I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 274

Grylls spent his days in an unchanging routine alongside his worker, Ggansu.

Working in the forge, training, or mining Mithril, just as he always did.

The squirrels and marmots hadn’t finished their work yet, and there was no telling when Ggansu’s comrades would arrive.

Being in a position where he couldn’t venture far from the shelter, he had to accomplish as much as possible with what he could do.

[Wild Grylls: Thank you. I feel like I’m always imposing on you.]

[Starlight Lady: Imposing? Not at all.]

But even so, he didn’t sit idly by regarding the things he needed to do.

One of those things was receiving Elixirs from Starlight Lady.

Whenever Grylls received an Elixir, he expressed his gratitude every single time.

[Wild Grylls: Next time I find better medicinal herbs than these, I’ll give them to you. Mature Mandrakes are getting cliché, right?]

[Starlight Lady: If you posted that on the Gallery, people would curse at you for flexing, you know?]

Ever since consuming the Pumpkin Jack Inner Core, Grylls had become capable of distinguishing high-quality medicinal herbs.

However, he didn’t know the exact details of what effects those herbs possessed.

Therefore, he had been sending them as gifts to acquaintances like Allfather or Starlight Lady.

In particular, he gifted Starlight Lady far more frequently than Allfather, owing to the Elixirs.

Even so, Grylls always apologized to Starlight Lady, saying he was sorry he could only offer things like this.

’You’re sorry you can only give me this? What a truly interesting person.’

Starlight Lady examined the herbs Grylls had sent one by one.

Silver Lilies, Gold Herbs, Blue Forget-Me-Nots, Vigor Mushrooms, and so on.

Every single one of them was a herb boasting tremendous value.

Especially when judged by their "rarity," they were exceptionally precious.

Even a ducal house could obtain them, but only after investing a considerable amount of time and money.

’Wait, isn’t this Blue Poppy?’

Among them were even herbs with a high potential to be used as "narcotics." Highly dangerous herbs.

Of course, if properly refined, it could be converted into a magnificent painkiller.

It was just that Grylls lacked the capability to do so. He was far removed from herbalism and alchemy, after all.

’Instead of that dwarf, he should’ve asked me to teach him too.’

Perhaps because of this, Starlight Lady grumbled with a slight tinge of disappointment. She had been diligently writing a diary.

As one might notice, it was a diary chronicling Grylls’s exploits, written based on the posts he uploaded to the Gallery.

Though her research into the Forest of the Four Seasons showed little progress, the records themselves were steadily accumulating.

Recently, as if he had taken a liking to forging, he had been steadily posting the tools he crafted himself.

’I suppose it can’t be helped since he’s a busy man.’

If Grylls wanted to learn alchemy, she would willingly teach him.

Naturally, without demanding anything in return. He was the person who had saved her life out of pure goodwill, after all.

’By the way, a goblin... He won’t be in danger, right?’

The recent records pertained to the new worker, a goblin named "Ggansu."

A goblin that had not only broken into the shelter but also attempted to steal arrows.

Normally, it would be right to kill it, but he had spared its life because its intelligence was extraordinary.

’Judging by what he posts on the Gallery, it seems less like a goblin and more like an ordinary person... Well, it is the Forest of the Four Seasons, after all.’

There was no need to overthink it. The Forest of the Four Seasons was a place that lightly shattered common sense.

More important to Starlight Lady was the Forest of the Four Seasons itself.

As she had confidently promised before, she steadily conducted research related to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

But the deeper she delved, the more she came to realize one stark fact.

’Now I understand why even the dragons gave up.’

The Forest of the Four Seasons was a Rubik’s cube. A cube that shifted on its own at specific intervals.

Even if the coordinates of an escape route were fixed, the probability of actually reaching that spot was astronomically low.

Crucially, the location of the escape route itself was completely unknown. Relying on divine luck was the best one could do.

’The world is made of rules. That much is certain.’

In exchange for being cursed with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, Starlight Lady had gained a genius brain.

Thanks to that, mathematically analyzing various natural laws was child’s play for her.

Nature was no different. Even lightning, once called "the power of the gods," could be interpreted mathematically.

Magic was simply dropping artificial lightning through that mathematical interpretation.

’The power of the gods is not divine authority. It is superior intellectual capacity and knowledge.’

Normally, as science develops, the influence of religion wanes.

But this world was the opposite. The more science advanced, the higher the status of the gods rose.

For even if mortal minds discovered various theories and laws, the gods had already known all of them beforehand.

’Still... could even the gods truly comprehend the Forest of the Four Seasons?’

Starlight Lady did not doubt the knowledge held by the gods. However, the Forest of the Four Seasons was different.

Just when she thought she had unraveled a tangled skein, another tangled knot of thread lay hidden inside.

"Haa..."

Starlight Lady let out a sigh. It was hard to get a clear grasp on anything.

The biggest problem in analyzing the Forest of the Four Seasons was that absolutely no one had ever succeeded in "escaping."

Grylls was merely surviving inside; he was far from escaping.

’Though there is someone who stepped a foot inside and returned.’

The Mage King, Kadir.

A human who, before Grylls’s appearance, had experienced at least a glimpse of the Forest of the Four Seasons.

For this reason, even if she wanted to formally seek his advice, it was far from easy. He was, first and foremost, an eccentric who spent all his time shut inside the Magic Tower.

On top of that, word was that he had recently attained enlightenment and needed time to organize his thoughts, or something along those lines.

’It would be wonderful if that man helped.’

Even for a ducal house, formally making a request to the Magic Tower was a difficult matter.You are reading on nove⁠lping.com, the official source.

To begin with, the Magic Tower was located in the Iris Kingdom, the empire’s rival.

It wasn’t that there was no way at all... but even that was uncertain.

Starlight Lady sighed at the clue that just wouldn’t untangle.

’The Forest of the Four Seasons is one thing, but...’

Analyzing the Forest of the Four Seasons alone was dizzying enough, but there was a part that was even more baffling.

The global situation? She didn’t care about that one bit.

After all, most of it was tied to Grylls anyway. Even the recently unveiled Artificial Guardian was connected to Grylls.

What she cared about far more was Grylls himself. At first, she had thought of him simply as a unique person.

Title) How’s my Body-Protecting Gangqi?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of Grylls with his entire body covered in blue)

Activated Body-Protecting Gangqi and it covered my whole body.

└ Heavenly Demon) That is Body-Protecting Gangqi? It seems utterly nonsensical...

└ Sword Matstar) Just accept it since it’s Grylls-nim. No, actually, don’t even try to understand.

└ Just how much mana does he have for it to be caked on like that?

└ Wow... that’s a seriously hideous Body-Protecting Gangqi lol

But as time passed, her thoughts changed. He was a truly bizarre individual.

Because she was the one constantly recording Grylls’s circumstances, it hit home all the more.

’It’s strange to call him just someone with extraordinary physical talent, too.’

Right now in the Messiah Empire, there was Ash, a Sword Master possessing supreme genius beyond the heavens.

Therefore, even if there was an existence comparable to her, it shouldn’t be strange.

Even accounting for that, Grylls was bizarre. Should she say his balance was grotesque?

’There’s no mention of Ludwig regaining his original power either.’

It had been over half a month since Ludwig, the Guardian of the Holy Kingdom, met Grylls.

Even so, without the Mythricon sword, Ludwig couldn’t unleash even 10% of his original power.

Grylls, on the other hand, was different. His mana surged relentlessly like bamboo shoots after rain.

Even taking into account the difference in talent between the two, it was exceedingly strange.

’Is it really because he came from another world? Because it was a world devoid of mana? Or could it be...’

That he was born and raised in an environment similar to the Forest of the Four Seasons?

"...That makes no sense."

Starlight Lady chuckled dryly. Some things made sense, and some things didn’t.

It was far more realistic to think the gods had personally brought him over and released him like an invasive species.

Crucially, regardless of what kind of existence Grylls was, the fact that he was a precious person to her remained unchanged.

’I will definitely pull you out of that hell.’

Starlight Lady clenched her fist tightly and picked up her pen.

Though her stray thoughts had dragged on, she could not stop her research.

Knock, knock, knock—

Just as she was about to shake off her thoughts and return to her research, someone knocked on the door.

The place Starlight Lady occupied was her private laboratory. Swiftly putting away her research materials, she spoke up.

"Who is it?"

[A guest has arrived, My Lady.]

A maid’s voice carried from beyond the door, delivering news of a guest’s arrival.

Hearing that message, Starlight Lady instantly realized who had come.

"I’ll be right out."

[Yes, My Lady.]

Starlight Lady changed out of her comfortable casual attire into a dress suitable for receiving guests.

Normally she would have openly displayed her annoyance, but the guest who had just visited was an honored one.

Soon, she arrived at the reception room where the guest was waiting.

"Hello, Count Menethil."

"It has been a while, Ducal Lady."

A familiar face was already waiting in the reception room.

A woman renowned as the continent’s greatest swordmaster, Ash Menethil.

It was a face she had seen during Arnold’s succession ceremony, but...

"..."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ah, no... It’s just that you’ve grown far more beautiful than back then..."

Starlight Lady was thoroughly flustered. She clearly remembered Ash’s face.

A youthful beauty relative to her age, combined with her distinct mature air.

But now, she exuded the youthful freshness of a maiden in her late teens.

The freshness emanating from her face harmonized exquisitely with the maturity of her vibe.

Blending together so exquisitely, even Starlight Lady could not help being bewildered.

’Did Grylls give her something strange again?’

An ordinary person would have simply marveled and moved on. But not Starlight Lady.

Having already deduced Ash’s forum username, she could not help thinking of Grylls.

"Ah. Yes. Well... I recently attained enlightenment."

Ash replied with a smile. She felt no reason to brag about it.

It might unnecessarily cause trouble for Grylls, and there was no answer more suitable than this.

’Whenever I said this in the past, everyone just bought it...’The source of this chapter is novelpin​g.com.

Would Starlight Lady be the same? Ash checked Starlight Lady’s reaction.

Though her expression was half-dubious, she seemed to let it pass for now.

Since they were partners (?) anyway, something of this scale could be passed off as a light incident.

"So, may I ask the reason you invited me?"

Ash asked while partaking in the refreshments prepared by the Duke’s house.

Though Starlight Lady had mentioned inviting her before, that was close to a polite greeting at best.

From Ash’s perspective, she hadn’t expected to actually be invited. There was surely an underlying motive.

’And that motive undoubtedly involves Grylls.’

Ash had also been watching Grylls steadily. At the same time, her ambition surged.

Because the speed at which he grew stronger was beyond compare. Even if that growth came from raw physical scale, it didn’t matter.

He just needed to beat her. Victory was all that mattered.

"Of course. Do you mind if I get straight to the point?"

"I’d prefer that."

"I need your name, Count... No, I need the name of a Sword Master."

"..."

Needing the name of a Sword Master. Ash flinched upon hearing those words.

If nothing else, it was a request fraught with political implications.

To Ash, who wanted nothing more than to roll around in bed and browse the Gallery all day, it was exceedingly bothersome.

However, this matter was tied to Grylls. To fulfill that small "desire" in her heart, she was willing to grant it.

"So you need my name... Does this involve His Imperial Majesty?"

"No. It concerns a foreign power."

"A foreign power..."

"The Magic Tower."

At the mention of the Magic Tower, Ash looked at Starlight Lady.

"Please help me if it allows me to meet the Mage King, Kadir."

"The Mage King, huh..."

Ash tilted her head up and looked at the ceiling. She too knew Kadir well.

The close friend of the Previous Hero, and the man standing at the pinnacle of all magic.

If the Messiah Empire had Ash, the Iris Kingdom had Kadir.

Though the Magic Tower itself couldn’t care less whether the Iris Kingdom collapsed or not.

Starlight Lady knew this as well, which was why she was asking to borrow her name.

"I’m sorry, but my name alone won’t be enough to draw the Mage King’s interest. You know that as well, right, Ducal Lady?"

That was why Ash offered a negative opinion. Kadir was a mage famous for being an eccentric.

He was notorious for refusing to spare even a glance at anything that failed to pique his interest.

He lightly ignored even the petitions of the Iris King; how much more so for a foreign Sword Master?

"I suppose so. But if we can capture his interest, the story changes."

"Interest?"

"The Forest of the Four Seasons. If it is the Mage King, he will surely take an interest in the Forest of the Four Seasons."

Borrowing Ash’s name was akin to securing an "entry ticket."

Since she needed a name renowned not just domestically, but globally.

Furthermore, if she brought up the hot topic of the Forest of the Four Seasons, even Kadir would express interest.

"Especially if he learns I have ties to Grylls-nim, he’ll be the one begging."

"Pardon? But..."

"Yes. My secret weakness might be exposed. But he is the man who saved my life."

Starlight Lady spoke in a voice filled with resolve, as though the risk of her fixed handle being exposed mattered little to her.

"Mustn’t I do at least this much to grasp a clue?"

"..."

Hearing that determination, Ash thought:

’Even if I died, I could never bring myself to say it.’

But did they know?

"Oh my, you sweet thing. How is it that no matter how much I dig, only new things keep popping out?"

[Looking at that perverted face of yours makes me sick every single time.]

That the Mage King had already achieved a modest breakthrough.

And that the achievement was an artifact from the Mythic Era, no less.

"Speaking of which, I recently invented a spell that allows undead to taste flavor."

[I mean to say your passionate drive is nice to see.]

The two women were completely unaware.

Meanwhile, at Grylls’s shelter.

"Um... Ggansu-ya."

"Kkiik?"

"You’ve got a lot of friends, huh?"

He too, much like Starlight Lady, was receiving guests.

"Kkekau. Kiririk. Kkeuereuk."

"Kaiku. Kirka. Karuka."

"What are they even saying?"

To be precise, they were guests.