Creacion told me to time my exit from the Alchemy Tower well. The goal was to slip out when the enemies’ attention was elsewhere, as per my original plan.

Winter also needed time to complete the pest alchemy, so behind-the-scenes work was required during that. I had to mobilize every means to send news outside, even if I didn’t leave the tower.

After hearing Earning’s advice and getting a clue about the first sign, my mind suddenly filled with plans. Inside the tower, my dryads had given their all in every crisis. Now, I had to use everything I had to move forward.

The bat-like attendant I got with my diamonds. I decided to use Kalong, who couldn’t enter the 16th, as a relay.

He can’t come to the 16th, but he can move freely elsewhere, so I’ll send him to my 28th terrarium. Since he’s also a druid, he’ll give in if I convey the necessary instructions to Daisy 2 and tempt him with a sufficient diamond commission.

Since I can’t send hornets frequently, I figured it would be better to entrust detailed requests through Daisy 2 instead.

The mission I entrusted to Kalong was to spread the third sign of destruction.

Unripe fruits falling like rain from the World Tree’s branches. I can’t actually make the fruits fall from the branches, but I just need to make people believe it.

I first sent a hornet to Kalong, ordering him to visit the 28th terrarium. Then, through an artifact, I conveyed the instructions for him to Daisy 2.

I never thought I’d use the ‘Golden Pumpkin Merchant Guild,’ which I formed ties with in the 18th terrarium, like this. But I didn’t forget to lift the restrictions so he could access the 28th terrarium.

“When a man named Kalong arrives, tell him to place unripe purchase orders for all terrariums that can be supplied to the Golden Pumpkin Guild. Say that I know the higher-ups there, so they’ll understand. It doesn’t matter if it’s hundreds of boxes. Tell them I’ll buy everything at a price higher than cost. And ask them to deliver it all to the 16th Terrarium as quickly as possible.”

At my words, Daisy2 nodded continuously, as if determined not to miss a single detail. Daisy2 would handle the tasks briskly and well, but it was a shame she couldn’t venture far from the 28th Terrarium, which was practically an artifact vault.

The Golden Pumpkin Guild would surely buy up all the unripe fruits indiscriminately to rake in huge profits. Since they had branches in most terrariums, with that kind of network, they could sweep through them all. Given that I had already shown my financial power at the auction, they’d have no qualms.

“And tell her that once they arrive at the 16th Terrarium, she should resell everything to people at a bargain price. Since the cost price is 300 diamonds, sell them for about 10 diamonds. And make sure she says this while reselling.”

Making people believe that unripe fruits fell like rain from the branches of the World Tree.

“Tell them that unripe fruits suddenly dropped in the orchard of the 16th Terrarium, causing a disposal problem, so they’re being sold at a cheap price.”

Even if Papillion tries to stop it, can he catch every single person who bought the fruits and explain? It would take longer than snatching bees out of a spider’s web. If other incidents break out before the controversy dies down, people will surely grow suspicious.

Around the time Winter visited Earning for the first inspection, I learned that Kalong had visited the 28th Terrarium and received a request from Daisy2.

He was enticed by the substantial commission and willingly accepted the request. Fortunately, he was passionate enough to dash to the 28th Terrarium in under a day.

Earning, seeing Winter who had grown noticeably thinner, predicted that his alchemy completion would take about three days at the earliest. He also said that based on the report Baron received from Kalong via wasp, the time needed to procure as many fruits as I requested and send them to the 16th Terrarium would also take at least three days.

Would three days be enough to carry out the entire plan?

To contact the guild members outside, I needed Winter’s help. There was the option of Winter going back and forth from the alchemy tower, but it would be troublesome if Winter, a hidden card of sorts, caught the eye of Papillion, who was desperate to catch my guild members.

Moreover, though he wasn’t too keen on it, he had to focus on alchemy.

I needed to find a substitute to handle the work instead of Winter contacting the guild members. Recalling how I met Loop, I asked Winter to find a researcher in the alchemy tower who was struggling financially.

“Just quietly spread the rumor to a researcher who is desperate for money.”

Since what I’m good at is diamonds, I’ll buy a walking messenger with diamonds. I need an assistant to perform the role of Kalong outside the 16th Terrarium from within.

As I was reviewing my plans and munching on emergency rations for dinner, Winter came to Earning for his second check-up. Showing how grueling the alchemy directly applied to the human body was, Winter kept growing thinner. He also brought news about someone who fit the conditions I had requested.

Since the alchemy tower in the 16th Terrarium is also where secret alchemy takes place, I worried I might not find someone meeting the conditions due to its more abundant support compared to the 18th Terrarium’s tower, but it seemed places where people live are all the same.

Setting aside support for research, that researcher, who was in a very desperate situation due to a mountain of debt from his family’s failed business, eagerly took the bait after Winter leaked information about a secret commission that would earn him a large diamond.

Since he was a researcher anyway, even if the matter leaked, the final destination would be Creacion, the highest dean of the alchemy tower. Because I had confirmed his attitude of tolerating my plans to a certain extent, I could think about bribing the researcher.

While Winter showed Earning his hands, which had turned so white they looked like parched, cracked land in a drought, and was examined, I soothed my bitter insides and diligently wrote letters to my guild members.

“Be careful that at least one finger doesn’t stiffen. Since I plan to use your blood as a medium. If worse comes to worst, you need to prick a finger to draw blood, but if it hardens up like this dried-out firewood, wouldn’t I have to cut off even your wrist?”

“It feels like… sensation is gradually disappearing from my entire body.”

“That seems to mean my upgraded recipe is working effectively.”

Even trying to block out their conversation was hard. Their dialogue stirred all kinds of thoughts in my head. I forced my hand gripping the pen, pressing firm letters onto the paper.

I’m safe inside the alchemy tower. I learned by chance that all of you guild members are unharmed. I’m truly relieved. A few conditions are needed for me to get out of the alchemy tower. I would like you to help me.”

The branch of the Black World Tree on the hill behind the alchemy tower, which I visited before, is growing by burrowing into the ground.”

Use the ability to read the past of the pine trees to find the underground water veins within the Terrarium and connect them to the branch on the hill.”

The seething heat of the black branch must meet the water veins to raise the temperature inside the Terrarium.”

This is the letter to deliver to Iris’s party with Notos. And since there’s a task that only Siedling among the guild members can do, I also wrote a separate letter to him.

There was too much content to convey all the details of the events inside the alchemy tower, and the repercussions if it were delivered incorrectly were also great.

The tasks that Diamond had for the desperate researcher were two: deliver the letter I wrote to the guild members, and lend them his identity so they could ascend the alchemy tower grounds.

However, the challenge was having my guild members, who would be sneaking around inside the terrarium, make contact with the messenger I had bribed with money.

Even Papillion, who knew the terrarium inside and out, kept failing to catch my guild members—so how could a mere researcher possibly meet them?

I wanted the guild members to approach first, rather than having a secret agent seek them out.

Even though I had created a guild, I hadn’t made any guild uniforms or emblems to symbolize it. Writing “Gaia Guild” in big letters on someone’s back or chest would be too recognizable, with a high chance of being spotted even by those I didn’t want to see it.

It would be great if my guild members could see something and immediately think of me.

I glanced around at my Dryads. I had infinite diamonds, but apart from that, what supported me in this game world were my Dryads.

Unlike others who wait inside an artifact and only pop out when needed, my Dryads accompany me on every journey. Couldn’t they serve as a hint for someone to recall me?

“Mesquite! Can you give me one velvet Mesquite flower?”

I set the monkshood aside because it was a flower people shouldn’t recognize. The red daisy and elderflower were also striking and beautiful, but I had a very special flower that wasn’t commonly seen anywhere—one that was truly unique.

According to Mesquite, she was the only walking flower tree blooming in the entire world right now. Some Dryads recognized her at a glance, but from my experience traveling with her, more often than not, they didn’t.

A humble flower compared to my other Dryads, but with a dizzying smoky scent—a yellow Mesquite flower that left such a strong impression on those who traveled with me that they could never mistake it.

In response to my request, Mesquite smiled and opened her palm, and a branch grew from it. The stem was thin, covered in tiny leaves, and at its tip bloomed a long, fuzzy, yellow flower spike. She snapped it off and handed it to me.

A flower spike with yellow blossoms smaller than grains of rice clustered like kernels of corn. When it adorned Mesquite’s helmet, it looked like a grand war banner, but alone, broken off, it appeared so modest that one could easily think of several similar flowers at a glance.

Even I had never seen a velvet Mesquite flower in this world before.

“Why Mesquite’s flower? Isn’t my flower prettier?”

Elder, unaware of my intentions, pouted as he stared at the yellow flower I held so carefully, his face full of curiosity. I don’t need a flower as pretty as you right now—I need a special one that only those in the know would recognize.