Chapter 241 Alchemical Explosives: Treat Them as Enemies
The two flower fairies were even more confused. Could it be that something unusual had just happened?
The wind sprite leader cursed angrily for a while before calming down. When he looked up, he saw that among the large pile of wild mushrooms on the ground, one particularly plump one was mysteriously floating in mid-air.
She paused, realizing that the mushroom was in the hand of the hidden Darkmoon Elf, and quickly warned, "Don't eat mushrooms! All the mushrooms here are poisonous!"
Beibeiluo glanced at the mushroom that the demon had picked up and was now floating in the air, and then at the wind fairy who was anxiously flying over to grab the mushroom and refusing to let go. She seemed to understand what had just happened.
Linlin An was also amazed. After a moment of silence, she explained, "Darkmoon Elves are not afraid of poison, they'll be fine after eating it."
The wind fairy leader looked at the flower fairy merchant with some skepticism, and only released his grip after receiving an affirmative nod.
“Leave these poisonous mushrooms to the Darkmoon Elves. As for us, let’s have mushroom soup tonight,” the flower fairy merchant said with a smile. “I brought a lot of delicious mushrooms from the Sinful Lands. You’ve had it before, haven’t you? It’s very good.”
The wind sprites all nodded in agreement; it was indeed a truly delicious mushroom soup!
Several lantern fruits hanging from the roof emitted a soft glow, and the bright red flint also gleamed slightly. In the wooden pot on the flint, acorn soup was bubbling away, and tender white fish balls and mushroom slices were rolling around in the boiling soup. The rich and fragrant aroma filled the small treehouse with warmth and coziness.
While the fairies slurped down their fish ball and mushroom soup from small wooden bowls, the Darkmoon Elves were also having their dinner—
After a quick cleaning of the poisonous mushrooms brought by the fake dwarves, they were roasted over a high flame until they emitted a charred aroma. Then, a thick layer of moss syrup was poured over the roasted mushrooms, and the demons ate them with great relish.
The wind fairy wasn't as fond of sweets as the flower fairy, so she didn't put any dried fruit in the soup. However, both Beibeiluo and Linlinan had a piece of dried fruit soaking in their soup bowls. While drinking the sweet mushroom soup, Beibeiluo was still a little puzzled:
"Are those humans really that stupid? Don't they know the mushrooms here are poisonous? If they think we ate the mushrooms, won't they eat them too? People will die!"
Swallowing the soup in her mouth, the wind sprite leader snorted coldly: "Serves you right for being poisoned!"
She did it on purpose; she was quite happy to set traps for those humans.
The forest dwarves live and eat in the forest. These mushrooms that sprout during the rainy season grow in large patches in the Emerald Forest. They look delicious, but there are no signs of them being picked near the forest dwarves' territory. Even a fool would know that there must be something wrong with these mushrooms.
If those humans were really stupid enough to be poisoned to death by poisonous mushrooms, then they could only say that they died from their own stupidity!
As for why these fairies were unharmed after eating the "poisonous mushrooms," it's a simple question: it's because they are fairies, not humans!
It's a pity about the tobacco she gave away. Not a single word of her introduction was fake. It's just that those fake dwarves didn't realize that the dry season had already begun, and the grassland was so dry that a single spark could start a huge fire. Didn't they think it was strange of them to accept the tobacco?
...Not to mention, forest dwarves don't smoke at all!
Chewing the fish ball viciously, the wind fairy leader grew angrier the more she thought about it.
If you lose a war, you have to accept the consequences. You have to pay the money and the land you have to pay. It's normal for people to die. As long as there is a war, people will definitely die. But it is very abnormal to insult the dead!
Showing no respect for the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, and even brazenly dismantling their corpses to create magical puppets, what do humans take other races for? Do they think only they are the intelligent race, and all other races are just living magical materials?!
“…Aure…explosives…”
"Kakaori!"
Suddenly called by name, the wind sprite snapped back to reality: "Huh? What's wrong?"
"I said you've seen the site of an alchemical explosives explosion, you've seen it, haven't you?"
“…Ah, yes, I’ve seen him…”
A piece of alchemical explosive, no bigger than a human child's fist, was lightly tossed towards the gathered crowd. With a deafening boom, it exploded into a shower of flames. Sparks drifted and fell, carrying the stench of burning human flesh, but the air was filled with the pungent smell of alchemical explosive. When all the flames had died down, all that remained was a grayish-white wasteland, a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass could grow for centuries.
Inside the Alchemist Guild of the Human Kingdom, Fufuna watched the alchemical explosives being demonstrated repeatedly, and felt utterly terrified.
The simple-minded flower fairy couldn't understand why humans would research such a terrifying weapon, use it to kill their own kind, and then record the horrific images of killing their own kind and show them over and over again.
...She couldn't understand it.
"Fufna, let's go!" The wind fairy leader, having finished her business, called to the flower fairy warriors.
Noticing the blank and confused look on the other person's face, she followed the flower fairy's gaze and said, "Oh, that? According to the humans, those who were blown up were all death row inmates."
Fufuna nodded, noticing that some humans were looking curiously at the gathered fairies. She didn't say anything more and left with the wind fairies.
After returning to the fairy inn where they had settled down, Fufuna waited for the wind fairies to finish taking stock of the day's business and profits before asking the wind fairy leader, who was now free.
The confusion in Fufuna's eyes deepened:
"What crime did the human death row inmate you mentioned commit? That kind of alchemical explosive would destroy both the body and the soul, right?"
Bearing guilt naturally brings punishment. The flower fairy slaves lost their normal forms and original magical talents because of their atonement. Those who came to the Land of Sin were only able to regain their freedom and magical talents after receiving forgiveness from the Flower Fairy. But Fufuna couldn't fathom what kind of heinous sin could lead to the complete destruction of even the souls of human death row inmates.
The wind sprite leader was overjoyed with today's bumper harvest.
The grandmother wisely donated the entire family treasury to the lord of the Sinful Land in exchange for a place to live for her entire family there—who would have thought that they fairies would one day be able to live in an elven treehouse!
Although they ate and lived very well, the fact that their family's savings had been completely depleted still made the wind fairies feel insecure. When she went out to trade this time, in addition to bringing some special products from the Land of Sin, she also brought out a lot of magical plants from the Land of Sin after obtaining permission from the tax official and the business official. Of course, these were not whole plants, but rather the stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits after they were harvested.
She observed that the flower fairy's wand workshop used locally sourced materials when choosing wand materials, so she followed the flower fairy and selected plant parts that would be used as wand materials, such as the stems and flowers of the fluffy flower, the leaves of the reed grass, and the fruit of the ground grass, to take out of the land of sin as products.
Fairies have a much higher sensitivity and affinity for magic than other races. Wind fairies can also sense that these plants growing in the land of sin are much more special than their counterparts outside. Some can store more magic, some can absorb magic faster, and some can seal magic more thoroughly.
Upon returning to her meticulously managed human kingdom with new goods and a new caravan, her first act was to visit the Alchemist Guild.
In fact, the Mage Association was the best partner, but the way those mages looked at the fairies was too blatant. When she had to go to the Mage Association, she didn't dare let her people out of her sight, for fear that if she didn't keep a close eye on them, they would become the mages' pets!
...At least if they can become pets, they can still live. The real fear is that they will become materials for mages. After all, human white mages are not trustworthy at all. The god of fairness and justice, who protects and supervises the white mages' every move, may have closed one eye when looking at humans.
Among the younger generation of wind fairies in the family, she can be said to have had the most contact with humans. Indeed, many humans have an inexplicable fondness for fairies, and even want to give fairies food, materials, and even money without expecting anything in return. However, it is better to stay away from this kind of superior, condescending affection, which is like treating a magical cat. It can be used when necessary, but it is not something to be proud of, much less to pay attention to.
Compared to these cheap acts of goodwill, it is the human race's malice and attacks on the fairy race, whether justified or not, that require us to pay more attention and be on the most vigilant and highest level of defense.
Human alchemists, who are flexible about their bottom line, are much easier to deal with than human mages, who are known for their principles and convictions. As long as there is enough money and benefits, alchemists will be loyal and friendly partners!
The new products they brought were indeed very popular. The alchemists who knew their stuff offered a price that the wind sprite couldn't refuse and generously paid a large deposit.
As for the tracking magic hidden in the deposit, don't worry too much about it. Even if the tracking magic is too high-level this time, it's not a big problem if the wind fairy can't completely eliminate it. If it can't be eliminated, then leave it. Anyway, it's not gold coins that are spent in the Land of Sin. You can use this money to buy alchemical products later. For example, the alchemical explosives that the flower fairy looked at for a long time today are quite good.
The wind sprite leader, who had developed a new business, felt extremely proud. The empty family treasury was no longer a problem. Now, all the magical plants in the entire Sinful Land could be considered their inventory!
She was happily calculating when it would be safest to send a message home when she heard the flower fairy warrior fly over and ask about the human death row inmates.
As fellow fairies—oh, flower fairies seem to be a rather special race of elves—she could understand the other person's emotions. After thinking for a moment, she replied simply and bluntly:
"What crime you committed is not important. Humans are just that kind of race. They are keen to try all sorts of ways to save their own kind, and they are also keen to try all sorts of ways to kill their own kind. When you get along with them, just treat them as enemies who are temporarily friendly but will turn on you at any time."
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Author's Note: Hmm, regarding the forest dwarves mentioned in the previous chapter, I actually have a theory that they belong to the same world and race, but not the same continent or timeline. It's like a Western fantasy version of a family drama focusing on the food industry.
It's about making a fortune through magical cuisine [probably?], but I feel like Western fantasy is losing its appeal. However, I really love magical worlds...
This is roughly the writing style and plot; is it worth watching, my dear sugar mommies? ↓
Sensen Luli woke up with an intense, agonizing hunger, and in her daze, she thought she had run several laps along the scorching desert.
However, she quickly realized something was wrong. True hunger and thirst do not affect the soul level. This is a typical symptom of magic deficiency. Although she was deaf and blind, she had lived for over a hundred years. Nature's gifts to forest dwarves only become more abundant with age. How could she possibly have magic deficiency?
She did suffer from magic deficiency, but that was when she was very young... wait?
Her heart pounded like a drum, and Sensen Luli tentatively and slowly opened her eyes.
It was a low tree hollow house. The light that leaked in through the slightly open bark door was dim, but enough for her to see the inside clearly:
The walls, simply plastered with lake mud, were mottled and old. On the empty floor was only a low table woven from grass leaves, with several straw baskets suspended in mid-air, and a piece of clothing dangling from the edge of one of the baskets.
However, whether it was the peeling black and gray walls or the rough, withered yellow low table, everything looked exceptionally bright and lovely in Sensen Luli's eyes, because she could see it!
By this time, Sensenluli realized what had happened. Perhaps a god had taken pity on her, or perhaps a demon had played a prank. She should have woken up in the tower of her family's magic workshop, but instead, she found herself in this cramped, dimly lit country cottage. The bedroom that existed only in her memory was now vividly before her eyes—
She returned to her youth when she was still sharp of hearing and sight!
"Meow? Meow—"
A soft, delicate meow rang out from outside the door. Sensen Luli sat up abruptly and turned her head sharply to look over.
A grimy kitten peeked through the crack in the door, its bright, clear blue eyes, like the finest magic gems, gazing at the kitten.
It's Sheryl! Mom's magical cat! Not long after Mom passed away, Sheryl also disappeared...
"Meow—" the kitten drawled, as if urging.
In fact, Sheryl was indeed urging her; she was calling her to eat breakfast. Sensen Luli blinked, wiping away her tears: "I know—I'm coming right now~"
The kitten meowed again, its fluffy head peeking back through the crack in the door, and then it quietly left.
Sensen Luli jumped off the bed, first removing the leaves wrapped around her body, then pulling out a long robe hanging from a corner of the straw basket and putting it on.
The dark green leaf that was being used as pajamas felt quite soft to the touch, but after a closer look, Sensen Luli realized that it was a leaf of the Green Velvet Calla Lily, as all the soft, dense fuzz on it had fallen off!
However, Sensenluli carefully rolled up the leaf that was already so slumbered that it was unrecognizable. She tiptoed and placed the rolled leaf in a straw basket on a high place to prevent it from being eaten by woodlice that had sneaked in.
The hunger that constantly clamored deep within her soul reminded her that she was no longer a pampered alchemist; she was now just an ordinary forest dwarf from a poor family who suffered from magic deficiency due to malnutrition.
Humans sometimes mistakenly call forest dwarves forest fairies, but unfortunately, forest dwarves and forest fairies are two completely different races. The only thing they probably have in common is that they both have pointed ears...
The two races are actually quite different in appearance and physique.
Forest fairies have multicolored eyes and hair, while forest dwarves have light golden skin, black eyes, and black hair. Forest dwarves are only slightly shorter than halflings, while forest fairies are tiny. However, forest fairies all possess unparalleled magical talent, while forest dwarves' only outstanding advantages are abundant magic power, strong physique, and balanced talents.
But having plenty of magic power requires a full stomach—Sensen Luli can hardly remember how she survived her puberty.
As she pushed open the door, bright sunlight rushed in, momentarily blinding Sen Sen Luli.
She squinted and paused for a moment, then saw a row of fresh yellow grass leaves hanging neatly on a rope in the open space of the yard, drying in the wind, and lush green black bean sprouts growing in the small vegetable garden in front of the door.
Beyond the densely packed fence, one can see lush, green trees scattered across the gently undulating green fields, some near and some far. Among them, the tallest and most striking, standing out like a gray giant, is the Aquarius tree that Sensen Luli always thinks of after leaving her hometown.
Sensen Luli could see that the nearest Aquarius tree had wrinkled its bark, looking pitiful with cracks all over, indicating that it was currently the dry season.
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