Chapter 4: Water Yggdrasil

[The next morning]

Lord: Ahh...nice morning, oh, Lily isn't on my bed, unlike yesterday.

Lord: Hey!...everyone stop piling your share of gold coins in my bedroom damn it. I can't even walk through. Keep them in those vacant rooms below or somewhere else.

Wevil: Good morning. My lord. Next trip don't forget me please. I can play dead.

Lord: I will think about it, but first, have someone carry all these gold coins below.

Wevil: Jasmine, let help me.

Jasmine nods.

Wevil: You too radish, go get a few strong trents.

[On the grand balcony connecting to the lord's bedroom]

Iris: Good morning, Ruby. Are you....

Ruby, walking away aimlessly: Stop.....It hurts... It hurt so much... mumble...mumble...

Lord: Will she really be OK, Iris.

Iris: I think we should do it one more time right now. As the saying goes, fight fire with fire.

Lord: NOOOOOO!!!

Violet: Hi, what should we do today, my lord?

Lord & Iris: NOO! We haven't done anything!!

Violet: Huh?

Peony: Good morning, my lord. How's the travel yesterday?

Lord: Everyone has had a great time. I really hoped you were there.

Peony's face reddens slightly.

Violet: Ruby's juice tastes so good too, my lady. Our lord and Iris kind of forced it from her in the item shop....

Peony: Please excuse me, I have some work to do.

Lord thinks: [Out of a hundred things that happened in that village, why did you have to bring that up, Violet, and Peony is angry at me again, isn't she?]

Violet: Why did she walk away all of a sudden, my lord? She doesn't like to discuss about nectar? But the nectar is really good...ahh...

Lord: ....

[Back in the bedroom]

Lord: The fortune teller said yesterday that there is another fortune teller near Water yggdrasil. So, there are two yggdrasil trees now?

Sola: No, it is in fact the same tree. Their networks of underground roots are connected.

Lord: Should I go consult that fortune teller. Perhaps he or she knows something about my past.

Sola: Yes, if you don't have anything better to do today. However, I can't go with you today. I have other business elsewhere.

Lord: Hmm...Who else can I bring with me then?

Sola, knocking on the water jar. Do you want to....

Lily: Sorry I pass. Today is my sleep day.

Lily dives back down.

A small spot of bright light silently glows from Sola's hand, and the jar miraculously explodes, water splashing everywhere.

Lily: What happen...what happen?

Sola: I'm not sure. That jar is quite old. Perhaps it has exploded on its own?

Lily: What?...I just bought it last month.

Sola: Inferior products are everywhere. Fortunately, our lord is going to Water yggdrasil today, and that town is a major producer of jars in this area.

Lily: Could you guys buy some jars for me then?

Sola: No, if they do that, I have a very strong hunch that your jar might explode again tomorrow.

Lord: ......

Lily: What do you mean, Sola?

Sola: I mean, you have to you carefully choose a good quality jar by yourself. You're the jar expert, and that village is your hometown.

Lily: Fine...fine. I'm going.

[On the path to Water yggdrasil]

Lord: Feel weird. The usual members ain't here.

Violet: Iris said she had to take care of her sister. Something really bad seems to have happened to her.

Lord: I didn't do anything. Not my fault.

Violet: Pardon?

Lord: Oh, nothing. I was thinking about something else.

Lily: I can't imagine anyone bad enough to hurt such an innocent, lovely little girl like her.

Lord: .....

Violet: Don't worry, Iris can take care of Ruby.

Lord: I guess so. By the way, is it safe for me to go there with only the two of you?

Violet: You can trust us. The path is safe, in fact, it is almost the same path we travelled a few days ago. All Water yggdrasil's population are all trents, and it's under the Queen of Rose's area of influence. So, nothing to fear, my lord.

Lord thinks: [Yeah, yeah. The last time I was almost obliterated by a lightning bolt, in the dead center of your so-called Queen of Rose's area of influence]

Lord: In a battle, what can you do, Violet?

Violet: I can use my petals to attack all enemy in a large area. Lily can use water-based magic. Oh, don't worry, my lord, even one of my petals could kill you in an instant, I can control all my petals individually and precisely. Even though it's a kind of area attack magic, you are completely safe from it.

Lord: Just remove the part about one petal killing me in an instant, and what you just said would be perfectly reassuring.

Violet: [giggle]

Lord thinks: [Somehow I still don't feel safe around these girls. Perhaps because their personality doesn't seem dependable, or perhaps because I haven't seen them fight. But come to think of it, Sola said Violet and Lily is about 8 in power? I don't remember the exact number. Astille is about 4000 on the weak man scale but only 2 on the maiden scale. Does that mean Astille is as strong as 40 unarmed men?]

Lord thinks: [If my math is correct, one of these two girls should be as strong as 160 men? Then, it's like I have about 300 men as my personal guards right now? Am I missing something? Anyway, I still don't feel safe.]

Almond: Good morning, everyone.

Lord: Oh, how nice you come. I felt we lack a bit of member. The more the safer, no, I mean merrier.

Almond: I am honored to serve you, my lord.

Lord: This time I hope you don't need to buy the whole jars in the village.

Almond giggles.

Lord: And what can you do in battle, Almond?

Almond: I control several of my black seeds like this. It will fly around and attack enemy from afar repeatedly, my lord. Similar to Violet's [Purple Gale], while controlling it, I will be very vulnerable. Therefore, if there are enemies nearby, I switch to close range weapons like petal sword, which I'm pretty good at it.

Lord: So, you are about the same level as Violet in combat?

Almond: Yes, my lord, but we are different. Violet can neutralize an army of armed enemy, men, goblins, orcs, don't matter, in one strike. Even most of them won't die immediately, you might not be surprised that most enemy will stop fighting when they have a few holes through their body. However, she is relatively vulnerable at close range because she lacks evasion and defensive skill. She could do best with another maiden protecting her.

Lord: Damn, that's a little bit scary. She is more powerful than she looks.

Violet: I heard that. Thank you for the powerful part. About the scary part, I won't kill anyone or anything indiscriminately, if that's what you're worrying. However, I'm very angry when my flowers are producing so much nectar and not a single soul wants to eat them.

Lord: Alrite..alrite.. You absolutely don't need to make a death threat. I will try it. Hmm...as expected, a taste of slightly sweet, faint beautiful smell that can calm your mind, just like your flower, Violet.

Violet: Here's more, my lord. Take these flowers and eat all nectar in them. Due to its specific nature, my flowers produce loads of nectar all by themself without the need to massage them out like Ruby, or do you prefer to massage it out yourself?

Lord: No, no. Who would ever want to go through that kind of trouble? And what about you....

Almond, jumping away: No..no..no. Almonds don't have nectar, my lord.

Violet: Or you are afraid of the juicing process. Hmm....?

Lord: She doesn't want to, or she doesn't have it. Doesn't matter. I'm OK with both cases. Each and every maidens shall have their own free will.

Almond is blushing a lot.

Almond: For now I can give you these small white petals, my lord. They're edible.

Lord: Hmm...soft petals with an intense nutty taste of almond. Quite delicious, Almond.

Almond: And I really don't have nectar, as far as I know, but if you really want to make sure.......

[A few seconds later]

Lord: Are you about say something?

Almond: No...no my lord. Let us get back to the discussion about our power.

Almond: Although I am lower than Violet in overall destructive power, I'm better at solo mission, my lord. I can use my black seeds to kill several enemies from afar, then if some can still get close, I will kill them with my petal swords.

Lord: Violet can't create petal swords?

Violet: Yes, I can, but...

Almond: Most of the maidens can create simple thing like petal swords because it's basically our petals. However, Violet's swords are not as useful because she doesn't have the skill to use it.

Lord: Oh, and Lily?

Almond: She can cast several water shots in one strike, attacking enemy at medium range. She can also use other water-based magic too, and she is pretty good at close range combat. I heard this from Sola. Not many people have seen her fight because she is always in her jar.

Lily seems to be upset.

Lord: Hey, Lily, we have been walking for only 15 minutes and you are tired?

Lily: No, not physically. I just miss my water jar. Wow, Look!. There is a pond over there.

Lily jumps into the pond without delay.

Lily: Ahh...water. The origin of life.

Lord: Her long jet-black hair flows along with water in the crystal-clear pond, making her looks really beautiful as if she is some kind of water deity. She is beautiful just like most of the maidens....

Lord: Except Wevil.

Lily: What are you mumbling about? Jump in, my lord.

Lord: Shall we.. oh... everyone is already in the water, even Almond.

Almond: Our bodies need some water, at least from time to time. For Lily, she needs it more frequent because she is a water plant, but I'm sure she doesn't need it all the time. She is just too lazy to come out of her water jar.

Lily: I will have some cute children.

Lord: You will, Lily.

Lily: In fact, I already have some.

Lord: Huh!

Lily: Like a few hundreds..

Lord: Wha..?

Lily: But I think most of them are dead though.

Lord: What? How?

Lily: I'm not sure exactly. I am in my water jar all the time.

Lord: Whaaat! What kind of a mother.... Oh wait, I have a hunch that there could be some sorts of plant-ish explanation.

Violet: She can grow what she calls "fluffy" through budding process, my lord. It's a small white ball of fluffy thingy a size of small coconut. I don't see them around the castle lately. Perhaps all of them is dead like she said.

Lily: The next fluffy season almost come. I will give you some, my lord.

Lord: Are they some kind of an object to her?

Violet: To her they probably are, but plant and human are different. I think we shouldn't use the same standard to judge each other.

Lord: Well said, Violet.

Almond: Hmm... water feels so nice...mumble...mumble.

[Water yggdrasil]

Lily: Yes, my hometown. I miss it so much.

Lord: Huh, it's just 30 minutes of human walk from the castle. I'm sure you come here within 5 minutes...

Lily: But I love my jar more.

Lord: Suit yourself.

Violet: Look at the giant water tree, my lord. It grows on a big lake, now the lake looks much smaller.

Lord: Wow. Even it's only half the size of the main yggdrasil, it's still so big.

Almond: It's a part of the main yggdrasil tree, and in fact the same tree. Their roots are connected, my lord.

Trent1, passing by: Welcome back, Princess Lily.

Lily: Oh.

Trent2, passing by: Princess Lily.

Trent3, standing nearby: Princess Lily is back.

Trent4 bows to Lily.

[A moment of silence later]

Lord: It's your cue to say something, Lily.

Lily: Oh, I'm not exactly sure why myself, but I have some idea. Let find my friend Minny first. She is probably a guardian of this area right now, and I'm sure she can explain this princess thing.

Lily: Hi, Trent3, or whatever your name are, do you know where Minny's residence is?