My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 178
#178
Elves and Dwarves
Like other areas within the palace, it is elegantly decorated..
“Hmm, hmm. indeed.”
After saying hello to others, Harris looked around and nodded while chatting casually with the gardener who claimed to be his guide..
In the first place, elves had a strong tendency to prefer harmonious and neat things rather than flashy things, so it would not be particularly strange..
However, since their work all involved moving their bodies directly, there was nothing special to see here..
It was just a place to rest after returning from shifts, with a restaurant and training facilities..
In other words, it wasn't something special enough to be snooping around and reacting like it is now..
“Me... Mr. Harris?”
“yes? why are you like this?”
“···Is there anything you are looking for? If you tell me, I will guide you there..”
“Ah—no. As you know, it hasn't been long since I came to the Elven Kingdom. So you don't have to worry about it because you're just not used to it yet..”
In response to the question from the gardener, who looked puzzled, he looked around with keen eyes and smiled softly again..
There was something else I was aiming for, but it wasn't that urgent anyway, so there was no need to show it..
“Oh, I'm sure I heard it. You came from the Aeon Continent, right? The two most recent recipients are both from other continents, so fortunately, it appears that the elf tradition is still alive and well there..”
Harris, who found it difficult to respond to the gardener's seemingly admiring words, just smiled..
‘To be honest, I'm not sure if the line is continuing properly..’
Cecily was just lucky to have been saved from being sacrificed to the warlocks, and I haven't heard anything about the other elves' current situation..
Of course, I had never investigated him separately, but if something special had happened, it would have been impossible to avoid his wide-ranging information network..
If there is no other news, it probably means that they have hidden well in remote areas or have naturally blended into society..
“Come to think of it, I heard that the Second Continental Congress will be convened soon. It seemed like quite a few people said they were moving to Aeon this time, but there was so much noise here and there that even our ears, who were not interested in other things, could hear it..”
“Oh, it certainly was. Because the scale of the work is large..”
As he said, a second meeting was scheduled to be held at the main church's sacred site along with the dispatch of a fairly large reinforcement force..
1In order to clearly conclude the issues decided at the next meeting and continue further discussions.
But unfortunately, Harris could not participate in this delegation..
And that was the same for Cecily, who went with me last time.···.
‘Actually, that's natural. There's no way we're going to keep sending out babies who have just opened their eyes..’
Even if it was allowed just once for the sake of experience, there was no way that promising prospects with bright futures would always be sent to a place where there was no danger..
Moreover, wasn't it decided that three veteran high elves, including Lafori Granwood, would be dispatched this time due to issues related to sending reinforcements and building a temple??
In many ways, there was no room for him, a newcomer..
‘If you think about it, Harris is in the prime of his growth, so there's no need to step forward already. I guess being near the World Tree is the most effective..’
When he became a high elf, all the spirits he could handle had evolved to the upper level, and the lightning spirit was about to evolve to the highest level, but he still felt like he was lacking compared to other avatars..
‘Now is the time to prioritize growth and strengthen internal stability..’
And it won't take long.
「Skills such as “Legend of the World Tree,” “Nature’s Fairy Tale,” “Star Observer,” and “Nature’s Call” and all kinds of growth corrections will not leave him alone..
“hmm? ···This place?”
Then at some point.
After wandering around the gardeners' homes, Harris finally found what he was looking for..
“Ah, it's a storage place for by-products acquired during work. Although it is nothing more than scraps compared to the object imbued with the power of the World Tree, it is still an ingredient. Since it is a catalyst used in many high-level techniques, it can be used as a warehouse for valuables..”
“···okay?”
“In fact, it is often used as a gift to those who have made meritorious contributions or in trade with other races. It is said to be an ingredient that dwarves especially like very much..”
“Yes. No matter what anyone says, they are byproducts of the World Tree..”
He responded as if it was no big deal to the gardener's lengthy explanation and entered the storage room..
Of course, it was originally a place where no one could enter, but as a high elf, this did not apply to him..
“Huh - this is it···!”
And before his eyes.
A pile of dry branches and leaves, neatly arranged and piled up, came into view..
No matter how you looked at it, saying it was precious was meaningless..
“Ah, what I have here is something I have been steadily collecting for several years. Just in case, we keep a certain amount of stockpile and release it externally..”
After listening to the story, I heard that there are many places in the Elven Kingdom that are secretly used, and that there is a system in place so that even ordinary elves can obtain small quantities, so there are more than one place that will be in trouble if the supply suddenly runs out..
For that reason, trade does not occur very often despite external trade requests..
‘Yes, it is the size of the world tree, so this amount may be natural..’
Actually, if you think about it that way, you could say it was rather small..
Considering that the branches are so large and spread out that they cover the entire capital, it would be difficult to even fill a single warehouse with the claws..
Even if this is the amount collected over several years,···.
‘Still, it doesn't change the fact that it's more than enough to use alone..’
It was a natural fact, but as a high elf, Harris had no restrictions on using them..
“It's more than I thought. Can I take some of these and use them??”
“of course. Normally, these items are difficult to take out, but high elves are an exception..”
High Elves, the legitimate children and priests of the World Tree, were a communication channel connected to the World Tree through their very existence..
Of course, we can't impose complicated restrictions on them..
Of course, even if you could use it as much as you wanted, the number of high elves was so small that it wasn't noticeable..
At most, all they can do is take the leaves and make tea or use them for various experiments, but with only five or six people, they don't know what to use and how much to use..
So so far, no one has paid much attention to it, and there has been no shortage of supplies..
okay.
until now.
“Uh... Mr. Harris? Are you planning on using them all??”
“Haha, I need it for my personal training these days..”
“ah-! okay. If it's training... there's nothing you can do about it. Surely using these will help you grow your natural power quickly. haha···.”
The gardener, who was embarrassed as he watched Harris diligently putting tree branches into the subspace magic tool, nodded his head in agreement..
And Harris quietly smiled at his understanding and continued talking..
“Well, I'll come back later when I'm done writing it all down..”
“Uh... yes, yes?”
With so much stuff piled up, there's no way I'd be satisfied with just a few items.?
But he also had no intention of taking these and selling them..
‘I didn't lie. I was really planning to use it for training..’
No matter what, if you take too much, you will be noticed, so it was essential to do it in moderation so that there would be no problems with distribution within the kingdom..
Of course, it had to be taken into account that trade, which had been carried out with surplus, would become more strained in the future..
Now there won't be anything left.
***
Taaang—! Taang—!
Inside the workshop where cheerful sounds resonate.
“No, what on earth is this?···?”
As usual, Jaonic, who entered his personal workshop, could not hide his embarrassment at the hot heat he felt on his skin..
The heat itself was nothing particularly strange, but the unusual energy within it was something that could not be easily encountered in normal times..
It was an unusual fire that he had only experienced a couple of times..
“Seo... No way!”
He realized something and hurriedly ran towards the furnace inside the workshop..
Next to Howard, who was swinging his hammer in a trance, as if he was already engrossed in his work, and inside the brazier spewing out fierce flames... was exactly what he had guessed..
“···branches of the world tree?”
He opened his mouth without realizing it..
It was definitely.
Even when he was young, he pestered and pestered the village elders, and all he could get was a small piece the size of his palm..
A firewood several times larger than that was burning brightly in the brazier of his workshop.!
“Oh, is the old man here? Are you a little late today? Ugh heh!”
At that moment, Howard, who had wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, looked back at him with a refreshing laugh..
Zaonic looked at him as if he was dumbfounded and opened his mouth, then pointed at the brazier with one hand..
“Ha, Howard? That thing that's in there right now···.”
“As expected, you recognize it right away. You are indeed an old man.!”
“No, I mean! Those are the branches of the real world tree.?!”
At Howard's carefree answer, he pounded his heart as if his stomach was exploding..
How did he get that precious thing that makes ordinary iron ore extraordinary, something that he had only ever touched when he was in Titania, on this continent??
“Hehehe! My friend sent it to me as a gift..”
“friend? Hubert? Or Harley?”
“There is an elf I have a relationship with named Harris, and he was a colleague who once went on an adventure with Harley..”
“···Harley, that friend is everywhere. Well, I guess it would be worth it if I heard the adventure story..”
In response to that answer, Jaonic, who had already seen ‘Harley’s Great Adventure’, showed a shocked expression..
“But your elf friend sent you a branch of the World Tree as a gift? Huh, really···.”
Then he remembered the main topic again and exhaled as if he was in despair..
I don't know what kind of relationship it was that the elf sent such a gift to the dwarf, but that wasn't an important issue right now..
‘How dare you waste something so precious like that! Even if you save and save and use it once your skills are on track, it won't be enough! At my current level, I wouldn't be able to control that fire properly.···.’
He clicked his tongue in bitter regret..
In fact, it is none of his business how the person uses the item he received as a gift, but no matter how much he thought about it, the material was too much of a waste to simply think of it that way..
Of course, even if I used it like I do now, it would help improve my skills..
It deals with flames lit by the branches of the World Tree, so even if you can properly control the experience, you will gain a lot..
How much worse would it be if Howard was not a stupid guy and was growing rapidly every moment..
‘But it's too much! It's such a waste just to save a little growth time.!’
If you had told him in advance before using it, he would have spared no effort in helping you use it most efficiently..
He even felt sad, wondering if it was because he was afraid he would steal it..
“Phew—I guess it can’t be helped that it’s already been used up. But the fire still remains, so take this opportunity···.”
“Don't be like that, how about you too??”
an unexpected suggestion.
Howard, who was looking at Zaonic, who was suffering alone, as if he were strange, cut him off talking to himself and said something insignificant..
“ok? Oh, well, if it's that big, the fire will last for a few more hours, so I can at least get a taste of it for a little while..”
His gaze turned to the burning brazier with the branches of the World Tree in it..
Now only about half the size of the forearm remained, but as the material was the material, the burning flame would be maintained for several hours..
“···Tsk, but if you approach it clumsily and unprepared, you will only end up regretting it. I'm done. Howard, you can finish your work. Don't waste your time for nothing.”
Zaonic tried to console himself with regret and turned his head..
Of course, how could one not be greedy, but since Howard used the items he received as a gift, he hoped that this opportunity would help him grow even a little more..
“Oh, you mean that? it's okay. Because there are more.!”
But the answer he got from Howard was something he never expected..
“ok? what?”
“Ugh! Something good happened to my friend this time! They sent me a lot to use! Come on, there’s no need for seniors to decline! Come here!”
And Zaonic, who was led by his hand, held in his arms a few branches of the world tree that were really as big as his forearm, and made a bewildered expression..
After performing all kinds of tricks and tricks on the village elder, all I got was a small piece the size of my palm..
What on earth are these sturdy firewoods in your arms right now??
sniff—
The scent of dried wood penetrated his nostrils..
As expected from the branches of the world tree, the scent was unusual..
“···Hmm, then... I should try it too.?”
Then, the creative drive that was dormant inside him began to raise its head..
I was holding back because I was thinking of Howard, but if there were this many, wouldn't there be any need to hold back??
“I just happened to feel like I wasn't good enough and wanted to see the elder's demonstration! Let’s teach this ugly junior! Huh huh!”
“Hahahaha—! There really is no such thing as luck, Howard! Okay, let's run all night today.!”
Jaonic felt his friendliness toward Howard increase twofold today and immediately began preparing for work..
Now that things have come to this, there is nothing to stop him.!
Taaaang—! Kyaang—! Taaaang—! Kyaang—!
Afterwards, in the workshop where everyone was in harmony, the harmonious sound of metal striking did not stop all night long.···.
A young dwarf also began to grow proportionally..
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