There was a large lake that ran across one side of the clearing, and a wide open space with some grass growing in it opposite the lake. And then on the east side of the clearing, opposite where Gina and Farlow had come from, there was a tall tree with strange silver fruits growing on it. For some reason, even though the sun was already out in the sky, the area around the tree was still completely dark, and the reflection of the light cast a bright shine on the silver fruits and made them glitter like raindrops. This was the Moon Dew Fruit Tree. Farlow took in a deep breath and stepped forward to reach the tree. The distance to the tree was barely one hundred meters, but at that moment, Farlow felt like he was on a mile-long journey! Farlow reached the trees without incident, and he looked around him as he saw multiple bright balls of light swimming around him in agitation while making cute noises like bells. These were some of the spirits that they had defeated earlier that had been following them for a while, but even though the spirits were angry, Farlow knew that none of them could harm them, so he simply flew up and took one of the fruits from the tree.
Tremble~!
The dark tree suddenly shook like someone had just stabbed it with a knife, and Farlow felt shock pass through his system as he saw the entire region shaking! Farlow quickly reached up and took one more fruit from the tree just before the entire tree removed itself from the ground and stood on its roots like legs! The tree seemed to glance at Farlow and Gina with an annoyed gaze before it turned and quickly began to run into the forest! Farlow had no idea where the tree was going, but he knew that the tree would come back eventually, and by then, the Valkan would have recreated its mortal body and the Valkan would be able to stand guard here once again. But none of that mattered to Farlow because he had finally gotten the fruits that he needed! Farlow looked down at the large fruits in his hand! Each one was at least twice the size of his palm, and they had a strange teardrop shape that made them look like silver rain that fell from the sky. Farlow floated back down to where Gina was waiting, and he saw her looking towards a cave on the other side of the lake. This cave was similar to the one at the Lake of Remembrance, and Farlow realised that it had to lead to the Queen of Wind Spirits as well.
Farlow floated down to Gina while cradling the fruits like they were precious gold, and he hesitated for a moment before he handed the fruits over to Gina. It was Gina that the Spirit Queen sent on this mission, so Farlow knew that it was only Gina who could give the fruits to the Spirit Queen and complete the mission. Gina smiled at Farlow kindly as she took the fruits, and Farlow didn’t need to even say anything before Gina nodded.
"I’ll make sure everything goes well. I promise."
Farlow took in a shaky breath, and he finally nodded before he watched as Gina flew off towards the cave. Farlow took a seat in front of the large lake, and he patiently waited for Gina to return.
Gina reached the other side of the lake, and she flew towards the cave and tried to get inside, but the moment she passed a certain region of the cave, Gina felt her spirit leave her body, and her mortal body fell to the ground. Gina turned around and stared at her unconscious body with a slightly concerned look on her face, but she shook her head and decided not to be bothered by it. Thankfully, the Moon Dew fruit had come with Gina’s spirit into the cave, so Gina just continued forward and followed the bright balls of light to reach the inner cave. This cave was exactly the same as the one that Gina had used back in the Lake of Remembrance, and Gina wondered if this was how every single cave leading to the Spirit Queen would be. Were there hundreds of caves all around the Primordial Expanse that all led to this one area? That was a very impressive feat of Space manipulation magic.
As Gina approached the inner cave, she saw the bright balls increasing in number, and some of them floated around her playfully and made her smile. The spirits were all interested in the Moon Dew fruits that she was carrying, but Gina made sure to keep the fruits secure as she finally reached the resting place of the Spirit Queen.
’So you managed to complete the task after all. How admirable.’
The Spirit Queen’s melodic voice echoed through the cave, and Gina bowed her head as she saw the large blue flower blooming to reveal the beautiful Queen. The Spirit Queen was still using the Elven Queen’s appearance, and she floated off her resting flower and appeared in front of Gina with a wide smile on her face once she saw the two fruits!
’You even got two of them! That’s simply wonderful! Here, hand them over.’
The Spirit Queen reached out for the fruits, but Gina hesitated for a moment before she handed over only one of the two fruits. The Spirit Queen grabbed the shining fruit with a wide smile on her face, and she rubbed her cheek against it like it was some sort of precious jewel that she had just found! The Queen reached out to take the second fruit as well, but the Spirit Queen’s brow furrowed in shock when Gina suddenly stepped back from her, and the Spirit Queen suddenly narrowed her eyes at Gina.
’What is the meaning of this?’
The Queen looked like she was only a moment away from losing her cool completely, and Gina spoke up quickly.
"I know I may be overstepping my boundaries here, but before I give you the second fruit, I wish for you to please return the spirit of the Elven Queen."
Gina bowed her head to the Queen, and the Queen hummed at Gina’s request. This was the exact reason why Gina had asked Farlow to get two of the fruits instead of just one. All this time, Gina had been wondering why the Spirit Queen couldn’t just go and get these fruits herself. It was obvious that the Spirit Queen was stronger than the Valkan, so if she wanted to, then she should have been able to defeat the Valkan and take the fruits. But after seeing the trees of the Moon Dew Fruits, as well as how the other spirits had been acting all this time, Gina finally understood why the Spirit Queen couldn’t go and take the fruit herself. These fruits could not be harvested by spirits! The Moon Dew Fruit had been hanging helplessly in the forest all this time, but none of the spirits could reach out to take any of the fruits, and even when Gina brought the fruits inside the cave, the spirits that surrounded her didn’t touch the fruits either. This meant that the only way a spirit could receive one of these fruits was if they were handed over to them by a mortal creature.
Gina didn’t really know enough about the Spirit Queen to make any serious judgments, but what Gina did know was that the Spirit Queen was mischievous enough to take the spirit of a mortal creature just for her own entertainment, and Gina didn’t know if she could trust someone like that fully. So Gina decided that she would dangle the promise of a second fruit in front of the Spirit Queen until she got what she wanted. The Spirit Queen floated closer to Gina and glared at her while speaking in an annoyed voice.
’Are you truly trying to bargain with me, child?’