Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 64

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

Winter has set in.

Pumpkin’s initial prediction was that the winter in Lean Forest would be harsh for them plant-like Spalpkin and that some of them would not survive the winter unless adequate preparations were made.

“Snowman.”

“Snowball fight.”

“Snow shoveling.”

But in reality, those Spalpkins were actually very energetic, and their voices could be heard from outside the house.

“…Phew.”

Well, what can I say?

Although I appreciate the fact that my initial expectations have been betrayed in a positive way, how should I say it, makes me feel even more downhearted or… well, forget it.

As long as they are going to make it through the winter without any problems, who cares?

Furthermore, the reason for being able to overcome the winter was that during autumn, they had gathered straw as the fundamental heat-retaining material and wood to burn in the fire, as well as re-constructed the building and took measures to shield themselves from the cold. On top of that, by having the Spalpkins perform basic training, they were able to increase their magic power.

When he confirmed that Spalpkin and the others were utilizing self-enhancement through magic power, Pumpkin learned that apart from merely augmenting strength and agility, it was apparently possible to improve heat resistance and cold resistance in accordance with the environment in which they were presently in as well.

However, the degree of enhancement of the parts that ordinarily would not be enhanced will be reduced when such parts were enhanced, but this can only be said to be inevitable.

It would be a blessing if they could spend their time without any problems.

Incidentally, the leader and the other Hunting Bees were planning to stay in their hive throughout the winter. They were insects, after all.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll do my research during the winter.”

But since their physical capabilities will be diminished during the winter for the reasons mentioned earlier, the Spalpkins will basically stay inside the village and focus on playing in the snow and farming (radishes, Chinese cabbage, and the like) instead of venturing outside of Samsara Egg Village, and if they have to, they will form a group on the assumption that Pumpkin will be accompanying them.

Therefore, when not required to leave the village, he will concentrate on the study of resonance spells in the village.

“First of all, I’m going to start with the Sleep Cloud…”

While reading and reviewing the materials related to [Resonance Spell?Sleep Cloud] that he had written during his experiments over the past year, Pumpkin began to compile a list of them.

Now, first of all, the basic effect of [Resonance Spell?Sleep Cloud] was that it generated a mist with a hypnotic effect.

This hypnotic effect was such that if a single plant was used directly, the victim would wake up when attacked, but if processed Sleep Cloud was used as a catalyst, the procedure would be more complicated, yet the effect would be reinforced.

So, here was one question.

If the effect of resonance spells can be changed by processing, then the question arose in his mind whether the effect can be changed by varying the time, method, part, location, preservation method, duration, location, and other conditions of gathering the plant.

However, since it was a wild plant, consistency was naturally difficult to achieve, so experiments would be conducted to determine the general direction of the effects.

In order to ascertain the exact difference, a farm specialized for Sleep Cloud would have to be established within Samsara Egg and the quality of the grass would have to be standardized to a certain extent.

It goes without saying that consistency of quality will take a considerable amount of time, so Pumpkin decided to leave the subject alone for the time being.

“Let’s see, according to the results, flowers are the most effective, followed by roots, huh?”

The results of the experiment revealed that the flowers that bloomed at the end of the rainy season were the most effective when they were dried and turned into pills, which could be used as general anesthesia even when taken directly, and if used as a catalyst for resonance spells, they might as well be called a death cloud, rather than a sleep cloud.

The only saving grace was that when dried, the effect would be greatly reduced unless the timing of the dried Sleep Cloud flowers was carefully monitored and processed to a level that would be difficult for anyone but Pumpkin at present, and the pills that were processed in this way would not last very long, plus the magic power patterns for activating the resonance spell would be complicated.

If anyone could process and use the pills, the worst thing that could happen would be that the entire Sleep Cloud would be wiped off the face of the world, or it would be designated as a prohibited substance.

The second most effective was a pill made from the dried grass roots of the Sleep Cloud.

Although there was a problem that the roots were dug out which meant that the next one would not grow, the difficulty of processing and the complexity of the magic power pattern were moderate, and the effect could be expected to remain almost the same throughout the year.

Moreover, the effect itself was at a level where it will not awaken people unless they suffered severe wounds, so this level may be sufficient for use in actual battle.

Pumpkin decided to keep it a secret because neither the next one will grow nor it was too easy to do.

Finally, the difference by season was limited to the case where leaves were used as a catalyst.

As a result, the highest effect was observed in the rainy season, followed by spring and summer, and the lowest effect in winter, as if the leaves were accumulating components in preparation for blooming.

It was as if they were in season. Or perhaps there really may be a trend, considering the [Resonance Spell?Cucumber Blade] and the like.

The higher the effect, the more complicated the magic pattern for activating resonance spells tended to be. If someone among the Spalpkins would like to learn resonance spells in the future, it might be better to start with medicinal herbs that have safe effects, or leaves of Sleep Cloud collected in winter or fall.

“Well, in any case, I still don’t have enough data on this subject.”

But whether Pumpkin simply compile the results of his research or instruct Spalpkin and the others, there wasn’t enough data to go on, so for now, he would have to proceed with his research anyway.

When spring dawned, he felt that various tedious incidents would occur again, so Pumpkin wanted to make as much progress as possible during the winter season.