Defensive Gardening (3)

Glaring at the sanctuary spark for a moment, Cyril mentally cursed before sighing.

Truly, now was not the time for this, but what was done was done.

Holding back his anger, he went to the kitchen, grabbed his bag, and began dumping out all the plants he had collected from the dungeon by type, utilizing the herbalism skill to view new details he hadn't seen before.

[Valerian Blossom - Edible]

[A flower with orange blossoms. When the pollen of Salacleots is released into the air or the Valerian Blossom is crushed, it releases a scentless aroma that makes those in its surroundings sleepy and causes hallucinations.]

[It can be used to make tea to induce sleep.]

[The oils can be extracted for a more concentrated mixture by boiling……]

"Useful later." The orange flowers were placed to the side, and Cyril moved on to the next plant.

[Alether Berries - Edible]

[A plump star-shaped fruit that has a sweet taste and scent when fresh but a sour taste when heated. It poisons the body when ingested, destroying the nervous system, but increases the senses for a short while. The poison can be neutralized by heating the berries or to….]

"Useful now." The purple star-shaped berry was also put on the side.

[Chakdi Grass - Inedible]

[Lush grasses that grow at an incredible speed. When exposed to a lot of liquid, it will take root in anything, grow extremely fast and tangled, sucking nutrients from what it was rooted in.]

"Dangerous…but useful now." The grass was immediately put back into the bag, and Cyril immediately put on gloves for the rest of the cataloging process.

Things that were useful after being processed were set aside, while things that could be used immediately were his focus.

Activating his map, Cyril began focusing on the entirety of it as if it were a defensive battle.

Firstly, anything outside this building and its immediate surroundings was discarded, making the area of protection much smaller.

The last time he had received a defend your waystation task, it had inadvertently been his own fault for leading people here, and since people had been rioting while burning buildings, it was somewhat inevitable, but this time, he hadn't done anything to warrant the task.

That meant the issue was probably coming from the numerous incidents being reported on the radio.

A red acidic rain, grey monsters, unknown fog. It all sounded concerning, but he was worried about something else.

Specifically, Alexei's sensitive reaction. 

Firstly, he was overly sensitive over the presence of a child, and to make matters worse, he had turned around and said he was going to bring somebody back.

Alexei, that Alexei who refused to deal with people he didn't like unless it affected what he wanted to do.

That same Alexei was going to get someone even if the person was so annoying that he was guaranteed to lose his temper later?

Did that make any sense?

Additionally, the task had been given him 24 hours of prep time. 24 whole hours!

Wasn't this just a death flag waiting to happen?

Squatting and holding his head as a headache began to form as if something was bouncing on it, Cyril mentally cursed the sanctuary spark one more time before shaking his head.

Now was not the time.

Whack.

Whack.

Whack. Whack. Whack.

No….

Wait….

Something was actually bouncing on his head.

Glancing at the wooden ball that stopped as if sensing his gaze and expanding to expose the iridescent feather, Cyril glared.

"You sure have a lot of nerve, eating up my money and then coming to harass me. We're about to be under attack, so I really don't have the energy to deal with you right now. When it's over, wash your feathers and wait for me. I'll properly beat you up."

Little Oasis: 😞

Little Oasis:╰┈➤╰┈➤╰┈➤╰┈➤╰┈➤╰┈➤╰┈➤╰┈➤

"I should come with you? You're saying you did a good job? By eating my coins in my time of need? Fine. Show me. If it's not worth it, I plan on plucking each strand as if you're a chicken."

Cyril threatened the feather with an angry scowl.

THUD!

In retaliation, a wooden seed uppercutted him into a Door that opened mid-air.

As he stood up, Cyril could only blink as he looked around.

"What the heck?"

Cyril stared out at the empty space that extended as far as his eye could see with a tiny door at the edge.

He was clearly inside a Waystation room, but he felt as if he was outside.

Rather than a bedroom or common room like the other spaces, a packed dirt ground, blue skies, and warm sunshine made him feel like he was really outside.

A little stunned, he created a window and glanced outside before looking at the "ceiling."

The sky looked the same.

It was like he was in an advanced greenhouse.

"You figured it out?" Cyril looked at the floating sanctuary spark in shock.

Little Oasis:✧ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ

The feather sent back feelings of pride before opening a door beneath him, dropping him in another room with a similar setup. Then, a room that was filled with only grass. And two other ones with white walls and plain wooden floors before taking him back to the original room.

As Cyril watched, a door opened, and the plants and berries that Cyril had arranged in the kitchen were dropped beside him.

Then, the sanctuary spark nudged him as if it wanted him to pick the berries up.

Moving accordingly, Cyril picked up a handful before tossing them onto the ground

Afterward, an obscene amount of water began pouring down, dousing not only the ground but also Cyril.

Plop, plop, plop.

A tiny fish even landed on his head before flopping on the ground.

Clearly, it came from the lake.

Cyril: ಠ_ಠ

Before he could complain, tiny sprouts appeared on the ground, and right before his eyes, large green bushes filled with star-shaped berries appeared, looking identical to what he had seen in the dungeon.

Then, the wooden ball containing the sanctuary spark began bouncing in front of Cyril with a sensation of smugness.

It was a clear sign that it wanted to be praised.

Ignoring the sanctuary spark, Cyril held up the orange flowers.

"Can you grow this one if I plant it?"

Little Oasis: ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ )

A sensation of full confidence as long as he planted it.

Moving accordingly, Cyril converted the multi-tool into a shovel and dug a hole before throwing the flower bud inside.

Then, before he could move, another splash of water poured over him, and the hole and several orange blooms began sprouting.

Pulling off a flower head, he dug another hole and planted it before gesturing to the sanctuary spark.

More water dropped, including another fish and orange flowers grew, turning the area around him into a miniature garden.

Cyril simply stood there, inhaling the suddenly perfumed air.

This was great. Phenomenal even.

"Good job. Seriously, amazing job. Does this hurt you? Does it make you tired? Are you okay?" Cyril asked the sanctuary spark in a gentle voice.

Little Oasis:✧ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ

After being thoroughly assured that it was no effort on its part at all, Cyril gave the sanctuary spark his brightest smile and even patted the wooden ball gently as if petting it.

"You're so amazing."

Despite being soaked by dirty lake water, Cyril felt completely refreshed.

Didn't they say the darkest night led to the brightest dawn? Even if over 50,000 coins had disappeared in an instant, at this rate, he could make it up within an hour if he was able to exchange these plants at the Employee Store.

Cyril's eyes glazed over with greed as he calculated how many plants would fit in the space, the growth speed, and then multiplied it by how many spaces the sanctuary spark had created.

Even by a conservative estimate…he was rich.

In his mind, he was already making a list of everything he would buy. From skills to items, the things on his wish list suddenly moved within reach.

All thanks to this beautifully shining feather.

"Good job. Really such a good job." Cyril happily patted the feather, even giving it a warm hug.

However, for some reason, rather than feeling comforted, the sanctuary spark felt a chill.

Those blue eyes….why did it seem a bit greedy? Almost as if it were looking at food.

Little did the sanctuary spark know that it had just become somebody's infinite money glitch?

Eyes gleaming, Cyril happily went to change into overalls and work boots.

It was time for him to become a farmer. Once he had gathered 100 kg no 500 kg of plants, he would try and exchange it.

If it worked, then for the first time in a while, he would show off the spending capabilities of a rich kid.

If it didn't, he would just relocate them outside and use them as shields to block whatever was coming at his waystation, whether it be humans or dungeon monsters.