Published at 18th of May 2022 03:16:30 PM

593 Foraging in the Forest of Ngai

Master-dono Are you really going to eat that?

Is that bad?

I tilt my head to the side.

Its not bad, no

After collecting the kesaran-pasarans, I strip off their fur-like bits and pulled out their organ-like bits, then hung them on a branch to drain Though, its doubtful whether whats draining can really be called blood.

The kesaran-parasarans are like giant dandelion heads. Id thought they might be more plant-like, but the structure of their bodies seem closer to animals.

While its blood is draining, I set about searching the nearby area for anything edible. I turn my attention to the sinister dark green grass thats growing all over the forest floor. I sense a strong magic coming from it. It might be a valuable ingredient.

Without a moments delay, treant uproots the grass and holds to me. The dangling roots sway unsettlingly. They almost look like human faces.

Master-dono! How is it? Do you think you can eat it?

As he asks, I check it over.

[Grudge Grass]: Value: B-

Grass that grows in areas steeped in strong hatred.

The stagnant magic contained in the roots is often used as material for undead or as a catalyst for curses.

Steeped in hatred A catalyst for curses It wouldnt be strange to say that this Forest of Ngai is rich in hatred for Gods Voice. This grass must have been fed by that.

I draw my nose closer. The smell is a bit like burnt hair.

It looks like its valuable, but The smell is too bad, so its out. It feels like a bit of a waste though.

I see

Treant drops it to the ground in disappointment.

Dragon-god-sama! Look! Look! I found some pretty flowers!

From a slight distance away, Aro runs up to us. Clasped in her hand is a bright red flower. The inner parts of the petals are golden coloured. Its beautiful.

[Phoenix Flower]: Value A

A flower that never withers, produced as a result of sudden mutation.

In addition, it will not burn even when dropped in flames.

As a result of these properties, it is prized as an ornament or charm.

The powerful yet pleasant scent evokes happiness in the smeller.

O-ooh! To be able to find A and B rank plants so easily I suppose this isnt the private world of Gods Voice for nothing.

I try sniffing the phoenix flower, and sense a strong vitality from the aroma.

Hey dragon-god-sama! Isnt this flower super pretty and cute?

I nod my head in agreement.

Yeah, it looks usable as a condiment. Itll also cheer up the appearance of the dish. Nice find, Aro.

Aro goes expressionless for a moment, but then a wide smile soon appears on her face.

Ehehe Dragon-god-sama praised me.

Are you okay with this, Aro-dono?

Treant asks worriedly as he watches her.

For a while after that we continue to collect plants. As I get close to the roots of one of the trees, I notice a strange earth-covered mushroom. Its knobbly and yellow-brown in colour.

As Im staring at the strange mushroom, treant swiftly digs it out and presents it to me.

How is it, master-dono?

Ah, thank you, treant. Ill take a look.

I focus my concentration on the mushroom.

[Gold-Vermilion[1]Mushroom]:Value L+ (Upper Legendary)

A mushroom mutated by strange space magic.

Although highly toxic, it confers eternal youth to whatever human ingests it.

A sample was once taken to the human world, only for the ruler who consumed to end up assassinated just a few years later.

Visit readel.me for extra chapters.

G-gold-vermilion mushroom Something amazing has shown up. So there really is an L+ rank Its the first time Ive seen it.

Still though, its apparently toxic Well, were all at least B+, so this much poison should be fine I suppose. It says its highly toxic, but humans can also eat it without dying.

Eternal youth Aros a high-tier undead, and Im already immortal since being an ourorobos.

Master-dono Is it no good?

Treant asks forlornly. I bring my nose closer to the mushroom. It smells mouth-wateringly good. It should be a fine addition.

Lets eat that too.

It feels like a bit of a waste, but probably nothing good would come of bringing it back with us anyway. Its not something I can casually sell on to someone, and even if I explained what it was and they believed me, it could easily cause wars. Itd probably just be a repeat of the anecdote from the description.

At times like this, its best not to think too deeply about it and just eat away. Its a high-grade ingredient, so hopefully itll have the taste to match.

Yay! An ingredient I picked is going to be used!

Treant jumps in joy and runs off in search of the next ingredient.

H-hey, stay where I can see you, please. Im not noticing anything with [Presence Perception], but its possible some dangerous monster could be lurking underground.

I notice Aro staring at his back, burning with a sense of rivalry.

I smile wryly and then turn my attention to the giant trees that Im already sick of seeing.

[Noroi Tree]: Value L (Legendary)

A giant tree that grows to a set height extremely quickly.

It is abnormally tough and resistant to attribute-based attacks.

Any missing branches are swiftly regrown.

However, it will never grow in the normal world.

The pollen it scatters induces the [God of Madness] state.

So these trees are responsible for [God of Madness]. Theres an incredible number of them too I know first hand how tough they are from when I was [Rolling] through them.

Its much tougher than most monsters, including of course treant-san. Trying to burn them away seems like it would be reckless too.

Whats wrong, dragon-god-sama?

I shake my head in response to Aro.

No It can come later. Thats what dinnertime conversations are for, after all.

There are still things I have yet to tell them, including a lot of my speculations. Id like to share it in as calm an environment as possible.

Master-dono! Look what I found! How does this look? Theres a lot of them over here!

Treant runs up to me, holding a bunch of red grape-like fruits.

[1] Called (kintan) in the Japanese, this is a reference to the ancient Chinese alchemical practice of mixing gold and cinnabar to create an (actually just toxic) elixir of immortality EN wiki