Chapter 881: Mysteries (2)
Chapter 881: Mysteries (2)
Eisen looked down at the banquet using a camera drone that he had placed onto the ceiling beforehand. The screen floating in front of him very clearly displayed a view of the giant envoys huddling around a certain young man; Aaron.
From the things that the drone's microphone was able to pick up, they were talking about some local myths or legends and mysteries from across the giants' country, seeing if Aaron was able to figure them out. And from what Eisen could tell, he was able to rationalize and explain most of those mysteries. But really, it didn't matter what they were talking about.
Whether it be mysteries or the weather, anything was better than the stiffling silence that had filled the banquet hall earlier.
With the conversations of the giants and Aaron now filling the hall, it seemed like the other side, the envoys from the central continent, were slowly starting to converse with each other as well. Since they didn't have to worry about their voices being the only ones to fill the space, they seemed a bit more comfortable.
Of course, they were really just talking to their own side, but as things went on, Eisen was sure that the mood would improve. Especially once Evalia's performance started later. Once the overall atmosphere of the hall turned much lighter than before then maybe the envoys from the two sides would start talking to each other a bit more.
"Are you ready to go in?" Kirisho asked, seated beside the old man. She had placed her hand onto Eisen's arm, and he slowly placed his own hand onto her's. He nodded his head and slowly stood up, waving away the screen of what the camera drone was currently seeing.
"Sure, let's go. No need to push it back any further," Eisen replied, as the two carefully made their way out of their room. They stepped through into the banquet hall, and the moment that they did, the air changed once more. Attention was quickly pulled toward Eisen, as though everyone was hesitantly looking toward him. But before long, the giants seemed to move on.
Most of them weren't wary of Eisen, and they had only just greeted him a few hours ago, so they didn't feel the need to come over to him right away. With that, though the central continent's envoys still seemed tense, the atmosphere slowly returned to something more lively.
Eisen walked into the room, quickly making his rounds. He went toward the people closest to him, making small-talk. He asked them again how their trip went, a bit more in-depth compared to when they just arrived, asking if they enjoyed whatever random gimmick he gave their specific cabins.
Of course, Eisen also asked some things that Komer had told him to talk about; things that these individuals would be interested in. Industry, art, merchantry, anything that could hold their attention and that could get them talking a bit more. Before long, a small crowd had started to gather around Eisen, and the old man glanced over to the crowd on the other side of the room.
Komer, who stood at its edge, locked eyes with the old man. Eisen briefly nodded, and Komer returned it. He turned to Aaron and the giants, joining the conversation that he had mostly pulled out of until now. This continued for a little while, until Komer guided Aaron and a small group of giants, including but not limited to the Irngrad, the Grandour, and the Bralfam, over to Eisen.
Without the envoys currently gathered around Eisen really noticing, they were approached by Komer, who quickly bowed forward. He knew that these guys really put a lot of value on etiquette, and Komer had learned everything that he needed to learn to ensure he could treat everyone here with the level of respect that they expected. Though of course, right now, he had to be a little rude.
But considering the context and the fact that Eisen stood right here in front of everyone, they wouldn't be able to complain about it.
"I'm sorry Eisen, but do you mind if I interrupt for a moment?" Komer started, smiling lightly as he looked at the old man. Eisen quickly shook his head.
"Go ahead. Is everything alright?" Eisen asked with a curious expression, though he of course already knew what was going on.
Komer quickly replied with a nod, "Yes, of course. But we were in the middle of a curious conversation, and I figured we could use some help," the merchant quickly looked over at one of the envoys, smiling invitingly, "Lord Targia, your country is known for its dairy export. I heard that you overproduced cheese at some point and had to resort to storing it underground, correct?"
A bit taken aback, the man nodded his head, "Ah... yes, it was about a decade and a half ago. We were supposed to export large amounts of hard cheese as rations for a large-scale exploration of the eastern continent. But then a kraken appeared in the sea-route that was supposed to be used, so the exploration was pushed back a lot.
Only five years ago were we able to get to the eastern continent for said exploration."
"I see... But aren't krakens a nomadic species? Why did it take you ten years to recover the sea-route?" the Irngrad wondered, glancing over at Komer. He seemed to be curious as to why they were brought here. The thing that they were talking about earlier was the sudden rapid expansion of the southern forests of the eastern continent. Why were they suddenly here talking about cheese and krakens?
Hesitant to answer, the envoy from the central continent nodded his head, "W-Well... the sea-route we found had unique currents that were supported by a specific species of eel swimming through that part of the ocean. As the kraken was there, that species was led to flee."
Once more, the Irngrad curiously looked over at Komer, who was just nudging Aaron's side. But Aaron was already deep in thought, trying to figure out what was going on. He cupped his chin with his hand, trying to come up with an explanation for it all.
"Ah..." Aaron finally let out, "So that's what happened," he muttered understandingly.
"Huh? What happened? What's the kraken got to do with our forests?" the Grandour asked, and as the other envoys seemed a bit confused, Komer quickly filled them all in.
"We have been playing a small game. This world has numerous confusing parts and mysteries that we often assume to be the work of magic. But most of the time, they have relatively simple explanations. We've been trying to see which mystery has which type of solution; magic or logic."
The envoys seemed to understand, and Targia slowly looked back in understanding. Though he was hesitant to engage with the giants, he was still a bit curious and confused, and the others seemed to think the same.
And so, Aaron quickly chose to explain, "It's pretty simple, actually. The currents of the ocean and climates of the particular regions mean it would be most benefitial for the eels to migrate from their old spot all the way to the giant country's western coast, where the giant Roc Bird breeds at the oceanside cliff. With the large amount of food that the Rocs now gained, the reproduced faster.
To build their nests, Roc birds gather cotton, so the giant's country had to resort to sheep's wool for a while, right?"
The Irngrad slowly nodded his head, "That is correct."
"And your country has a plant called the 'Wilderberry', right?"
Slowly, the Irngrad seemed to understand, nodding his head at Aaron, "We do, however, the Wilderberry only improves the physical growth and function of the physical body, but it doesn't boost growth."
"Are you sure about that?" Aaron replied with a slight grin, "The farmers who kept sheep were now feeding the Wilderberries to them, increasing the speed that the sheep's wool grew. And then, the sheep digested those berries, their... dung took on a certain quality that was potent enough to change a forest in just a couple of years."
The Irgngrad silently stared at Aaron, trying to see if he was correct, "The digestion changes the properties of the wilderberry? Intriguing idea... So what do you-" Enjoy exclusive content from m-v l'-ReadNovelFull.com
However, before the king of the giants could continue, he was quickly interrupted by one of the other envoys from the central continent, "Y-You have plants that can allow you to speed up the growth of sheep's wool, and maybe even that of a forest?"