I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 754

Lucas, whom I met after a long time, wasn’t much different from before.

Not only did he live with alcohol glued to his mouth, but he even taught the drinking culture to the Hobgoblin pilgrims.

Actually, drinking itself is a culture that has been practiced since before ancient times, even before history was recorded.

So there was no real reason to scold him, but I was worried he might teach them bad habits too.

You don’t have to look far—just look at the Dwarves. Aren’t they treating Lucas’s alcoholism as a realm of faith?

Because of this, the entire race lived with alcohol glued to their mouths, and while their life expectancy was longer than humans, their actual average lifespan became similar.

It was so bad that liver diseases and kidney stones became deeply rooted as chronic illnesses unique to their race.

To overcome this, I gave Passing Dwarf a recipe, but in the end, unless they quit drinking, it was nothing more than a temporary fix.

[Do you think I’d quit drinking because of that?]

"No. I don’t care if you drink, but please don’t spread weird cultures."

[You sound exactly like the Sovereign.]

Chiiik!

Lucas said as he cracked open a new beer can.

Even if I said more, he wouldn’t listen, and above all, his current body was a machine.

In fact, beer was practically his fuel, so it was weird to argue about it.

’In some manga, there’s a cyborg powered by cola, but here we have a cyborg powered by beer.’

After thinking that for a brief moment, I got straight to the point.

There were many reasons I came to Lucas’s flagship, but I brought up one of them.

"Lucas-ssi. You know about the Rose of Sharon, right?"

When I mentioned the Rose of Sharon, the cause of the recent descent incident, Lucas flinched.

Then, without even drinking the beer he had just opened, he looked at me and asked,

[The Rose of Sharon? Could it be the flower the Sovereign used to like?]

"Yes. It looks roughly like this."

Anticipating this, before visiting the flagship, I had gone to the Theme Park and plucked a Rose of Sharon.

I should have asked before, but I had forgotten about it back then.

Lucas stared intently at the Rose of Sharon, took a sip of beer, and spoke.

[It really is the flower the Sovereign liked. Where did this come from?]

"It was in the Theme Park I mentioned before."

[It’s a replica.]

"Yes. But I obtained Rose of Sharon seeds from there."

I mentioned the descent incident that broke out during the Heavenly God Martial Festival.

That when the Rose of Sharon fully bloomed, I was forcibly teleported there regardless of my will.

Lucas thought for a long time after hearing my story, then shrugged.

[Is that why you’re worrying about whether you’re a programmed machine?]

"Something like that. Because just like Cain-ssi was summoned, I was flown there regardless of my will."

[You don’t need to worry about that. It’s originally meant to be a forced summon. It looks like that bastard Aragon played a trick.]

"Could you tell me in detail?"

[Wait a bit. Let me drink some alcohol first.]

He was already drinking, yet he wanted to drink more. Still, I waited patiently.

Soon, after drinking almost half of his beer, Lucas offered an explanation.

[There’s a high probability that your blood, or more precisely, your genetic material, is contained in that seed.]

"My blood?"

[Yeah. Even twins or clones don’t have completely identical genes. Only one person can exist in the world. Especially for someone with as much mana as you or the Sovereign, it’s even harder to clone.]

Hearing that brought relief.

But regardless of being relieved, Aragon must have had a separate reason for making this.

When I mentioned this, Lucas brought up a fairly plausible hypothesis.

[You said you saw your clone in that Theme Park place, right? It seems he’s trying to clone you perfectly.]

"Didn’t you just say cloning is impossible?"

[At least it was until I ended up in this state. But a lot of time has passed since then, so who knows?]

It meant I couldn’t be completely at ease either, which only made me sigh.

Unless I personally uncovered Aragon’s sinister plot, it would be hard to dig up the exact cause and effect.

It seemed I would have to figure out his scheme while searching for the World Trees scattered all over the Forest of the Four Seasons.

[But let me ask you one thing.]

"Go ahead."

[Why does that woman keep staring at me?]

Lucas pointed somewhere with the hand holding his beer.

Turning my head to where he pointed, I saw Elia staring with an intense, overwhelming gaze.

Since it was probably her first time meeting a ’god’ in person, she must be feeling a mix of emotions.

’It’s quite amazing how she doesn’t cross the line.’

Considering her usual madness, it wouldn’t be surprising if she acted rudely to Lucas.

But perhaps because her grasp of reality was incredibly sharp, she just watched from a distance.

As if she wouldn’t approach unless Lucas and I gave direct permission.

"She’s probably just fascinated by you, Lucas-ssi. Oh, by the way, that Elf is the one I mentioned before."

[The Elf Queen from the outside, right? Finally, you too can leave behind descendants.]

Lucas snickered as he drank his beer.

Since it was a topic I was sick of hearing about anyway, I could only let out a dry laugh.

"Don’t talk nonsense."

[Pushing away a woman who approaches is just like the Sovereign too. I shall personally give you some water that boosts courage.]

"That’s alcohol. And if we cause trouble here, there’s really no hope."

I had already confirmed that there were women outside the Forest of the Four Seasons who harbored feelings for me.

Didn’t Ash even kiss me several times?

Maybe that’s why. Suddenly, I became curious about the Sovereign’s relationships with women.

"...The Sovereign you knew didn’t get married, right?"

[Probably?]

"You don’t sound sure."

[Because almost nothing was known about his past. Besides, he was someone far removed from women. I just figured there must have been some circumstances.]

It was at that moment.Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.

-Like this... it is....

-My name... is.... You are....

An unknown woman’s voice echoed in my head.

I shut my eyes tightly and massaged my temples.

The auditory hallucination was one thing, but a headache that felt like needles pricking my brain set in.

[What’s wrong? Did you drink yesterday?]

"Do you think my body is one to suffer from a hangover? It’s just... something crossed my mind for a moment."

Just like when I took photos with Ash last time, and in the past as well.

Every now and then, hearing hallucinations along with a needle-pricking pain in my head was quite a headache.

The moment I tried to delve deeper into those hallucinations, the headache intensified, making it difficult to investigate.

"Whew... Anyway, putting that aside, I have a question about weapons, specifically a bow."

[A bow? Come to think of it, it’s different from the bow I saw last time. Did it break or something?]

"Yes. So the one I’m using now is temporary."

After readily admitting it, I stated what I wanted.

"So I need either the bow the Sovereign used, or one comparable to it."

[...What?]

Lucas frowned, as if he had misheard.

Since it was a reaction I had roughly expected, I explained in more detail.

"It’s because I don’t know if the bow I currently have can withstand my strength. That’s why I need a new one."

[So you’re asking me to make a bow on par with the one the Sovereign used, is that it?]

"If possible."

[It’s impossible.]

Lucas replied flatly, as if there was no need to even think about it.

Disappointment welled up, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Rather, the question "Why?" came to mind first.

"Why is that?"

[Before that, do you even know what material the arrows you have are made of?]

"I don’t."

I thought of the Dark Arrow.

The arrow that had absorbed all of my mana when subjugating the Bone Dragon.

Since its power was too devastating to shoot at a human, I hadn’t used it in the duel with Ash.

[It’s made by processing the roots of the World Tree. The roots of the World Tree are the best substance in the world at absorbing mana.]

"Mhm! Mhm!"

"...."

Elia, why on earth are you nodding with such a proud expression?

Still, since she was just watching without interrupting, I left her be.

[The Sovereign’s bow is even worse than that. It’s one of the creations I never want to make again.]

"That means its power is peerless."

[Beyond peerless, it doesn’t shoot arrows, it shoots missiles. It’s practically a weapon that contains an entire fully-grown World Tree.]

The materials were one thing, but since the current state of the flagship was not very good, making it was impossible.

Therefore, I had no choice but to find it myself or look for the blacksmith.

However, there was a high probability that Aragon currently occupied the blacksmith.

Since the Divine Blacksmith wouldn’t just be for making weapons.

He would have done everything possible within the scope of crafting.

"In the end, I have no choice but to search for it myself."

[Even if you find it, I don’t know if you can use it properly. You’re already struggling with a single arrow, so a bow is out of the question.]

"We’ll have to wait and see about that."

[Of course you would say that.]

Lucas smirked and drained the rest of his beer.

Seeing him shake out the very last drop, I thought it was very typical of him.

Beer and alcohol were overflowing right now, so did he really need to drink like that?

[Kkeuuk. That was good. Time to try something else.]

"In moderation... sigh. Never mind. Just drink as much as you want."

[I was planning to anyway. By the way, is our conversation over?]

"For now."

[Perfect timing. Hey! You pointy-ear over there!]

"...."

A racial slur served directly by a god. For a moment, I was speechless.

I knew his personality was eccentric, but to think he would throw racial slurs without hesitation.

But Elia seemed completely unfazed by such remarks, running over with a delighted expression.

"Yes! Lucas-nim! What is it!"

[It’s not me, you’re the one who has business. Is there something you want to ask?]

"I want to ask what kind of tree was the origin of the World Tree!"

That tree-love of hers is the same even in front of a god. Truly consistent.

As I smirked at this, Lucas pondered for a moment before speaking.

[Well. The World Tree isn’t my area of expertise, so it’s hard to say for sure. But I can tell you this. The World Tree is an intelligent life form based on a tree.]

"Do you mean it has a consciousness?"

[It’s half-plant, half-animal. It was created through a collaboration between Alpha, Sera, and finally Alund.]

Alpha was the god of the beastfolk and the progenitor of all beastfolk, and Sera was a botanist.

Finally, Alund was a being who displayed outstanding expertise in AI and mechanical engineering.

’Alpha is missing, Sera vanished before my eyes, and Alund lost his life to Aris.’

However, Alund’s death was not entirely certain.

After all, Lucas himself had transferred his consciousness into a machine and was active and well.

With Aris running amok like that, wouldn’t he have prepared a backup?

Since Lucas had said something similar, I couldn’t let my guard down.

"I see! Then how can I take better care of the World Tree?"

[....]The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.

Did he read the madness in Elia’s eyes?

Lucas, pulling a new can of beer from the fridge, looked at me.

His expression was filled with the unspoken question, Is she always like this?

I simply responded with a shrug.

[Well... if you say so, I shall personally tell you.]

"Really? Thank you!"

[As I said earlier, the World Tree is a plant with intelligence. In other words, it can also taste food. Giving it alcohol instead of watering it wouldn’t be a bad idea.]

"...Pardon?"

Hearing such an bizarre answer, Elia made a face that was rarely seen on her.

An expression bordering on denial of reality, wondering if what she heard was actually true.

No matter how crazy Elia was, it seemed she had never thought of giving it alcohol instead of water.

[Why that face? Since there’s even alcohol made for pets, you can certainly give alcohol to the World Tree.]

"Is... is that really okay?"

[If you don’t believe me, you don’t have to do it. The choice is yours.]

"Umm... then, instead of alcohol, I can give it a beverage with other flavors!"

[Never give it saltwater. If you give it that, it’ll hang you upside down.]

"I’ve already been hung upside down, though?"

[....]

This time, Lucas was at a loss for words.

It meant that being hung upside down by the World Tree was a very serious matter.

It was a relief Elia had built up favorability(?) with the World Tree, otherwise, it would have been a disaster.

"Ah! By any chance, does the World Tree also have a function to store memories or information?"

Then, Elia brought up a question I had forgotten.

The fact that as soon as I touched the World Tree, scenes related to me were replayed.

Since it was a memory I was presumed to have lost, I couldn’t help but listen closely.

[Memories? Storing information is possible, but storing memories? What do you mean by that?]

"Every time Grylls-nim contacts the World Tree, he recovers his lost memories!"

"To be precise, it’s showing me those memories."

I explained in detail, in case Lucas got confused.

That when I touch the World Tree, the surrounding scenery changes and a flashback unfolds.

Lucas listened quietly to the explanation, took a sip of his drink, and replied.

[At least as far as I remember, there’s no such function? It might be a newly added one.]

"Hmm..."

[Then let me ask you the opposite. Are there any changes that happen to you every time you touch the World Tree? Like your amount of mana increasing or something.]

"My mana is constantly increasing anyway, so I’m not really sure."

[Is that so. Hmm.]

Lucas pondered for a moment, then said to me.

[It’s just my guess, but maybe Aris or Aragon split the Sovereign’s memories and stored them in each World Tree.]

"Why do you think so?"

[How should I know? For now, I’ll bet my alcohol on that bastard Aris doing it. After all, the one who took the deceased body was Aris.]

It was a highly plausible hypothesis, so I couldn’t simply dismiss it.

Just as I fell into deep thought with a serious expression.

"Oooooh...!"

"?"

"Ooooooooooh...!!!"

For some reason, Elia was making an incredibly excited face.

Her pale face flushed red with excitement, giving me an ominous feeling.

And sure enough, the words Elia uttered were more than enough to give me a headache.

"That means! Grylls-nim’s ultimate goal has become finding the World Trees!"

"...Ah."

"I will absolutely follow you! I will dedicate my entire body to helping you find your memories, Grylls-nim!"

No, I think you’re just happy because you get to find World Trees.

Just as I was lost for words at her utterly shameless remarks.

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Mistress? Mistress is the one who must bear Master’s offspring. You must not get hurt."

Dolsoe, who had arrived god knows when, was talking nonsense with a beer can in his hand.

He was usually a quiet guy, but perhaps because of the alcohol, he was spouting bullshit no less than Lackey.

"But a much more noble purpose has arisen, hasn’t it? We can’t ignore this. And you should worry about Grylls-nim rather than me."

"I never think about Master getting hurt. I heard from my brother that even after being swallowed by a wave of fire, he recovered completely after sleeping for a few days."

"Stop talking nonsense, Dolsoe. Where are Lackey and the others?"

"They’re playing Mahjong in that room."

"...."

Can I really find the World Trees properly with these guys?

"Wait. What about the kids?"

"The kids are probably watching them play Mahjong next to them."

"These punks..."

I couldn’t let them learn bad habits already.

Thus, I gained a lot from Lucas’s flagship.

[Passing Dwarf: Hey. I’m screwed.]

[Wild Grylls: What’s wrong?]

[Passing Dwarf: Looks like I’m going to be dragged into the ruins exploration team.]

[Wild Grylls: Conscripted?]

[Passing Dwarf: No, the ruins gatekeeper is demanding alcohol that suits its taste, so I’m being dragged along.]

[Wild Grylls: ...?]

I ended up hearing a truly novel story from Passing Dwarf.