ㄴ Mature?
ㄴ Fully mature mandrake?
ㄴ AllFather) Correct. When mandrakes reach full maturity, their bodies turn red. I even published a paper on this.
ㄴ Then what were the mandrakes we knew up till now? Is it underdeveloped ones?
ㄴ AllFather) Based on my previous research, that’s correct. By the way, when it screamed, did it seem to hesitate first?
ㄴ WildGrills) Yes. When I pulled it out, its arms were folded. Then it screamed.
ㄴ AllFather) That confirms it further. Just as human infants only cry, immature mandrakes do the same. Their grotesque appearance is simply due to incomplete growth.
AllFather's explanation is roughly as follows.
For a mandrake to grow, it needs land overflowing with mana to the point that it’s excessive, and it needs to be free from threats from its surroundings.
However, lands rich in mana are rare in the world, and the probability of failing in competition is extremely high.
The moment conditions are lowered, it would inevitably be chewed, eaten, or torn apart by humans, monsters, or beasts, so it can’t grow.
In other words, it means that the optimal conditions and requirements must be met for the mandrake to grow into full maturity.
Even artificially cultivating one is near-impossible, as it requires a continuous supply of massive mana.
ㄴ Okay, so it’s a grown mandrake. But is it better than a normal mandrake in terms of potency?
ㄴ AllFather) Yes. A single adult can brew a top-grade elixir. Considering that typically 10 mandrakes are needed for a top-tier elixir, it's extraordinary.
ㄴ I saw bingo holy crap
ㄴ Grills about to rake in money again daym
ㄴ Are you thinking of selling it?
Well. I looked at the mandrake when asked if I was thinking of selling it.
The mandrake went quiet after I slammed it against the wall a few times because it was acting so noisy.
It was closer to fainting than quiet, so I’m not sure whether I should sell it.
‘Maybe I should just think of it as a 100-year-old ginseng?’
I did some more research. Just to understand what they are generally.
From what I found, it's one of the main ingredients for elixirs and numerous potions.
From the root to the leaves and stem, every part can be used as an herb, so there's no part that goes unused.
It truly seems like a plant born to be a potion ingredient. But alchemy is essential for efficiency.
'Should I give it to SwordMaster?'
They previously gave me an elixir, so maybe I can repay them with this. If I gather more later, I can give some to HeavenlyDemon and other fixed nickname guys.
Especially HeavenlyDemon, being an elderly person, would benefit greatly. They even gave me a precious herb when I was really sick before.
LongLiveTheSun gave me a shield for free, I'm thinking of giving it to him for free as well.
I'll start by repaying SwordMaster. I can always collect more mandrakes.
ㄴ WildGrills) Not selling, gonna give it to SwordMaster. They gave me an elixir before, so I want to repay them.”
ㄴ SwordMaster) But I don't need it?
ㄴ WildGrills) Think of it as a health supplement
ㄴ SwordMaster) I'm healthy
ㄴ WildGrills) It wouldn't hurt to get a little healthier, right?
ㄴ SwordMaster) I really don’t want to get any healthier (ᵕ—ᴗ—)
ㄴ WildGrills) No. Why wouldn't you want to become healthier...?
ㄴ A person who doesn't want to be healthy lolol
ㄴ Why don't you want to lol
ㄴ lol don't want to get healthy lolol
ㄴ Fr I can’t understand lmao
ㄴ AllFather) Even if you simply boil and drink a mature mandrake, your mana will increase substantially.
ㄴ SwordMaster) Hearing that makes me even less inclined to accept it.
ㄴ WildGrills) Why tho...?
I couldn't understand it. Is there really someone in this world who doesn’t want to be healthier?
SwordMaster is close to an adult, though not quite like HeavenlyDemon.
Despite some quirks typical of gallery users, they’re generally well-mannered.
'But if they’re refusing this strongly, I can't force it.'
That leaves HeavenlyDemon. Conveniently, they said they would give me an antidote and a remedy for tinnitus, so maybe I could trade for it.
Just as I was about to request a trade with HeavenlyDemon, a comment caught my eye.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Excuse me, could you give me that mandrake? I'll provide generous compensation.
It was StarlightPrincess. The person who posted every day about hoping for a complete recovery.
Now that I think about it, she’s the one who might need it most. I wrote a reply to her comment.
ㄴ WildGrills) You gave me a compass before, no need to compensate. But can you cure illness with mandrake?
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) It should help to some extent. Mandrakes contain the energy of yang.
I remembered. When searching for Crescent Moon Spirit Herb, StarlightPrincess had mentioned needing yang energy.
Given her long-running prayers for recovery, the illness is likely quite serious.
It seems that HeavenlyDemon had similar thoughts.
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) If it is a disease that requires yang energy, is it Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) The physician said so. Does HeavenlyDemon know about it?
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) But of course This One know it. How could This One not know the most famous meridian illness?
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Then you must know the symptoms well.
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) How unfortunate. Stay strong.
ㄴ WildGrills) Is it a serious illness?
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) It is a disease where one trades talents that could reach the heavens for lifespan. Even if thou live long, thou won't pass thy prime.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) You’re well-informed. Recently my body can’t hold up, and I can’t leave my bed. Perhaps it is indicating my nearing end.
ㄴ WildGrills) ;;;
It looks like I should give it to them right away. It's a much more serious illness than I thought.
Whether the cure is difficult to find or not, the ‘wishing for recovery’ continues to be posted consistently.
They said that a complete cure is possible only with a herb comparable to Crescent Moon Spirit Herb, so it must be like trying to catch a star in the sky.
ㄴ WildGrills) I didn't realize it was this serious. I'm sorry.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) It's okay. Grills’ also someone who's living day by day.
ㄴ WildGrills) Master?
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Just kidding.
ㄴ Doesn’t sound like a joke though lolz
ㄴ Is StarlightPrincess suggesting they die together lol
ㄴ Talk about a water ghost pulling someone down lolol
ㄴ Who'll go first? I wonder
ㄴ You’re awful ;;
Though I was slightly taken aback, I realized it was a joke and smiled bitterly.
She probably threw out this jest to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. A kind of self-deprecating humor.
Times like this really remind me that health is the most important. An irreplaceable asset.
ㄴ WildGrills) By the way, do you think a mature mandrake could help with Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
ㄴ AllFather) While I can't speak for regular mandrakes, a mature one should be effective.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Even an effect is something. To begin with, mandrakes themselves are rare plants.
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) So it seems even a mature one isn’t potent enough to cure Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
ㄴ Is there no treatment for Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
ㄴ There are three ways, from what I know: first, take medicine; second, have a physician open each meridian by hand; or third, have a man directly transfer his yang energy
ㄴ All good, but that last option? Is it what I’m thinking?
ㄴ yeye, that's right. But with the condition that the man must be sufficiently strong
ㄴ Ooh, I'm strong, is it possible?
ㄴ How strong?
ㄴ Wins arm wrestling in the village lol
ㄴ lmfao
ㄴ lmao
That insane bastard basically harassed a patient. I made a coldly bitter expression.
Because the gallery guarantees anonymity, it’s not unusual for people to fling dirty jokes like that.
If the atmosphere were appropriate, it might be bearable, but doing this when the mood is poor like now felt a little unpleasant.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) If you’re so confident, come over here. But know that if you don't meet the conditions, I’ll chop that off.
ㄴ ut it off? Surely not the Little Johnson?
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) What else did you think I'd cut? If you don't like that, shall I cut your neck instead?
ㄴ (っ- ‸ - ς)
ㄴ I’m sorry, I won’t get cocky again.
StarlightPrincess fired back effortlessly, clearly used to this nonsense.
Setting aside the third option for obvious reasons, the second is close to surgery.
And an extremely difficult surgery at that. Even Earth's medical techniques with cutting-edge science would struggle with such an operation, so how much more difficult would it be here?
Which leaves the first method as the only real possibility, and even then, it’s extremely hard.
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) Nine Yin Pulse Collapse requires ingesting spiritual herbs like Sun Yang Fire Carp, Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp, or Sun Yang Flower Herb.
ㄴ WildGrills) These are all firsts for me, are they rare?
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) They’re comparable to Crescent Moon Spirit Herb that thou gave me.
ㄴ WildGrills) That incredibly rare.
ㄴ HeavenlyDemon) This One was very fortunate. That's why thou are my destined person and benefactor.
ㄴ WildGrills) I was lucky too, so what. Anyway, is complete healing difficult even with a mature mandrake?
ㄴ AllFather) It's not entirely impossible. The issue is quantity.
ㄴ WildGrills) The quantity?
ㄴ AllFather) Yes. While an adult mandrake isn't quite a spiritual creature, it is a tier below. So if you produce a single elixir from six or seven adult mandrakes, recovery is possible.
6-7 is doable? I recalled the clearing where the mandrakes had emerged.
I ran off in such a panic that I couldn’t count precisely, but there were at least 10 of them gathered together.
No, what's 10? There were at least dozens. Anyway, a lot.
'And they'll quiet down if I beat them after pulling them out.’
I turned my head and looked at the mature mandrake. It was still sprawled out unconsciously.
I had heard that even if they look dead, they'll grow lush again once planted in soil.
Of course, I have no intention of planting it and will give it to someone else. No need to deal with the hassle of pulling it out again.
Probably best to speak up about it. And along the way, maybe I can get something in return from StarlightPrincess.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) That many are needed.... It'll be difficult to gather them all, right?
ㄴ AllFather) I've only seen 3 in all my life. Even if found, someone would have already consumed them.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) That's unfortunate. Ah. From the beginning, Grills-nim didn't even say he would give it to me, so it seems I was too greedy.
ㄴ WildGrills) There are fucking loads of them here?
They're absolutely everywhere, these mature mandrakes. That's what I meant by my comment.
But then, the comments went dead silent for a good while. I thought they had closed the gallery to do something else.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Huh?
Nope. They were so shocked they just couldn’t respond.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) You’re lying, right? Teasing me is useless.
ㄴ WildGrills) It's true. Remember when I said a bunch of mandrakes screamed earlier?
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) And they were all mature?
ㄴ WildGrills) They were all red.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) I won't believe it until you show me a picture.
ㄴ WildGrills) Just a moment.
A photo's no problem. I roughly gathered my things and headed to the mandrake clearing plain.
I didn't forget to be careful, as beasts might jump out despite the short distance.
"Huh?"
It was when I arrived at the clearing. I questioned the changed appearance of the colony compared to before.
The location hadn’t changed, but a few mature mandrakes were now above ground even though I hadn’t uprooted them.
They were looking around as if standing guard, and being mature, they seem to have developed intelligence.
‘This could be a bit difficult.'
The guards will scream the moment I get caught, and I’ll get hit by another Lion’s Roar type sonic wave like before.
I had no choice but to wait until they burrowed back down. Still, this was enough evidence.
Title: Mature
Mandrakes on guard duty
(Video of mature mandrakes standing guard)
I wasn't lying. StarlightPrincess-nim, please respond after watching
the video.
ㄴ What the hell lolol
ㄴ Why is this real keke
lol
ㄴ Do mandrakes normally act like that?
ㄴ As if
lmao
ㄴ AllFather) oohh! Mature mandrakes standing guard....! This is
a great topic for a thesis! Are all these plants mandrakes?
ㄴ
WildGrills) Yes. Brought one friend of theirs earlier and it looks like they’re
standing guard.
ㄴ AllFather) If possible, could you observe them
consistently?
ㄴ WildGrills) Sorry, but I’m not that free.
ㄴ
AllFather) That's unfortunate.
During the conversation with the
passionate scholarly AllFather, StarlightPrincess commented.
ㄴ
StarlightPrincess) Are all those... mature mandrakes?
ㄴ WildGrills)
Yes.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) There must be dozens buried in the
ground.
ㄴ WildGrills) Yes.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) Just
what are you?
I read StarlightPrincess’s comment and pondered. If I
say I’m from the Miryang Park clan, will I get flamed for joking around?
(D:
Some kind of noble lineage from korean old dynasty. Also one of the most common
name in South Korea.)
But I had nothing much to answer. I don’t know
why I ended up here either.
While I was hesitating, other comments
poured in rapidly.
ㄴ Correct answer! Mayfly's lifespan!
ㄴ
Correct answer! Forest of Four Seasons castaway!
ㄴ Correct answer! A
bum!
ㄴ Correct answer! Motherless bastard!
ㄴ
Don’tAbandonTheHero) Correct! Strange person!
ㄴ WildGrills) Fuck I
don't care about the others, but what's with the mod?
ㄴ
Don’tAbandonTheHero) I was bored! By the way, whoever made the mother joke gets
a 1-hour ban!
ㄴ No, Grills doesn't really have a mother. Why the
ban?
ㄴ Don’tAbandonTheHero) The tone sounds weird! And calling
someone without parents ‘parentless’ is still hurtful!
ㄴ WildGrills)
You're worse.
ㄴ Don’tAbandonTheHero) Aaah! I’m sorry!
ㄴ
lolololololololololol
ㄴ lmfaoooo
ㄴ lmaoo
Spicy
bunch alright. I chuckled and asked StarlightPrincess again.
ㄴ
WildGrills) So should I give it to you? I’m okay with giving the first one free,
but after that, I can’t just give them away.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess)
What do you want? I'll give you everything I can get. Do you need money?
ㄴ
WildGrills) No, I’m not in a pinch for money right now.
The money
AllFather gave me is enough. I’ll only ask for food in emergencies.
There’s
only one thing I need right now. It might even be as important as food.
ㄴ
WildGrills) StarlightPrincess's family is rich, right?
ㄴ
StarlightPrincess) I suppose you could say that.
ㄴ WildGrills) Then
if I send mandrakes, can you immediately craft them into an elixir?
ㄴ
StarlightPrincess) It’ll take some time, but yes. I’m well-versed in alchemy.
ㄴ
WildGrills) Then let me ask you for one favor.
This worked out well.
StarlightPrincess can provide what I need most.
And the fact that
she’s skilled in alchemy is the cherry on top.
ㄴ WildGrills) If
you're completely cured, can you supply me with elixirs? I don't know when I
might get injured. And since it feels awkward to just receive, I'll occasionally
give you mandrakes too.
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) I’ll give you elixirs
every time we trade mandrakes. If I can be fully cured, I’ll give you my
position, wealth, even my body.
ㄴ WildGrills) Wanna come to where I
am? lol
ㄴ StarlightPrincess) “Ah, that’s a bit hehe ;
ㄴ
WildGrills) Bad person
ㄴ I’d rather die than go to the Four Seasons
Forest lolol
ㄴ After all that recovery, that’s basically suicide
lol
ㄴ Judging from the fact that they’re offering elixirs, they must
be seriously rich
ㄴ Judging from the fact that it's not a potion but
an elixir, they’re definitely a noble
That should do it. All that’s
left is to give her the mandrake.
But to do that, I had to catch one
first. I stared at the mandrake standing guard.
'It’s standing guard,
but it’s not that strict.'
Even if they're monsters, plants are still
plants. Moreover, their vigilance has decreased since earlier.
Since
it’s a plant, it has no choice but to burrow into the ground. I waited until
only the last one remained.
Swish! Swoosh!
Before long, a
few mandrakes dug themselves into the ground, and the very last one was getting
ready to go under as well.
Seizing the moment, I dashed forward at
full speed. The mandrake noticed me, startled, and opened its mouth wide.
I
I had to grab it before it screamed. But the distance was too far.
I
knew this would happen, so I prepared something. A rock I just picked up.
"Heuuu...!"
Whizz!
Right
before it let loose a scream, I threw the rock. Thanks to my past baseball
experience, it flew straight and true.
Thwack!
“Kueck!”
The
mandrake, struck square in the head, let out a bizarre noise. Now all that
remained was to grab it.
Before long, I could grasp the mandrake with
both hands. And then...
Whack! Thud! Whack!
I grabbed its
stem connected to the root and punched it. To prevent it from screaming at
all.
On top of that, I forcefully stuffed dirt into its mouth. Once
its mouth is packed, it won't scream.
Thanks to these efforts, the
mandrake soon went limp. Knocked out.
‘Is this really the proper way
to catch one?’
Well, good is good.
A perfect improvisation
isn’t much different from the proper method anyway.
'I should give
one to StarlightPrincess and one to each of the others.'
This should
repay some of my debts.
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