"Any other questions?"
"It's not a question of money, though we certainly do need money..." Williden rubbed his hands together, looking awkward.
"Keep it brief, Mr. Marshal. I don't want to waste precious time on pointless pleasantries."
Al frowned. Looking at the mountain of "materials," he was getting impatient.
"Here's the situation, Mr. Sarona..." Williden pointed at the two guards at the cave entrance, looking exasperated with them.
"Those two idiots, Larion and Muigin, got lost while hunting a month ago. When they came back, they brought our camp no small amount of trouble."
"Nonsense! It was all Muigin's fault! If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have gotten lost. Worse still, those crazy plants he brought back are about to overrun the entire camp!"
A black-haired dwarf with a beard as neatly groomed as Hemet's waved his hammer and made a rude gesture at the human man opposite him.
"You don't understand beast taming at all. Those little darlings can be tamed. They certainly are troublesome, but I believe that with proper training, I can make them obey me."
The human man in a green linen shirt argued his case.
"Enough! Can you two bastards shut up? Whose fault do you think this is?"
Williden roared at the two clowns trading insults.
"Sorry you had to see that, Lord Al."
"No matter. What interests me is what this human means by 'little darlings.'" Al keenly picked out the key point in their exchange.
"Lord Al, that's precisely what I wanted to ask your help with. If you can help us, you can take your pick of locations in Marshal's Refuge."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
After Williden's explanation, Al understood their predicament. The human named Muigin had brought back a strange plant called a Bloodpetal from somewhere outside the valley.
He had originally thought he could tame these creatures as he would beasts, but he hadn't expected their intelligence to approach zero. In just a few days, they had occupied the outskirts of the camp.
Although the Bloodpetals' attack power wasn't particularly high, the trouble they caused was outrageously great, all thanks to their extremely rapid reproduction.
"Oh, damn it! It's biting my foot! This is all your fault, you green-hatted bastard!"
"It's a shirt, idiot. A runt like you will never understand a botanist's refined aesthetic."
Williden held his forehead, his head aching. Larion and Muigin had been arguing the whole way, and he wanted nothing more than to walk over and kick them both flat on the ground.
"My lord, here we are."
An open clearing appeared before them. The scene that met Al's eyes made him feel as though he had entered a greenhouse from his previous life.
Flowering plants covered the ground. Masses of Bloodpetals wandered aimlessly, stretching their emerald vines from time to time. Their well-developed root systems meant they didn't have to stay rooted in the soil like ordinary plants. Their rootstalks served as their feet.
The Bloodpetals resembled Flerkens from the Marvel Universe, except their mouths split into only four petals, they had no organs, and their two short, thick upper limbs waved like arms.
"These overlap with the materials I've collected, but they're still decent."
Al stroked his chin and spoke with interest.
"Master, what do you think?" Williden asked apprehensively.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me. I'll sort it out for you within three days. Before that, can I choose where I'll be staying?"
"Of course, of course..."
Williden let out a heavy sigh, finally relieved of the weight on his chest.
He didn't doubt Al's abilities. A personage from the legendary magic kingdom, who had reportedly even saved the expert hunter Hemet's life, surely had some skill.
If these Bloodpetals were allowed to keep multiplying, this little Marshal's Refuge could only fall apart. He had to grasp this last straw.
"This spot looks good. We can begin."
"B-but there's nothing here."
Williden looked at the rock face before him in confusion. If not for the "high-end goods" glowing a ghostly blue on the young elf's back, he would have begun wondering whether the "personage" beside him suffered from some mental illness.
"Stand back, everyone. I'm about to show off."
Aluneth: I know that phrase.
"It's only fine quality, but it'll do."
Ignoring the astonished looks from everyone behind him, Al took a two-handed greatsword out of his spatial backpack.
The [Quel'dorei Greatsword] was a weapon Saltheril had given him before his departure, along with reminders not to neglect his physical training, that he would test his martial skills the next time he returned to Quel'Thalas, and so on.
Al strolled up to the rock face, tapping the uneven stone and examining it carefully.
"Hemet, is this... lord perhaps...?"
Williden finally couldn't hold back and asked furtively in a lowered voice.
"See that Devilsaur head?"
Hemet didn't answer directly. He merely pursed his lips toward the mountain of "materials" piled in the corner.
"Lord Al killed it by himself. That whole pile of oddly shaped creatures is his loot too."
"Sorry, I thought..."
Williden quietly wiped away his cold sweat. He had assumed the pile of strange creatures was prey Hemet and his companions had hunted together. Who would have thought so many terrifying creatures were all the young man's trophies?
"The stone's quality is decent enough."
Al didn't notice the two men whispering behind him. The Quel'dorei-style greatsword floated in the air and performed a few flourishes, drawing gasps from everyone behind him.
Al stood where he was, directing the Quel'dorei Greatsword with telekinesis as it cut into the hard rock face before him, stroke after stroke.
"First, cut the protruding rocks flat, then the interior space..."
The greatsword became a blur in the air, and stone chips rained onto the ground. Before long, the little hill before them slowly became smooth. A little later, it gradually took on the outline of a house.
Their gasps had long since ceased. Everyone stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed. It was so quiet that a pin dropping could have been heard, with only the rasp of the greatsword cutting stone remaining.
"All right, finished."
Al clapped his hands and gazed in satisfaction at his freshly completed masterpiece.
The brown hillside had been hollowed out, revealing an elegant three-story Western-style house before them. On closer inspection, stone tables and chairs could be seen inside.
"Holy Light above, this... this is truly a miracle."
Marshal sank to the ground, trembling and muttering something unintelligible. The two clowns behind him weren't much better off: one's legs shook, while the other rubbed his eyes hard and shook his head like a rattle drum.
"All done. By the way, does anyone here sell furniture, doors, and windows?"
As though nothing had happened, Al gathered up the stone chips on the ground and threw them to the other side of the hill.
"Y-yes."
Hemet hurried to answer, his expression complicated and tinged with excitement.
Three days later.
"Whew. Who would've thought little Bloodpetals could have so many wonderful uses..."
Al removed his ruby monocle and rubbed his dark-ringed eyes, letting out a long breath.
[Monster Compendium: Bloodpetal activated] [Your teaching materials +1] [Your brain development increased by 1%] [You have comprehended Photosynthesis] [Photosynthesis]: As long as you are bathed in the light of the sun, An'she, your lost health will continuously recover.
"Truly worth it."
A satisfied smile appeared on Al's exhausted face. After three days of sleepless research, he had finally activated the Bloodpetal entry in the Monster Compendium.
"Hemet, where are you?"
"I'm here, Lord Al."
Looking worn out, Hemet had just climbed out of bed. He hadn't been idle these past three days either. He had personally handled buying furniture, doors, and windows, as well as properly arranging Al's research materials.
"Put up the sign. Take a day off. We'll go see Williden tomorrow."
"M-my lord, has your research produced results?"
Hemet asked, staring at a bottle of potion on Al's desk with shining eyes.
"You'll find out tomorrow. Before that, I need to... yawn... get some sleep."
Al yawned and fell asleep on the desk before he had even finished speaking.
Hemet carefully approached Al. Rather than reach out to touch the pale yellow potion, he took off his cloak and draped it over the exhausted young man before him.
Picking up the sign in the corner, Hemet quietly left the room.
The Sarona Bio-Alchemy Workshop-Marshal Branch officially opened for business.