Beruto, the stubborn agricultural elder, was thoroughly convinced.
The experiment's success had been within Mu En's expectations. However difficult these crops were to tend, they surely couldn't be harder to grow than the great trees around him.
Gaining a devout believer like Beruto was the unexpected bonus.
Converted into Runes, the faith he provided was about twice that of an ordinary person.
It seemed that the more obstinate and stubborn a person was, the purer the faith they provided once they were won over.
So, was there a connection between a person's devotion and their "potential" after receiving a blessing?
Mu En had noticed that both Nausicaä and Gol provided actual Runes, rather than faith that had to be absorbed and further refined before it could be converted into Runes.
By rights, those two should have had faith in him as well.
Struck by a sudden idea, Mu En decided to conduct an experiment.
"Nausicaä, I intend to bless your agricultural elder and have him help you grow more food. Do you have any objections?"
Although adding another Blessed was quite costly, it was more stable than relying on the power of faith alone, and it provided more Runes.
Besides, spending Runes himself to hasten these crops to maturity was far too wasteful. It was better to leave that kind of work to his subordinates.
"Me? I have no objections. I imagine Uncle Beruto will be very 'pleasantly surprised,' won't he?" A mischievous smile touched the girl's lips.
She was already eager to see what sort of wonderful expression Beruto, who called himself an atheist, would make.
As soon as she finished speaking, a speck of golden light separated from the canopy and drifted toward Beruto, who was still staring at the crops in a daze.
Ruto noticed the approaching light and instinctively tried to wave it away, his hands flailing.
When he saw that the golden light was still approaching, he looked to Nausicaä for help. "Your Highness, this is-!"
Before he could finish, the speck of light entered his forehead.
The familiar scene appeared once more. A film of golden light enveloped Beruto's entire body, freezing him in place in his panicked pose.
The elder's disheveled appearance made several of the foremen behind him burst out laughing.
This blessing caused far less commotion than Nausicaä's transformation. In less than ten breaths, the golden light had completely withdrawn into Beruto's body.
Blessings also had different levels, which Mu En had provisionally divided into three stages.
The most ordinary were the "Blessed," who simply gained physical enhancements and the power of prayer. Next were those who had completed their transformation and possessed golden eyes, who could be called the "Golden Folk."
The first two were basically distinguished only by their physical strength and the size of their Rune reserves.
The level above that was equivalent to the knights of the various factions in the Lands Between, such as Cleanrot Knights and Carian Knights.
That level was already close to the limit an ordinary person could reach.
Nausicaä, exceptionally gifted as she was, had already set half a foot into "knight level" the moment she received her blessing.
With a little training, she could truly become an "Erdtree Knight."
Mu En guessed that upon reaching knight level, one could wield the power of law more freely and create abilities of law unique to oneself. (For example, various combat skills.)
By comparison, in terms of aptitude, Beruto was merely an ordinary farmer and wasn't worth investing heavily in for the time being.
A moment later, Beruto opened his eyes in confusion and moved his arms and legs.
Then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
Strength surged through his muscles. His body felt as though it had returned to its peak twenty years ago, when he could carry two sacks of wheat on his own.
His mind felt more energetic too. Simply put, he seemed to think faster.
"Hmm... this feeling..."
Beruto stood where he was, silently feeling the earth-shaking changes in his body.
This change that had actually happened to him was even more incredible than seeing crops ripen in an instant.
Still, after enough shocks, he had grown used to them.
Then his gaze shifted and settled on the young foreman who had laughed the loudest.
The elder's stare made the foreman's skin crawl. Before he could speak, Beruto darted forward and clamped a large hand tightly around his arm.
"You were having a good laugh, weren't you?"
"E-Elder, I was wro-aaah!"
Bang!
Before the young foreman could finish, Beruto easily swung him up with one hand and sent him "flying" with a throw over his shoulder.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, he traced a less than graceful arc before crashing onto the ground, which was covered in soft fallen leaves.
The foremen fell silent, afraid the elder would pick them to practice on next.
Beruto grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth that had become white and strong again. "Did you really think I couldn't fight anymore?"
Creatures that received the Erdtree's blessing advanced toward a higher form of life, undergoing a complete transformation.
Even the lowest-ranking Blessed could overwhelm ordinary humans.
Beruto dusted the nonexistent dirt from his hands, then turned toward the Erdtree. All traces of amusement vanished from his face as he bowed deeply.
Though the gesture was somewhat clumsy, it was full of sincerity.
But he had now fully understood everything: this was all a gift from the Erdtree.
"Uncle Beruto, why do I remember someone saying he only believed in the hoe in his hands?"
Nausicaä spoke in a teasing tone.
Beruto's aged face reddened, but he promptly straightened his back and retorted with conviction:
"How is that the same? If someone can help me ripen crops in a few minutes, what's wrong with believing in them?" He paused, as if talking to himself. "...Besides, it's a real god."
After saying that, he glanced in Mu En's direction, looking a little guilty.
Mu En didn't care much about those remarks. He was a pragmatist himself.
What concerned him was that the pure power of faith had vanished after Beruto was transformed into a Blessed!
That was right. After Beruto became a Blessed, he could provide more Runes, but the power of faith stemming from gratitude and reverence was gone.
Moreover, the feedback from this devout believer was not much different from what Gol had provided earlier.
At most, because he was younger and in better physical condition, the amount of feedback was slightly higher.
Blessings and faith can't coexist?
As Mu En saw it, the two should have complemented each other. There was no reason for them to conflict.
He couldn't make sense of it, no matter how hard he thought.
While Mu En was pondering, Nausicaä had already explained the meaning of a "blessing" to Beruto.
"You mean Lord Divine Tree did all this solely to protect us?"
"That's right. Those who receive a blessing become the Erdtree's people, and I suppose I'm the... hmm, 'missionary' appointed by Mr. Tree."
"To think a true god could be so generous..." Beruto murmured.
In this world where everyone struggled to get by, there was never any shortage of things to believe in.
The Valley of the Wind believed in the wind, Tolmekia believed in the twin serpents, the Dorok believed in their god-emperor, and the insect trainers believed in the Sea of Corruption...
It was just that most of these so-called objects of faith were false gods made up by churches to fleece their followers.
He had never heard of a true "god" like the Erdtree, one that possessed divine power and sought nothing in return, only to protect more people.
Compared with those religions that knew only how to demand sacrifices, the Erdtree's actions had utterly convinced this practical man.
There was, however, one more thing Beruto was extremely curious about, so curious that he couldn't wait another moment and wanted an answer immediately.
"Lord Divine Tree, why do these crops look so different from the ones in the fields? Did you use divine power to change their appearance?"
"No, I only stimulated them to grow rapidly. I didn't change their appearance."
Mu En answered truthfully.