Seeing as they continued getting distracted by all the wonders of Belissar’s Tower, Tarwantrad asked Belissar to just give her a quick overview of the flower types he had available. Tarwantrad kept silent, nodding along. She crossed her arms and hummed to herself as Belissar recited everything he could remember, with Niobee and the bees reminding him of the rest.
“Gravilions, huh? A gravity flower, now that’s a curiosity indeed. I will have to trade you for those as well. But let’s put that aside for now, so you have at least one representative for ground, wind, fire, water, light, dark, and cold. You have some varieties of poisons and medicines available. If you cross the quickblossom and the alfalfa with mana flowers, that should give you sources of lightning and nature. Death and flowers work better together than you might think, though I could see difficulties for a honey-based evolution through that mana type. If that’s the case…”
Belissar watched in silence as Tarwantrad considered, waiting until she spoke again.
“I see three options I could offer you for the first boon. I could offer you a flower with a type of mana you don’t yet have access to expand your options further. Alternatively, I could offer you an additional features of types you already have but that would enhance one of your ecosystems with additional diversity. Doing so could reinforce and strengthen one of your existing mana types, producing healthier and stronger flowers of the varieties that absorb it. Finally, I could offer you one of my flower monsters or traps if you are concerned with your defenses.”
She gave him a smile.
“I’ll admit, I am curious to see how your bees’ cross-pollination abilities might affect various flower monsters. I’m sure, though, that we will get to that if we make trades in the future.”
Belissar smiled back before crossing his arms.
“Do you mind if I take a minute? I like to consult with the bees, especially when choosing flowers.”
Tarwantrad’s smile only grew.
“I…see. And that helps the flower…ecosystem?”
Tarwantrad nodded repeatedly.
“It doesn’t just help, it’s the foundation of it all! I’ve found that nearly every plant I’ve raised has fungi mycelium wrapped around or even penetrating through their roots, exchanging nutrients and mana that the other cannot obtain otherwise. There are some flowers that won’t even grow if there are no fungi present in the soil, unless you try and make up the difference with a ridiculous amount of mana. This particular mushroom grows specifically in environments brimming with Nature mana and is exceptional at working with plants. I promise you, spread this to your flowers and you will see them bloom brighter than ever before.”
Belissar nodded and took the bag.
“Got it. Should I absorb it, or just use it as is?”
“Absorb what you need to make more, anything left over you can use as is.”
Sufficient samples gathered. Greenwood Mushroom is now available.
Current applications: Flower Meadow, Apiary, Orchard, Fairy Grove, Dirt Tunnels, Apothecary's Hut
- Type: Mushroom, Nature, Resource
- Mana Upkeep: 5 per node, 3 to enable in compatible rooms
- Description: A mushroom in symbiosis with plants that has gathered enough Nature mana to become something more. Not only does this mushroom transfer nutrients, but it also gathers mana and feeds it to its connected plants so that they may generate more Nature mana for it to use in turn. Boosts the growth and mana of all plants. If two or more plants are connected to the same greenwood mushroom mycelium, they may exchange mana with each other as well. The caps are edible and abundant in Nature mana.
“The Tower agrees with you. Looks will help a lot. Thank you, Tarwantrad.”
“I’m happy to help! Between these mushrooms below and your bees above, your flowers are going to be beyond healthy and happy.”
At that point, however, the flower monster from before walked out of the fairy circle once again, tugging at Tarwantrad’s dress. She sighed.
“Well, this has been wonderful, but it seems I must depart once again. Would you mind if I return to visit again, hopefully soon?”
“You’re welcome anytime.”
Tarwantrad beamed at him.
“Thank you, I’ll return as soon as I am able! And, I’ll probably need to discuss it with the Wardmaster first, but hopefully I can show you my dungeon soon as well.”
“I’d love to see it.”
She gave him another smile at that.
“Take care, Belissar, and may your flowers bloom bold and bright.”
And with that, she walked back into the circle and vanished in another swirl of leaves. For once, Belissar was actually looking forward to her return. But first, he had work to do. He glanced up at Niobee on his head.
“Shall we see what these mushrooms do?”
Tarwantrad returned to find Wardmaster Varilold waiting for her, the nexus now surrounded by faint shimmering, the only sign of the powerful wards all around it. The wardmaster gave her a nod.
“There you are. I trust you and the other dungeon master have come to an agreement?”