Hearing that Mesquite couldn’t do it and only he could, Elder became incredibly smug.

His sulkiness quickly dissipated, and he looked at me with an eager expression, ready to step in at any moment. But since I wasn’t saying to use it right away, I calmed him down for now.

Carriage Arrival

Staring at my phone until dawn, I finally received the long-awaited bee message from Kalong. The unripe fruit needed to be sold to enough people until the rumors ripened.

Before Winter left for the orchard, he asked if there was anything left to entrust to him. A cloudy breath, not fully hidden even by the mask he wore, leaked out like a burst fire extinguisher. At a glance, his condition looked very severe.

“Could you ask that person from before to find out the situation outside?”

He was the secret agent who had resolved all his debts with the commission I gave him, but it seemed he couldn’t forget the taste of diamonds and would likely accept willingly, he said.

He decided to record every anomaly occurring in the terrarium outside the alchemy tower on a note by the hour, without missing a single one, and place the notes at a designated spot during morning, noon, and evening. The payment system was such that someone would take the note and leave diamonds in its place.

Since it was dangerous for me to go out, I reluctantly sent Papyrus, who served a role like a CCTV, to retrieve the notes. Papyrus was displeased that I, who wasn’t even his master, was ordering him around, but perhaps due to Creacion’s request, he eventually carried it out.

Early in the morning, Winter, carrying the pests and diseases within him, left the alchemy tower. Pouting, Papyrus took the diamonds I gave him and headed to the place Winter had designated, to retrieve the notes.

Morning

– The Golden Pumpkin General Store sold unripe fruits at extremely cheap prices, causing a massive crowd to gather for hoarding, resulting in a human casualty incident. There was a strange rumor that unripe fruits had fallen from the branches of the World Tree in the orchard and were being disposed of at bargain prices.

– Before noon, all the unripe fruits were sold out. Agents from the orchard arrived to control the crowd and issued an order for them to disperse.

– The claim that fruits had fallen from the branches of the World Tree was found to be false, and a commotion arose as people confronted the merchant at the Golden Pumpkin General Store over the truth of the matter.

– A small earthquake occurred, difficult to notice unless closely observed.

Fortunately, the Golden Pumpkin Company handled the requested task well. My heart raced at the thought that the rumor would have spread, given the large crowd gathered.

The first step was well-executed. I also showed the note to Earning.

“How on earth did you manage to forge a connection with that high-and-mighty Golden Pumpkin Company? Alchemists are completely at odds with them. They ignore our research efforts, haggle down the prices of goods, and hire separate alchemists to make and sell replicas while ignoring copyrights. They’re truly vile creatures, black-hearted and never moving a muscle unless there’s profit to be made.”

“Your heart is just as black.”

She lightly dismissed my words.

“Enough unripe fruits to cause a human casualty… Just how many diamonds do you have… And to recreate the omen of unripe fruits falling like rain from the branches of the World Tree… How amusing?”

She hadn’t even been surprised when I pulled out enough diamonds to fill my bag, but this time she looked at me with considerable admiration. This is what I do best.

Noon

– People began to worry, saying that the falling of fruits from the branches of the World Tree was a bad omen. A public official gave an official speech in the square, stating that there was no problem with the World Tree’s branches.

– People went to the orchard to check the World Tree’s branches. After visiting and inspecting, they found nothing wrong with the branches. However, seeing no fruit since the harvest season had passed, people remained suspicious.

– A small earthquake occurred again, difficult to notice unless closely observed.

I couldn’t help but worry if it was too hasty to scatter unripe fruits. Papillion’s actions were as quick as I thought, giving a speech right at the square during lunch. Being confined to one place for three whole days was too stifling. Having no choice but to observe the outside situation only through notes like this… The sight of Papillion struggling to explain must have been quite a spectacle.

Evening

– Despite it being the time when the October sun tends to the earth, the days grew dark while a lingering mild heat persisted. Due to the warmer weather, people are increasingly spreading out mats outside and enjoying nighttime activities.

– Outdoor drinking sessions springing up everywhere have led to simultaneous fights among drunken patrons. The orchard has organized a patrol squad to roam the night streets.

Could the ‘mild heat’ mean that Notos’s pines have succeeded in finding the water vein and connecting with the black branches on the hill?

Just wait a little longer…

Morning again

– With the sun rising, the heat intensified, causing people to dress more lightly. Many crowded into shops selling cold treats like ice cream.

– The Golden Pumpkin Variety Store once again sold unripe fruits at a cheap price in bulk. However, the orchard sent agents faster than before to disperse the people.

– The trunks of the square’s street trees turned white as if covered in dust. They changed uniformly overnight, and it’s thought to be a prank by drunkards.

It seems they didn’t sell all the unripe fruits at once but kept some separate. That was good news for this side. I could spread the rumors once more.

The warming weather indeed seemed to mean the guild members had succeeded. As expected of my capable guild members! The temperature inside our lab was kept constant, so I couldn’t tell how it was outside.

But the street trees in the square turned white? I showed the note to Earning.

“This… could it be because of Winter?”

“The pest I created can barely be withstood by the World Tree’s branches infused with blessing power; how could ordinary trees endure it? Moreover, I’ve enhanced its potency dozens of times. Probably all the plants along the path that man walked and breathed have been damaged. But since I didn’t pay attention to the contagion rate, if we handle it quickly, the damage won’t be as severe as during the old white-bark blight outbreak.”

I never expected it to come to this. Winter has truly become a walking human pest. All the plants his footsteps touch falling ill…

“But isn’t this actually an advantage, given how things have turned out?”

“An advantage! I had only intended to kill the World Tree’s branches. I never expected other plants to be harmed too.”

“Wasn’t the fourth omen of destruction about this? A swarm of incurable pests, buried deep in the earth, seething. Wasn’t that the content?”

Unintentionally, we managed to forcibly match the fourth omen. Should I be happy about this…

Noon

– The street trees that turned white were judged to be diseased due to the sudden hot weather. Although contagion was not confirmed, all street trees near the square were removed as a precaution.

– It felt like the ground was hotter than the sun. The rubber bases of standing signboards were seen slightly melted.

– Travelers dissatisfied with the sudden extreme heat are increasingly leaving the terrarium. Many people are expressing concerns about the abnormal climate.

The ground is hot enough to melt rubber? Just how intense is the heat from those black branches to instantly scorch the terrarium?

Evening

– Even after sunset, the heat does not subside at all. More people are reluctant to go outside.

– Rats crawling on the ground were found dead in droves, succumbing to the heat.

– Druids appear, claiming that events in the 16th terrarium resemble omens of the world’s end.

– Crackdowns on false rumors intensify.

The time had finally come. If people began to harbor seeds of suspicion through a series of events, it would be a success. Fortunately, things went as planned.

However, it was unknown whether Winter had arrived at the orchard and successfully infected the branch of the World Tree.

Earning said he had greatly enhanced the power of the blight, but aside from mimicking the omens, it was unclear how much more time would be needed for the World Tree branch to lose its power.

Then the next morning. A note bearing the long-awaited news finally arrived.

Nothing else mattered. Only one line of fact was important.

The orchard is banning outsiders from entering for the time being.

Something must be wrong with the World Tree branch! Winter did it. How on earth did he manage that?

Earning’s words about making him bleed if necessary came to mind. Not wanting to dwell on such a horrible thought, I shook my head vigorously. Now it was my turn.

“Papyrus, guide me to the room closest to the outer wall of the alchemy tower.”

“Are you leaving this place already?”

Earning asked while packing his things discreetly. Papyrus seemed equally puzzled, his eyes wide.

“To complete the suspicion, we need to make black rain fall as per the omens. Now it’s my turn.”

“What exactly are you planning to do?”

“Have you ever seen diamond rain?”

At my words, Earning looked at me as if I were talking nonsense. Papyrus hurriedly disappeared, saying he needed to report to the master before leaving. Moments later, he returned, opening the door with a message from Crea-cyon.

“Most of the researchers at the alchemy tower have been summoned due to the blight spreading among the street trees in the square… They suspect the original white-legged blight specimen from inside the tower may have leaked… According to history, if this is true, it could cause significant damage inside the terrarium. In other words….”

“They deliberately vacated the place.”

“That’s right. He said he was pleased, more than he expected, that we’ve stirred up such a big commotion. He also said that because the branches of the World Tree are diseased, people will come to retrieve some of the improved monkshood specimens from the seed vault soon. But as you know, the seed vault’s poison plant storage room is in shambles, so it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered… He said we need to hurry.”

I was planning to move today anyway. If the timing had been off by just a little, things could have gone wrong.

Guided by Papyrus, I headed to the room closest to the outer wall of the alchemy tower.

Whether it was because Creacion had gathered people or because manpower had been diverted by the commotion outside, the alchemy tower seemed much quieter than before.