!” said Mo.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“And worth a lot,” said Lari.
“Okay, pick one and plant it. I’ll take the last two.” I held out the box of seeds.
Lari picked the [King of Ginseng]. Kharli took the [Lord of Rice], and Mo chose the [Queen of Tea]. That left me with [King Corn] and [Lady Wheat].
This time, the seeds flew from our hands with a soft whooshing sound and a trail of glowing green sparkled, which made it seem quite magical. Watering the solid with our watering cans, on the other hand, went quite normally.
“They should be mature by summer, and maybe our crop yields will be boosted starting this fall,” I said. “Let’s go our separate ways now. I need to prepare for my trip north.”
Scholar Wu went to study the spell markings in the cellar again while the kids went off to Fish in the river. I went back to my house to check all the last-minute details for my grand scheme to get the Vermillion Bird clan to help with the upcoming World Boss Event.
Last year, we witnessed the Descent of the Demon King Event. This year, the Boss Monster was due to hatch from its egg, and I meant to secure a front-row seat for myself.
The Demon Chef was busy preparing for the banquet. Since Lari and Kharli were coming with us, I asked Yinuo to tell the kitchen staff to give the finished dishes to my two apprentices. The food would be kept warm and fresh in their interspatial storage.
I summoned my flying ship, the [Floating Solarium], or [Solarium] for short, and made all the necessary modifications for the grand reveal later on which involved the [War Fans] I had been crafting.
[War Fan:
A magical weapon favored by the Vermillion Bird clan. Its base is made from lightweight wood, providing a sturdy structure for the magnificent Firebird Feathers. The fan greatly amplifies a mage's power in battle.]
They were the Vermillion Bird clan’s iconic weapon in the game and were rather easy to make since the World Event was designed for everyone to join. Thus, even the newest, lowest-level players could craft them in great numbers.
The showcase would be on the second floor, with our living area on the first floor. I added a third floor to the ship which housed the control room and viewing platform.
This kept me busy for the entire day, and I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit my pillow.
That night, I dreamed of a cute little dragon boy. We were in a pretty little meadow full of pink and white wildflowers. The day was nice and warm, and we were both wearing white sneakers, plain blue T-shirts, and brown shorts.
“Mom, I found something fun!” he said.
The child held his arms up for me to pick him up, which I did with some difficulty since he was getting pretty heavy.
This little fellow was someone who had hatched from an egg I found in the jungle. I raised him up from a baby to a toddler to his current form which was identical to a human five-year-old, albeit with blue hair, blue eyes, and cute little dragon horns. These days, he could speak in complete sentences in my dreams except when he was in dragon form. I called him Eggy.
I kissed the top of his head. “What did you find?”
“The fairies showed me a house where the owner lives!” He pointed in the direction of the forest.
“The owner? Of what?”
“The owner of this.” He spread his arms wide. “The owner of everything.”
“What?” I blinked thrice in confusion. “This land is owned by someone? Is it a dragon?”
He giggled. “Silly Mom.”
“No, seriously, is it a dragon?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe it’s a white tiger.”
He made a face. “The fairies said the owner lives in the house. Tigers don’t live in houses.”
“Oh, my baby is smart.” I kissed his cheek.
He kissed my chin and said, “Do dragons live in houses?”
“You live in a house with me.”
In my dragon dreams, we often stayed in a nice little house in the woods, though its location and appearance changed constantly.
When I got tired of carrying him, Eggy turned into his dragon form and flew beside me. His snake-like body had horns, too, and four little arms with five clawed fingers, but no wings. I loved his scales which were the color of a clear blue sky on a sunny summer’s day.
“Cheep!” said Eggy before flying down to my knee level and then turning to his human form. He took my hand and tugged me forward. “Mom, run with me.”
We ran to the wooden cabin made of roughly-hewn pine logs, with a simple tin roof. There was a single rectangular window on one side and the roof, and it was so small that it was probably a single-room house.
I knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Eggy ran to the side of the house and tried to peer inside the window, but it was too high for him. He then ran back to me and said, “Mom, please carry me!”
He looked up at me with wide eyes and a big smile, revealing an even row of small white teeth.
“Okay.” I picked him up again and walked him to the window. Normally, I would tell him not to peek, but this was a dream, so it should be fine, right?
The two of us looked through the open window and saw the owner of everything.