Ball of Nothing

Chapter 595: Undead Wood Farming

Against his will, Pocky found himself running back into the danger zone. The swampland wasn't anything he recognised. For one, the dark faes under the dark tree ent's command were swarming around something like bees attacking an enemy. They looked like they've officially lost their minds.

"No wonder he was taking so long," Zero mused. "I thought he was having difficulty with an old tree."

Having difficulty was putting it lightly. Ordinarily, adventurers would be running away by now with severe injuries if they weren't dead yet. Unlike regular monsters, the dark tree ent was frightening because of two of its abilities.

Truen easily countered the nature magic manipulation. He was a wood spirit. The negative debuff effect of getting confusion and weakness in this swampland didn't affect him. It was not the main reason why Truen rigged the little game earlier to volunteer. Zero and Bob might not realise that because the debuff did little damage to people as powerful as them. Truen didn't mind if they wreaked havoc and let loose a little if this was the only thing the dark tree ent could do.

It was the second and less known effect of this wamp monster that Truen worried about. With enough time spent in this swampland, they would end up like shipwright Pocky. Truen couldn't risk that. The dark tree ent was good at subtle manipulation and brainwashing. Those without a firm heart will find themselves becoming puppets of the swamp monster. The weaker ones who died became fertiliser for the soil, creating a vicious cycle of trapped souls in the area.

The dark tree ent shot another root and branch at Truen, who simply dodged and returned shots of his own, cutting them off cleanly. Zero and Bob decided to watch from a safe distance so that Pocky wouldn't be dragged into the crossfire. At first sight, it looked as if Truen was struggling against the swamp master. However, when Zero checked his inventory that Truen shared with him, he wondered how much they were worth.

"Hey, shipwright. How much undead wood do you need to make that ship?" Zero asked. Even Bob was momentarily confused by that question.

From what the dragon saw, that dark tree ent should be enough to make a very good ship for three people. They weren't trying to create an underwater country or village. What kind of question was that?

"Half the trunk of that dark tree ent would be enough. Why do you ask? Is your friend trying to cut the tree and run?"

Zero glanced back to the battlefield. It wasn't clear to Pocky, but Bob and Zero could see it now. Truen used one of his ultimate skills to trap the dark tree ent, giving it only enough space to launch branches and roots at Truen. The dark faes controlled by the swamp monster were attacking the cage viciously, trying to tree its master after the tree ent realised swarming Truen with numbers didn't work.

Just like this, Truen farmed enough undead wood to make several houses. Zero doubted they needed any more building materials, but his friend looked like he was having so much fun. Zero felt bad for interrupting, so they decided to sit and watch instead.

"Say," Zero asked slyly. "Is undead wood very valuable?"

When Bob heard that, he had a feeling he knew what his master was going to do. Yet, he didn't hate it. It was in a dragon's nature to not detest wealth. However, Lord Baal would claim that Zero has been corrupted by Mammon's influence. At this rate, Zero would make a better businessman than a doctor.

Pocky's brain blanked out. Was undead wood valuable? If he followed the adventurer guilds' rankings, subjugating the dark tree ent was akin to an S-rank difficulty that required several A-rank adventurers in a coordinated raid. Even so, the success rate of this quest is not guaranteed. The monster boss might not be subdued, and the raiding party could suffer heavy losses.

In all his years before he was trapped in this place, Pocky only heard of a few people capable of defeating a powerful fae monster. If it were people like Dorgon, the dwarven hero in his youth, this monster would easily be taken down in half a day. If the powerful gnomes still existed, the monster wouldn't stand a chance against the mighty battling gun. If the ancient elves were still here under King Charo's lead, as much as Pocky hated that man, the ark tree ent could be defeated. However, these were exceptional individuals, and not anybody could take it down with ease, much less farm undead wood.

"How much would a branch about a meter in length sell for?" Zero asked, and Pocky didn't know how to answer it. A branch? So far, nobody managed to secure even a foot of undead wood, much less a meter.

"A twig would already cost a small gold mine. I don't know how much a branch would cost."

Zero hummed. Pricing this would be difficult. Honestly, it would be a waste to sell it. The material was good and very rare. If the gnomes and the Sea Hand brothers could work together, they could do something more amazing than exchanging it for gold mines.

"What else can undead wood be used for apart from the sinking ship?" Zero asked. He didn't know the properties of this special wood. If it could sink in water, what else could they make as a groundbreaking invention?

Pocky thought about it and hesitated. In truth, he had many ideas. Both Pocky and his brother created many insane creations on paper. However, their master forbade them to even make a prototype. The one thing both Pocky and Docky wanted to build was a ship that could fly. The airship was something the sea otters wished to make. It would be interesting to sail the clouds without wings and see what lies above that sea of white. However, Master Malik turned that away. Flying was an unthinkable thing for someone born with an affinity to the ocean.

"The undead wood has a special property to ignore things that are not imbued with life energy and magic. Water and air are not charged with it. Hence, the undead wood will move towards a life force wherever the nearest. Of course, with some tweaks and additional materials, we can build things like a sinking ship. However, the one thing my brother and I would love to try building is an airship - one that sails above the sea of clouds."

When Zero heard that, he became thrilled by the idea. An airship! There were no air transportations, even in the gnome empire. What a noble idea! With this amount of undead wood in the inventory that continued increasing, Zero wondered how big an airship the Sea Hand brothers could build. Imagine a city in the sky, much like Indra Seagloo that travels across the globe. That would be a story worth telling to future generations.

"That airship," Zero said. "I would like to be your patron. My friend is farming undead wood at the moment. We have more than enough to distribute it and sell it freely. However, I won't do that. Instead, I wish to invite you and your talented village of shipwright to create an airship by collaborating with the last surviving gnomes. Build me an airship big enough and self-sufficient enough to become a travelling city in the skies, much like Indra Seagloo."

Pocky nearly pissed in his pants when he heard what Zero wanted to be a patron of. He turned to look at Bob, who yawned as if this was normal. Then, Pocky understood that this magician youth wasn't just a simple person.

"Good lad, may I know your name?"