Chapter 148: New Wine… No, New Cabbage in a New Sack 2
“I can see your hand, Shia.”
“…Unnie Yeonseo, wouldn’t it be weirder if my hand wasn’t in your sight?”
“Hey! Where do you get the nerve to talk back?”
“Oh dear, the child can do that, why are you upset?”
“It’s fine for the child, but not for you!”
“I’m not a child!”
Both Yeonseo unnie and Menelapie. I don’t know why they keep calling me a child.
Have you ever seen a child with a chest and height like this?!
And I saved the world, okay! I’m not a child!
Fine, even if I generously accept that my mental age is 21, I still have the years I’ve lived! No, mental age of 21 isn’t even that young!
Don’t tell me, even Menelapie sees me as something she needs to care for like a child?
“Yeah. From my point of view, you’re still very much a kid.”
I was so frustrated that my hands and feet were trembling when Lirisia, who had crept up on me at some point, whispered while snickering beside me.
That startled me.
Like the serpent of Eden, she slipped in and whispered so sneakily.
It’s clear that in her previous world, if she encountered obstacles, not only did she crush them with brute force, but she must have also seduced or brainwashed them like this.
Even though she can no longer imbue her voice with Holy Power, if she still has this much charm, she must have had many followers.
“And how old are you to say that to me!?”
“How old do you think?”
“What, are you a thousand years old or something? What’s with that face?”
“Pft.”
What’s that?
What does that laugh mean?
No, this woman, it seems like she’s really looking down on me!
“Figure it out yourself.”
“No, tell me!”
Haah, any further argument was pointless.
The more I talked, the clearer it became that these people were teaming up to tease and mess with me.
‘You’re all so mean…!’
Do you really enjoy bullying me that much? Huh?!
Especially Menelapie—I feel truly betrayed by her.
She called me her hero, but now she’s playing childish pranks that even the Empress wouldn’t have done.
Since I realized that responding any further would only harm me, I went back to counting and stacking the cabbages.
Let’s see, one cabbage. Two. Three…
By the way, I had to handle the cabbages carefully, tenderly… and at the speed and strength of an ordinary human.
Dungeon cabbages may be called cabbages, but their value far exceeds that of the same weight in gold, making them luxurious items.
They were so valuable that they were even considered superior to crops passed through the hands of the elves of the Great Forest.
That’s probably because of the unique terrain and mechanisms of this dungeon.
The dungeon where Yeonseo’s private villa was built had a vast desert. In the middle of it was a flat highland suitable for highland agriculture, but in reality, all the dungeon’s vitality and mana were concentrated in this highland. Dungeon cabbages absorbed this highly concentrated mana, which made them exceptionally valuable.
Fortunately for me, the amount of cabbage that Lirisia, Menelapie, and I devoured wasn’t that much.
Yes, out of all the many dungeon highland cabbage fields, we only ate about ten rows.
…Okay, sure, it was a problem that we finished an entire row of the cabbage field in less than 20 minutes, but still, we didn’t eat *that* much. I’m really glad about that. Originally, I was going to apologize to Yeonseo unnie and use the money in my smart watch to compensate immediately, but Yeonseo unnie refused and instead made us clean up the cabbages.
Come to think of it, Yeonseo unnie didn’t outwardly show her wealth that much, but she was actually one of the richest people in the world.
Since 2024, when the Great Rift opened, she had saved humanity countless times from extinction. If you included not only the wealth in her bank account but also the real assets she owned scattered across the world, a mere Returnee like me couldn’t even dare compare, and offering her compensation with money probably meant nothing to her.
I suppose she made us do this work not for money, but to teach us a lesson with our bodies and hearts.
More precisely, to teach us to understand the sweat and hard work that goes into a farmer’s labor by carefully selecting and stacking ripe cabbages.
But then again, Yeonseo herself could clear this entire field, plant new seedlings, and finish the harvest within seconds using her powers, so why…
Beep!
At that moment, Yeonseo’s face, which had been calm and composed, twisted as she read a bright red message on her smart watch.
“Shia. And you, the yellow Hero.”
“‘Shia’s’ Yellow Hero.”
“…Can’t I just call you by your name? It’s a bit hard to get used to…”
“Do whatever is comfortable.”
Yeonseo let out a small sigh and stood up.
It seemed the message she received was no trivial matter.
“Shia and Menelapie, you both will need to come with this old lady.”
“Huh? Why?”
“What’s going on?”
“…Shia, do you remember the Great Forest?”
The Great Forest?
Oh, the one in Olgania?
“You mean the Elves’ Great Forest, right?”
“Hoho, so this world also has Elves?”
Menelapie seemed interested in the word “Elf” and began stroking her chin with her fingers.
She had this habit of doing that when something piqued her interest.
“Yeah, they’re not sand or spirit elves like in our world… If I had to classify them, they’d be high elves?”
“How fascinating. Well, given that normal humans of Earth aren’t that different from the citizens of the Empire, I suppose that’s possible.”
“But what’s the issue? Did we get another request from the Great Forest?”
“No, it’s not that.”
With those words, Yeonseo let out a sigh.
“The elves apparently just destroyed China.”
“……?”
“China? Oh, is that something you eat?”
At Menelapie’s words, I completely lost track of what she had just said.
What did I just hear…?
○○○
“Haa…”
As soon as Yeonseo, Menelapie, and Shia left in a hurry, Lirisia, as if she had been waiting, threw down the cabbage she was holding.
“Damn it all.”
They told us to clean the field while they were gone… Is this some kind of Han Seokbong’s mom test?
‘Ha, to think that I, once known as the Witch of the Dark Star and the Saint of Flesh, feared for the terror I brought, am now peacefully toiling in a cabbage field… Anyone who knew me back then would probably shed tears of blood.’
If someone who knew Lirisia’s true identity saw her now, they would likely have their minds blown.
“………The sky is so clear.”
After throwing down the cabbage, Lirisia looked up, and the sky was indeed clear.
The sky in the previous world was no longer this clear, but how could the sky here be so pristine even within a dungeon?
If I closed my eyes, it felt like the memories of that time were creeping up from beneath my feet, but there was no point in regretting the past.
Becoming a being who could never be forgiven happened centuries ago.
‘Well, there’s no point in thinking about it.’
The lives I took won’t return, and the marks I left behind will linger somewhere in the previous world.
The Witch of the Dark Star was now fully bleached clean and stood on this earth as a human.
I never thought I’d end up living the life of a human, a life I can’t even remember.
‘As long as I’m not hungry, I don’t care…’
In the previous world, when hunger consumed my sanity, I indiscriminately devoured both monsters and humans.
I devoured anything that looked tasty, whether it carried malevolent energy or not.
As a result, enemies, comrades, and friends all disappeared…
And now, only the corpse of what was once a god clung to my body in a pathetic state.
Damn, indulging in sentiment is uncomfortable.
Forget it.
But when I tried to forget, all that remained was a mountain of cabbages…
“By the way, I really do have to clean this up, huh…?”
Ugh, it’s so annoying.
When am I going to finish organizing all of this and put it in storage?
‘No, to be precise, Yeonseo said to ‘clean it up,’ right?’
Haha, did she just leave such a loophole for the Witch of the Dark Star to exploit?
There’s no way I can resist.
“So, if I eat it all to clean it up, it’s fine, right?”
No lies were told.
I did as she said.
Look, didn’t it become ‘clean’ after I ate it?
See, I’m not called a witch and villainess for nothing.
The rebellious spirit that had settled deep within Lirisia’s psyche after becoming the Witch of the Dark Star reared its head again, and Lirisia giggled gleefully, already imagining the dumbfounded expressions of Yeonseo, Shia, and Menelapie.
But the problem was…
‘I’m sick of it.’
When the starving and insane Lirisia consumed anything and everything, it
was simply a survival instinct.
But now, Lirisia was a human with power.
She was no longer the Saintess of the Dead.
Naturally, as a human, she had preferences. And limits.
For the first time in her life, Lirisia felt both full and utterly sick of a particular food.
[Growl]
“Oh, hungry? Want some cabbage?”
I asked the god’s corpse attached to me just in case, but even its tentacles ground their teeth as if they were sick of it, so I shrugged and tossed the cabbage I was holding far away.
Yeah, I ate a lot.
It was tasty, but after finishing an entire row of the cabbage field, it’s no wonder my taste buds got dull.
Still, it’d be a waste to throw it all away.
Didn’t they say it was expensive?
[Flesh Miracle – Summon Minions]
“…It’s not working.”
Haah, I knew this would happen.
If it were the previous world… no, regardless of the world, if I were still the Witch of the Dark Star, the moment I cast this miracle, the souls I devoured and subdued would have appeared before me as undead.
It would’ve been a sight to behold.
Now, even if I summon, nothing comes out…
Thud!
“Huh?”
[Screech…!?]
Something suddenly popped out from the miracle I cast.
What is this?
“…………”
Hmm…?
[Screeeeeech…?] (What the hell…?)
What is this adorable creature?
○○○○○
Originally, elves had their own language, but upon arriving on Earth, they learned the language of humans based on the will and memories left by the Earth’s spirits.
In the previous world, it was enough to learn just a few common languages, but Earth had so many diverse countries and languages, and the differences were immense. Nonetheless, respecting their culture and language was the first step in diplomacy, Olgania thought, as she greeted the Chinese delegation in their own language, making a good first impression.
“So, one belt, one road. Belt and Road. Isn’t that a great phrase? It was a top-level national strategy proposed in our country for advancing westward. The original Belt and Road fell apart due to the rapid changes of the times, but if formal diplomatic relations are established with your Elven Kingdom, we plan to gift you some of the cutting-edge advancements from Earth. Ah, I hope I didn’t offend you by calling them cutting-edge?”
“No, I’m not offended. There are times when we’re also surprised by human technology.”
“Hahaha, I’m glad to hear that.”
Olgania nodded as she skimmed through the documents while listening to the envoy from China.
For someone who had forced this meeting, he wasn’t overly rude. And even though he had brought many hunters, he didn’t seem overly arrogant.
Well, even if things went south, it wouldn’t matter.
Even though the ones accompanying him were A-rank hunters from the Communist Party, the elves here could subdue them with just their bows, and Olgania could single-handedly take them all down in 10 seconds if needed.
“In the past, there was something called the Silk Road, which connected the East and the West, a road of silk.”
“Ah, I’ve read about it. Earth’s history is quite fascinating.”
“Then this should be easy to understand! What we are proposing now is something that will benefit both sides—a modern Silk Road tailored to the Hunter Era, if you will…!”
It sounded good.
From the elves’ perspective, what China was proposing seemed beneficial.
It wasn’t just about forming geographical relations with the countries of Earth but also about building a vast economic belt that would connect the first major construction project between the Elven Kingdom and Earth through dungeons, infrastructure, trade, finance, and cultural exchange.
But as Olgania reviewed the documents, she noticed something they had omitted.
“Hmm, I see. And the cost?”
“There is no cost. We seek only peace and stability with your kingdom…”
“But if you look at these documents, there’s a massive construction project planned.”
Of course, large-scale infrastructure projects like airports, railroads, or warp gates that involve the government require massive funding.
And funding doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.
“You’re saying your country will cover all the enormous costs?”
The Chinese envoy’s face briefly flashed with surprise as if he hadn’t expected that question.
Although he was a seasoned diplomat, and his expression quickly returned to calm, Olgania’s sharp eyes did not miss the fleeting moment of hesitation.
“Ah, no, that’s not it. We’re not a charity. Diplomacy is about give-and-take, after all.”
“I agree. So how do you plan to fund this infrastructure and exchange of facilities?”
The Elven Kingdom of the Great Forest currently had no established official diplomatic channels, so even currency exchange was incredibly difficult.
From Earth’s perspective, the Elven Kingdom didn’t have a well-defined economic system, so they were particularly vulnerable to external capital. The large-scale construction and infrastructure proposed by China weren’t things they could exchange for a few pieces of fruit grown in the Great Forest.
“Once we formally engage in business with your country, we’ll establish agreements accordingly. The necessary funding will be provided through a loan system from our side.”
“…..”
A loan system.
Indeed, when it comes to national-level policy-making, it’s common for not just private enterprises but officially recognized public institutions to provide funding.
Okay, I can understand that much.
“And we plan to bring in a company from our Republic of China to handle the infrastructure construction in the Great Forest.”
“…What did you say?”
“Oh, don’t worry. We wouldn’t expect elves to do manual labor, would we? This is all for the benefit of the Great Forest. Other nations we’ve made agreements with have done the same.”
“……………Please, continue.”
A faint feeling of unease crept up on Olgania as she nodded.
The other elves didn’t seem to have noticed anything strange yet, but Olgania, who had spent a long time dealing with humans in the previous world, couldn’t suppress the sense of discomfort the moment the word “loan” was mentioned.
Receiving a loan from a major Earth country without having even issued official currency yet?
That’s practically asking to become their economic slave.
“And the company that takes on the construction will bring Chinese workers to the Great Forest to build the facilities. Once the project is completed, we will receive bonds issued in the name of the Elven Kingdom, signed by Lady Olgania.”
“…Is that all?”
“Well, not quite. It’s a minor detail, but airports and warp gates are areas of our company’s expertise. Elves don’t have the technology to build steel birds, do they?”
“…….”
Upon hearing that, Olgania realized the true intentions of these Chinese representatives.
They aimed to treat the newly formed Elven Kingdom, which hadn’t yet been officially recognized by Earth, as if it were their vassal state.
They wouldn’t need to resort to force if they could politically or economically subjugate the elves first.
Though the methods differed, they weren’t all that different from the greedy humans of her previous world.
“So, where will you source the materials? How can we know if you’re inflating construction costs or purchasing unnecessary materials from your country? What about excessive over-construction or surplus materials? How will those be handled?”
“That’s…”
“And you mentioned using your workers, right? Does that mean humans will stay in the Great Forest for long periods? Will we also have to borrow funds to cover their wages and food expenses?”
“No, Lady Olgania, that’s not something you should worry about. All countries on Earth operate this way.”
“…….”
Do these bastards think I’m an idiot?
Do they think living in the forest makes us ignorant of how the world works?
Olgania clenched her fist momentarily, enraged by China’s dismissive attitude toward the elves and the Great Forest, but she held back.
This world, Earth, was very different from the previous one.
Brute strength alone wasn’t the solution.
“In conclusion, your proposal is for your capital, your companies to win the contracts, and for your labor to be used. After the project is done, what do we, the Elves, get?”
“The Elves will receive the results of the infrastructure projects…”
“Elves who will never use an airport or a warp gate? And what about the massive debt from a construction process we have no way to oversee?”
Olgania’s sharp rebuttal caught the envoy off guard, and his face twisted in frustration.
Haa, this is becoming troublesome.
“Ha, Lady Olgania, it seems you don’t quite understand how things work on Earth…”
“I don’t care about that. The Great Forest will not agree to your terms.”
“I didn’t want to resort to this method, but…”
What, are you going to try to use force?
Go ahead.
Olgania’s hand was already filled with unseen spirits, dozens of them ready to unleash their power.
One wrong move and she would obliterate them.
“Our proposal also includes a plan to turn the World Tree into a landmark.”
“…Oh really.”
A World Tree landmark.
It sounded good.
The idea was to develop a central tourist attraction that would bring in visitors and gradually increase revenue by incorporating elven cuisine and the natural scenery of the Great Forest.
“If we establish this project with the Elven Kingdom, Lady Olgania, we will grant you the management rights to the World Tree landmark. With the World Tree, millions of tourists could flock here every year. Wealthy visitors might even spend a fortune just to take home a single branch from the World Tree. Lady Olgania, you could become immensely rich in no time…”
Bang!
Before the envoy could finish speaking, Olgania slammed her fist on
the table.
The force of her spirit power caused the air to ripple, and the A-rank hunters accompanying the envoy immediately tensed, preparing for battle.
The sudden change in demeanor from the previously calm and peaceful elf shocked the envoy, and he stared at Olgania in disbelief.
“A-Ah, what do you think you’re doing!?”
To be blunt, Olgania’s appearance—calm, peaceful, and seemingly powerless—resembled the stereotypical image of a nature-loving, voluptuous elf, which only added to the envoy’s surprise.
However, Olgania gave her most serene smile.
Using sweet words to lure me in only to backstab me later… You’re no different from the greedy humans of my previous world.
Humans… No, not all humans are like this, but forming a good relationship with this Chinese nation would be impossible.
Having reached this conclusion, Olgania stood up.
“I think this meeting is over. Let’s end things here for today. We can meet again when the weather is more favorable.”
“No, Lady Olgania. The World Tree is just a tree, isn’t it? It’s just a big old dead tree, so why are you reacting like this? This is beyond offensive!”
“….”
At those words, Olgania’s eyes, along with those of the Elven Knights of the Lotus, widened.
…Did I just hear that correctly?
No, I must’ve misheard.
“…What did you say?”
“The World Tree is just a tree. You can burn it, turn it into furniture, or even use its wood pulp for paper. It’s a precious tree, sure, but it’s dead now, isn’t it? So, there’s no need to treat it so preciously anymore. Wouldn’t it be better to capitalize on it by turning it into a grand tourist landmark…”
And at that moment, Olgania’s eyes turned blood red.
“……I see.”
“Excuse me?”
It was the same chilling and deadly red gaze she had when she faced Yujin and the Saintess of the Dead…
The same [full bloom] state of the decayed World Tree.
How dare they.
To the child of the World Tree… you dare say the World Tree is just a tree?
And what?
A premium?
Breaking off branches?
These crazy bastards?
The moment she heard that, Olgania wanted to beat her past self for trying to understand the other’s culture, for attempting to approach things from a relativistic perspective, and for trying to avoid conflict.
Respect? Consideration?
Don’t make me laugh.
These scum are not worth associating with.
“I declare this.”
Olgania abandoned her polite tone and cracked her knuckles audibly.
“The Great Forest will destroy you.”