We returned to Alka without stopping in Krater, as planned, after leaving the Krater Labyrinth.
This time, besides aiming for Grand Silk Crawlers and Royal Crawlers, our objective was to get Alice to form a Summon Contract with some Silkest Crawlers, both of which were successfully accomplished. I believe we should release the Silkest Crawlers in the courtyard of the beast carriage into Alka Forest as soon as possible, so our plan to go to Krater is for tomorrow.
Since Crawler species prefer Fusang leaves, we went to the Gagun Great Forest and planted about 30 Fusang trees in Alka Forest. I’m glad Alice was able to contract with them safely.
Planting trees requires Tree Magic, and only Mana, Rika, and Carol can use it with the Wing Crest. Thus, we had to have Carol help us. I feel bad that I burdened Carol because Mana and Rika, being pregnant, couldn’t be brought along.
Fusang trees have mangrove-like roots, and their trunks, leaves, and flowers resemble camellias. They are also top-class timber, and they grow large and thick. For this reason, they only grow near water, but not all of them grow out of the water. The Fusang trees in the Gagun Great Forest are similar; over 90% grow from the seabed, but up to the area near the Gagun Labyrinth, they grow from regular ground. This time, we only took about 30 Fusang trees from that area. The Gagun Great Forest is within the Valt Beast Duchy, so we properly obtained permission from Duke Valt, Neige.
“Alice, how are the Silkest Crawlers?”
“Some of them are a little hesitant, but overall they don’t seem to dislike it.”
That’s good. I’ve heard that some summoned beasts and familiars can be a bit disoriented until they get used to their environment, so it would be no surprise if some of the ten Silkest Crawlers felt that way. On the other hand, some adapted quickly and one is already climbing the largest Fusang tree in the center.
“Kant, Nonno. As I mentioned earlier, the Silkest Crawlers are being let loose here, so please look after Alice for me.”
“Leave it to us.”
“The Fusang trees have also rooted well, so I believe the Silkest Crawlers will be able to live here without worry.”
They’ve rooted, huh? We brought the Fusang trees two months ago, but we were told Alka might not have enough water, so hearing this puts my mind at ease.
Fusang trees grow from the ground, but more often grow in water. The Gagun Great Forest is a prime example of this, and much of the Haura Great Forest also grows in ponds, lakes, and swamps. Therefore, Alka also involved some modifications to a pond within the forest and planted Fusang trees there. Since it wasn’t a very large pond, we had to expand the river and the pond itself, which was quite a major undertaking. We were also told there was a high possibility of insufficient water volume, so we gave the abyssal fall magic stone to Conrull, the homunculus in charge of Alka’s magic tools, and had him create a magic tool to increase the water volume. The water produced by the magic tool contained no nutrients, so we had to buy fertilizer and search for beneficial insects to enrich Alka’s soil, which was quite a lot of work. Therefore, I am truly happy to hear that they have rooted successfully.
“If Carol hadn’t helped, they might not have rooted for a while longer.”
“Tree Magic, huh?”
“Yes. Shiriy also helped, but even so, it was difficult for the two of us.”
The homunculus Kant said it was difficult even with Shiriy, the head homunculus, helping him. That must have been really tough. Homunculi can hunt monsters up to B-rank alone and are level 60. As they are life forms created by the gods to manage Alka, they can generally use all Tree Magic, although their proficiency may vary. However, they do not seem to level up or evolve. Their magic capacity is based on Fairy Halves, making them equivalent to High Class, but the fact that it was still difficult suggests that rooting them was that much harder. Thanks to that, they have successfully rooted, and we were able to release the Silkest Crawlers. I am truly grateful for that.
“Thank you, Kant, Nonno.”
“There’s no need for thanks. Managing Alka’s mountains and forests is my job.”
“Managing the familiars is my role. Thanks to Alice’s help, I’m quite relieved.”
Butlers and homunculi cooperate in the maintenance and management of Alka and Hinomoto Mansion, so they are quite close. Alice is also often seen with Kant and Nonno, whose assignments are similar.
“Speaking of which, is Atuy not involved in this matter?”
Although there is a small pond and the river has been expanded, Atuy, who is in charge of lakes and rivers, is nowhere to be seen.
“He helps out occasionally, but since this is within the forest, it falls under my jurisdiction.”
“The Fusang trees that we couldn’t plant here were moved to the lake, so we’ve asked Atuy to manage those as well.”
I didn’t know they had planted Fusang trees in the lake too. Indeed, there were 30 Fusang trees brought from the Gagun Great Forest, and we planted 20 here, but I thought the rest were processed into lumber. Well, I *do* recall saying that they could do whatever they wanted with the Fusang trees we didn’t plant, so planting them in the lake isn’t exactly wrong.
“Frow became interested while we were planting, and with Flamm’s approval, we decided to plant them in the lake. Given the location, only Atuy can use Tree Magic, and they don’t seem to have rooted yet.”
“Does that mean you planted them in the lake?”
“That’s what I heard.”
It’s true that Fusang trees grow even from the seabed, but the ones we brought grew from ordinary ground, right? Can they really grow properly if planted in a lake?
“That’s fine, but since it’s underwater, the effectiveness of Tree Magic is reduced, so it’s taking longer.”
So that’s why it’s taking time for them to root. Being underwater means that not even Mana or Rika could use Tree Magic, let alone Carol. Flamm and Rebecca can move freely underwater, but since neither of them can use Tree Magic, it truly comes down to Atuy, who is based on a Fairy Half-Undine.
“Are they likely to root?”
“It seems to be taking a bit longer, but they seem to be fine. Frow apparently comes to check on them every day, and I’ve heard Flamm sometimes accompanies him.”
I don’t think Fusang trees were part of the habitat for Ridoceros. I don’t know why Frow became interested, but it’s common for individuals to have different preferences, so it’s likely just Frow’s preference.
“I understand. I’ll go check on them myself in the near future. Kant, Nonno, Alice. I’m going back to Hinomoto Mansion for a bit, but if anything happens, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Alka Forest is a bit vague as a name, so let’s call it Fusang Pond. Some of the Fusang trees appear to be growing entirely from within the pond, but most are adjacent to it, with a few growing completely separate from it. The Silkest Crawlers that are still hesitant seem to be clustered around the Fusang trees away from the pond, but a few have jumped onto the Fusang trees growing from the pond. The one Alice contracted fifth, whose magic wavelength is closest, is boldly climbing the giant tree in the center of the pond. I have a feeling that one might evolve not too far in the future.
Crawler species look like hairy caterpillars, and it’s known that they grow larger when they evolve. However, what they become when they grow is actually almost entirely unknown. There is a moth monster called Silkest Scale, and if you’re lucky, you can get silk from it. Because of this, it’s speculated that Crawlers might evolve into Silkest Scales when they grow. However, Silkest Scales are, in a way, even rarer than Anomaly Species or Catastrophe Species, and you can’t always get silk from them. Therefore, the Scholar’s Guild is researching them, and there seem to be many petitions to use MARS for this purpose. Silkest Scales are S-N rank monsters, like Crawlers, but even higher-ranking or rare species have not been sighted in labyrinths, making them truly mysterious monsters.
A similar monster is the Caterpillar, a T-rank monster. Since it’s T-rank, even children can hunt it, and the silk they produce is often used for everyday clothing, so many seamstresses employ them. It is said that quite a few people have evolved them to the Anomaly Species Angora Caterpillar, and even to the Catastrophe Species Cashmere Caterpillar. Because they are relatively easy to evolve, research is progressing, and the ecology of Caterpillars is understood.
When we heard that even Anomaly or Catastrophe species were relatively easy to evolve, we considered forming a Summon Contract with Caterpillars. However, Angora Caterpillars are B-I rank, and even Cashmere Caterpillars are S-C rank. In terms of the Monster Rank, there was only doubt as to whether they could withstand the magic of the Ancient Class. Anomaly species are said to be one rank higher, and Catastrophe species two ranks higher. This would make Cashmere Caterpillars equivalent to P-rank, but it is only equivalent, not an actual rank. Therefore, we bought fabric made from Cashmere Caterpillar silk and tried it out. As expected of fabric made from Catastrophe species’ thread, it cost a fortune, and it couldn’t withstand it, as predicted. This is precisely why the option of Caterpillars was eliminated, leaving only Crawlers as our choice. It would be a different story if they could evolve to Demise Species, but for most monsters, including Caterpillars, the Demise Species is unknown by name. Even for those said to be easy to evolve, only a handful of people have managed to evolve them to Cashmere Caterpillars, so it’s simply not realistic.
Currently, I’m more interested in whether the evolved form of the Crawler is the Silkest Scale. Prototypes of MARS are in the Crafting Hall, and since Crawlers are only about 50 centimeters long, investigation can be done at any time. However, if we were to do it ourselves, it would take away the work of the scholars currently researching them, so we haven’t gone that far. A plan is underway in Alegria to clear the Torrent Forest near Glacian and build a MARS-exclusive facility there. Also, since we’ve hunted a large number of Grand Silk Crawlers, we’re not that desperate for resources.
The MARS facility planned for construction on the outskirts of Glacian will be even larger than Memoria General Academy, and will have three MARS units. One unit will be in the Coliseum for combat training, but the other two will be purely for research. I believe it would be better to install them in a facility slightly larger than a gymnasium, rather than the Coliseum. We have informed His Majesty Gryphina, the Beast King of Alegria, of this plan, and I am sure they will select the site accordingly.
Thinking about these things, I began to walk back to Hinomoto Mansion at a leisurely pace.
