He was like a gift from the heavens! However, I had to wonder whether it was all right for Gnome to be so kind to me. Of course, I was happy to give him the samples he wanted, but even then, it felt as though our arrangement was benefiting me far more than him.
“Should you still feel guilty for relying on my help, perhaps you could order me some more interesting bottles? It doesn’t matter if they contain alcohol or water—anything is fine,” Gnome said, giving me an extra push.
Now that he was being even more considerate of my feelings, I didn’t want to waste that consideration by refusing him.
“Seeing as you’re insisting, I wouldn’t want to be rude and turn you down,” I said. “And so, Gnome, I would very much like to ask for your assistance.”
He chuckled. “Then negotiations are complete. Now, if you would provide me with what you intend to grow...”
“Hey, m’lady! What if ya planted the seeds from this here fruit? Somethin’d grow then, right?”
“Oh! And this ‘lotus root’ looks like it grows in water! That means I can give you a hand too!”
With one big push, the underground shrine was bustling with excitement. Salamander and Undine were chattering about their plans as they peered at the tablet. Gnome and Sylph shrugged in exasperation. As for Alk, he was drinking his tea like it was none of his concern while I was being pushed closer to making a decision about what to order. It was all very busy, but at some point, being busy had become amazingly fun!
It took some back-and-forth, but our heated discussion helped us to narrow down our choice of crops to a more manageable number.
“Seeing as we have several potential contenders for crops, why don’t I show you the area I was planning to cultivate?” I offered. “We should probably think about how much we can plant in the space we have.”
“That sounds sensible,” Sylph said. “It is no use firming up ideas before we have even seen what we are working with.”
“Besides, we need to actually cultivate the land before we can grow anything. I won’t order anything until that’s finished.”
So far, Alk and I were the only ones who knew how big the meadow was and what the surrounding area was like. I wanted the others to be able to picture it too.
“When Alk took me into the skies and I saw the field from above, I thought it seemed quite a distance from the cave. But it turns out that it isn’t so far on foot, which I found rather curious.”
“It is because we were flying all over the place. I daresay that your sense of distance became distorted.” That was the first thing Alk had said since we had all set foot in the part of the cave that led to the meadow.
I had thought as much when we had last passed through here, but it seemed that humans had done some work on the cave’s floor. It had been made relatively flat, and I was grateful that it was easy to traverse.
We arrived at the meadow. While the sun wasn’t as bright as before, it still made me squint. The spirits, however, seemed unaffected. Instead, their eyes sparkled as they touched the soil and felt the wind on their skin.
“This is a lovely place!” Sylph exclaimed. “I would say that it fulfills every requirement.”
“I can sense veins of groundwater. I’ll definitely be able to help with this!” Undine said.
“This plot also receives plenty of sunlight, and there’s a nice breeze,” Sylph went on. “How fortunate you are to have found such a place.”
Alk knelt down and placed his palm on the ground, nodding to himself several times. “There seems to be mana within the soil here. I cannot see that it should cause any issues.”
“It’s right in front of a cave that leads from the shrine, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear that,” I replied.
Not only was that shrine originally built to honor a god, but it was where Alk had slept for so long. I wondered if it might’ve received sacred powers from the former and mana from the latter all this time, making it ideal for cultivation. The thought had me more excited than ever!
What shall I grow here?
Would hard work be enough to allow someone like me to grow delicious vegetables? There was only one way to find out! I was also desperately curious about Undine’s observation that this island was rich in groundwater.
Salamander climbed up onto my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek. He chuckled. “Sounds like we got a ton to look forward to, right, m’lady?”
I smiled back at him. “Yes, indeed we do. I have no idea what’s in store and my heart is pounding, but that’s precisely what makes it so exciting!”
My life had changed so radically, and all that had happened to me so far made my head spin. But perhaps all of that had been leading up to this moment.
“Will you be growing anything other than potatoes, then?” Alk asked.
“I wonder...” I paused for a moment to think about it. “Since Gnome offered his assistance, I have been considering tomatoes too.”
Alk’s nose wrinkled, and he gave a discontented snort. “That hardly sounds exciting. Do vegetables even taste of anything?”