The plump auntie clearly showed some favoritism towards Dark.
But then again, how could anyone not like a first-year student like him – eager to learn, well-mannered, and with such a cute, handsome face?
She waved Dark over and headed towards the counter.
When Dark reached the counter, he saw her lift a basket up from underneath. This basket wasn't large; counting carefully, there were only five fruits inside.
Dark hadn't studied plants beyond his immediate needs, so he couldn't tell what kind of flowers or trees these fruits came from. But there's no shame in not knowing; pretending to know is what's truly shameful.
So he asked curiously, "Auntie, what plants do these fruits come from, and what effects do they have?"
The plump auntie reached into the basket, nudged three of the fruits together, and said, "These three are fruits from the Singing Tree."
The Singing Tree was a type of stump bonsai that chirped when sunlight hit it at an angle. It was said to be a perfect 'green alarm clock' to keep in a dorm room.
But this was the first Dark had heard that Singing Trees could bear fruit.
These three Singing Tree fruits were only about the size of longans, looking like three large blueberries.
But what special effects did Singing Tree fruits have? Could they teach someone how to chirp?
Dark looked up at the plump auntie.
The plump auntie smiled. "You first-years probably haven't learned this yet, but Singing Tree fruits are actually one of the core materials for [Silencing Cards]. They can absorb sound waves!"
Dark thought for a moment, puzzled. "That doesn't seem right. If the fruits absorb sound waves, wouldn't the Singing Tree stop making noise after it bears fruit?"
The plump auntie shook her head. "Quite the opposite. After bearing fruit, the Singing Tree's calls become even clearer. They absorb sound waves, store them up, and then release them in bursts."
Dark was still confused, but the plump auntie clearly wasn't going to elaborate further. She took one of the two remaining fruits and placed it on the countertop.
This fruit looked like a pineapple but was only palm-sized.
The plump auntie said, "This is the fruit of the Spiral Tree."
Dark looked completely baffled. "Spiral Tree? What kind of tree is that?"
The plump auntie pointed to a small tree in the shop. Dark looked over. It was a strange little tree with a spiraling trunk. Its leaves curled like wind chimes, and as they gently spun in the breeze, they actually made a sound like wind chimes.
So why don't you just call it a Wind Chime Tree?
The plump auntie explained, "Applying the leaves of the Spiral Tree behind the ears effectively prevents dizziness. The best-selling motion sickness patches nowadays use Spiral Tree leaves as the main ingredient. Its fruit, however, does the exact opposite – it can make a person feel drunk without alcohol, making the world spin."
Dark immediately became interested in this pineapple-like Spiral Tree fruit.
The plump auntie then picked up the last fruit. It was a translucent fruit, about the size of a tangerine. Looking closely, one could even see the pit inside.
The plump auntie said, "This is the fruit of the Insect Tree."
Dark was startled. "Insect Trees can bear fruit?"
"Of course," the plump auntie explained with a smile. "But it requires very special cultivation methods to produce fruit. Its fruits are extremely rare. They can store temporary human memories, which can be released by infusing just a little magic. It's a natural memory orb."
Three Singing Tree fruits, one Spiral Tree fruit, one Insect Tree fruit. Five fruits in total.
Among them, the Singing Tree fruits were the cheapest, costing only 10 credits each. The Spiral Tree fruit was a bit more expensive, at 30 credits. As for the Insect Tree fruit, its price was equivalent to half an Insect Tree!
Although Dark had credits, he couldn't just spend them recklessly. In the end, he didn't buy the Insect Tree fruit, spending only 60 credits on the other four fruits. The main reason was that he couldn't imagine what extra effects the Insect Tree fruit might have after being fermented into juice. If he wanted to store memories, wasn't there a perfectly good Insect Tree planted right there? Getting an Insect Tree fruit seemed redundant.
On the other hand, the Singing Tree and Spiral Tree fruits seemed quite useful.
After leaving the Gugu Bird Flower and Tree Shop, Dark resumed his Browse.
Many areas of Traveler Street weren't actually open to first-year students. This was mainly because first-years didn't yet have a solid understanding of magicraft; exposing them to too many dangerous things would do more harm than good.
Dark wandered around and eventually found a Magic Potion Shop. The Magic Potion Shop sold not only ready-made potions but also some materials for potion-making, which naturally included fruits and herbs. Moreover, the fruits here were clearly priced and came with detailed information.
Inside, Dark picked out several White Wood Fruits and Blulan Fruits. White Wood Fruit was one of the core materials for making healing salves. And Blulan Fruit was a raw material for making [Mana Recovery Potions]. In Professor Thompson's Magicraft class, Dark had used Blulan Fruit to make both [Swift Mana Potions] and [Mana Recovery Potions]. He even still had the potions made during those two classes stored back in his dorm. Once he learned how to refine potions into Magicraft Cards, he planned to experiment with those two potions first.
White Wood Fruits and Blulan Fruits were both 20 credits each, a discounted price for students. He bought five of each.
...
Dusk was approaching, the sky dimming slightly.
Dark headed back, laden with bags big and small, a fruitful trip. There were many others around him returning similarly loaded, though mostly with candy, snacks, clothes, and jewelry. Of course, there were also outliers like Emma, who had two poor otters helping her carry two mountains of books.
When Dark returned to the castle, he happened to run into Diana, who had eaten her fill and was about to go check out the night stalls with Rose. Dark had just started to speak when Diana quickly interjected, "Done, done, the homework's all done!"
Well, nothing more to say then.
Dark watched their retreating figures, feeling like a benevolent old father.
Back in his dorm, Dark sorted and put away his haul, taking about half an hour. Only then did he summon Shuckle, fermented a cup of apple juice, and took a small sip.
Feeling slightly refreshed, Dark eagerly took out the Singing Tree fruits. He had four types of fruit in total. The effects of the White Wood Fruit and Blulan Fruit were predictable, but the Singing Tree and Spiral Tree fruits held some mystery. He was quite curious about what effects these two types of fruit would produce if fermented into juice.
He had three Singing Tree fruits, offering more room for error, making them perfect for the initial experiment.
Unexpectedly, fermenting a single longan-sized Singing Tree fruit took a full fifteen minutes! To complete the fermentation of this Singing Tree fruit, Dark had to continuously replenish Shuckle's magic. When it finally succeeded, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Then, a smile spread across his face as he looked towards the DemiDevimon that was preparing to sneak away.
...