A gathering of high-ranking officials is a display of a village’s prestige.

They’d built a grand lecture hall that I hadn’t seen in the 18th Terrarium, and the conference room used by the Terrarium’s executives seemed much wider and nicer than the one in the 16th I’d visited.

I bet this is where those Inferno bastards held meetings to destroy the World Tree. I was worried there might be some occult elements like a cult, but it felt very bright and tidy.

As Papillion had feared, the people dispatched from the Central Administrative Office had already arrived.

Five people in white robes with hoods up were sitting with their hands clasped, visible through the window. If I hadn’t known, I might have mistaken the scene for a church—it was that solemn.

Despite being late, we stylishly barged into the conference room in our suits, like a scene from an action movie.

Along the way, Papillion had draped a fur coat with red fur and black stripes—one he’d picked up from my old office—over his shoulders, making me feel like a mafia boss at a dangerous deal site.

This guy has such weird fashion taste. Where did he even get clothes like this? Is it some kind of item with insane stats?

Papillion, acting as if he was quite used to this sort of thing, went ahead and politely gestured for me to take the seat of honor.

That’s my seat, okay. The fur coat was so bulky with fur that as I walked over, it felt like a huge beast lumbering heavily, preparing for hibernation.

As I passed by, eyes filled with shock landed on me one after another. Was the smell of alcohol on me that strong? The scent of alcohol wafting from me was no joke, but the pungent perfume soaked into the fur coat was also no joke. A flashy coat I couldn’t handle sober, paired with thick perfume? Seriously, when would anyone wear this outfit?

As I sat down, I felt like I was buried in the coat, nestled into the sofa finished with fur. I placed my interlocked hands on the table and crossed my legs.

The entire open layout of the meeting room came into view. The guild members who filed in behind me didn’t sit in the empty seats but, as if by agreement, stood in a row behind me. It really felt like a mafia boss. Whose idea was this? It felt incredibly reassuring.

I kept my mouth shut, not knowing what greeting to start with, when someone wearing a rough wooden mask with only one eye uncovered greeted me first. Now that I looked, everyone was wearing flour-colored wooden masks, though each was slightly different in shape.

Some had only their mouths covered, while others, conversely, exposed only their mouths and covered even their eyes with the mask. I could feel brown eyes staring sharply at me, observing me through the hollow openings of the masks.

“Yes, hello. I’m Jae, who has taken over the 16th Terrarium.”

I felt Iris, standing right beside me, flinch. Even I thought my tone was a bit arrogant, not like myself.

Honestly, I thought the alcohol would fully wear off under the Elder’s influence on the way here. I thought the baseless confidence bubbling up inside me came from the guild members supporting me.

It wasn’t. No matter how I looked at it, this was the beginning of my drunken bravado. I’ve heard people say everyone has a drink that suits them best.

Like someone who complains of headaches after just soju can down makgeolli by the bowl, or someone who feels bloated from beer can tear through the night with whiskey.

It seemed the drink I gulped down like a buff potion at the inn suited me incredibly well. With my drinking spirit fully fired up, I felt like nothing in this room could scare me. I was even a little excited.

“I feel sorry for coming by at such an early hour.”

And I could hear others’ words several times more clearly than usual. My mind was churning as fast as a well-oiled gear.

Frankly, it wasn’t that early. I had wasted some time fussing over my hair, but by normal standards, people would have already leisurely finished lunch. That remark seemed… like a subtle criticism of me walking in reeking of alcohol.

Since an average person wouldn’t be drinking this heavily while the sun was still up, it seemed they pictured me as someone who had overindulged the night before and showed up without even masking the smell. My first impression was already a bust, and all my practice of Scarecrow’s confident expression was for nothing.

“It should be a good day, so I ought to just let it slide. After all, I’ve become the administrative manager of two terrariums.”

The me from just ten minutes ago, trembling in fear of losing the administrative manager position, was gone. A voice overflowing with ease naturally slipped out, as if my becoming the administrative manager was already a foregone conclusion.

Iris flinched again. Her reaction somehow boosted my confidence even more.

Yes, this was better. I had to hide my clumsy, foolish side as much as possible. Just as she advised, I acted as if I had backing, as if I feared nothing. In reality, I was just a low-level newbie bluffing against those who held the top seats in this world.

“I must correct you. Master Jae is still only temporary. As we informed you, it’s been confirmed that the position was delegated abnormally, so we need to verify that matter. Depending on the circumstances, the Central Administrative Department may temporarily manage the 16th Terrarium until a new qualified person is found, rather than reappointing the former administrative manager.”

Sharp. It felt like they came with knives sharpened. Just from their straight-backed posture, I could tell they were the ones upholding the laws and order of this world. To them, I, who had taken the position abnormally, would never look good.

So, no matter how politely I behaved, wasn’t there a high chance I’d be marked negatively?

“Then, from now on, we will proceed with the judgment procedure for the administrative manager position of Druid Jae’s 16th Terrarium of the World Tree.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a very strong fragrance filled the spacious meeting room. Small white petals burst out like popcorn, and in their center appeared a dryad carrying a large, wide wooden basket filled with purple fruits.

A white cloth embroidered with countless leaves in greenish-brown thread wrapped around the basket like a blanket, trailing down to the floor.

Her hair was the most voluminous and glossy greenish-brown I’d ever seen among dryads, with fine waves hanging just barely brushing the ground. From her temples to the back of her head, she had braided her hair into egg-sized sections, weaving white flowers into each knot, decorating it like a round crown.

Her dress was hidden under dozens of layers of puffy green fabric that gradiented into pale green toward the hem.

Then, the fruits in the basket trembled slightly, the center collapsed, and a plump white pigeon peeked its head out from inside.

A clearly extraordinary dryad appeared in the meeting room.

“I have confirmed that a very unfavorable rumor is circulating about the 16th terrarium. It was a rumor that the World Tree’s branch was in danger. Additionally, it was a rumor about an extremely disrespectful incident occurring that I can’t bear to mention. But setting all that aside, the most important thing above all is the safety of the World Tree’s branch. This terrarium is a place where the World Tree’s branch has always maintained a very good condition every time it was evaluated.”

He looked at Papillion, who was now acting as an aide, and spoke. His tone was more friendly than when dealing with me.

“Coincidentally, the timing of Druid Master Jae being entrusted with the position of administrative manager overlaps with the period when the disrespectful rumors about the great World Tree’s branch are circulating. Our Central Administrative Department believes that Druid Master Jae acquiring a stake in the World Tree’s branch through abnormal methods may be closely related to those disrespectful rumors.”

Although the rumors naturally broke out while I was holed up in the alchemy tower, there was someone else who had been overworking the World Tree’s branch long before that. I’m talking about this bastard here.

I glared at Papillion. From the moment he entered the conference room, he had been keeping his gaze lowered, faithfully mimicking a quiet and devoted aide. Those people are wearing masks, and this guy has completely slapped a sheet of iron-faced brazenness over his face.

“This olive tree here can sense the World Tree’s blessing very sensitively. This sacred tree, symbolizing abundance and prosperity, has since ancient times found barren lands unreached by the World Tree’s blessing, planted seeds there first, and sent a dove carrying a branch of the World Tree in its beak to report on that place. While the World Tree, upon receiving the message, sends its blessing there, the olive tree cultivates the barren land into fertile soil, making it a place where life can thrive.”

Can that pigeon fly? It was whiter and prettier than the ones I saw in Korea, but with its beak buried in its chest feathers, plump and fleshy, it looked no different from a rock pigeon.

“If there is any disruption in the blessing of the World Tree here, this olive tree will detect even the slightest possibility of becoming barren land.”

Her honey-sweet brown eyes, like an old pumpkin, were filled with a strangely abundant goodwill. The dryad called the olive tree had been looking at me with a smile full of contentment from the moment she appeared in this place.

Since she was a dryad summoned by someone notoriously strict, I expected her to have a temperament at least as peculiar as Zephyr’s devil’s needle.

She slowly approached me, clutching the basket in both arms. Her voluminous hair made her look like a small mountain moving. The soft rustling sound of the fluffy white fabric and dress drew closer.

“It’s an honor to meet the little World Tree of blossoming blessings.”

A lively voice burst out.

“From the moment I felt your soul within the World Tree, I truly wanted to meet you. I sensed the powerful stirring of life where everything is born and begins. Just as the World Tree trusts you, the little World Tree, I also trust you. The fact that a branch of the World Tree here is bound to your soul surely means this terrarium will become a very prosperous land.”

Everyone was surprised by the unconditional trust shown by the olive tree dryad, whom I met today for the first time. Of course, I was too.