Considering the Uses of Smoke-Cured Grass

After returning to Flower Town, Liszt remained endlessly busy. First, he settled the Fig Bug Grass in the castle garden, instructing the servants to fertilize and water it.

Then, during the noon banquet, he gathered all the town officials and announced a census: "Inspect every crop in the territory. No Elf Bugs have been born for more than a month now—there may be some we missed."

The census was merely a smokescreen, meant to conceal the fact that he already knew of the Elf Bugs' existence.

That afternoon, he naturally joined the census party and toured Flower Town. Of course, he chose his route deliberately. Before long, he reached the Smoke-Cured Grass fields, cast Magic Eye, and began searching for Bug Grass. Soon enough, he easily spotted one in the corner of a field.

More precisely, he spotted an Elf Bug as well.

The Bug Grass was not particularly conspicuous, but its branches and leaves were lush, and a plump gray Elf Bug crawled over it. "It has already been born. It must have happened while I was away... Perhaps the fields received more fertilizer, greatly increasing the odds of Elf Bugs being born in Flower Town."

For an ordinary town, producing one Elf Bug a year was already considered a fine harvest.

Because of the Smoke Task, Flower Town's Elf Bugs had a vastly improved survival rate and would almost never miscarry.

As for why a particular plant could give birth to an Elf Bug, there was not yet enough data to analyze and draw a conclusion—perhaps it had to do with nutrition. Yet the best-nourished plants did not necessarily produce Elf Bugs, while poorly nourished plants could do so as well.

"My four Snake Blood Fruit Bugs were born from the blood of a serpent sea monster. That