CHAPTER 30: PLANTING, WATERING

What original owner didn’t know was that Nerthalis poison took a full week before it fatally killed a human.

All he knew was that Nerthalis could freeze things.

So, on the seventh night, he went to sleep and never woke up again. His soul was replaced by a new one.

"What a spoiled idiot," Gara muttered under his breath. If the original owner had just told his mother, he might still be alive right now.

|Don’t blame anyone. He’s found a new family in his next life. Fate has already taken its course.|

Gara was surprised. The same goddess who had done nothing but scold him yesterday was now acting like a real deity.

|I know exactly what you’re thinking.|

Gara let out an awkward chuckle. He folded the paper in his hands and stepped outside to check on the Nerthalis plant, the one the original owner had partially cut down.

The Nerthalis was planted near the fence. Only a small yellowish stem stuck out from the soil, barely surviving. It looked miserable.

Gara held out his hand above the Nerthalis. Water slowly trickled down, moistening its stem and the soil beneath.

"Let’s hope you can still be saved."

Tomorrow his mother would head to town again to buy seeds of the two other plants –Belladona and Poppy— which he needed for his experiment.

The other three:

Nerthalis, could be found growing on the herb field, planted by villagers.

Thimvine, could only grow by creeping up trees, so it couldn’t be planted directly in the ground. Even if they tried using poles or trellises to help it grow, Thimvine seeds weren’t sold anywhere. Probably because it grew wild on its own.

As for Aconite, which took 2–4 years to mature, it wouldn’t be ready even if they started now.

She’d just buy the flower directly from town.

Leaving the Nerthalis, Gara continued watering the other plants while observing the herbs more closely.

Some were familiar in his original world—like mint, chamomile, and aloe vera—but others were completely foreign to him.

He wasn’t sure whether they were native to this fantasy world or if his herbal knowledge simply wasn’t enough.

The next morning, Wina left early for town. After breakfast, Gara stepped into the yard, which now looked even more lush and full of life.

Maybe it’s just my imagination.

He brushed the thought aside but stopped short when he saw the same Nerthalis stem from yesterday—once yellow and near-death—now glowing green.

At the tip, a small bud was beginning to form.

Looking closer... Yes. It really was a bud.

"So all you needed... was a bit of water, huh?"

With a light heart, he continued watering the lone little stem. Then he moved on to the other herbs. He couldn’t be bothered hauling heavy water from the well beside the house. Why carry a bucket when you had your own Talent?

Besides, after watering all the plants yesterday, he didn’t feel tired at all. His stamina didn’t seem to drain from the amount of water he used, but rather from how complex the water’s shape was when formed.

Once he finished watering the herbs, he harvested a few leaves, flowers, and fruits that were ready to be used for daily cooking.

Wina returned from town later that afternoon and planned to plant the seeds she had bought the next morning.

The next day, Gara was only allowed to watch from afar while Wina planted the Belladonna and Poppy seeds. They didn’t replant the Nerthalis, since the lone surviving stem looked healthy enough, it might actually recover and grow.

"But Mom, it’s only been three days. I’ve only watered it twice, and it already has a stem and a tiny leaf," Gara said, squatting in front of the Nerthalis.

Wina hadn’t checked the poisonous plant herself yet. It was Gara who told her the stem was healthy. When she finally stood behind him and saw the small green leaf sprouting, her eyes widened.

"If it’s only been three days, that seems impossible. Are you sure the stem was yellow when you found it?"

"I’m sure, Mom." Gara paused, thinking. Could this be because of my Talent?Maybe it has something to do with Unlimited Water or Divine Fertility

.

"Mom, could this be because I’m a druid?" Gara asked, wondering if it wasn’t his Talent at all but a racial trait.

"Druids can connect with plants and help them stay healthy, yes," Wina explained. "But speeding up growth? That’s something only a specific Talent could do. Your Talent is Unlimited Water, so maybe it is related."

So his mom was thinking the same thing.

After Wina planted the seeds of the two poisonous herbs, Gara insisted on being the one to water them. He was determined to learn more about his Talent.

Wina had reluctantly agreed, but only after a lot of pleading. She even planted them near the fence, just to keep her precious son at a safe distance.

Once Wina left to check on the field, Gara was left with his thoughts, wondering if either of his two Talents were responsible for the Nerthalis growing so fast.

"Goddess Freya, is this somehow connected to my Talents?" Gara asked aloud, hoping the familiar green panel would appear.

Luckily, it did.

|To become a great Liner, you must understand your own bloodline and Talents by yourself. Don’t rely on others to tell you who you are.|

"You stingy goddess!" Gara huffed.

|If I were stingy, I wouldn’t have given you a gifted Talent at all. Unlimited Water is extremely powerful.|

"But you did take my free lottery ticket in exchange," Gara muttered, still salty about losing the reward he got when the system confirmed his first pregnancy.

|Hmph!|

He could only shake his head, unaware that this goddess didn’t object to being called goddess. Perhaps the goddess herself wasn’t even aware of it.

He then walk to the side of the house. There, small clay pots sat in neat rows, where seeds were left to sprout before being moved to the front yard.

...