Chapter 82
“See? I told you it wasn’t just a hallucination!”
I stopped walking and immediately approached where the flower was.
‘Uuu.’
There it was—the Sura’s Calamitous Despairflower—waving its leaves at me.
But somehow, its gestures…
“You want to come with me?”
The way its leaves swayed looked as if it was beckoning to me.
Thinking it was ridiculous, I asked the question anyway.
The response was even more surprising.
‘Uu.’
The flower slowly nodded.
I couldn’t help but make a shocked face.
I had only said it casually, but it turned out to be true.
‘What am I supposed to do with this…?’
As I stared at the flower waving its leaves like arms, deep in thought, a notification window appeared in front of me.
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[Welcome to the Western Flower Field.]
[In a moment, the “Seed Selection” for the third trial quest will begin.]
[Seeds are provided in limited quantities and can only be obtained at designated locations.]
[The location you need to find is the “Happy Guardian Post.”]
________________
The notification announced the Seed Selection, the main quest of the Western Flower Field.
My companions must have received the same message, as they all turned to stare at the empty air simultaneously.
“The selection time already?”
This meant we didn’t have time to dawdle.
Judging by the mention of a guardian post, we would need to check every post scattered across this vast meadow…
And just in the area where we stood, there were already dozens of posts.
Not to mention, there were probably more in other areas as well.
‘I guess we should check here first and then move to the next location as quickly as possible.’
Sighing quietly, I grabbed the nervous flower waving its leaves at me.
“Alright, I’ll take you with me, so stop whining.”
With that, I stored the flower in my inventory.
It seemed reluctant to go in, but there was no helping it.
________________
[The “Juvenile Sura’s Calamitous Despairflower” has been added to your inventory.]
________________
“Well, it is what it is.”
After confirming the message that the flower was stored in my inventory, I dusted off my hands and stood up.
When I looked up, I could see my companions, ready and waiting for me in the distance.
“I’ll be there in a minute!”
I shouted and ran toward them without hesitation.
***
A little while later.
“Don’t all of these look the same?”
It had been over ten minutes since we started searching for the Happy Guardian Post.
I rested my hand against a massive old tree and let out a deep sigh.
‘A mountain is a mountain, and a guardian post is a guardian post.’
Behind me, Lyria and Eden leaned against the tree, yawning loudly.
“I wish it were like last time when everything was in the same place…”
“And no map? That’s just mean!”
They weren’t wrong.
Unlike previous quests, this time, each team was assigned a specific location to collect their seed.
On top of that, unlike the first trial in the Forest of Spirits, no markers were provided.
Even though we had entered before the opposing faction, it wouldn’t matter if we took too long to find the location.
“The ‘Happy Guardian Post,’ huh…”
What could it mean?
Xenon seemed lost in thought, as though deeply contemplating something.
“Why don’t we just check every single guardian post?”
Darwin, brimming with enthusiasm, suggested inspecting every post.
Meanwhile, Nia clenched her fist as if to volunteer.
“I-I can… fly around and search!”
Yeriel and the twins didn’t say much but appeared to be pondering how to tackle the situation.
Each of us was trying to figure out how to navigate this challenge.
And I was no exception.
‘Was it like this in the original story?’
Even though I wasn’t an expert on every detail of Three Lives Chronicle, this situation felt unfamiliar.
There had always been a clear goal or location to aim for.
We simply had to focus on achieving it.
Letting out a quiet sigh, I looked up at the blue sky above the Western Flower Field and took a deep breath.
‘At least the air is nice.’
Honestly, if it weren’t for this quest, this place would make a perfect picnic spot.
The fluffy, cotton-like clouds drifting in the sky.
The colorful flowers swaying in the breeze.
The refreshing and vibrant sound of a stream flowing nearby.
Closing my eyes, it felt like stepping into a dream world…
“Myaaow!”
Thud—
“…Huh?”
Just as I was clearing my head, lost in complicated thoughts, something landed on my face.
“Myaa!”
I carefully picked up the fluffy bundle that had fallen on me.
“Mew…?”
For some reason, Mew looked visibly upset, furiously patting my shoulder with her tail.
“Myaak!”
She raised her tail high after hitting my shoulder and pointed to the other side—behind me, to be precise.
“What?”
Finally noticing the scenery behind me, I widened my eyes in surprise.
There was a gently flowing stream, a Sacred Tree adorned with colorful silk threads, and the guardian posts we had initially seen.
Wait, so after all this walking…
‘We’re still here?’
Though flustered at first, I quickly regained my composure and turned to Mew.
“What is it over there, Mew?”
Honestly, if she were just a regular animal, I might have brushed it off, thinking, What’s she doing? and moved on.
But Mew wasn’t just any ordinary creature.
‘She’s a divine beast, after all.’
Considering her status, it seemed worth paying attention to what she had noticed.
Once I showed interest, her anger appeared to subside.
“Mya.”
Mew’s expression returned to her usual cute demeanor.
Her plump tail pointed to none other than…
“That’s…”
It was the same guardian post that Darwin had seen earlier and reacted to in shock.
Among the benevolent-looking guardian posts, there was one with an unusually fierce and menacing expression.
Anyone could tell at a glance that this wasn’t the ‘Happy Guardian Post’ we were supposed to find.
That’s why we had ignored it earlier, even after checking all the other posts in that area…
“So, you’re saying that post is the place we’re looking for?”
“Myaang!”
At my words, Mew puffed out her chest and thumped her tail confidently on the ground.
We couldn’t keep wandering around aimlessly like this.
‘It’s worth a shot.’
Even if it turned out to be nothing, it would still be better than sitting here wasting time.
Having made up my mind, I walked toward my companions, who were still discussing our next steps with serious expressions.
As I approached, everyone’s attention turned to me.
“Wendy?”
Yeriel was the first to notice me.
Clearing my throat, I pointed to the guardian post Mew had indicated.
“I think that might be the place we’re looking for.”
Yeriel’s calm face turned momentarily pale before shifting to one of confusion.
“What? But we already…”
He trailed off, looking puzzled.
His reaction was understandable.
We had already checked that area before moving forward.
“Yes, that’s true. We checked everything—except for one.”
At my words, my companions exchanged uncertain looks, their expressions unreadable.
Fortunately, their opinions quickly aligned.
“Alright. It’s the only place we haven’t examined thoroughly, after all.”
“It’s not far, so we can check it out quickly.”
“Let’s head there now.”
Those were Sylvester, Darwin, and Xenon’s responses, respectively.
“Alright, let’s go!”
We had already packed our belongings into our inventories beforehand, so we were ready to move quickly.
It didn’t take long before we arrived at the ominous guardian post.
“…This one looks terrifying.”
“It doesn’t look happy at all, no matter how you spin it.”
Yeriel and Xenon looked up at the guardian post with uneasy expressions.
“There’s nothing happening, though.”
Perhaps because we had seen it so many times already, Darwin casually touched the post without hesitation, looking unimpressed.
‘Guess it’s a dead end.’
I had half-expected this outcome.
Still, I couldn’t help but cling to the faint hope that something might happen.
But no matter where Darwin touched, no notification appeared.
‘So, it’s not here after all.’
I sighed and was about to suggest we leave when…
“W-Wait a moment…”
Nia cautiously raised her hand to stop me, pointing to the guardian post’s face.
“That part looks particularly dirty. Maybe if we clean it…?”
Now that she mentioned it, the face of the post did look dirtier than the others.
But cleaning it wasn’t going to magically make the face change.
‘Wouldn’t that just be a waste of energy?’
I hesitated for a moment, then opened my mouth to gently decline.
“Nia, I don’t think this is—”
“Please.”
Interrupting me, Nia grabbed my sleeve and pleaded earnestly.
“Trust me on this.”
—
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