"Is this enough, Head Gardener?"
Gilliana, several soldiers, and some priests stood nearby and asked.
The Head Gardener, who was busy at his desk, handling some official business, took a moment to glance up from his busy schedule at the words behind Gilliana and the others.
There lay a large pile of luxurious wooden boxes, stacked on top of each other.
After taking a look, the Head Gardener nodded.
"Send them there. Remember to tell them."
Then he returned to his work.
Gilliana nodded, and she and the soldiers behind her quickly pushed the treasures away, so as not to disturb the Head Gardener.
They headed towards the flower forest where Alka and the others were.
Alka's men were packing their bags, preparing to head to the Giant Tree's Habitat to complete the Flower Fairy's commission.
"Gilliana and the others are here, pushing a huge load... probably rewards," Lucilia suddenly said.
Arka, who was busy in the hall, stopped what she was doing upon hearing this.
Jason poked his head out from the doorway and opened it.
Just in time, he saw Gilliana and the others arriving.
"Okay, okay, push it in and put the things here." She instructed her men to move the boxes on the cart to the side. The soldiers' movements indicated that the boxes were quite heavy.
Jason and Arka walked out.
"What are you doing?"
"This is a small thank you gift for your help with Fragrance of Fragrant Aroma these past few days. Thank you very much," Gilliana said with a smile.
Arka nodded in response to the gifts, neither refusing nor making any excuses.
"I'm sorry, the head gardener can't come here in person. He's got too much to attend to right now."
Hearing this, Alka smiled and waved, "You're so kind. I'm glad you're here."
After chatting for a while, Gilliana took her leave.
Although she had come specifically to deliver these thank-you gifts, she couldn't relax in her current situation and was still busy.
Alka and the others didn't try to stop her.
Looking at the boxes stacked outside their room.
Jason walked over and counted them.
"Seven boxes, one small and six large."
Then the two of them carried the boxes into the hall.
"Wow, what's in there? They're so heavy. Could they be full of golden sails?" Jason couldn't help but smile.
This money will greatly alleviate his current financial difficulties.
"What are you thinking about?" Lucelia asked, standing on the box Alka was holding.
If these boxes were truly filled with gold sails, there would be at least tens of thousands of them.
That's a bit too much.
Four or five thousand gold sails is a more reasonable range.
By this time, the others in the hall had already emerged.
"What are these?" Sofia asked.
"Rewards from the church."
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look curious and gathered around.
Jason placed the large box in the center and began to open the lid: "Let me see what's inside."
As the bag opened, the radiance of wealth shone from within.
One after another, neatly stacked crystal gems were neatly arranged inside.
"Boogie!"
The voice of the crystal dragon came from outside.
She had also participated in the war a few days ago, so she no longer needed to stay outside the city.
A greenhouse had been built not far away for her to live in.
"Hmm, someone smells something," Jason said with a smile.
He picked up a gem and examined it carefully before his eyes for a moment, even licking it.
"High-quality stuff, very good."
Hearing this, Sofia immediately estimated the value of the treasures within the box.
After calculating, he said, "This box alone might be worth 1,000 gold sails."
The others also opened the other boxes.
The remaining large boxes were filled with densely packed gold sails and some valuable-looking gold and silver jewelry.
Totaling to around 3,000 gold sails.
Don't underestimate the size of a single gold sail; stacked together, it would be a considerable amount.
Now, the total value of the six large boxes had already reached their expectations.
Alka couldn't help but look at the small box on the flower table.
The small box was about ten centimeters long.
And it was completely different from the other wooden boxes. Both its structure and the patterns on it made it appear exceptionally precious.
He picked it up and opened the clasp. With a click, the lid popped open.
Everyone put down their belongings and looked over.
Nine rings were neatly arranged inside, each one a crystal clear crystal. The outer layer was wrapped in a lace pattern outlined with strange metallic lines.
"Pocket rings?" Alka frowned, looking at the rings in confusion.
He picked one up and examined it carefully.
There was no doubt that this was the same crystal clear as pocket rings. Alka could tell at a glance that it was a space crystal specifically designed for pocket rings.
After all, he had studied the materials and crafting techniques.
He even considered making a fortune with this craft, but reality proved otherwise.
Simply put, the crafting technique isn't difficult; what's difficult is the spirit of continuous improvement and the materials.
The profit from making each pocket ring isn't much; it's all earned through labor.
He probed his magic power into the ring to examine its size.
The 2×1×1 rectangular space was double the size of the one Alka currently held.
Don't underestimate this doubling; the price is more than doubled.
The price of the pocket ring in his hand ranged from around 50 to 80 gold sails.
The fluctuations were due to local production.
In the Home Sea, perhaps only fifty or so gold sails would be needed, but in the Infinite Sea, that would rise to 80.
The chaotic situation made transportation more difficult.
Even though many islands produce space stones, the price of a standard one-cubic-meter pocket ring would multiply if you wanted to buy it even slightly larger.
For example, the one in his hand was twice as large, yet the price had increased fivefold.
This was assuming the boss wasn't trying to cheat.
Normally, the price would be six times higher, and five times was just a friendly price.
These nine rings alone were almost as rich as the nine treasure chests.
"How big is the space?" Sofia asked. "2 x 1 x 1"
"So big? They're incredibly generous," Sofia said, somewhat surprised.
Jason observed the items nearby.
"It's truly a thank-you gift." After all, the price their team had paid for wasn't that high.
They still had some self-awareness.
If every move was like this one, what treasure would they be looking for? They would have made a fortune as mercenaries long ago.
"Come on, share it."
With that, Alka pushed the box over and then slipped the ring he'd been holding onto his own finger.
As the ring slipped onto his finger, the crystal-encased edge began to radiate magical energy, adjusting to the perfect size for Alka's finger.
This function was essential.
Otherwise, larger species like Pororo would have a hard time fitting it.
"Damn it! It won't fit!" Pororo said in frustration, watching the pocket ring, even at its largest size, still not fit onto his finger.
"That shouldn't be the case," Simon said, puzzled. He took the ring and examined it carefully.
A pocket ring purchased these days shouldn't even have this function. It couldn't possibly be unsuitable for the murloc's size.
Besides, there are plenty of murlocs in the Vast Sea.
After a brief study, he immediately discovered the reason.
"Oh, it's an old craft, not a modern one. It's not designed for larger bodies.
Wait, I'll help you modify it."
Simon placed the ring on his right palm, and the delicate hand that had become a part of his arm immediately began to move.
The metal on the ring fell away, leaving only the perfect, bare crystal ring.
He took out some materials, formed a lace, and rewrapped it around the crystal ring.
This time, however, the pattern was a silver-blue lightning pattern.
"Now try it."
Pororo took it, looked at the perfectly fitted ring and the pattern, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad."
"Rework it for me, too," Jason said, approaching.
Then, he casually pulled two golden sails from a nearby large box and handed them to Jason.
"A tip for you."
"It's not nice to hit you right now, but according to the calculations, you should owe us all some money." Sofia said quietly, standing next to Alka.
"Huh?"
He heard Jason's puzzled voice.
Sofia explained, "Based on contribution, Alka and Lucilia will definitely take the lion's share this time. The Puppet Army will also take a portion.
But that box of crystals takes up a quarter. Considering we're all on the ship together, if you don't get a penny, you'll still owe us some."
After briefly explaining the distribution, Jason's dejected expression faded.
Looking at the box of jewels piled nearby, he turned his head with a reluctant look.
He silently tossed the two tips into the box.
Simon took the ring from Jason with a grin, then turned to Sofia and said, "Please remember he owes me two extra gold sails."
Jason grew even more depressed, sighing as he looked at the box of crystal gems by his lap.
"Do that for me, too," Matlisa said as she approached.
Everyone started asking for cosmetic changes.
After all, it was so simple; why not change it to a more pleasing appearance?
Lucilia, perched on Alka's shoulder, and Sofia, beside him, silently handed the rings to Alka.
"You should be able to modify it, too."
Observing their actions, Alka didn't refuse at all. After accepting it, he smiled and said, "Of course. It's beautifully crafted, and free."
...
After handling these treasures, their movements remained unaffected.
The luggage they had prepared long ago was stuffed into the new pocket ring, and everyone felt relieved. They left the inn and headed towards the port of the Fragrant Land.
‐‐Although calling it an island isn't quite right, it does have a small harbor.
‐‐There were sea carriages and small fishing boats.
‐‐The doll girls sat on a large patrol plane floating behind them.
‐‐Some of the dolls were also hanging on everyone's body.
‐‐When they reached the street, the ruins were long gone, and the bloodstains on the ground had vanished.
‐‐However, many areas were still being rebuilt, though the process was somewhat strange.
‐‐Some priests were planting new flowers and seeds.
‐‐These huge greenhouses, which could be used as houses, were actually grown from flowers.
‐‐"It's the young ladies, it's those young ladies!" a little girl's voice shouted from the side.
‐‐The little girl looked very excited.
She kept tugging at her mother's hand, pointing at the puppet girl on Alka and the others.
I want to come over.
Looking at the girl's expression.
A puppet girl with fluttering wings immediately flew over.
She made a face in front of the girl.
"That's her! Thank you!" the little girl said with surprise as she looked at the puppet girl flying in front of her.
She wanted to hug her, but the size difference was too great, and she stood there anxiously.
Her mother smiled and squatted down, took a bouquet of flowers from her pocket, and handed it to her daughter.
The little girl immediately gave the flower to the puppet girl: "Thank you! Thank you for saving me and my mother, and for driving away the bad guys!"
"Hehe, we are the Puppet Knights. Remember that!" the puppet girl Jiuliu said with a smile.
Jie took the flowers, kissed the little girl's cheek, and quickly flew back, turning and waving at her.
Jiuliu returned and mingled with her sisters, waving her flowers around as if showing off.
"Looks like the reward isn't just the gold coins," Julia said with a smile as she watched.
As they made their way to the port, they received countless voices of thanks.
Many people recognized them, especially the puppet girls; they were incredibly recognizable.
Furthermore, apart from the soldiers, these puppet girls were the most numerous during the war, and they also rescued the most civilians.
"Finally, we're here. Being too enthusiastic isn't always a good thing," Jason said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The large aircraft carrying the puppet girls was already overflowing with flowers, so Alka and the others had no choice but to help carry some.
The people expressed their gratitude by sending various flowers.
"My flowers are the most beautiful!"
"No, my flowers are the most beautiful."
"No one is as beautiful as mine."
This kind of argument continued from the back, and it had been going on for quite a while.
Jason, walking beside the aircraft, looked helpless.
"Ah, don't crush my flowers," the puppet girl on Jason's shoulder said, tugging at his face.
Jason felt even more helpless.
He could only reply, "Yes, yes."
Then he picked up the flower he had been crushing and gently released some magic power onto it.
A thin layer of crystals enveloped the entire flower, perfectly preserving it at its most vibrant moment.
"See, it's all right now. And it can be preserved forever. No need to worry about it withering in a few days."
The puppet girl on his shoulder took the crystal flower, her eyes sparkling as she nodded vigorously. "Mm-hmm, that's very kind of you. The flower has become even more beautiful."
Alka, watching the scene from a distance, smiled with a hint of gloating, "Looks like some people are going to be busy."
Jason, still smiling, hadn't noticed anything wrong.
Then he finally noticed something was wrong.
The puppet girls on the aircraft beside him, as well as the puppet girls who had been on everyone else, all gathered around him. They stared at him with wide eyes.
Jason looked at the flowers they held.
Some of them were holding several.
They just stared at him, gently swaying the flowers in their hands. Their intentions were obvious.
What a mistake! I hadn't thought of that at all.
He took a deep breath and sighed deeply.
Alka and the others smiled as they pushed the Swallow out of the nearby warehouse.
They pushed it back into the swamp.
"Alright, come on board. It's not too late to get busy on the boat."
Hearing the gloating tone in Alka's voice, Jason gave him a resentful look.
He greeted the soldiers nearby and slowly sailed towards the giant tree's habitat.
A crystal dragon glided through the sky, and Jason, beaming, called it down.
Then the crystal dragon, along with the crystal that had been attached to it, joined the crystalline army.
There was nothing he could do.
This was the first time these puppet girls had received a thank-you gift from someone else.
As a companion on the ship, I must help, even if it's a bit tiring. Secure these flowers, which are so precious to the doll girls.
Secure them at the most beautiful moment.
It's clear that these doll girls truly love these flowers.
The Flying Swallow also slowly sailed forward.
The brief journey began again.