Chapter 159: Four Seasons
But before celebrating, Gara needed to test his new evolved Talent with Fian.
"Fian, can you still smell my scent?" he asked.
Suddenly, Fian frowned. At first he looked puzzled, then gradually strained, until his expression shifted into panic.
Gara quickly understood and rushed to explain, "Relax. My water-based Talent just evolved after using the enhance crystal. That’s why you can’t smell me anymore."
Fian stared at him in confusion, brows still furrowed.
"My Talent isn’t just Unlimited Water anymore," Gara clarified. "It’s Scentless Unlimited Water. My body won’t carry any scent. It’s become like pure, clean water."
Fian finally nodded, though there was a trace of disappointment in his eyes.
Until now, Fian had felt useful as the only one who could track Gara’s scent, even when he used his stealth-type Talent.
But now, that elf couldn’t do it anymore.
Gara didn’t know how to respond to that look. Instead, he shifted the subject, asking Fian to help him continue testing this newly evolved Talent.
"I’ll slip into my dimensional pocket. Try to see if I leave behind any trace."
Shook off his disappointment, Fian nodded.
The moment Gara vanished, Fian scanned the space with a heavy heart. There wasn’t a single trace left behind. Even when Gara returned, not a whiff of his scent remained.
Catching Fian’s expression, Gara’s eyes widened. He wanted to smile, thrilled by the success, but held it back.
The enhance crystal he had used already crumbled away like dust, scattering into the air. Gara’s gaze then shifted to the neatly folded cloak beside the delivery box.
"There it is!" he shouted suddenly. An idea formed inside his head.
Startled, Fian snapped out of his gloom and looked at him, not ready to hear more news.
"With this cloak, even if I get pregnant, I can go out without looking pregnant," Gara said cheerfully.
Fian just bobbed his head, unsure of what to say.
Gara went on, rambling about how he wanted to walk around freely.
When the Alrova Drink House opened, he wanted to visit, sip something at ease, and reminisce about his old world, a life where he never had time to relax in a café. Of course, he didn’t tell Fian that last part.
After Gara finally tired himself out with chatter, Fian excused himself to go train. He had to find a way to evolve his own Talent too.
...
Gara placed half of his Zegan Ants inside the dimensional pocket to see if they would behave differently compared to those outside.
Because of this, he had been going in and out of the pocket for days, even moving part of his lab equipment into his dimensional house.
Seeing how empty the house was, Gara asked Hilda to order furniture.
He didn’t hold back, filling five bedrooms with beds, buying a dining table, long couches for the living area, and little decorations here and there.
When his children grew old enough to move around, if he kept them in the dimensional pocket, he wouldn’t have to worry about strangers or danger reaching them.
Today, Gara stepped into his lab and, as usual, checked the wooden box of Zegan Ants to monitor the venaleaf inside.
The ants looked like ordinary ants, only larger, with red bodies and green abdomens, like translucent sacs of green liquid.
To his surprise, Gara found the venaleaf he had placed in their nest covered with a layer of something white and transparent.
Gara picked up the leaf with tweezers. Wearing gloves, he brushed his fingers across its surface. It felt as if it were wrapped in soft cotton.
He set it aside to see if the leaf could produce a potent vena pill once dried. While waiting, Gara slipped into his dimensional pocket.
The moment he entered, a chill breeze kissed his skin. He made a mental note to bring a jacket next time.
Not that he even owned one. The weather outside never dropped low enough to need it. Only during rainy nights did he feel a slight chill, and even then a jacket had never been necessary.
Inside the house, Gara checked the venaleaf stored in the ant nest. It too was covered in the same faint white things.
He repeated the process just as he had done with the venaleaf outside, then left it to dry in the open air.
"With this temperature, will it even dry properly?" he muttered.
Curious, Gara decided to explore the house in search of anything that might control the temperature.
Stepping out the kitchen’s side door, he was greeted by another rush of cold air and the sight of a well.
The water inside shimmered clear, odorless, and safe to drink. Rea had tested it already. Gara filed away the thought of channeling the well water into the bathrooms someday.
He circled around the house, studying its construction. Unlike his home outside, this one didn’t sit flush on the ground. The base was slightly raised, but covered with the wall.
It wasn’t until he reached the back and spotted the small forest that the reason became clear.
"Four seasons?" he murmured. The leaves on the once-green trees had begun to turn yellow.
No wonder the house was built differently. This place had winter. And winter means snow and ice, something he hadn’t seen in the past year.
But winter wasn’t just snow. It meant extra work. Started with peparations, storing supplies and staying warm.
"I’m not coming here once winter hits. Three months from now, huh..." Gara muttered to himself.
Even so, he continued inspecting the house, looking for any way to keep it warm.
Behind the building, he discovered a tiny door, no higher than an adult’s calf. Peeking inside, he found used charcoal.
His gaze drifted toward the little forest. "So firewood is the reason of this dimensional pocket has a forest, huh."
Leaving the pocket, Gara fetched seasoned logs from outside, since the trees inside hadn’t been dried, they were useless for burning.
Outside, he realized he had been inside longer than expected. The vena pill in his lab had already dried.
...