I hurried out of the orchard before anyone could catch me. Though I wanted to explore more of the orchard, which was incomparably more splendid than the 26th terrarium.

By the way, Elder, who usually gets fussy when involved with diamonds, was quiet. It was an amount of diamonds that made everyone’s faces lose color, and I worried that at least as much as Elder’s hair color, his skin must have turned pale white. When I sneaked a glance, surprisingly, he looked calm. Strange. Did he not see it? Was it not visible?

Should I scratch and make a scab, or just let it slide quietly?

“Mesquite, do you know what a hornet is?”

I chose the latter. At my question, Mesquite looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Hmm, if my knowledge is correct, I can explain about ‘bees.’ But usually, they’re called honeybees. I understand that druids use them as mail carriers, taking advantage of honeybees habit of finding their way back to the hive while carrying pollen or nectar even after long distances.”

Is it like a pigeon that sends letters tied to its leg? But wouldn’t a bee be too small to carry a letter? Imagining a tiny bee lugging a letter envelope twice its size made my forehead wrinkle on its own.

“I’ve heard about hornets!”

Daisy, who had been quietly waiting until Mesquite finished explaining, jumped up and spoke. Since my gaze had been raised looking at Mesquite’s tall face, I think she was worried I might not see her. Her cute behavior brought an involuntary smile to my face.

“Before I met the druid, I often used the village hall to meet the administrative officer, and back then, I said we should use hornets to send things!”

“Hmm, that’s a hint.”

I thought as I stroked Daisy’s red hair. Combining Mesquite’s information with Daisy’s, it seems ordinary druids use honeybees, but people at the administrative officer level use hornets. What’s the difference?

“My master, Jae. If it’s about administrative officers, isn’t there a dryad who knows more information?”

Mesquite smiled lightly and looked at the hand holding the wallet. Ah, Daisy2! While Mesquite has broad and universal knowledge, Daisy2 knows the kind of knowledge Mesquite isn’t familiar with.

To check if the dandelion children were adapting well, I summoned the 28th terrarium with an artifact.

In the meantime, a message arrived that I had been appointed as a full-fledged administrative officer, not a temporary one. But since the commerce in my terrarium wasn’t thriving at all, the World Tree’s branch was still sticking a straw into my wallet and steadily sucking up diamonds.

“Jae! Did you arrive safely at the 18th terrarium? The dandelion seedlings here arrived on time and are training diligently. They’re lively and full of enthusiasm—if I teach them well, they’ll grow into fine mature trees!”

Looking down at the 28th terrarium, it seemed training was just underway. The dandelion children were sitting in a circle with their knees drawn up, gathered in front of Daisy2. Their attire had become noticeably more presentable compared to when I first saw them. It seemed their experience points had been steadily increasing through the battles that had taken place.

The area around where the dryads were gathered was clean. The work of cleaning and repairing the terrarium seemed to be progressing well.

“I’m no longer temporary; I’m now a full-fledged administrative officer. The process wasn’t anything special. It was easy.”

“Not that I’m underestimating you, Master Jae, but I was a bit worried. I can’t even imagine the 28th terrarium without you!”

Daisy2 rattled off plans for a more advanced terrarium construction, chattering on energetically, insisting that there was no other druid who could realize this dream but me. Her talkativeness was still the same.

Listening to Daisy2’s strong attachment to the 28th terrarium was important, but there was something more urgent.

“Have you heard of wasps?”

“Oh, you know about bees, right? Then what about spider webs?”

“I know about bees. And what’s this about spider webs?”

One obstacle after another. Bees are just insects that gather honey, and spider webs are the webs spiders spin, aren’t they? Why are there so many things that defy common sense?

“Honeybees are cheap and convenient since you can send multiple at once by just placing a hive, but they’re very weak. In the past, our terrarium also had spider webs, so most other terrariums probably have them too.”

I was imagining the horrifying sight of white spider webs stretching everywhere in the terrarium, but Daisy2 smiled and corrected me.

“It’s not that kind of visible spider web. It’s a web that exists to intercept bees carrying messages. I understand it’s used to block bees from druids who’ve been blacklisted within the terrarium or to catch bees that meet certain conditions.”

“So security is weak.”

It reminded me of that country that even controls private social media of its citizens, and I let out a hollow laugh.

“I know that wasps are hard to tame and always require a male-female pair, making them expensive, but because they’re strong enough that spiderwebs can’t stop them, they’re used to send important messages. However, if the message is truly important and complex, sending a messenger is better. The messages wasps can send are fragmentary. Since they use the habit of wasps seeking their other mate, you can only exchange messages one-on-one with someone who possesses the other mate. If you’re going to use wasps, you need to prepare a male-female pair and a hive for them to stay in, but sorry, I don’t really know how to obtain them. All terrariums ostensibly ban the use of wasps. Of course, everyone uses them in secret anyway…”

So that’s what Kadon meant when he said he’d prepare a hive and told me to send one of the pair. By the way, using wasps is illegal? For something like that, in the conference room earlier, they seemed to openly send one in front of the administration officer. Are they turning a blind eye?

Now I knew what wasps were, but I was at a loss for where to get them. Since it’s illegal, there wouldn’t be any shops openly selling them. Would I have to find a beekeeper, slip them some hush money, and put on a sinister smile…

The answer came surprisingly quickly. While communicating with Daisy2, I had been half-thinking, half-speaking my reply, and someone nearby must have overheard our conversation.

There were many people inside the 18th terrarium, and we were just finding a suitable spot to talk, so we didn’t care who passed by. That’s why I didn’t notice someone eavesdropping on our conversation in a shady way.

A man approached, rustling a paper bag that contained food.

“Did you just mention wasps?”

The man, wearing thick-lensed, large glasses, had his moderately long hair half-tied up and wore a thin headband to tidy up the stray hairs. He looked just like someone during exam period pulling an all-nighter.

Despite his haggard appearance, a very bright smile was sneaking across his face. As if he had met an oasis in the desert and was extremely delighted.

What is this, is he a bad guy? Whether I made a sour face or not, he kept coming closer with dry coughs until he stopped, intimidated by the presence of my Dryads.

“What a coincidence! I happen to have just the right item…”

I needed wasps, and someone appears who can make that happen? This is too ridiculous, like some pre-set quest unfolding step by step. He seems suspicious.

Since it hadn’t been long since I met the organizations trying to kidnap Cannabis, my suspicion of others was at maximum.

“Ah, I’m not a suspicious person. Here, I have my ID too.”

He lifted the collar of his shabby coat to show it. He revealed something pinned to his left chest. A card-sized badge with his face and the text ‘5th Grade Researcher, Alchemy Tower, 18th Terrarium’ written on it.

By the way, you mentioned that the 16th also had an alchemy tower that produced wasps. So you have one here too. Do all the higher-end terrariums have alchemy towers? We should get one for the 28th as well.

“Although I haven’t obtained the title of alchemist yet, my skills already surpass that level. I’m ‘Pila,’ a 5th-grade researcher from the 18th Terrarium’s alchemy tower. I happen to be working on a super wasp that’s on a whole different level from ordinary wasps. Oh, of course, it’s still in the testing phase, but it’s my finest creation, combining all my alchemical knowledge…”

That scrawny man, looking so frail he might collapse if I so much as poked him, was acting like a zealot preaching his doctrine. He rambled on, but only glossed over the wasps I actually wanted to know about. And the conclusion of his long-winded chatter was that I should invest in his research.

“I don’t have time to wait until your wasp research is finished, you know?”

Ah, I don’t believe in that doctrine stuff. Go find someone else. The best way to handle these types is to just ignore them. As I tried to leave, he suddenly dropped to his knees and started clinging to me.

When the startled dryads moved to attack, he began spewing words like a machine gun, begging and pleading.

“Please, just give me a moment! If I don’t produce results this time, I’ll be demoted, and from 6th grade on, I’ll be kicked out of the alchemy tower! Is it fair that they give a 5th-grade researcher peanuts for research funds while demanding a groundbreaking result that’ll make headlines in the 1st Terrarium?! If you come to the alchemy tower and see my work, you’ll change your mind! If you invest now, I’ll give you a 7:3 share!”

A share? I kind of like that word.

“8:2.”

I don’t even know what it’s about, but I’ll throw it out there anyway.

“You might as well take the liver out of a flea! I’m so strapped for research funds that I’m using my own money, and even eating store-discarded items to get by!”

“I have plenty of money.”

“Sir!”

His attitude did a complete 180. As if he’d become my disciple the moment we met, he bowed his head deeply. How amusing.

“Jae, let’s go. He’s a strange fellow.”

“He said he has wasps, so let’s at least take a look. I’m also curious about the alchemy tower.”

Those alchemists, they create potions and even Dandelion’s Panacea bottles—they’re fascinating people.

Is this like a sub-job in this game? Let’s see what it’s all about. Since it’s inside the terrarium and feels like a public institution, it shouldn’t be dangerous, right?

He respectfully guided the way to the alchemy tower with both hands, as if serving me.