I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 692

The Elf Queen, Elia, possessed a steadfast consistency, unlike other politicians who had no consistency at all.

That was her absolute sincerity toward planting trees. It was a hobby and close to a belief that she had consistently cherished from childhood until now.

Had someone once said? Even if the world ends tomorrow, I will plant an apple tree today.

Deeply inspired by these words, Elia had consistently encouraged tree planting, and it was no different even after she ascended the throne as Queen.

Of course, trees from Alfheim sucked up the surrounding soil nutrients and caused desertification, but that didn’t matter to Elia.

She simply wanted to plant one more tree. This was directly and indirectly connected to Alfheim’s expansionism, making it even easier.

Many people thought Elia’s tree planting was a mere concept, but it was not at all.

Elia truly loved trees, and she kept tree planting engraved in her heart and put it into practice.

"You. Listen to me carefully."

[I am listening, Contractor.]

"You brought me to this forest, and we arrived at the Mothership. Correct?"

[That is correct. The contract with the Contractor has been established.]

Even when a sudden variable occurred—one so severe that all originally established plans were disrupted—it was no different.

Although she had set foot in the Forest of the Four Seasons unintentionally, she had saplings prepared just in case.

Before heading to the border, she had stockpiled those saplings in the Ghost Ship in advance.

Therefore, even in the Forest of the Four Seasons, it meant the contract could still be fulfilled.

"Then you will have to help me plant trees. Because the contract I made with you is not over yet."

[Verifying contract.]

At those words, the Ghost Ship’s artificial intelligence re-verified the contract made with Elia. Seeing this, Elia gulped without realizing it.

When she first made a contract with the Ghost Ship, she thought her head would explode. It was so bad that she even had to put her head together with that annoying Senate.

As a legacy of the gods, the Ghost Ship’s intelligence was extremely high. However, it wasn’t without ’loopholes.’

The most representative example was a paradox. Unlike humans who would cleanly give up when a paradox occurred, the Ghost Ship took time to process it.

Of course, the time it took to realize it was a paradox was much shorter than a human’s. However, once it went through that process, its ’intelligence’ temporarily degraded.

Since it was a machine and not an actual human, its computational ability could be seen as dropping drastically. Elia targeted this point.

[Contract verified. The transaction with the Contractor is valid.]

"Phew..."

It seemed the contract she had written by exploiting that gap was still valid. Elia let out a sigh of relief.

However, she had only put out the immediate fire(?), and the fact that this was the Forest of the Four Seasons remained unchanged.

What kind of place was the Forest of the Four Seasons? It was a magical hellscape that would only make one’s mouth sore to explain.

Even if it was a region where one could live comfortably, one could not leave unless under specific circumstances.

At least Ludwig had met Grylls, and furthermore, due to various overlapping circumstances, had managed to get out.

’I... I won’t be so lucky.’

On the other hand, Elia was not.

She was the leader of Alfheim, who usually caused trouble for neighboring countries by pursuing expansionism.

She hadn’t lost a political struggle like Ludwig either. She had entered the Forest of the Four Seasons due to a pure accident.

From Grylls’s perspective, there was no reason or value in saving the Elf Queen.

Therefore, rather than harboring vain hopes, Elia focused on the reality before her eyes.

Although the fact that her reality was planting trees felt like madness in many ways.

"By the way, where are we going?"

[We are heading toward the confirmed coordinates of the Mothership.]

"And once we reach the Mothership?"

[The Contractor will plant trees, and I will repair the Mothership.]

Even planting trees was not as easy as expected. First of all, it was the place where the Ghost Ship had arrived.

The Ghost Ship, which had entered the Forest of the Four Seasons, traveled for about three days, during which it encountered numerous natural environments.

A volcanic zone that spewed lava like a backflowing toilet, or an ocean inhabited by sea monsters beyond imagination.

Finally, after passing through snowy mountains where freezing northern winds raged, they arrived at a plateau where the end of the world was nowhere in sight.

Fortunately, emergency rations had been packed in the Ghost Ship, so she didn’t starve to death.

"Ugh... I-it’s too cold..."

[The Tibetan Plateau is located at an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level, with long winters and short summers.]

"M-Mountain wasn’t even this bad..."

Mothership or not, she had almost frozen to death. Alfheim was a land flowing with milk and honey, with warm temperatures most of the year except for winter.

For Elia, who was born and raised in such an environment, it was extremely difficult to endure this cold.

Since this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, she couldn’t even use magic, so she had no choice but to shiver in the cold.

A Mothership that filled the vast land? She was surprised at first, but once the harsh reality hit, she had no room to care about it.

In particular, Elia was wearing a flowing dress to show off her dignity as the Elf Queen.

With her shoulders fully exposed and her above-average chest emphasized, she was highly vulnerable to the cold.Follow the newest chapters on n​ovelping.com.

Therefore, it was somewhat difficult for her to endure the generally chilly weather of the plateau, so she set to work as quickly as possible.

"F-f-first, I must plant trees...! Once they grow quickly, I must l-light a campfire...!"

[....]

Elia’s determination to never give up on planting trees until the very end.

Whether the Ghost Ship was lost for words at that determination, or simply doing its job after finding the Mothership, it did not reply.

Thus, Elia brought the saplings stockpiled in the Ghost Ship and planted them on the vast plateau.

Although the Tibetan Plateau rarely received rain, the mana of the land itself was so abundant that there was no problem.

Swuuuk!

"Woah..."

Elia couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of the sapling growing rapidly as soon as she planted it.

She had wanted to plant Alfheim trees in the Forest of the Four Seasons if she ever got the chance, and it felt as if that dream had partially come true.

’No. The Chief God is already cherishing the World Tree, isn’t -nim?’

It was a wish that had been half-fulfilled from the start. That was why she planted the saplings even more diligently.

Of course, apart from planting the saplings, she broke off a few branches to light a campfire.

With no help from the Gallery and unable to use mana or magic, she had to light a campfire using pure survival knowledge.

Since she had only packed emergency rations and a few non-food items in the Ghost Ship, things related to survival were severely lacking.

Chiiiik!

"O-oh! It caught fire!"

Fortunately, she had a lens for eye protection, so lighting a fire wasn’t difficult.

While someone else lit fires with an Ignition Stone with the help of the Gallery, Elia was living in true wild conditions.

In any case, she was able to prevent freezing to death from hypothermia, but this was merely putting out the immediate fire.

The plateau the Ghost Ship had brought her to was endlessly vast, with wild animals occasionally passing by.

For Elia, who was infinitely weak without mana, she couldn’t move around carelessly.

She couldn’t use the Gallery like Grylls, nor had she received a sword right before entering like Ludwig.

Fortunately, thanks to the Ghost Ship, she had never been directly attacked, but the fact that she could do nothing remained the same.

’If there is any consolation, it’s that night doesn’t fall...’

Since the morning sun was up all day, depression didn’t easily find her.

Furthermore, while focusing on repairing the Mothership, the Ghost Ship occasionally conversed with Elia.

She was slightly lonely, but it was a situation where solitude wasn’t deeply felt. Thus, Elia gathered more strength.

"I will turn this plateau into a forest!"

[I express my admiration for the Contractor’s ambition.]

"Mhm! Indeed! Even the legacy of the gods acknowledges it! And don’t you need timber to repair the Mothership, the Mechanical Kraken? If you help me, I will take charge of the timber!"

[Affirmative. Timber is required for Mothership repairs. If there is anything you need, just speak.]

Elia’s adaptability was either amazing or crazy, depending on how one looked at it.

Not only this, but she also had the ability to willingly spend whatever cards she held to receive help from others.

Spending time like that, she was able to steadily plant trees.

But...

’The food is running out...’

There was no way to handle the food that was gradually being depleted.

Although they were products easy to store, a week was the maximum.

Even if she rationed it, it would run out in ten days. After that, she would have no choice but to go hunting.

The problem was that, given Elia’s physical abilities, hunting wild animals was something she couldn’t even dream of.

Also, since this was the Forest of the Four Seasons, even small animals possessed bizarre abilities.

This alone was hopeless, but to make matters worse, the Ghost Ship caused trouble.

"Meeee! Meee!"

"W-why did you capture a goat?"

[To inject power into the Mothership.]

"..."

It had captured every single animal in the vicinity and fed them to the Mechanical Kraken.

Elia felt a chill at the Ghost Ship, which treated living creatures as mere ’power.’

Those words meant that, if push came to shove, she could also be used as a power source.

’Is that also why you steadily grew timber? Because timber can also be used as power...’Follow the newest chapters on nоvelping.com.

After a brief moment of horror, she spun her brain rapidly. Why had the Ghost Ship left her alone?

Consequently, she could conclude that she was seen as an asset capable of steadily supplying timber. That was why she planted trees even more diligently.

Well, Elia herself liked planting trees, so there was no reason for them to interfere with each other.

"Haa..."

She was simply frustrated because she couldn’t think of a way to escape this vast land.

It would take a long time for the Ghost Ship to repair the Mechanical Kraken, and even if it was fast, it was dangerous.

Because the Mechanical Kraken had raided Grylls’s dwelling and kidnapped numerous living creatures.

Elia thought she might face such a fate as well, but soon returned to her positive mindset.

’Even if I die, I will plant a tree until the very end.’

One had to admit her mental strength was extraordinary.

If she had steadily ruled Alfheim, she would have exerted a massive influence on world politics.

Swuuuk!

"Heh."

Elia wore a proud expression as the sapling she planted grew in an instant.

You say nothing will change by doing this? So what?

Grylls had also reached his current strength step by step, and planting trees was no different.

She would not stop until she covered this vast plateau with Alfheim trees one day.

It was just when she made that resolve. As usual, the Ghost Ship returned with materials needed for repairs.

Elia also stopped paying attention to the Ghost Ship and focused solely on planting trees.

That was the only way she could keep her sanity without going crazy. Well, she wasn’t exactly sane right now either.

[Approaching entity detected.]

"Huh?"

Elia showed a puzzled expression at the Ghost Ship’s words.

The Ghost Ship had never said such a thing before.

Although foxes or packs of animals had passed nearby, it had ignored them even then.

Therefore, Elia looked around to identify who was approaching. Since it was a place where night didn’t fall, checking the surroundings was not difficult.

"...Uh?"

Soon, Elia could see with her own eyes. Entities walking from afar.

One was a human, and the other was an entity that looked like a human.

The last was a horse clad in iron armor and a knight riding atop it.

The space above the knight’s shoulders was empty, looking not like a human but a Dullahan.

"...Uh? Uh?"

As they drew closer, Elia couldn’t help but be flustered. That was because they looked all too familiar.

In particular, if nothing else, she could never forget the man in the center. The person currently receiving the highest level of attention in the world.

The one who had scattered big and small influences across the world, starting with saving the corrupt Holy Kingdom through the Hero.

The god who was gradually awakening as the Chief God.

Finally, the person who had grown the World Tree sapling given by Elia—Grylls.

Although a strange expression was mixed in at the end, Elia didn’t care. That was the most important part, so why would she care?

Elia’s mind became complicated as she watched Grylls drawing closer.

’What is this? Why has Grylls... no, the Chief God-nim come? Was he-nim exploring?’

She didn’t care whether it was exploration or rescue. This was close to destiny, not a coincidence.

Once her train of thought reached that point, Elia wore the brightest smile in the world.

Subsequently, she knelt toward Grylls, clasped her hands, and prayed reverently.

It was a natural consequence that Grylls’s party, who were drawing close, faltered at that posture.

"Thank you! Chief God-isiyeo!"

On the surface, it looked like a stranded person and a rescue team coming to save her, but...

"As expected, the Chief God-nim was also cheering me on!"

To Elia, all of this simply felt like destiny.

And Grylls, hearing this...

"...What did that person say?"

"I do not know that language."

"Do you know, Cain-ssi?"

"I only know the ancient language of Alfheim. It seems to have changed as they unified their civilization."

Since they didn’t know the language of Alfheim at all, they couldn’t understand what she had said.