007. Not equal number

A prison guard who manages prisoners. And the prison warden who manages the prison guards.

To make the prison run smoothly. That is the chief’s essential job.

If it were on Earth, considering the prison’s reputation, you would have to pay extra attention to outside activities and pressure, but at least not in Purgatory.

They don’t care if they just get more prisoners out relatively safely.

To add to that, all you need to do is deliver a few things to deliver.

“Are you here?”

Patrol once a week.

Kim Woo-jin got out of prison. I slowly watched the scene he had created.

A single building with all amenities and a prison for confining prisoners. A garden spreads out around it.

The garden, which is tended and managed by the horticultural team, is antique and natural.

After passing the well-paved road that crosses the garden, a temporary building resembling a vinyl house appears. It is a botanical garden that grows numerous plants, occupying a quarter of the vast garden.

When I opened the door and went inside, there were many plants spread out. Guards and prisoners were seen.

“Be quiet!”

was fighting

The plant that sprays black poison on the head of a prisoner is a man-eating plant called Altmich. A vicious man who preys on humans and animals as well as monsters. Its venom is a terrible acid that corrodes everything.

“This side is overpowered!”

“Then immediately administer the tranquilizer!”

“That’s why I told you to fertilize on time! It’s not that I’m hungry because I served my meal late!”

Arnica is a plant that stretches out dozens of stems to subdue prisoners. Likewise, it is a plant that eats living things.

Seeing the peaceful appearance as always, Kim Woo-jin did not bother to announce his arrival.

I sat on a chair on one side of the botanical garden. There is a magic barrier around it, so plants don’t dare to touch it.

After a while, all the fuss ended. It was only then that the prison guards and prisoners realized that the warden had arrived.

“Cow, warden!”

“When did you come?”

“Just before. Give me a cup of coffee.”

“Yes.”

The prison guard brought Ahh. The prisoners stood in a line in front of Kim Woo-jin.

“Is the elixir harvest going as planned?”

“Yes. Eleven types of elixirs have been harvested, one each.”

“I’m glad.”

Elixir is difficult and difficult to grow and harvest. However, the demands of the superiors were always unchanged, and it was always necessary to pay attention to matching the yield of the elixir.

“It’s close. Pick 10 and put the rest in storage. The best one goes into the cellar.”

“Yes.”

“How about feeding?”

“No problem.”

“Is there anything else special?”

“The explanatory plant is dead.”

“How many roots?”

“Your roots…”

“There is one left. The reason is?”

“It’s the temperature. Two are frozen and two are withered.”

Deulcho was a plant that grew naturally in extreme snowfields. On the subject of living in a cold place, if it is too cold, it freezes, and if the temperature is even a little too high, it dries to death.

It’s hard to find and even more difficult to raise. Nevertheless, it is famous because the fruit of the full-bloomed delicacies is a fairly pure elixir.

“What about the other one?”

“For now, I am alive. He seems to have found the temperature, but he’s the one who changes little by little…”

“Keep watching. I’ll get you some more seeds.”

“Yes.”

“Are there any more?”

“There is no more… oh, there is one.”

“Make it! Mandragora has blossomed.”

The gray-eared beastman proudly shouted. Following his guidance, I entered the botanical garden and saw a small sprout rising from the black soil.

Dozens of magic circles were installed around it to create an optimal environment.

“Really?”

Mandragora is more of a monster than a plant. However, the utility of the root chews up all the elixirs.

“How did you bring this up?”

Kim Woo-jin carefully scanned the ten prisoners. Although they are different in height and appearance, they have one thing in common. that animals have ears.

they are all beasts Not a big reason.

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Just as he made the elves cut down trees, he entrusted unfamiliar plants to beastmen.

At first, they caused all sorts of accidents and made a mess, but now they have created a mandrake that is said to be an elixir in any dimension and that it is difficult even for elves to bloom.

A rare sight that is hard to see outside of purgatory. It’s fun.

‘Then, even if I leave the World Tree…’

Of course, the world tree will be managed by Kim Woo-jin himself. However, he couldn’t devote all his mind 24 hours a day, and he needed someone to take care of him on his behalf from time to time.

It would be best to leave it to the person who gave the seed, but I couldn’t believe it because I didn’t know what he was up to.

Of course, no one can be completely trusted among prisoners. It is just divided into those who are understood and those who are less understood.

The prison called purgatory is loss and escape. As long as you offer only two choices, always.

‘No matter how hard it is, it’s unreasonable to entrust the seed of the world tree to the beast people.’

It is still something to be more careful about.

Kim Woo-jin, who went around the botanical garden and checked it, came out. I stomped my feet lightly and my body floated high.

A panoramic view of the prison came into view.

A prison in the center, a large garden around it, a botanical garden and a slaughterhouse, a forest and a lake, and various scenery. And the low wall surrounding the garden and the vast land beyond.

The land of mountains, snowfields, forests, deserts, and seas was like a miniature planet.

“It would be better to plant it in the forest.”

The world tree emits its true power and beauty when it is in harmony with other trees. It is not easy to imagine the world tree in a place other than the forest.

But you can’t just plant it.

Kim Woo-jin wasn’t ignorant about the World Tree, but he didn’t know much either.

In particular, it was the first time seeing seeds, and it was unknown what kind of seeds would be needed as the world tree grew.

In this case, what you need is an expert.

* * *

“You can’t plant a world tree in a forest.”

Personal interviews were conducted not at the request of the prisoner, but at the request of the warden.

“Then the whole forest will dry up. That is terrifying.”

It takes an enormous amount of mana for the world tree to sprout. As the seeds germinate naturally, they absorb all the mana around them.

In forests and mountains, trees lose their vitality, and in lakes, all water dries up.

“then?”

“So it is common to plant seeds in deserts or wastelands.”

Yulia’s words made Kim Woo-jin questionable.

“But wasn’t the world tree always in the center of the forest?”

“The order is out of order. The world tree was not planted in the forest, but the forest was created after the world tree had grown. After they grow to a certain extent, they spread their vitality around them.”

“Right.”

learned something new And that fact did not change his mind.

“Then plant it in the middle of the forest.”

“You understand what I mean, right?”

“Eventually, it will grow back. It just takes time.”

The trees will all die, but when they grow back, they are all the same in the end.

“But you don’t have to kill the trees, do you?”

Not for the high elves though.

“Sounds like there is another way.”

“I just need mana to feed on it. If it’s lacking, you can supplement it. Enough to not have to absorb the surrounding mana.”

Kim Woo-jin understood Yulia’s meaning.

“no.”

So I refused.

“I can’t use a wasteful elixir in a place like this.”

Growing an elixir is difficult. It is all the more so because the role was left to the prisoners.

There is only one regrettable situation in order to meet the quota. He had no intention of using elixirs to solve problems that time would solve.

“…then it can’t be helped.”

“You gave up quickly.”

“You’ve already made up your mind, but you won’t listen to me if I force myself, right?”

saw it correctly

Kim Woo-jin had no intention of letting Yulia do what she liked.

“I have no intention of leaving the prison.”

If they were fiercely attached, they tried to make release from prison a condition of the deal.

“Is there anything I need to be careful about when planting the world tree?”

“You just have to be careful with what I said earlier. sucking mana. There are no exceptions.”

“Remember.”

Oh, one more thing.

“Why don’t you answer everything meekly?”

“It’s a high elf.”

She replied as if it were natural.

“I passed the seeds of the mother tree, but I want the mother tree to sprout and grow safely.”

“Isn’t it disqualification as a high elf from the fact that you handed over the seed of the World Tree as the price of the transaction?”

“Even the mother tree will understand that much.”

Are high elves special for being shameless?

Kim Woo-jin remembered the high elves he had met before.

But no. Yulia was the first to see a high elf in person, having only heard a lot of legend-like stories.

“What are you up to?”

“I just wanted to be Soji.”

“Not jailbreak?”

“I told you. Among the prisoners in Purgatory, if you don’t want to escape, that’s even weirder.”

“Have you done something strange to the seed of the World Tree?”

“The seed of the mother tree is complete by itself. There’s probably no one who can touch it. I swear to the mother tree. The seed has not been touched in any way.”

The elves’ oath was trustworthy. Still reluctant, Kim Woo-jin reluctantly nodded.

“If you’re still grateful, why don’t you send me to the gardening class?”

“Take it.”

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Julia is gone.

“Attach one more prison guard.”

“Yes.”

“···Wait a minute.”

And a thought crossed Kim Woo-jin’s mind.

“What if I didn’t have to do anything in the first place?”

What if the purpose of the world tree is to take root and grow?

What if possession is just a smoke screen to hide something more important?

“It makes sense.”

The World Tree itself is great.

The power of the World Tree is infinite. If that tree takes root in purgatory and branches properly.

perhaps.

“Can the prison collapse?”

And take advantage of the chaos to break out? If it was a high elf with the help of the World Tree, it wouldn’t be impossible.

No matter how much Kim Woo-jin blocks it, I can’t even guess where the end of the combination between the world tree and the high elf is.

“Ha, I will use an unusual number.”

Kim Woo-jin’s eyes sank coldly.

* * *

‘Is that such a surprise?’

The second punishment room was obviously difficult. Especially in the beginning. But I got used to it by the middle.

That’s what bondi pain is. At first, it hurts like dying, but if it continues, the human body eventually adapts.

Because of this, Kang Min-sik did not know that his words would cause such a stir.

But that was never a bad thing.

A special person is central everywhere. If you do well, you can use this as an excuse to incite the prisoners to break out.

‘Definitely go out. certainly.’

To rot here for the rest of your life? If you don’t like that, throw up all the strength you gained through hard work?

I wouldn’t accept an offer like that.

“Please eat.”

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Just in time, my thoughts were interrupted by the food plate coming in through the open distribution port.

“uh?”

However, his gaze reached the hand that put it down rather than the tray, and his ears reached the voice.

“…Yulia?”

“Yes.”

I cleared the tray and poked my head out toward the ration hole. Julia, wearing a fluorescent vest, was pushing a food cart.

“···how?”

“You said there was a way.”

“Oh My God.”

Kang Min-sik felt that his fellow prisoner, who seemed strange somewhere, was trustworthy.

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Julia whispered softly.

“Let’s figure out the structure of Purgatory.”

“Yes, oh, wait a minute.”

Then, the prison guards approached.

“What are you doing? Does it take so long to serve food?”

“sorry. They keep asking for more because number 1177 is not enough.”

The prison guard gave a suspicious look, but Yulia responded casually.

“If you ask for more, I will give you more. Because there is always enough food.”

“Ah, is that okay? I did not know.”

She shrugged and filled a new plate with food and put it into the ration.

When the hand came out again, something small was heard, but it was hidden by the hand and was not visible to the prison guards.

Yulia didn’t know it, but it was something called a camera.