Chapter 96: Temple of the Moon Part 1

– Nemeya, what are you looking at?

– The Silver Forest.

Lynshaka looked at the place Nemeya's moonlight was pointing to. The dark forest of Lysette. It was once called the "Silver Forest" but it had darkened over time. Nemeya often shed tears as she gazed at the darkened forest, so Lynshaka thought she was reflecting on her sadness even now. However.

– Ah, it is shining.

– It hasn't been long since it started shining again.

Nemeya murmured in a warm voice. Just as she said, part of the dark forest was glowing silver under the moonlight. Lynshaka quickly realized that the touch of the "child of the forest" whom she had recently grown particularly fond of, had reached that place.

– How wonderful it would be if that light could reach "there".

Lynshaka knew where Nemeya was referring to by "there". It was the "Temple of the Moon" that Lynshaka had created for Nemeya. During the time when the Silver Forest shone beautifully, they often strolled there together. Beyond the lake shimmering in the moonlight, over the garden filled with morning stars.

The Moon Garden had been managed by chosen elves, but as the Silver Forest was tainted by darkness and became the dark forest, its existence was gradually forgotten. It was now a land where no one managed it anymore, and not a single morning star bloomed.

However.

– Sister, it seems it's time to return "that place" to you.

If you are the "Child of the Forest" who brought a little bit of light to the dark forest again, you will make the "Temple of the Moon" shine again. Lynshaka thought as she leaned on Nemeya's shoulder with a gentle smile on her face. They were both gazing at the forest together.

[An <Oracle > has arrived for Theodore.]

A few days before leaving Lysette.

I was startled and jumped up when I saw the words that suddenly appeared before my eyes.

An <Oracle >?

So, this was like a quest directly given by the gods?

[Reclaim the 'Temple of the Moon'.]

[Reward: Special Gardeners]

The Temple of the Moon?

Special Gardeners?

Before I could fully grasp it, the words shone brightly again and began to flow before they transformed into a new message.

[In the depths of the dark forest

On the land closest to the moon

A lake filled with moonlight

A garden planted with moonlight

The goddesses sang

Of eternal prosperity

Of eternal rest

The goddesses sang]

With music as gentle as the plucking of a harp, the letters swam through the air. Slowly, they swirled and became a shining passage.

A portal?

Was it asking me to choose right now? I stared at the portal while lost in thought.

Just like its name, the quest called <Oracle > was indeed vague. What was the "Temple of the Moon", and what did the "Special Gardeners" as a reward mean? Were they pets?

Well, there's nothing to lose.

A quest given by gods must be different somehow. There was nothing to lose.

[I'll be out for a bit.]

Leaving that short note behind, I stepped through the portal. Ayla followed me but it seemed only I could pass through. She was nowhere to be seen once I crossed and the portal quickly closed behind me.

A gentle breeze blew from somewhere and I slowly looked around.

The sunlight was bright, and I could hear the rustling of leaves in the wind and the cheerful chirping of birds. Somewhere, there was also the sound of water falling. A waterfall, perhaps? Turning my gaze toward the sound, I saw, as expected, a refreshing stream of water cascading down with a rainbow shimmering behind it. It was a beautiful sight.

…. Where is this?

I had assumed I would be transported to the dark forest, but before me was a landscape I had never seen in the Barak Empire, Roshan, Solen, or the Echaits Union. The only familiar thing was…

The forest where I lived with the old woman…

Yes, that was it.

When I first landed in this damned pseudo-medieval land, the forest where I stayed was similar. It wasn't exactly the same, though. That forest felt denser somehow.

Back then, I was too busy being worked to the bone by the old woman to appreciate the scenery.

Come to think of it, I wonder what that witch was up to now. Even though she treated me like a slave, she fed, sheltered, and taught me, so she was the closest thing I had to a master. Sometimes, I found myself curious about her well-being.

She wouldn't have gotten herself torn apart while hunting Maple Bears, right?

No way. She was skilled enough that such a fate seemed unlikely. What was I even thinking? This was the same woman who kicked me out the moment I mastered the basic druid skills. There was no need to worry about her now…

"… Hmm?"

While I was walking through the scenery and thinking about various things, I found a temple in the middle of the lake and approached it. The crescent moon carving on the roof meant that this was likely the "Temple of the Moon".

I stepped on the lotus leaves floating on the lake and entered the Temple of the Moon. Inside were two statues. One had a crescent moon on its forehead, and the other had a leaf. They were probably statues of Nemeya and Lynshaka.

"Did you two bestow the <Oracle > upon me?"

I asked the statues on the off chance, but nothing happened. Well, that was embarrassing…

I carefully examined the temple's interior. It was filled with various fruits and flowers, beautiful fabrics, paintings, and jewels, all offerings to the two goddesses.

I never knew there was a temple that worshipped both goddesses together.

A temple was supposed to honor a single deity. That was an unwritten rule. However, this temple seemed to worship two goddesses together, which was quite unusual.

What kind of place is this?

After thoroughly exploring the inside of the temple, I stepped outside again. The sight before me made me involuntarily gasp.

"...!"

The scene I had just witnessed was gone, and all I could see was a desolate forest in front of me. Despite it being midday, the landscape was shrouded in darkness. How could this be? Just a moment ago, everything was fine. I turned to look at the temple again, and this time, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

The temple now looked like it could collapse at any moment.

Of course…

What I had seen must have been a vision of the past. Was I supposed to restore it to its original state? The audacity of these gods was on another level. I looked up at the sky for a moment.

"…How am I supposed to do this alone?"

But of course, no answer came.

Shit… If only I could get the elves' help. But since I didn't know how to open a portal or how to get back, I had no choice but to handle this on my own.

I recalled the poem I had seen before crossing the portal. The land closest to the moon, a lake filled with moonlight, a garden planted with moonlight…

The lake has completely dried up, and the garden is entirely decayed…

Could I make this work with a skill? Should I go to the dimensional garden first? I could gather some seeds, bring as much water as possible, and fill the lake. I opened the dimensional garden.

No, I tried to open the dimensional garden.

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy.

The magical power wasn't flowing properly. It seemed there was some restriction in this space. I glanced nervously at the surrounding darkness. No brilliant ideas came to mind.

Without magical power, all I could do was hoe the ground.

No, I couldn't even hoe the ground. I didn't have a hoe.

Realizing I couldn't use my skills made me anxious, so I started walking slowly to calm myself. Come on, stay calm. If I think calmly, a solution will come to me.

– Thud!

At that moment, something bumped against my toe.

"…Huh?"

I looked down to see a round mushroom-like object rolling on the ground. It was slightly larger than an adult's fist, with an inconspicuous light green color, almost like a marshmallow. Not exactly a marshmallow; it was more like a shriveled and dried marshmallow. Or maybe it looked like a deflated balloon. Without much thought, I bent down and picked it up.

– Phewww~.

"Phew?"

It made a strange sound. Moreover, I felt like it was moving for some reason so I flipped it over…

"…This isn't a mushroom, is it?"

It was a strange creature. It had two eyes like black beans attached to a green marshmallow-like body, with a small sprout on its head. Furthermore, it had tiny arms and legs, though they were quite insignificant. Could this thing actually walk properly? I examined the mushroom, no, the marshmallow, no, the strange creature, while flipping it this way and that. I thought I had amassed considerable knowledge about creatures from this world, but this was truly a first.

– Pheww…

"Oh, sorry."

Was I handling it too roughly? It made a sound like air escaping and shriveled up a bit.

"Sorry, sorry. Are you okay?"

– Phew, phew…

"Wait, wait a moment!"

I hurriedly searched my pockets. Fortunately, I found a cloth pouch filled with dried fruits. I took out a piece and placed it in the mouth of the phew-ing creature. Then…

– Puffff~!

Its body quickly inflated. Ah, now it really looked like a marshmallow. I fed the rest of the fruits to the creature. Whether it had been starving for a long time or not, it eagerly accepted the dried fruits.

– Phew!

"You've regained your energy. That's good."

When I placed the now fully puffed creature on the ground, it started hopping around happily.

It had zero attack power and zero caution. This was a creature with many issues when it came to surviving in the forest. Was it even really a living creature? I kept pushing it away as it clung to my leg.

"Stop, stop. There's no more dried fruit."

– Phew~.

It paid no heed and clung to my leg again. When I detached it, it clung back on, and this repeated several times. Eventually, I grew tired and annoyed so I just let it stay attached to my leg.

– Phew phew~!

With the phew-ing marshmallow clinging to my leg, I began to survey the dead land. Kneeling on the ground where the last tuft of dry grass remained, I touched the soil but felt no life force.

How am I supposed to revive this land without being able to use my skills?

I let the crumbly dirt fall from my fingertips back to the ground. No matter how resilient weeds are, they couldn't survive here…

– Phew~~!

"…Huh?"