Before entering the village, I draped the black robe he handed over onto Cannabis. He said we needed to disguise ourselves just in case.

“I wouldn’t recommend heading toward the training school. Because of today’s attack, security will be tight.”

I made a mental note of the direction he was looking. If security was tight, then that was definitely where I should go.

“This way….”

He led me to a more secluded place. Since my dryads were already out in full force, I had nothing to fear now.

“This building here has been empty for a long time. Go inside, slip out through the back door, bypass the shopping district, and head to a large inn with expensive lodging fees. Stay there for three or four days, and you should avoid pursuit. If you leave the terrarium too early, you’ll get caught. Since Cannabis’s druid isn’t dead yet and can’t be retrieved into the artifact, if you walk around openly with her, you’ll stand out.”

“Ah, that’s fine. I sent someone else to that druid side.”

Cannabis flinched with a shudder. Of course, that was a lie.

“And from here on, I’ll handle it myself. My people have already come to pick me up.”

I said this while nodding toward random passersby in the alley.

“It’d be best for you to run far away, unless you want to get caught in a cover-up. You seem pretty skilled, so I’ll put in a good word with my boss.”

“Thank you. And the payment I’m owed…”

“You’ll get it. Of course.”

I said this as I stuffed 7,000 diamonds into the cart he had sent.

“I’ll change the means of communication. The previous method is too insecure, no matter what.”

“Ah… yes. Something like that. So, in what way…?”

“You know. That thing. We might have to handle something worth ten thousand diamonds again next time, you see.”

What would I know? Say something plausible first.

“Ah, are you perhaps suggesting we use the hornet?”

In this world, butterflies are just pets that serve as dryad navigation aids, so bees must be different from my common sense too. But why specifically hornets? Not even honeybees.

“Yeah, that.”

“Yes, then I’ll prepare a beehive in my wallet. Just send me any one of the pair by midnight today. Since I’m now marked as a traitor and my life is in danger, I plan to leave here soon.”

“Right… Right, a beehive.”

What’s a beehive supposed to be now?

“I wish you the best of luck. Please do visit again sometime.”

He disappeared quickly.

I told him to slip out through the back door. When I gently pushed the door of the empty building, dust showered down and it creaked open.

The interior was strange—it stretched vertically. The furniture was arranged as if to forcibly direct the flow of traffic, and walking while dodging it felt like wandering through a maze.

When I stepped out the door, I thought I understood why he had recommended this route. I was standing in a completely different alley from the one I’d been in, as if I had teleported.

“My master, Jae. I understand you’re in a very dangerous situation right now. What do you plan to do now?”

Whether to accomplish the original goal of coming to the 18th Terrarium, or to deliver Cannabis to its master—it’s quite a dilemma.

“Let’s go to the orchard. I need to meet the administrator.”

If you want to hide a tree, go to a forest on purpose. I blended into the crowd.

Indeed, unlike the 26th Terrarium, the number differed from the tens digit onward, making it feel much more bustling and crowded. At this point, I wondered just how extravagant the single-digit Terrariums from 1 to 9 must be.

The orchard looked far larger and more splendid than the one in the 26th. Standing firmly in the center of the village, it reminded me of Jamsil Stadium with a giant glass dome for a roof…

Pushed by the crowd, I barely managed to find the information desk.

“Hello, do you need help?”

“I’m here to see the administrator.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Um… I think so?”

The clerk rummaged through the documents on the desk for a moment, then gave an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry, but the administrator has no official schedule today. If it’s a civil complaint, could you take a number and wait?”

Wow… I’m treated like a VIP in the 26th. The orchard there gave me immediate service as soon as I entered. Was that because I’m a high-ranking gardener there?

“Then could you at least tell them that the temporary administrator of the 28th Terrarium, ‘Jae,’ has visited regarding related work?”

“Ah! If that’s the case! One moment!”

His attitude suddenly changed. The hand gesture stirring the desk also quickened.

“I will escort you this way.”

Another guide who popped up from somewhere bowed. Yes, this is how it should be. Power is….

Heading up the stairs to the third floor. As we climbed, the number of people moving around decreased. When we finally reached an open lobby with a separate room, we underwent an identity check. It was simple. I just briefly handed over my wallet and got it back.

“I’m sorry, but since Miss Jae has a Dryad not affiliated with her, we’ll need to have her wait separately.”

The guide said, looking at Cannabis, who was wearing a black robe. The security was quite strict.

“It happens that there’s related business too, so I think I need to see the administrator while bringing her along.”

“That’s difficult according to the guidelines.”

Hmm, I folded my arms and fell into thought. It’s ambiguous. I was planning to just dump the Cannabis problem entirely onto the administrator.

“Well then.”

I took off Cannabis’s robe.

“This is Cannabis. What if you just say that?”

A voice came from beyond the closed door.

“Bring them in.”

The response came immediately. Before the guide could say anything, the door opened.

The inside looked like a huge conference room. At the far end, one man—he’s probably the administrator. And five people sitting sparsely. What, are they management-level people from the company?

“I’m sorry, but we need to address the matter of the Cannabis Dryad first. Although your identity guarantee has put it on hold, under normal circumstances, you would have been immediately arrested and sent to the detention room.”

“Ah, you said the training center was attacked, right.”

We came in, and without any greetings or even a word to sit, they jumped straight into the main topic.

“I rescued her. The reward is settled. Instead of that, can you find her owner first? According to Cannabis, her owner is in this Terrarium.”

“Yes, that’s right. I can feel the druid nearby.”

Cannabis quickly added to my words.

“And my situation isn’t good. There are still plenty of people outside here targeting her.”

The administrator gestured with his eyes to the person sitting closest to me. He got up from his seat and walked over with a stern face.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

Then he grabbed both my hands, flipped them over, and examined my wrists.

“There’s nothing.”

“If it were visible, it’d be lower-ranked. But since it passed through my management network, it can’t be high-ranking either.”

“Are you doubting this druid? No! She really saved me!”

Cannabis shouted, startled.

“Ah, doubt me all you want. I have nothing to feel guilty about. I just hope her owner finds her quickly before I get more addicted to Cannabis’s power.”

After that, there was talk of sending out patrols outside the terrarium or contacting the druids of Cannabis.

They said the real owner was in the hospital due to the damage from the attack on the training center. He was said to be in critical condition and, having been struck by a special attack using an artifact, was unable to summon Cannabis.

Later, Cannabis left escorted by a group of people who entered the room. Upon hearing that he was returning to his owner, Cannabis seemed very happy. That seems to be the end of my task. Well done.

“On behalf of the training center and the medical association, I extend our gratitude. We apologize for not treating you properly as tensions were high due to the assault incident. Cannabis is a valuable asset to our terrarium. Our terrarium plans to provide appropriate compensation for rescuing Cannabis.”

Immediately after, I received a notification that I had become a 6th-grade gardener of the 18th Terrarium. That’s a jump of three levels from the basic 9th grade. But honestly, I’m already tired of this. More importantly, removing my temporary status was crucial.

“I’m not really interested in discounts or things like that. Still, I’ll gratefully accept it. I have something more important. I came to get my temporary tag removed. What’s the procedure?”

As Cannabis moved away, the effect of the medicine seems to be wearing off. Seeing people in suits staring at me with solemn faces, I started to feel a bit tense. I wonder where that boldness from earlier went. ‘Feel free to doubt me as much as you want’… Why on earth did I say that?

Whether my cheeks burned or not, they exchanged some words with each other.

“I will explain the procedure. First, the 28th Terrarium will be put up for auction. Individuals, groups, or other terrariums can bid as administrative manager applicants. Of course, the initial auction price starts at the amount you, Jae, paid to acquire the 28th Terrarium.”

What? I’m not the owner? Suddenly it’s being auctioned? A different procedure awaited me than the simple signing of documents I had expected.

I had already imagined building a department store and a hospital in my own terrarium in my dreams! I feel like I’ve just been drinking kimchi soup for nothing. Even though I was just a temporary admin, how much I had been boasting about being an administrative manager!

No way I’m letting it go! I accept the challenge!