Planting Darkwood would be a complete game changer. But there was just one problem. He didn’t have enough Soo drops to buy the [Isolated Room] upgrade.
It only cost 1 drop, but he currently had zero in his inventory. He didn’t even have enough Sand Dollars to purchase it.
I guess I have no choice. I really do have to wait until next month.
Darkwood only needed a month before it grew mature enough to be harvested. That was why he wanted to plant the Darkwood as soon as possible so that he could have it ready by the time the Elves arrived in Metropolis.
But that wouldn’t be possible now.
It’s fine. This month will give me enough time to prepare and do research on my own.
Just like with the Zephrys, the best way to learn about cultivating Darkwood was through the Elves. Only they knew those two concepts well enough to help him in his goals.
But since they wouldn’t arrive until a month later, this meant that he could either wait, or search for answers all on his own.
Of course, a good place to find some general knowledge about the world would be a Magic Tower. They hoarded all kinds of information ranging from magic spells, to bestiaries, to almanacs, and everything else in between. They weren’t dubbed as scholars for nothing.
It’s also good to visit Braxton. I still owe him a Mithril Artifact.
He briefly visited the Dwarven Blacksmiths in the Nation of Reborn and tasked them with their help in creating a suitable wand for Braxton.
About an hour later, he received the finished product in a nice little rectangular wooden box.
Then, he quickly transported himself to Metropolis, right on the footsteps of the Magic Tower.
He could have teleported directly inside, but he wasn’t that familiar with Lucius and the other mages yet, so he didn’t want to come off as rude, especially when he was going to ask them for a favor.
He entered the portal, finding himself back in the magical hallways filled with floating candlesticks, moving paintings, and paradoxical staircases that seemed to be upside down and rightside up at the same time.
As soon as he walked through the hallways, he suddenly heard excited murmurings and shoutings echoing across the whole room.
This was quite unusual since Magic Towers were famous for being places of peace and quiet. This was supposed to be a space where one could study and read at peace without anyone interrupting them.
But this shouting made it look like they were at a wet market of some sorts.
He followed the direction of the sound and found himself entering a completely new hallway that he hadn’t been to before.
The sounds of shouting got louder and louder as he got closer, until eventually, he saw the end of the tunnel.
Entering the room, he found himself in the company of mages and wizards alike, shouting, jumping, and cheering for something in the middle of the room.
He floated up and tried to see what was going on.
"Yeah! Go Porckchop! I’m rooting for you!"
"My money’s on Chris P. Bacon. Do you see the flabs on that pig?"
"Come on, come on! If I were him, I would have already caught at least one pig!"
Michael was completely speechless as he saw what these ’scholars’ were cheering for.
Right in the middle of the room, there was a small stage filled with wet mud, and about five small piglets running around, splashing mud and getting the front seats dirty.
Among the pigs were one man, whose eyes were blindfolded using magical restraints.
He was fumbling around, following the sounds of oinks, oinks, and trying to catch at least one of them in his arms.
Unfortunately, the pigs proved to be far more intelligent than normal. They evaded the man’s grasp with a scoffing expression painted on their faces. These were intelligent little piggies!
Once the time ran out, the man disappointedly took off his blindfolds and exited the arena.
"Michael!"
With the game over, Braxton finally noticed him.
"You’re just in time! Do you want to see if you can catch any pigs? If you do, you can win them yourself!’
Michael turned silent. "For eating?"
"No no no! As a pet! I bred these pigs to be very intelligent!"
"I’ll pass on that," Michael replied.
"Oh, I see," Braxton said, disappointed. "What did you come here for? Did ya miss your best friend?"
"Uhhhh, you can say that. Here, I brought this to you as a gift," he said, handing the box to Braxton.
Even without knowing what it was, Braxton looked extremely pleased. "Just knowing that you’re thinking of me is already a gift!"
Then, he opened the box.
And as soon as he saw what was inside, his eyes immediately widened.
He carefully took it out of its container, holding it with both his hands.
This was a very special wand, one that had an orange body and a leafy green handle.
It was a wand in the shape of a carrot, with very realistic grooves and coloring that made it look like the real thing.
"A CARROT WAND! OMG!"
As soon as Braxton held it up in the air, the pigs in the muddy arena suddenly looked up at the wand with an intense gaze. They were salivating at the sight.
"It’s perfect!" Braxton exclaimed. "Now my piggies will follow my orders without question. I just hope that they won’t eat it, mistaking it for the real thing."
At first, Braxton didn’t even notice the fact that the wand was a Mithril Artifact. He was so fascinated with it being a carrot that it completely passed him by.
It was only when he tried casting a spell did he finally realize the truth.
"THIS! THIS IS!"
Michael nodded. "Yep. Take good care of it, buddy."
He was one of the few people outside Reborn that he gave a Mithril Artifact to.
"I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! OMG! THANKS BESTIE!"
Braxton went in for a hug, and Michael smartly avoided it at the last second or else his ribs would have shattered. Braxton wasn’t exactly a thin guy.
"This gift is way too good! I have to give you something back. Tell me anything and I’ll give it to you!"
Michael wasn’t expecting a gift back, but it would be nice to have some help regarding the information he wanted.
"Actually, I came here to find something about Darkwood, Zephrys, and everything Elf related. Do you know where in the library I can find it?"
Braxton grabbed his shoulders. "Fufu! Don’t you worry, Bestie! I’ll show you what you want. Just give me a moment."
Then, Braxton quickly left the room, rushing past wizards and bumping them out of the way.
Michael thought he’d only be gone for a few minutes at least, but an hour had already passed by and he still hadn’t returned yet!
Thankfully, the pig games were still ongoing, so he had something to keep him company while he waited.
Then, two hours after he first disappeared, Braxton finally came back carrying many scrolls and books in his chest.
"Here! Everything you need to learn is in these books!"