After successfully completing the transaction with the Sandstorm Caravan, I left the camp and headed toward where Horus was waiting.
At that moment, Esther spoke.
["That's strange..."]
"What is?"
["That money-grubbing demon wouldn't back off so easily... There's no way... What exactly did you do?"]
"Oh, that."
["What is it?"]
"It's nothing special."
Esther narrowed her eyes.
It was a signal not to stall.
["So, what exactly is that 'nothing special'?"]
"I simply pursued profit."
["Huh? What do you mean?"]
"A merchant shouldn't only chase short-term gains."
Only then did Esther seem to understand, falling silent.
In the brief silence, I loaded the cargo onto Horus's back and climbed up, preparing to return to Mount Noah.
"Let's go."
[Kihet!]
Horus flapped his wings roughly.
Since we had already put some distance between ourselves and the Sandstorm Caravan's camp, even if someone saw Horus, it wouldn't seem too suspicious.
After all, in this world, flying-type beasts and monsters appearing in the sky wasn't that uncommon.
A refreshing breeze brushed against my skin.
No matter how many times I experienced it, soaring through the skies on Horus always gave me a thrill.
["A human who was just retching a moment ago acting all refreshed..."]
The moment Esther grumbled; I suddenly felt a wave of nausea.
The body was surprisingly uncooperative when it came to following the mind's lead.
["Still, I don't get it."]
"What now?"
["That girl from earlier."]
"It wasn't such a complicated matter."
["No, not that."]
Esther's voice grew louder.
As if she was brimming with frustration.
["If merchants should also pursue long-term gains, then why was she so desperate to squeeze every last coin out of us? I just don't get it."]
"That's a pretty obvious question."
What surprised me more was that Esther hadn't figured it out herself.
["What is it?"]
"Because you guys aren't worth building a long-term relationship with."
["...Did you just insult our group?"]
Says the one who's not even part of the Shadow Order anymore but still gets offended...
"I just stated a fact."
["That is an insult. I'm telling the boss when we see her."]
"..."
Wait, that might be a problem...
I'd already beaten the Turncoat Rook, to a pulp not long ago, which probably didn't earn me any favors...
'Come to think of it, the Shadow Order hasn't reacted much since then.'
It was possible that the warning I sent them had been effective, but if things were really that simple, I wouldn't have needed to worry in the first place.
'Well, they must have their reasons.'
I didn't know exactly how the Shadow Order was operating at this time.
Losing even Esther would have drastically changed their course, making them unpredictable compared to what I once knew.
Rather than worrying about them unnecessarily, it was better to just focus on what I needed to do.
[Kiek!]
Before long, the silhouette of Mount Noah emerged on the horizon.
The vast, active volcano had an overwhelming presence, but to me, it now felt as familiar as home.
Since we were almost at our destination, I glanced back.
Despite the noticeably lighter load on Horus's back compared to when we had arrived, I didn't feel empty-handed.
That was because the goods I had acquired from the Sandstorm Caravan were more than satisfactory.
["There it is again. That smile. I told you not to smile like that. Look—goosebumps!"]
"...Mind your own business."
Seriously, what kind of ghost gets goosebumps?
As we descended, Horus gradually slowed, beginning the landing sequence.
Unlike when we first took off, his wings flapped with ease, likely because of the reduced burden.
[Kiet!]
At last, we landed safely at the hideout.
As I signaled, the bony tendrils sprouting from Horus's back began unloading the cargo.
Bone-parasitic creatures were incredibly convenient in situations like this.
And that's just one of their many advantages.
There was a reason why even in Ark, where people rejected skeletal knights and bone-based equipment, they still secretly made use of them.
Ethical or biological discomfort wasn't enough to outweigh their overwhelming efficiency.
["Well, your pockets sure are a lot lighter than when we left. But aside from everything else—what's that branch even for? It looks like it's something special, but..."]
"Who knows."
["...Did you seriously buy it without knowing what it does? And for that insane amount of money? "]
Of course, it wasn't that I didn't know what the Thunderstruck Branch was used for.
I just figured it might be possible to use it in a way beyond what I originally knew.
'The Thunderstruck Branch isn't immediately useful anyway.'
They're typically used as crafting materials for weapons or equipment.
To make full use of it, I'd need additional materials and a decent number of credits to cover the crafting fees.
Unfortunately, I currently had neither, meaning I had no choice but to hold onto it for now.
[Kigit!]
[Kiiit.]
"No. This isn't for eating."
I considered feeding it to Janus or Horus, but I had no idea how it would affect them, so I couldn't risk it.
Or rather, if I was going to feed it to them, it'd be much smarter to do so after crafting equipment with it and using whatever was left over.
'I'll shelve this for now...'
It's not like the Thunderstruck Branch was going to run away.
'More importantly, this is what I need to focus on.'
I turned to look at my true objective for visiting the Sandstorm Caravan.
The Seed of the Life Tree.
A seed that could grow into the legendary Tree of Life—now finally in my hands.
["Oh yeah, that thing. Do you know what kind of seed it is?"]
"It's the Seed of the Life Tree."
["...Life Tree? What's that? "]
Even Esther didn't seem to know about it.
That just showed how rare the Seed of the Life Tree was.
In fact, seeds like this hardly ever appeared in the world, making them practically unheard of.
'How it ended up in the Sandstorm Caravan's inventory, I have no idea... but it doesn't really matter.'
Their warehouse was practically a hub where everything passed through at least once, except for the things that simply didn't exist.
Even something as rare as the Seed of the Life Tree appearing there wasn't that surprising.
["Are you planning to plant it?"]
"Yeah."
["I mean, I'm no expert in farming or anything, but... are you really going to plant it here? Here?"]
Esther had a point.
This was Mount Noah.
Not just a place where spiritual energy flowed, but an active volcano still burning with life.
To make matters worse, Noah's terrain could hardly be called soil at all. Even in the rare spots where soil did exist, nothing could grow in it.
But that was exactly why I had prepared something special—the Great Forest's Soil.
Despite being adjacent to the blazing volcano, the Great Forest had managed to form a vast and thriving woodland.
I didn't know the exact reason why, but one thing was clear: the soil from the Great Forest possessed the power to sustain life—even within Mount Noah.
That meant that if I used this soil, I could successfully plant the Seed of the Life Tree.
Right here. In Mount Noah.
'No need to hesitate.'
Without delay, I pulled out the Seed of the Life Tree and made my way to the vegetable plot I had prepared in advance with the Great Forest's soil.
["You're planting it right away? Don't you need to prepare anything else? "]
"I've already done everything."
The Seed of the Life Tree was incredibly resilient. It could take root almost anywhere—except, of course, in the original lifeless soil of Mount Noah.
From inside the cave, I grabbed a hand shovel and started digging.
Sure, it would grow even if I planted it carelessly, but a tree's strength came from its roots. And deep roots required deep soil.
As I completed the task, Esther, who had been silently watching, finally spoke up—her voice laced with surprise.
["…That's it?"]
"What do you mean?"
["I mean… you made such a big deal about this seed; I thought it would sprout in some kind of rainbow-colored explosion or something."]
"There's no such tree."
["…That's strange. Why are you suddenly acting all rational? You're the last person who should be talking about common sense."]
"Shut up."
Lately, Esther had been talking way too much. Maybe it was time to fire an Experimental Round—GHOST-157—right into her temple.
Sure, it would drain a lot of the energy she had been struggling to recover, but it'd still be better than listening to her constant chatter.
At that moment—
["Huh? Huh?! Look! Look over there!"]
Esther suddenly shrieked.
And for good reason.
The seed I had just buried was already sprouting, pushing its way up through the soil.
Considering the depth at which I had planted it, this was far beyond normal growth speed.
[The Seed of the Life Tree has sprouted!]
[Some areas of the soil are being purified.]
[The domain of the Life Tree is expanding.]
It had barely begun to sprout, and yet its miraculous properties were already revealing themselves.
Soil purification. Domain expansion.
These were some of the strongest abilities possessed by the Life Tree.
["What in the world…?"]
"It just grew a little fast, that's all."
["A little fast? Are you insane?! That's like a newborn puppy turning into a fully grown tiger overnight!"]
"That's a completely different species."
["That's not the point! This is just as insane!"]
Esther shrieked again.
I understood her shock.
The speed at which the seed was growing was truly beyond comprehension.
'At this rate… it should take about a week to reach the form of a full-grown tree.'
Of course, it would continue growing even after that. But in just one week, it would become a proper tree.
And the more it grew, the more powerful its abilities would become.
'Alright, let's begin.'
I looked at the tiny sprout in the middle of the garden and started carrying buckets of hot Tree water.
The Seed of the Life Tree—no, the Life Tree itself—boasted an astonishing growth rate.
Which meant it consumed just as much.
Sure, with its powerful life force, it would naturally extend its roots toward water sources on its own.
But watering it directly would only make it grow even faster.
'Eventually, it'll reach the hot spring on its own… but until then, I'll take care of it.'
Each time I went back and forth carrying water, the sprout noticeably lengthened, growing taller at an almost visible pace.
Its growth speed was downright terrifying.
And then—
[The Life Tree has grown its first leaves!]
[While within the vicinity of the Life Tree, stamina recovery and fatigue reduction are enhanced.]
The moment the first leaves unfurled; I felt a surge of energy coursing through my tired body.