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"Lady Giantess, do you know who these people are?" Mark asked.
"Hmm... Ah! I’ve seen them swimming," the giantess replied. "They sotis offer their catches... but I bury them because I feel bad."
"Well, hello there," Mark said warmly. "Are you interested in our food? Shall we share so with them?"
"Sure!" Elayne nodded.
The stew was quickly shared with the Lake People. They were frightened and cried when they first tasted the warm food, but once it had cooled enough, they loved the gentle warmth and the blend of flavors, devouring everything they were given.
At the sa ti, Lady Giantess enjoyed her enormous pot of stew, which was finally enough to leave her truly satisfied after a long while.
"Hmmm! Thank you so much! I am indebted to you for letting taste real food!" the giantess exclaid. "This delicious stew carries the richness of the earth and the flavor of nature...! No one could ever make sothing so wonderful except those naturally attuned to nature!"
"Ah, I think you’re exaggerating," Elayne giggled. "But thank you for the complints anyway, Lady Giantess. Now that we’ve finished, shall we depart? I think we should wake up soon. My soul feels nicely healed this ti."
"Yes, we exercised our souls by walking a lot and doing other activities like farming, then we rested and ate this food, further healing and strengthening our souls," Mark added. "I’d say this was already a great success."
"I wonder if we can bring so fruits and vegetables ho... I’ll try," Elayne said, holding a basket full of everything she had gathered.
"Yes, let’s at least attempt that," Mark agreed.
"Okay, so we’re going?" Gardenia asked. "Then byeeee!"
"W-Wait!" Lady Giantess called out. "Please, the least I can do for your company and for cooking for ..."
She reached into her mountainous body and pulled out a glowing crystal from her inner mine, then handed Elayne another spirit crystal.
"Wait, really? Are you sure?" Elayne asked.
"It’s fine! I feel even stranger after eating that," the giantess said. "I might try this cooking thing to pass the ti! There are plenty of people here who can be my taste testers."
"Okay, sure! Let write down so Cooking Magic Spell Formulas and recipes so you can try them too..." Elayne said. She scribbled everything at lightning speed and handed it over on a large piece of hard bark.
"Wow, this is perfect! Thank you so much," Lady Giantess bead. "Ah, right, I should give you sothing too."
She gently touched Elayne’s forehead and imprinted a new Spell Formula. She did the sa for Mark and Gardenia.
"Woah, what’s this in my head?!" Mark exclaid, startled.
"S-She just imprinted a whole spell formula into our Mindscape!" Gardenia gasped. "This is incredible... I had no idea it was possible."
"Wow! Thank you!" Elayne waved and then vanished from the space, leaving the giantess alone once more.
Or not quite alone. The Leaf People were calling from the far side of the lake, and the Lake People gazed at her with large yellow eyes.
"Well! I guess I have quite the audience now, hehe," she giggled innocently. "Umm, shall we try cooking then?!"
She picked up the cooking utensils Mark had crafted, studied what Elayne had written, and nodded eagerly before starting to cook, already planning to grow giant vegetables and fruits for herself.
.
.
.
When Elayne woke up, everything she had experienced felt like a pleasant dream, yet it had truly happened. She was holding a wooden basket filled with fruits and vegetables, and on top sat a waterlon-sized spirit crystal.
"Wow, it really happened! And we brought the vegetables!" she said happily. "With this we can— Ahhhh!!!"
A second later, Elayne scread in horror, startling Mark and Gardenia awake. They watched her cry like a baby over the basket of freshly picked crops.
The cause was the foul stench rising from it.
"W-What happened?!" Mark asked.
"T-The basket..." Elayne sobbed. "Everything rotted away in seconds! I saw it! Right in front of my eyes... they’re all dried up now..." She tried to pick up a banana, only for it to crumble into black, inedible dust.
"I was afraid of that," Gardenia said calmly. "The fruits and vegetables you harvested belong to the Living World. In the Netherworld, the high levels of Nether and ghostly energy quickly consu most ordinary life unless it has adapted to survive here, like the Noble Races, the plants we’ve found, or the beasts that inhabit this realm."
"Damn it..." Elayne cried as Mark gently wiped away her black tears.
"Ahh, well, it was still nice. My soul feels stronger, and... oh, the new spell! What was it again? Hmm... Oh? It’s an odd one."
"What is it?" Mark asked curiously.
"It’s called Earthly Spirit Ring," Elayne said, rubbing her chin. "Huh, I wonder what it does?"
"Earthly Spirit Ring? That’s strange," Gardenia remarked. "I don’t recall such a spell..."
"What did you two receive from her?" Elayne asked.
"I got Sunlight Spirit Ring," Mark answered. "I have no idea what it does... Is it similar to yours?"
"I received Spiritual Blossom," Gardenia explained. "No clue what it does either..."
"I guess you’re not part of the Spirit Ring club," Elayne giggled. "Well, shall we try our new spells? Ah, right, first things first, let’s give the spirit crystal to the main one over there..."
Elayne, Mark, and Gardenia stepped outside, greeting the hardworking Undead. When Elayne reached the shrine where she had planted the main spirit crystal, she saw it had grown a little larger and even sprouted a small sapling-like shoot. She placed the new crystal on top, and they rged, helping the crystalline sapling grow further.
"There we go," Elayne said with a satisfied nod. "Now, let’s see... Earthly Spirit Ring?"
FLUOSH!
"Woah?!" Elayne gasped as a bronze ring of energy appeared behind her, rotating like a halo and radiating spiritual energy and divine power drawn not from her own reserves but from sowhere else. "Wait, what is this?!"
"Woah!" Mark did the sa, summoning a ring of light behind his back. Both glowed with faint divinity. The watching Undead gaped in awe; several skeletons dropped their lower jaws straight to the ground.
"It feels like the ring is making stronger!" Elayne said excitedly. "And it’s giving so much spirit power! But... hmm, it drains my Mana like crazy, and my soul feels a bit of pressure."
"Yes, but it seems to boost our spiritual and elental power," Mark nodded. "Like... this!"
FLAAASH!
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