Terrarium Adventure - Chapter 59
I had fallen asleep without realizing it. When I opened my eyes, it was very early in the day.
That’s strange. In the darkness, only the light from the jewels stuck to the equipment of my dryads sparkled like stars. The dryads who felt me waking up stopped pretending to sleep and got up one by one.
They seemed to be thinking, ‘what’s up with her today?’ Mesquite worried about me having a nightmare and Elder teased me saying if I was worried about waking up early. The Daisy dryad looked like he knew why I woke up so early.
I had always been a heavy sleeper that even the sound of an earthquake could not wake me up. What woke me up today was surprisingly the sound of running water. It was a sound so small that it was difficult to hear if I did not listen carefully, but it annoyed me strangely.
“I hadn’t thought of water because of all the fires. I thought there would be no water left here since even the 26th terrarium had a severe drought.”
“Oh, can you hear the sound of water? I did see something strange, but I didn’t talk about it because I didn’t think it was important.”
“Water?”
My dryads asked. I asked in return if they could hear the sound of running water.
In the midst of confused expressions, Daisy dryad said that there was a strange place with water he saw and asked if I would like to go there now. Mesquite worried about me not sleeping enough, but my mind strangely felt refreshed.
“Yeah, let’s go. Is it far from here?”
“No. First, there is one very close to us. We will see it as soon as we leave the orchard.”
Daisy dryad guided me to the center of the town. As I got closer, my feet almost became soaked in water.
The fires were all gone and now there was water. It looked as if it had rained, but there was no water except near the center of the town. The water was not overflowing randomly like it had been flooded but flowing in a strange pattern on the floor. Daisy dryad spoke, pointing forward.
“That piece of land suddenly popped up while you were gone.”
I could see what he was talking about. Like a volcano on the verge of an explosion, water was flowing from the top of the raised land that was up to my hips.
“Is there a water vein here? Why did the groundwater suddenly burst out?”
“It’s not ordinary water.”
Mesquite bowed down and took some water from the ground. She looked at me and spilled the water on her other arm. When the water touched her black gauntlet, it sparked the path it flowed, creating a glow.
Hm… There was a hint as to where this water was coming from.
[Master! Why have you visited so late?]
When I unlocked my cell phone, I saw the <Infinite Diamond> screen which was in a mess. As if the dwarves had now decided to use the 28th tree bonsai instead of their diamond cart, there were diamonds overflowing from it.
Why did they go wild…? They have accumulated diamonds to the point that the World Tree cannot keep up with the rate of increasing diamonds. It’s overflowing.
Even after making a mess, the dwarves looked like they were in joy. They told me that since there was a source that consumed diamonds regularly, the dwarves that had lost their jobs due to excess diamonds have returned.
It can’t be. I’ve already made it to the end of <Infinite Diamonds> a long time ago. Moreover, the number of dwarves employed is at the maximum amount.
[Master! Please give us another one!]
[Master! Please give us another one of those that makes the diamonds disappear quickly!]
The dwarves said, pointing to the number 28 bonsai. The bonsai grew so well under the excessive care of the dwarves, its branches stretched out to the subsequent screens.
[Master! Take some diamonds while you are here!]
[Master! We can mine more diamonds now that we have more workers!]
“Why, why are there more of you now?”
At my question, the dwarves all stretched out their arms toward one place in the screen with the tip of their pickaxe, shovel, or their finger. It was a tab where I could see enhancement information of the dwarves.
They gestured me to touch the button as they did in the tutorial when I first started <Infinite Diamonds>.
This must be the answer… Surprisingly, the place where the number of dwarves hired was written had changed to MAX+1Lv. Isn’t MAX the end? Why is there a +1 next to it?
“What is this?”
[Master! The mine has expanded, so we need more workers!]
[Master! Do you need more workers? Do you need more diamonds?]
The mine being expanded means… Originally, I could see the screen of <Infinite Diamonds> all in one screen of this small phone in portrait mode. After the bonsai appeared, the mine was extended to other screens with a railroad that pulled the cart along.
I still haven’t used all of the diamonds, let alone a half! What am I going to do with the improved production capacity?! The dwarves always nag me to take diamonds saying that I don’t use enough!
I was too distracted and worried to hear the sound of joy from the dwarves exclaiming that now all the dwarves of the Diamonds Empire had a job. I was tired of the number of accumulating diamonds.
When I pushed diamonds into the branches of the World Tree, they started dying because it was too much. Somehow, it seemed that the water gushing out from the ground right now was the aftermath of my actions.
“You know how a plant dies if you give too much water to it? What if I kill the World Tree once again because I’m giving too many diamonds to it? What do I do?”
Well, it’s not my fault if I think about it. The World Tree is the one that has its straw poked into my wallet and taking it all in. Anything excessive is not good. Oh man, I’m going to kill it from feeding it too much… it’s already enough to make the ground burst.
“So, it is discharging the diamonds like this so that it won’t die. Originally, any excess diamonds are blown away by transpiration, but there was just way too much…”
“By the way, master Jay. It’s not just here. There are a few more places in the town that has this…”
I guess that’s why he said ‘first, there is one very close to us.’ I guess that means there are floods like here in other places.
“Have you ever heard of a terrarium being destroyed from a flood? The 28th terrarium might be the first to do so. I’m only a temporary administrative officer but have already ruined this place. I’m screwed.”
“My master, Jay. You don’t have to blame yourself like that. I know it looks bad, but single-digit terrariums have fountains that spring water this way because there are a lot of residents there, meaning more diamonds. Sometimes, they are built on purpose to show that the terrarium is healthy and to show off their craftsmanship. Of course, they only have one in each terrarium. You have made several fountains here… anyway, it is important for us to make a structure to contain the water first.”
Daisy dryad agreed in excitement, saying that these fountains will become the 28th terrarium’s specialty. He doesn’t even know how I felt until Mesquite told me this. I really thought I had ruined this place.
I realized that Elder had been quiet for a while. He probably knows what the water is here, why is he so quiet?
“Elder… are you crying?”
He was staring at the water that the branches of the World Tree were spewing out with reddened eyes. He looked very shocked.
My heart ached to see his neat face about to cry. It’s a crime to cry with such a pretty face. It’s harmful to my heart. Oh, my heart.
“The sap… from the World Tree… has a very fast rate of evaporation…”
Elder bowed his head towards the ground and said in a vain voice.
“If it’s enough to make it flow… how many diamonds… and if this isn’t the only place like this…”
Weeping Elder looked like a white flower with dew. He’s just a flower. A dryad. Calm down… no… I am a sinful woman! I made such a handsome man cry! I realized at that moment that the tears of a handsome man are a weapon. I wanted to soothe him by giving him everything I had, even though my diamonds would probably never run out on me.
I held out a handful of diamonds to him instead of a handkerchief and encouraged him not to have any regrets for the diamonds that are already gone. While I was doing that, I could see the little dryads doing cute things out of the corner of my eyes.
Monkshood dryad saw that his robe that touched the water became clean and looked amazed. Daisy secretly splashed the water with her feet, sprinkling it on him. I guess my little kids do not realize that these are all diamonds. I agree that this is all too much to understand.
“You won’t have to worry about a flood. As that dryad said, the sap evaporates very quickly. If there was a flood, all the roads would already be wet. Still, it would be better to install a fountain here. We should build a fountain that’s bigger and nicer than the ones in single-digit terrariums! I hope some technicians move here soon. A mason who cuts stone would also be good!”
Mesquite smiled at the Daisy dryad who was excited to decorate the terrarium.
“My master, Jay. Did you know that the sap from the branches can become diamonds when it meets a druid’s soul?”
“Yes, you told me last time.”
“Where there is active transpiration, there will be a lot of diamonds forming from druid’s soul. The reason everyone wants to go to the single-digit terrariums is not only because it is the safest area, but because it provides a lot of other benefits.”
Mesquite’s words meant that there were more important reasons to have this than just building fountains to create a specialty. In other words, there was a buff in the 28th terrarium.
Not only was this a town with special fountains that acted as free potions, but it was also a town with diamond production buffs. Of course, the diamonds were given out by me.
“It is definitely far away from the single-digit terrariums, but this place will have equal advantages as them.”
Mesquite praised me, but the more she did, the melancholia Elder grew. I stopped her from praising me, but seeing that she didn’t do so right away, it seemed like she wanted to make fun of Elder.
My dryads gathered the debris from the surrounding buildings in a hurry and piled them up around the water. It was a temporary measure until a technician who could build a fountain visited. Water still flowed through the gaps, but it wasn’t enough to wet the floor as widely as it did before.
In the process of doing the same thing around the town, I learned that there was a total of five water springs.
It was morning by the time we finished building the banks, so we got ready to hit the road. Daisy dryad said he had a lot to promote about the terrarium, including the fact there was no tax and there were five rare attractions that could only be seen in single-digit terrariums.
He also went on about how he would do his best to think of all kinds of fountain designs while I was away.
“When the fountain is built, can I decorate it with red daisy pots?”
“Do whatever you want.”
It seemed that he wanted to compete with the single-digit terrariums.
Flashier, cooler. Well, I guess that would be good for me.
We quickly started our journey, waving goodbye to Daisy dryad. It felt like Elder would become seriously depressed if we stayed any longer.
