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Chapter 17: Discovery
Throughout these three years of training, I made occasional visits to the realm to check on Panacea's progress. Her stomach now visibly bulged, indicating the growth of the life within her. Each time I felt the presence of life in her womb, an unfamiliar sensation coursed through me. Although I couldn't comprehend the nature of this feeling, I chose not to dwell on it, confident that its purpose would reveal itself in due time.
During my visits, I also monitored the group of primates in their small habitat. I ensured that the gap I left did not cause any detrimental effects on the progress unfolding among them. I offered them advice on certain matters, though not significant enough to bring about drastic changes. Instead, my guidance aimed to gradually introduce positive transformations.
Now, I sat by a small campfire with Red lying beside me, drooling over the prey it had caught. Red had developed a fondness for my cooking, as I utilized my earth manipulation to create salt rocks and spread them over the meat, enhancing its flavor. Witnessing Red's reaction when he first tasted the seasoned meat remains etched in my memory.
In an attempt to further enhance the taste for Red, I sought to create spices. However, I encountered a surprising obstacle—the concept of logic seemed to manifest itself in this magical world for the first time. While I could create spices, I discovered that creating ripe spices proved impossible for me.
Realizing why the fruits and spices I created couldn't ripen instantly was a surprise that made perfect sense. In the natural world, plants grow over time, and each passing year leaves a visible ring, indicating the age and maturity of a tree. The plants I conjure lack these rings.
The same rule applied to the spices/fruits that i created, the spices/fruit looked fully grown but it is not ripped. What surprised me was when I planted the spice it only took a week to become ripe.
Curiosity compelled me to conduct an experiment. Summoning a tall tree from the ground, I allowed it to grow for about a week. To my astonishment, the tree had developed ten rings, signifying its age of ten years. I realized that my ability to manipulate wood forcibly accelerates the growth of the things I create, making them appear mature but lacking the full passage of time required for complete development.
Today marked the first time Red would taste the fully grown spices, and the captivating aroma alone had him enthralled. Despite my lack of hunger since becoming a god, the tantalizing scent tempted even me. As the meat cooked to perfection, I plucked a juicy thigh and handed the rest to Red, who, for some inexplicable reason, took slow, deliberate bites. With each mouthful, he closed his eyes momentarily before savoring another bite. I shook my head at his amusing antics and took a bite myself, relishing the exquisite flavor that matched its enticing aroma.
What surprised me even more was the meat's abundant mana. Although I had no personal use for mana, the three plants intertwined with my being eagerly absorbed the energy. It was astonishing to discover that deer meat contained such a substantial amount of mana. Last I had known, deer were not known to possess mana-related traits. Intrigued by this revelation, I established a connection with the trees surrounding me, extending my sight through their branches to survey the happenings in the forest.
To my astonishment, a significant transformation had occurred within the forest and jungle of the eastern continent. Through the eyes of the connected trees, I witnessed a multitude of ordinary creatures evolving and adapting to mana, becoming wondrous magical beings.
The forest had undergone a remarkable transformation, with scarce sightings of common creatures and even the trees and grass pulsating with mana energy. The acceleration of this change had taken me by surprise, happening more rapidly than I had anticipated.
As I had observed during my journey, the infusion of mana had granted newfound abilities to weaker creatures, enabling them to fight back and even overpower their natural predators. Likewise, the predatory creatures influenced by mana had become formidable forces in the jungle, dominating the ecosystem.
It was evident that this situation would lead to the near extinction of weaker creatures or force them to adapt to mana at an accelerated pace, and the scene unfolding before me confirmed my predictions.
Through my connection with the trees, I witnessed a tiger stealthily stalking a rabbit, which was unusually larger than its typical size. In a normal scenario, the tiger would easily capture its prey or the rabbit would manage to escape. However, what transpired left me astounded.
As the tiger lunged towards the rabbit, the nimble creature effortlessly leaped over the predator, delivering a powerful kick that caused severe damage to the tiger's face, leaving it with a crushed visage. The tiger quickly regained its footing, only to find the rabbit boldly confronting it with an aggressive gaze.
This extraordinary event was not isolated to a single encounter; I extended my connection with the trees and the entire forest in the world of Nana was undergoing a rapid transformation. I ended the connection I had with the trees, returning my focus to the immediate surroundings. Red, having finished his meal, fixed a fiery gaze upon the remaining thigh in my hand.
As I took a satisfying bite from the meat and tossed the remainder to Red, my attention quickly shifted back to the rapidly changing forest. Something intriguing was happening, and I couldn't ignore it because there is a mysterious power that seemed to be intertwining with my own being. It wasn't a matter of something being added to me; rather, it felt like this power had always been present, but now it was becoming more apparent as the forest transformed.
I wanted to go deep and find out what this power is but, seeing that it was unfolding itself the more the first changes, i decide that it is better to just wait.
The realization that I couldn't create ripe ingredients and fruits dealt a blow to my plans, particularly regarding food production for my kingdom. I had believed that with this ability, food scarcity would no longer be a concern. Furthermore, I had intended to utilize this power to cultivate potent herbs that I had discovered during my explorations.
During my journey, I had not only sought out creatures for creation but also observed the diversity of animals and plants. In many fantasy stories, powerful herbs play a vital role, capable of bestowing great strength or possessing other useful properties. I had come across numerous such herbs during my travels.
Initially, I hadn't attached much significance to them, assuming that my ability for wood manipulation would enable me to replicate these herbs effortlessly. However, now that I understood that artificially created replicas held no real value, I realized the need for a different approach.
In the upcoming years of my training, I would need to focus on creating these distinct and potent herbs, as well as exploring plants with useful culinary applications. I would have to locate suitable lands where they could be cultivated. Although the advantage of spamming abilities was no longer available to me, I still retained the advantage of accelerated growth, shortening the time required for them to become usable.