Chapter 2: Village

The villagers soon turned the area around the Aelaranthae into a field. Using stone tools and wood, they began building houses. Whenever the Aelaranthae passed, the villagers bowed down in respect. Some even knelt, treating them like lords. The villager knew the Aelaranthae could use mana, similar to the mages in mages tower. Unbeknownst to them, Aelaranthae were even better than mages for they need no catalyst or tools to use magic. The villagers knew they couldn’t possibly win using their crude wooden spears.

Moreover, the villagers held great respect for the Aelaranthae for they had fed them. For the first three months, the Aelaranthae feed them the bounty of the forest. The Aelaranthae were happy that the villagers thanked them every time they gave them food. The men then tilled the field and grew crops. Afterwards, they erected a wooden house.

“Thank you.” The villager bowed as Nae cut a stone with her mana to make a knife and hammer. In the past months, The Aelaranthae could now understand their language. The Aelaranthae were made to the ideal image of the goddess. They had high intelligence and wisdom. Coupled with their ability to sense emotions, they could pick up rudimentary language the villager used in a month.

“You are welcome.” The Aelaranthae spoke. Her voice was like a bell that chimes in the wind. It was pleasant to the ear of the common folk. The village chief, Sebastian bowed once again as he took the stone tools from the Aelaranthae to give to the villagers.

Respect was a new emotion the Aelaranthae felt. It felt like honeyed cream. It was sweet, but it was different than joy or happy feeling when they ate delicious things. The Aelaranthae enjoyed such deeds and the goddess smiled as her creation finally did what they were meant to do. Creating happiness.

A season soon passed. The villagers' hard work bore fruit. Harvest of wheat and vegetables were gathered before the Aelaranthae tree house. The villagers knelt down before her house. For four months, the Aelaranthae had provided them with everything. From the timbers in the forest, the stone and wooden tools they used, down to the food they ate, it was now the time to give something back.

“Honored Aelaranthae, we thanked you for this bountiful harvest that you bestowed upon us. We shall present you with the fruit of our hard work.” The villagers knelt in respect. They had fashioned themselves a huge stone pot and cooked the ingredients they harvested in it.

“Thank you.” The Aelaranthae picked up a spoonful of their soup dish and ate it. Then the Aelaranthae picked up the smoked mushrooms the villagers picked in the forest and ate it. It did not make them happy. To be precise, they knew what it tasted like. However, they could not derive joy from eating it. Aelaranthae have no need. The meal was akin to barren desert on the tongue, offering no more delight to the Aelaranthae than sand offered to a stream.

What they sensed by their tongue was no different than people who read about a cake’s taste. They knew the cake was sweet. They knew fruit is sweet. They knew the cabbage was fresh and good to be eaten. But they were not happy eating it.

“You may have the rest.” The Aelaranthae smiled. The joy the Aelaranthae felt were from the villager’s gratitude, not the food they presented her. Sebastian roused the crowd and the villagers swarmed the food with gusto. Some danced with their fellow villagers, men and women paired with each other.

The villagers soon ate all the dishes they made as the Aelaranthae sat on the chair they made before their house. The Aelaranthae gazed at them with joy as she savored the feelings of the people that ate their own dish. The complex emotions were a new taste they never had and they were happy just to be engulfed in the festivities. The villagers' emotions were a dish meant for the Aelaranthae. It was the reward of their benevolence.

The chief knelt down beside Ae Nae and quietly whispered. “Was our food not to your liking?” Nae stared at the chief bewildered. Despite the villagers' cheers and partying, Sebastian was confused and she even sensed a slight fear in his tone. The Aelaranthae were confused, it never happened before. When the herd gathered, their emotions were usually synced. The deer that sometimes grazed at the back of their house was the same. So, why did Sebastian feel fear in all these cheers?

“We do not need food. We do not need to eat. It would be better for the food to go to those who need it.” The Aelaranthae answered. Their voices chimed like a bell, but their words seemed to carry mysterious meaning. Sebastian wondered who these creatures were, for they are definitely not human. The Aelaranthae did not age a single day for the year they were together.

Sebastian then probed deeper. It was unthinkable for any creature to not need food. Even bugs and birds all need food. The only race he could imagine not needing physical food were demons that were worshiped by the cultist in the north, but they were vile for they loved to torture and relish in the suffering of humans. He would never imagine that the Aelaranthae speak no falsehood, They didn’t need anything but sunlight and mana from the air.

“If you ever need anything, Esteemed Aelaranthae, please do not hesitate to ask. I am willing to sacrifice my life for these villagers. if you ever need blood, or lives, please talk to me.” Sebas bowed down. He offered himself. If the creature before him were a man-eating monster, at least he could control the damage. He once heard how human villages or cities that were ruled by demons worked. To be honest, he was a bit jealous. Most demons ruled their territory better than their fellow humans for they have magic within their body. However, there is one caveat, the village needed to present a life sacrifice for them every year or every month depending on the demon’s mood.

Thinking the Aelaranthae before him were the same, he extended such an offer. However, the Aelaranthae have not met any other races yet. So, such double meaning or innuendos went past over the Aelaranthae low pattable head that they couldn’t even see them coming.

Two years had passed. The village, now called Aelaranthae Village, grew prosperous. Shacks and wooden houses strewn wider than before. Farms filled the land as wagons started to go in and out from the village. The cast out villagers have begun their new lives and the Aelaranthae made sure they prospered.

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The Aelaranthae were interested in the peddlers who sometimes came to their land. The peddlers always wore happy expressions as they explained their wares.

“Here is a glass, made by the Petraea kingdom in the east. This is a wooden sculpture, made by LeAestas in the west. Here is meat from wild Buffalo, hunted by hunters in Silvaris forest nation! And last is some porcelain from our nation, Antheria.”

“May I have this glass?” The Aelaranthae look at the wine glass the peddlers have. The materials intrigued them. They had never seen such clear crystals before.

“Of course. That would be five gold.”

“What is five gold?” Ae Nae asked. The peddler looked at the Aelaranthae bewildered. However, he understood that the Aelaranthaewere not human. He was from this village after all. He considered giving the glass to the Aelaranthae for free, but he needed to care for his business too.

“Gold is currency used to pay for things. If you don’t have any money, We could barter.”

“What do you want?” The Aelaranthae tilted her head

“Anything that seemed valuable?” the peddler was calculating in his head. He had seen these Aelaranthae grow plants before his very eyes. So, he thought these Aelaranthae must be the spirit of harvest or something. He sighed at the perishable food the Aelaranthae would likely give him. Those were certainly more valuable than mere statues. He and the rest of the villagers were about to die of hunger two years ago, after all. However, the rich guy in the city didn’t care for such things. They wanted something unique, something exquisite.

“Do you like statues, bowls and cups?” Ae Nae asked after browsing his wares. The peddlers have many things, but the Aelaranthae felt the peddlers were most passionate when he explained several tupperwares such as glass, or bowls. They certainly look pretty. And so, the Aelaranthae decided to give some to the man.

The Aelaranthae gathered a seed of a tree, then borrowed a pot and planted it there. Using mana from the air, she grew the potted plant in a blink of an eye. However the plant did not grow like regular plants, its trunk were shaped like wine glass the man just offered her but bigger. Small leaves dotted its borders and the outside of the chalice, then a white flower petal grew within the bowls. The Aelaranthae then poured water into the tree chalice. After finding that no water was spilled, she put a drop of her fuchsia blood inside the cup. The pure water turned transparent pink, like rose wine. The transparent pinkish liquid was fragrant to the nose, and it was adorned with white flowers at the bottom, making it elegant to the eyes. The peddlers knelt and repented for his arrogance in his heart, thinking the Aelaranthae could only grow wheat and fruit.

The peddlers look at the small tree in awe. The Aelaranthae exudes elegance and beauty. He never understood why the rich would pay all of that money for a simple cup and glass which could be replaced by a wooden bowl. However, when he saw how the Aelaranthae made the cup, he understood it in his heart. This chalice is precious. More so than his entire wares.

“Here. This water can cure many ills. Please, stay safe. Don’t forget to care for the bonsai. It needs water everyday.” Ae Nae smiled. “If the plants grow out of shape, you can trim it.”

And so, the peddlers kicked away all of the produce inside his cart to make place for the cup. The Aelaranthae, who saw how unstable the wagon is, offered to make a lid for the cup and the peddlers accepted it with grace. He then left with nothing but the bonsai. He knew everything was worthless compared to the bonsai. He felt it in his heart that nothing is more valuable than this bonsai.

Dragging his cart with utmost care, he began his journey to the city. Many people hated and blamed the country for their exile. However, a merchant values money over vengeance. With absolute certainty, he knew he would make it big with the bonsai the Aelaranthae gave her.

Remembering Aelaranthae's advice, he went to a nearby river. Using his water pouch, he watered the bonsai everyday. Without eating, he continued the journey full of joy. His body grew thin until he found himself collapsed before Lucianne, A big city under the Antheria Empire. As he woke up, he felt his strength left him. He was so hungry. He had been foraging nearby bushes for food like animals. He wondered how he could be so stupid, leaving everything but the bonsai.

However, he felt no regret. Even if he had ten or twenty more carts of his previous goods, he thought the bonsai was more precious. His merchant instinct says so. But then. A thought occurred, why should the corrupt rich nobles in the capital get everything? Didn’t he deserve at least a sip of this precious gold? And so, he went back to his cart, opened the lid of the bonsai, and took a sip of the precious translucent pink water.

Energy returned to him all at once. He felt all the fatigue he had before was a lie. After putting the lid of the bonsai back to where it was, he went inside the town with smiles. After greeting the guard, he went to the plaza and announced loudly.

“Everyone! Behold! I have acquired a living bowl!” The peddler screamed. He then carefully lifted the pot where the bonsai is and put it carefully on the floor.

“This tree! Is made by my goddess, it is still alive! I watered it every day! Look at the flower, look at the natural bark formed at the cup. Neither craftsmen from Petraea with their craftsmanship nor mages with their magic from LeAestas can do this. Behold! It can hold water inside. Water made by the blood of my goddess.” The peddler exclaimed. Extolling the value of the chalice with fervor.

“There are no other cups like these! This is the first my goddess has given me! The water could cure all ills!” The peddler’s bold statement was heard by a strolling nobleman. A count who just went by to shop. He couldn’t care less about some foreign culture or bizarre statues. But the moment he heard about curing illness, his head perked up at once.

And so, the count came and looked at the bonsai chalice. He smirked at the peddlers, ridiculing his tree as snobbish. It was simple for him to lower the value of goods by mocking it. Something that has no inherent value such as art relies on noblemen like him to increase its value. If he said this piece of wood is trash, the others would think it was trash and hence, the value would vanish and vice versa. However, he was surprised that the peddlers defy him politely. At that moment, he understood that the peddlers believed in his heart that this cup was precious.

“What could an ugly wooden chalice like this do?? You probably picked up some tree root and poured water into it.” The count smirked.

“I assure you not, Milord. This goblet was made by the fairy of the forest. She grew the plant and shaped it into a chalice. I wish you would be able to see the process. For it was sublime, the way the tree grew, the way it entwined and fused. The way the leaves grow and its flowers bloom. At that moment, I understood that this chalice was beautiful, more so than mere gold and silver. To top it off, she poured water and added a drop of her own blood. She said the water can cure many ills. She knew art was such fragile things. And so, she added something valuable within. Her prayers as she whispered to me, to stay safe resonated within my heart.” The peddler answered.

The count was startled. He never saw a merchant so passionate about his goods. But he found the loophole he was looking for. “If it was so precious, why sell it?”

“You are a high and mighty count while I was merely a lowly peddler. I came to your castle, with nothing but a cart and this chalice, just to spread a message about the fairy of the forest. The goddess who saved us while others cast us aside, My goddess! The Aelaranthae! She gave this lowly me a gift which surpassed all of your riches. And so, what can I do but brag?”

“... five hundred gold.” The count whispered. He felt insulted. “Is the water poisoned?”

“Certainly not. I have taken a sip from it myself and I felt even better than before.”

“Is that so, then begone. You certainly had pulled your trick and I bought it. Let it be known that your filthy water and wood will never see the light of day.”

“As you wish. I shall leave this town after I bring more gifts to the fairy of the forest.”

And so, the wooden chalice, crafted by the Aelaranthae ended up in the hands of the count. Fame is a curse of its own, and fate defies heaven. For the bonsai, which will be known as the chalice of life, make its way to the king.