━━━The time rewinds a few hours before Lanpeach accepted the quest.

Deep within the botanical garden, stone briars grew thickly, making it impossible to enter due to the many lurking monsters.

However, that was the situation only until yesterday.

Now, some stone briars remained, but the monsters had been eradicated, and though the heavy machinery couldn’t get through, there were enough gaps for a person to squeeze through with some effort.

Tateno Mana led her team of researchers to investigate. While there were still some gaps in the overgrowth, they weren’t concerned since they had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

However, this played right into the hands of those working in the shadows.

The gray vines trembled faintly, even though there was no wind. A soft but noticeable set of footsteps echoed, and the scenery warped as if it were a mirage.

A master would have noticed. There were close to ten people present, moving without concern for their surroundings, heading deeper into the garden until they reached a cylindrical elevator.

“The system here… It says there’s a terminal around this area.”

A deep voice echoed as part of the elevator’s wall shifted, revealing a touchscreen monitor. The air shimmered, and the figures of men cloaked in mantles emerged.

“When we insert this connector into the socket, the battery should charge.”

One of the men pulled a battery from his pocket and connected it to the monitor. The screen flickered for a moment before stabilizing, displaying a normal interface.

“Activate the elevator. Open the door.”

With a beeping sound, the cylindrical wall split in two, revealing the elevator inside.

“Whoa, seems like we didn’t need to investigate after all. We could use this data as leverage to strike a deal with the Tateno family for access to the garden, couldn’t we?”

The men were mostly rough-looking middle-aged individuals, save for one, a young man who appeared to be a student. His laughter was light and frivolous, making him seem carefree.

When his expression turned serious, the frivolity disappeared, revealing a handsome young man with an air of refinement. His name is Yoroizuka Toko, the heir to the Yoroizuka family.

In front of the public, he wore the mask of a friendly, good-natured man, but beneath that facade lay a calculating and manipulative individual. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that he surrounded himself with women, as being genuinely kind-hearted wouldn’t sustain such relationships for long without falling apart.

“We can’t simply rely on giving them the data, young master. Tateno Mana is a renowned genius. Given enough time, they could decode it themselves. Even if not, it would have been an impossible deal.”

The group was in possession of internal data about the botanical garden: maps, system controls, and more.

They entered the elevator and pressed the button for the underground. The elevator began to descend with a jolt as the doors closed. This information would make it easy to activate the garden’s systems.

“What do you mean ‘impossible’? Is that why you brought me along, even though it’s dangerous?” (Toko)

Toko gave his companion a puzzled look, who responded with a bitter expression.

“The negotiator from the Underground District has joined forces with the Tateno. They prevented the monster stampede and, if they participate in the investigation too, we won’t have time on our side. Our superiors have decided there’s no time to waste.”

The man known as Lanpeach Kouza, who controlled Lanpeach City, was the boss of a region that denied joining the Surface District and is trying to turn it into his own autonomous zone.

His equipment and Artificial Spirits far exceeded the capabilities of the Surface District, making him a highly dangerous individual. Yet, the security database had been hacked, labeling him as a weak crook, which makes him a way too dangerous individual that could be forgotten if you were to avert your gaze for even a bit.

The Underground District’s belief that controlling electronics would solve all problems was their only saving grace. They are not conscious of using manforce instead.

“So, that shady-looking guy is the Underground District’s negotiator, huh? Isn’t it just a bluff?” (Toko)

“No, there’s no doubt that he has the Underground District backing him. You can’t take control of a region with just bluffs.”

On top of that, Lanpeach’s appearance is an issue. With his petty crook face, it was hard for people like Toko to believe he was capable of such feats. Even most of the higher-ups paid him no mind, which is further proof of that. They wouldn’t see him as a threat unless they had been to Lanpeach City themselves. This was likely part of the Underground District’s plan.

That was the real problem. If Tateno Mana hadn’t made a fuss about hiring Lanpeach, there’s no doubt they also wouldn’t have taken notice.

“We’ve arrived. Now, let’s head to the plant storage vault.”

A dimly lit corridor appeared as the elevator doors opened. Dust floated in the air, giving the eerie sensation that a monster’s mouth might emerge from the shadows, sending chills down their spines.

“The air feels off. Is this place safe?” (Toko)

“There shouldn’t be any toxins here. It’s not a dungeon, so there shouldn’t be any traps either…”

“Your hesitation isn’t reassuring. Can’t you give me a confident ‘it’s fine’?” (Toko)

“Well, each section has its own sterilization system. It seems it’s designed to incinerate the area in case of a biohazard, but it’s strange for a botanical garden to have such a dangerous system.”

“Isn’t it to handle monster outbreaks? The botanical garden is just a cover, right? They weren’t secretly developing viruses or anything, were they?”

“There’s no record of that… But yes, it could be to manage monster outbreaks. And the contamination level of the spirit powder here is low, so we should be safe.”

The man felt a bit uneasy. Why would such a system be in place here? Was it truly just for handling monster outbreaks? But either way, the garden had been inactive for a long time. There shouldn’t be any problems.

With all systems shut down, the only source of light in the corridor came from the dim emergency lamps, powered by perpetual magic. The sound of dry footsteps echoed as they walked through the lifeless, deathly silent corridor.

After walking for a while, they stopped in front of a thick metal door.

[Plant Seed Storage: Full protective gear required for entry due to hazard]

The ominous sign made Toko grimace as he voiced his concern to the others.

“What does it mean by ‘full protective gear’? This feels ominous.” (Toko)

“It’s likely just referring to the protective suits needed to preserve the seeds. If this is a sterile room, that would make sense.”

“Oh, I see. Guess I was overreacting a bit.” (Toko)

“We’ll open the door now. Using the spearhead of the Yarita family’s treasure, Key Hacker, thrown away in Gold Rush should do the trick.”

The group had retrieved this universal key from the ruins of a casino vault in Gold Rush.

“It’s not fully repaired, but it should work once.”

Dubbed the Magic Key, there’s rarely any opportunities to open a door on an ancient ruin like this, so they had received permission to utilize it.

True to its name, the Magic Key was placed against the door, which should have been securely locked, and it unlocked. The key then crumbled into sand.

The thick metal door opened with a loud clank, revealing the room beyond.

“Wow, this place is huge. Is this really a storage vault? Feels more like a lab.” (Toko)

Given the name ‘storage’, they had expected a small room, but it was spacious enough for a game of soccer.

However, rows of metal columns lined the room, each labeled with a plate. The contents of the columns were likely seeds.

“We’ll retrieve the seeds stored here. Let’s make it look like thieves broke in by making a mess of the place, so we can raise doubts about the Tateno family’s ability to manage the ruins and create an opening for other houses to step in.”

“Kinda petty. This doesn’t seem like something the prestigious Yoroizuka family would do.” (Toko)

“The botanical garden is that important, young master. If the system can grow crops freely, it will revolutionize the world. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that controlling food means controlling the world.”

“Is that so?” Toko shrugged, walking further in.. Something suddenly caught his attention, and he called out.

“Hey, check this out! Whoa, this seed is huge!” (Toko)

It was so large that it was practically embedded into the wall for protection.

Peering through a slit in the protective wall, Toko saw a massive, elongated seed, reminiscent of a battleship, and marveled at its size.

“We won’t be able to steal that. We could destroy it, but let’s focus on collecting the seeds from the other columns.”

“Commander, we’ve completed the battery supply to the storage. Should I activate it?”

The subordinate pressed a button at the commander’s nod.

“Activate it.”

“Understood.”

At the subordinate’s command, a low humming sound reverberated, and the dimly lit room brightened instantly. The men squinted at the sudden flood of light, blinking as their eyes adjusted.

The columns slide upward, revealing the contents inside. There was a wide variety of seeds: some tiny like morning glory seeds, while others were as large as fists.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it? We’ll collect all these seeds?” (Toko)

“We won’t take all of them, but we’ll gather as many as we can. Those we can’t carry will be burned to ashes.”

Despite being overwhelmed by the sheer number of seeds, the men began packing their bags, eager to retrieve as many ancient seeds as possible. Even a single seed was worth a great deal.

They continued their silent collection for a while, until…

“Captain, there are already some plants that have sprouted -no, they’re blooming!”

“What? That can’t be… What is this? A Blade Flower?”

The captain turned in surprise to see that one of the seeds had indeed sprouted. More than that, it had extended its stem and bloomed into a flower.

The flower resembled a windmill, its petals gently swaying despite the lack of wind, and its roots twitched slightly. Other cylinders nearby contained similar flowers, all of which were also swaying in the absence of any breeze.

This was a well-known low-level dungeon monster, notorious for launching its petals like blades.

“Tch, there were monster seeds too, huh. This is unexpected. Monsters usually appear in their fully grown state after all.”

“Captain, what should we do? They seem to be preparing to attack.”

A subordinate spoke to the captain, but he simply scoffed at his agitation.

“Relax. This spirit armor is top-notch. Blade Flower petals won’t get through.”

The Blade Flowers’ petals detached, gleaming like sharp blades, almost as if in response to his overconfidence.

The petals shot toward the captain and his men…accompanied by their screams.

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