I said, pointing at the Elder, who was still in shock.

“This is an Elder Flower, a unique grade. Can its power be used to create bullets?”

“First, research is needed to apply the power of a new dryad. Additionally, it’s impossible to adapt another’s dryad power. The Awae Tree Dryad was my only unique grade, which made the attempt possible, and since its power involves creating foam to extinguish fire, the finished bullets were also designed for fire extinguishers.”

My dream was completely shattered.

“Then, if you, alchemist, had another dryad of unique grade or higher, or a dryad with a large forest, could you create new bullets?”

“Theoretically, it’s possible.”

“Ah! Then I’ll support the research! Please make new bullets! This gun is the only weapon I can use, so having various bullets would help in combat.”

This wasn’t a waste of money—it was an investment for my future.

“Are you really willing to support my research?”

“Yes! Since you might doubt it, I’ll mention that I’m a Tier 1 member.”

I took a badge from my pocket and showed it to him. Look at this! This is who I am.

“We have plenty of diamonds! Feel free to use them generously for the research on developing new bullets!”

He ordered the Awae Tree Dryad with a serious expression.

“Summon the junior researchers.”

That sight looked just like a professor gathering graduate students. The Awae Tree, which had left the lab, returned shortly with five people who looked haggard.

Romgato asked for my understanding and then gave them some instructions. It seemed like a difficult topic, so I stopped trying to eavesdrop. Learning about the unknown aspects of this world is interesting, but that didn’t seem like one of them. It’s definitely not because it overlapped with the image of my department’s advisor professor.

“Are you planning to provide regular sponsorship? Or sponsor all at once? You’ll need a truly large amount of funds.”

“I really don’t care about the amount. I’ll make a regular donation! How can I do it? I won’t keep staying in that 18th terrarium.”

He said he would periodically send me a cart of diamonds. He mentioned that by establishing a network between wallets, it could be done from afar.

Isn’t this an automatic transfer system…? Seeing my blank expression, he explained it’s the same way taxes are collected in the terrarium to help me understand, but even I only just learned of it.

After the dwarves caused trouble, I planned to keep <Infinite Diamond> closed for a while, but there was no choice. I repeatedly urged the dwarves to fill the cart with exactly the fixed amount each time it arrived.

When I threatened they wouldn’t get diamonds for three days if they kept acting out, the kids wailed and beat the ground. I’d often left <Infinite Diamond> off for over three days, so I doubted the threat of withholding diamonds would work, but I managed to get their promise.

Since I added another diamond straw, isn’t that a good thing for the dwarves?

After connecting my phone with the Romgato wallet network and deciding on the regular donation, I ended up listening to the graduate student—no, the successor researcher—present his research plan.

It was a presentation on how he would use my sponsorship funds, and according to him, he was taking a considerable amount each time, so I had to stay for the sake of the atmosphere.

Having to listen to another lecture here. I had to endure it, feeling like I was dying.

After finishing the presentation disguised as a lecture and clapping energetically, I stepped out to find the sky just dark enough that it was time for dinner.

I had asked Pila and Loop to have dinner together, but I never imagined it would take this long. Drinking only tea on an empty stomach made me nauseous. I needed to get some solid food in quickly.

To meet Loop’s expectations, I took them to the restaurant that looked the best and let them enjoy themselves freely. Even then, Elder seemed unenergetic and worried me, but Mesquite said it would resolve if left alone. What on earth had shocked him so much?

Around the time we were enjoying dessert, a guide who had come to pick me up from the orchard somehow found the restaurant I was in. It turns out that with the administrator’s wallet, you can see the entire terrarium clearly—this is amazing, almost like a satellite service.

After telling Pila and Loop to keep enjoying their dessert, I headed to the orchard.

“Excuse me. I heard the orchard sells dryad nutrients. Could you bring me some of that, along with any leftover nutrient fruits, as many as available? Oh, and unripe fruits too!”

As I was guided to the meeting room where the 28th terrarium auction had taken place, I made my request to the guide, who readily agreed. Despite saying a separate proposal would be received, most of the people from last time were in the meeting room. Ah, so they’re checking each other, huh?

Rather, I felt like I was a bit late. The main character is supposed to appear later, after all. As I sat down nonchalantly, I could see countless eyes rolling toward each other.

Whether serving as support, a neatly dressed attendant brought tea and documents. Proposals piled up only in front of me and the administrative manager of the 28th terrarium. I really don’t want to read all of this…

“Um… first, let me tell you what our boss needs. If it’s included in your proposal, please raise your hand.”

Those who had acted dismissively toward me before now looked very tense, unlike before. Everyone seems older than me, too. This is why diamond was the bully.

“We need some carriages. Since everyone knows about the 28th terrarium, it’s important to establish transportation that helps with fast trade or transfers.”

Three people raised their hands at the same time. I got the feeling they were the pumpkin, corn, and bean. The three looked at each other, sneering or clicking their tongues.

Now that I see, they were the ones who argued back and forth during the auction to devalue our terrarium. It’s partly about keeping each other in check, but from the start, those three groups seemed like enemies. They’re so bad with each other that they even sat as far apart as possible.

“Our Golden Pumpkin Trading Company, with branches in various regions, can arrange the transportation you need, Jae. We can immediately add a trade route to the 28th terrarium. We can lend you as many carriages as you want.”

“Hmph, it’s precisely because you hang all over the place like that, blocking other small shops from surviving, that you have so many branches. You greedy bastards living up to the name of that plant, blocking low grass from sunlight with your broad leaves and killing them all!”

As the person from the Golden Pumpkin Trading Company spoke, someone sitting across the table pounced like a bolt of lightning.

“Jae, for safe trade, our Jewelry Trading Company Jewelry Cone’s carriages are the best. We use very sturdy carriages for transporting gems. They’re strong against outside attacks and even fire. Those old pumpkins’ basic carts would burn up with just a match flame.”

“Can you handle the volume with just a few? Even though you handle gems, you’re snobbish fools who think you’re as noble as the gems yourselves. You’re empty corn cobs with no substance, since the recent drop in gem production has you in debt.”

This time, as the person from Jewelry Cone spoke, another person jumped in like a hunting dog.

“They’re all useless. Our Great Bean Alliance uses super-large carriages to transport large numbers of people. You can move even a whole house in one trip without having to go back and forth multiple times.”

“The Alliance is nothing but beans clinging to a bean pod—they have no real unity and accept every drifter without distinction, making their quality poor. They surely include thieves who lay hands on transport goods!”

“You, have you finished speaking?”

The atmosphere grew tense. The administrative officer tried to intervene, but once the fire was lit, it blazed fiercely. Those three seemed to be the real powers here, as the others gathered remained silent.

Among the proposals, I picked out and reviewed the documents from the crop trio.

Golden Pumpkin Trading Company, headquartered in the 5th Terrarium, had numerous branches across various terrariums. Dealing in a variety of general goods made it easy to secure supplies. True to Corn’s assessment of putting small merchants out of business by expanding branches and seizing markets, their goods were of high quality and low in price.

Beyond securing the discussed trade routes, they proposed trading essential materials, foodstuffs, and daily necessities needed by the 28th Terrarium as trade goods.

Jewelry Shop Jewelry Cone, headquartered in the 6th Terrarium, was the oldest of the three and specialized in sun gems. People’s trust in the brand was high, and they possessed a large number of expert artisans for accessories and all crafts involving gems.

Aside from having sturdy carriages, there were no good transportation proposals, and they suggested a reconstruction project for the immortal diamonds the 28th Terrarium once produced.

Great Bean Alliance, headquartered in the 4th Terrarium, was relatively new among the three. As a labor office, it allied with various guilds, alchemy towers, druids, or engineers to mediate job placements.

As much as people flocked in, a flood of information was also gathered, so it partly served as an information center.

Like Corn, there was no transportation proposal, but having moved many workers to terrariums in need of labor, they appeared to possess several fairly large carriages.

They proposed dispatching manpower for restoration work to the 28th Terrarium.

All were essential proposals for my terrarium. Even the headquarters’ terrariums, lined up like neighbors, had such bad relations.

“But you know.”

At my words, everyone stopped their actions and looked at me.

“I’m genuinely curious—why did all three of you name yourselves after crops? Pumpkin, Corn, and Beans—coincidence or what? It’s ridiculous.”

It was funny too. I couldn’t suppress this curiosity. The surroundings fell silent, perhaps because the question was so absurd.

“That…”

While they all hesitated, the administrative officer, weary from trying to stop them, answered my question instead.

“That’s due to a superstition among merchants that using a crop name for a business brings prosperity and abundance. Among dryads, those associated with crops that feed people—like pumpkins, corn, beans, as well as carrots and cabbage—are especially regarded as gentle and fortunate. Although most are of normal grade, their higher spawn rate and resilience in tough conditions are taken to mean they can open many branch stores and tenaciously outlast competitors. These dryads also serve as mascots for businesses named after them. Druids who possess such dryads are given preferential hiring treatment, and some even go out of their way to grow large amounts of crops to force a colony and attract naturally occurring dryads, striving to receive the World Tree’s blessing.”

“Oh… how interesting.”

This world has so many fascinating tidbits of knowledge. I liked this even more than that lecture by Romgato earlier. As I hummed a little tune while waving the proposal, everyone craned their necks to see whose proposal I was holding. Ah, what fun.