People seemed busy carefully selecting fruits. They shook their heads and took their hands off the fruits they had already chosen, discussing in depth how the color of this fruit was and how the luster of that one was. To me, they all looked like the same transparent beads.

Still, when it came to actually picking one, I found myself hesitating. If I had my way, I’d buy all the fruits here and peel them until a good one came out. But then, disposal would be a problem. Perhaps, like in ordinary card games, there might be a limit to the number of mercenaries I can operate or a carry limit.

Since I didn’t even know exactly what a dryad looked like, I decided to pick just one first as a test.

“Want to give it a try and pick one?”

I asked Daisy, who was staring at the fruits on the branch with her mouth wide open, unable to look away. Startled, Daisy asked back, “Me?”

“Anything’s fine, just pick one!”

When I urged her, Daisy hesitated for a moment and then pointed at a fruit with her finger.

“Wait right there!”

Suddenly, a skinny man approached us, pointing and shouting.

“Are you going to pick two, including that child and yourself? Or just one?”

“Why?”

“This is a very important ritual to me! I’ve been waiting my turn so I can pick according to my lucky number. Six people have already picked, so if I pick just once more, it’ll match my number perfectly.”

“Weird…”

If I had stopped talking there, I would have been willing to acknowledge the diversity of all the people in the world.

“And make sure you’re the one to pick! My fortune today said red is unlucky! Do you know how much red I’ve had to avoid to get here? Bringing that red-haired kid messed up my plans! So at least cooperate so I can match my lucky number!”

Crazy? What the hell… As I stared at him like he was insane, he suddenly started yelling at Daisy too.

“Do something about that unlucky hair already! Cover it if you can, or get lost when it’s time for me to pick the fruit!”

“I… I’m sorry.”

Daisy, completely cowed, covered her head with both hands and hid behind me. What kind of absurd situation is this?

“I’ve heard enough, and I can’t take it anymore! Why are you picking on a kid? Spouting some superstitious nonsense, why do you have to crush my child’s spirit? Damn it, just pick one at random—what good are you getting from following superstition anyway!”

I grabbed Daisy’s hand tightly and shouted. In an instant, the room grew noisy. The guides swarmed towards us for Jeje’s sake.

“What? Do you know how much this fruit costs?”

“300 diamonds might be a lot to you, but why should we accommodate your kid’s misery? If you want to match your number, just buy it twice!”

My words made a few people snicker. Oh? So it’s funny, huh? Honestly, this was something the old me would never have imagined doing. Shouting in front of a crowd and becoming the center of attention—I used to be too embarrassed to do that.

But now, with a safety net to rely on, I was confident. I realized that the ease that comes with plenty of money makes a person boldly assertive.

“Daisy, you said you liked that fruit, right?”

I picked the fruit right in front of that man, flaunting it. Strangely enough, the fruit was warm.

I was only briefly amazed at how radiant it felt in my hand, then I also picked the one next to it, and the one next to that, and all five fruits hanging from a small branch extending from the large branch.

It wasn’t my original plan, though. Since it was too many to hold in my hands, I asked Daisy to take some.

“Can you afford to pay for all of that?”

“Isn’t that just a bluff?”

Someone whispered, and the man, sensing his chance, nodded eagerly. Of course. I told the guide I would pay in diamonds.

Everyone whispered with suspicious eyes, but only the male guide remained calm and very politely brought over a box marked ‘1500’. Whether it was 300 or 1500, the box size was the same, only the number differed.

I picked up my phone to wake it. The black phone screen immediately changed to the <Infinite Diamond> screen. I gave orders to the dwarves.

“Scoop it up with a shovel. Or even dump it in with the cart.”

Then, holding the phone in my hand toward the box, I looked at the rude man and the others. Take a good look—this is the difference between you and me.

As if shaking pills out of a bottle, I tapped the phone over the box. Immediately, the sound of a cascade came through. It sounded just like beans pouring out of a burst bean sack.

People’s expressions changed by the moment. Eyes widened, mouths gaped, skin turned pale. The rude man right in front of me had the most exaggerated expression.

For a while, the room was filled only with the sound of my phone pouring out diamonds. Apart from the rattling sound, it was so quiet that not even a breath could be heard.

“Um… Master Druid. The diamond count has exceeded.”

At the guide’s words, I looked at the box. The number 1500 had disappeared, leaving only +158. Did these dwarves actually tip over a cart when I told them to pour it in?

“Oh, really? Then I’ll just grab another one, I suppose.”

To make up the 300, I shook the phone more. A sound like the dwarves’ cheering came from the phone, and the number turned into +312. Ah, it’s hard to get it perfectly exact.

“The rest is a tip. Thanks for guiding me.”

The guide, now even more polite, bowed deeply. I pushed Daisy’s back and told her to choose another fruit she liked.

“My luck is you. The fruit you pick will bring me luck. The grade doesn’t matter. Just pick anything.”

At my words, Daisy blushed and hesitated, looking back and forth between me and the rude man. When I gestured, she put the fruit in her hand into her pocket and picked another fruit from a branch lowered to her height. Seeing her do that, I found it endearing and ruffled her hair wildly.

“I will guide you to the greenhouse.”

The guide who had set down the box led me to a separate room.

“What if I took your lucky number? Huh? If you’re upset, try landing on 18. Even 18 has an 8 in it! 18! Hahaha!”

With one hand full of fruit and the other tightly holding Daisy’s hand, I followed the guide. The room remained still and silent.

I feel amazing! When I snapped back at that rude man earlier, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst, but now I feel incredibly relieved and refreshed. Money is the best! Spending money lavishly is even better!

The dark passage continued. The decreasing slope felt like it was leading underground. The darkness vanished in an instant, and bright light dazzled my eyes.

The greenhouse was incredible. Despite being underground, light reached every corner. The light touching my skin was very warm.

Daisy seemed to be in a good mood too, with a relaxed expression on her face. The light appeared to pour from a huge crystal on the ceiling. The surroundings were enclosed in crystal-like glass, and the floor beneath our feet was engraved with strange patterns in gold.

On a level about one story higher, there was a massive stone container filled with sparkling soil, carved with luxurious trees in relief. Beside the container stood a giant stone slab emitting a blue glow.

“If you place the fruits here, you’ll be ready to bloom the Dryads. You can check the genetic information of the fruits through the stone slab.”

“Genetic information?”

“Yes, shall I explain further? Or would you like to proceed with the blooming right away?”

That was a welcome sound amidst my listening. The very courteous guide scrutinized my condition and immediately reacted whenever I showed even a hint of curiosity. Explanations were much appreciated.

“You know that the World Tree holds the genetic information of all Dryads that exist in the world, right?”

“…….”

Should I pretend to know or not? I glanced at Daisy, pretending to be worried about her, but the child was wandering around the greenhouse with sparkling eyes.

“The World Tree can make all Dryads be born through these fruits. But no one knows which Dryads will emerge from which fruit. Perhaps no Dryad will be born at all, and the fruit itself may become nutrients—fertilizer for the Dryads born later. No one knows until it is directly bloomed in the greenhouse.”

“I see.”

“This stone slab helps you check the genetic information at the germination stage when you place the fruit in this Dryad pot here. Genetic information is intuitive data that reveals the grade of the Dryads. The grade is also determined by factors like the growing environment of the mother plant, the season, lifespan, beauty of the flowers, rarity, and whether it is a medicinal herb or a poisonous plant. In other words, the rarer and more valuable the plant, the higher the grade of the Dryads.”

This is complicated… So, like, ginseng is a special grade, I guess? Daisy, who had finished her tour, stood beside me. I stroked Daisy’s head once.

“You can check the genetic information first, and if you don’t like it, you can give up on blooming. That is, you can use it as fertilizer for a good-grade Dryad that will be born next time. Since you have quite a number of fruits owned, it seems fine to use normal-grade ones as fertilizer.”

Is it only worth it if you get a rare one, like that first man I met here? But suddenly Daisy’s expression darkened.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh… um… Master Druid. I just remembered I have an urgent matter… May I go first?”

“Suddenly?”

“It’s really urgent! I completely forgot about it! I think I need to go right away!”

Before I could stop her, the child shoved all the fruits she had into my arms and ran out of the greenhouse. What could be so urgent that she… Could it be that I kept her too long? If so, I feel terrible. She was just too kind to say anything and followed me all along…

With an uneasy feeling, I stared blankly at the spot where Daisy had left before turning back to finish listening to the explanation. The guide was looking in the direction Daisy had gone with a puzzled expression.

“That’s strange…”

“Huh? What is?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Would you like to proceed with the blooming now?”

“Yes, please, as soon as possible. I’m a bit worried about the child.”

At my words, the guide tilted her head again. Then she snapped to attention and led me to a stone container. Following her instructions, I placed one of the fruits I was holding onto it.

The fruit trembled as it touched the soil. At the same time, the light from the stone plate grew brighter and characters began to be engraved on it.

I’m so excited! Dryad! Will the characters from those gorgeous illustrations on the pre-registration page for <Terrarium Adventure> appear? What if something weird comes out, like the Mandrake from <Harry Potter>?

But the characters engraved on the stone said ‘NO DATA’… What the hell?

“Ah, your luck isn’t very good from the first try. This isn’t a fruit containing Dryad information. It would be best to use this as fertilizer for the next Dryad to be born.”

But after that, the next three all had the same text. So, out of the six fruits I picked, four were duds. Seriously, can a paid gacha have duds?

“Don’t be too disheartened. You can resell these fruits at their original price. Because these fruits have rich nutrient data, their efficacy is better than fruits that have sprouted into Dryads. If you sell them as fertilizer to a Druid raising a high rank, you should be able to pick fruits again.”

Well, I could just go pick all the fruits outside again and try if I feel like it. But I’m totally excited right now, and you keep pulling this on me! Please, just give me something! Whether it’s common or rare, I’ll buy some of these nutrient-packed fruits to raise!

I’ve always poured affection into everything I get for the first time. My first pet, equipment, mercenary, and so on. Even if I can’t use them anymore, I never release or sell them, but carry them around like a charm. Among all those countless things, how meaningful it is that it came to me at once. I’m just a bit sentimental.

This time, I prayed that a dryad would definitely appear, and among the two fruits, I placed the one Daisy had personally picked into the pot.