Around Artemis, the flora had transformed entirely, infused with potent mana. In a world of cultivation or magic, these plants would be prime materials.
They might even yield treasures like, "Eat this fruit to gain decades of power."
Morpheus picked up a fruit, small and translucent, half the size of a walnut.
It resembled a glass marble grown on a shrub.
Sensing its aura, he felt the Moon Goddess's power, as if the fruit could serve as a catalyst to invoke her essence.
This wasn't a mythic connection but a direct product of the Moon Goddess's hand.
It also contained Artemis's current mastery of creation, a byproduct of her experiments.
Or rather, a creation from the dawn of genesis.
"It's rich in mana, absorbable by humans, equivalent to the life force of an average person," Medea said, inspecting it closely. "Quite potent."
"So, edible?" Morpheus asked.
Artemis blinked. "I don't know~"
Morpheus sighed. Asking Artemis was futile; these were her whimsical creations, and her ignorance of their effects was unsurprising.
Medea took the fruit, examining it. "No toxins, gentle mana. It disperses normally if eaten, but absorbing it fully is tricky. An ordinary person might utilize less than thirty percent.
"For a magus refining mana, efficiency could reach sixty to seventy percent, but that's the limit. Some loss is inevitable during refinement."
She held the fruit in her palm, lifting it. "Its best use is as a medium to summon lunar power, enhancing moon-phase spells, maximizing its potential."
Artemis plucked another fruit, smiling. "Sounds complicated. Let's try!" She tossed it into the river with a graceful arc.
A large fish darted forward, swallowing the fruit whole.
Morpheus and the others watched intently, curious about any changes.
After a few minutes, nothing happened.
They waited longer. Finally, subtle changes appeared.
"Is it… bigger?" Jeanne Alter prodded the fish, which thrashed in protest.
Morpheus rubbed his chin. "Indeed, about a ten percent increase in volume, if my observation's correct."
The change was minor, almost imperceptible, but remarkable for its speed.
As they discussed, the fish underwent a second transformation.
It grew again, more noticeably, from twenty-five centimeters to over thirty!
New scales appeared, shimmering with lunar glow, each etched with runes symbolizing the moon's authority.
"It's generating magical energy instinctively, drawing mana," Medea said as the fish slapped its tail, leaping toward the river.
With a splash, it dove to the riverbed, fleeing.
An ordinary fish had become an Age of Gods beast!
"Not eating it?" Artemis asked, eyeing the escapee with mild regret but not retrieving it. Jeanne Alter handed Morpheus a prepared fish. "You grill."
Morpheus took it, grilling while tracking the runaway fish with a spell, curious about its actions.
Naming it "Sumerian One," He watched it swim upstream, quickly distancing itself.
It leaped, its fish eyes scanning the shore, spotting its target.
Manipulating the water into a rope, it shot out, snagging another glass-marble fruit.
Before it hit the ground, the water pulled it back, and Sumerian One swallowed it instantly.
Though not highly intelligent, it surpassed its kin, instinctively seeking beneficial items.
With the second fruit, it grew slightly, less dramatically than before. Morpheus, sprinkling salt on the grilling fish, projected the scene for the others.
"It's growing, so each fruit's visual impact diminishes. Normal," Medea said, eyes on the projection. "But it's actively seeking these fruits. Are we creating a monster in this era?"
"It shouldn't be that bad. No matter how strong, it can't outdo the rampant beasts here," Morpheus said, seasoning another fish.
With so many people, one fish wasn't enough.
They watched Sumerian One devour more fruits, its body wobbling and swelling until it stopped, burrowing into the riverbed's sand to hide.
It had reached a limit; more would cause a mana overload and explosion.
It needed to digest the mana first.
The process was quick.
As they finished their grilled fish, Sumerian One emerged.
No longer a normal fish, it resembled a sea serpent, like an elongated ribbonfish.
Its width doubled, its length stretched over two meters!
Its scales, etched with lunar runes, shimmered faintly, with lightning coursing through its veins, reflecting Zeus's thunder.
The fruit wasn't purely lunar but blended with Zeus's power.
Sumerian One was a true beast, its mana absorption efficiency rising from twenty percent to seventy per fruit!
"Roar!"
A beast of unknown origin appeared in the water, exuding malice, a creation of black mud, a child of the Mother of Genesis.
It sensed Sumerian One's uniqueness, tempting it to bite or swallow, promising transformation.
It charged without hesitation!
Boom!
Blinding lightning erupted underwater, heating a small area to extreme temperatures, triggering an explosion!
Like lightning striking water, the beast stiffened, charred. It struggled to flee, but silver-glowing arrows surged from Sumerian One, piercing its body.
The Mother of Genesis's beast died in under two seconds.
Sumerian One approached, sniffed the corpse, but didn't bite. It surfaced, checked its location, and swam back toward the strange forest.
It preferred the sparkling fruits over the charred beast.
…
After the "live broadcast," Artemis blinked, and Morpheus felt a bad premonition.
She waved her hand, sending hundreds of fruits scattering into the forest, grasslands, and river!
Mash watched gleefully, while Ritsuka sighed helplessly.
Morpheus tracked each fruit with a spell. Minutes later, Mash spoke up.
"In fifteen minutes, the river birthed seven new species, the forest twelve, and the grasslands six... three of which are devouring each other to evolve. Are we sure we're saving humanity, not causing chaos?"
Her excited expression belied her words; she clearly wanted to see what would happen.
"Maybe we'll turn the Age of Gods into a Godzilla era," Ritsuka quipped.
Morpheus considered it. These fruits were spawning beasts with lunar and thunder powers, highly adaptable, born of a creation goddess. If this era continued, it might become a time of giant beasts, with humans cowering beneath them.
Unless humans chose to evolve alongside them.
Morpheus grabbed a fruit and swallowed it.
The others tried to stop him, but it was too late. He smacked his lips. "Tastes good, sweet, juicy."
Pure mana surged within, flowing into his body.
Then, he noticed something off.
"The mana's pure but gravitates toward lunar, thunder, and creation authorities, primarily lunar, then thunder, with creation and destruction a tiny fraction.
"Roughly a 95:4:1 ratio. With enough evolution, one could wield creation and destruction in a limited scope, but it's mana-intensive.
"For ordinary people, eating it would cause changes like those beasts. But with higher intelligence, it's more like gaining superpowers or innate magical talent.
"For magus, using learned techniques can mitigate effects. Eating gradually, not excessively, allows mana accumulation while staying human.
"Since mana is essentially life force, eating enough can extend lifespan. That fruit added about ten years. But as cells divide, later gains diminish unless you transcend biological limits with special spells to master creation and destruction. Otherwise, you'd max out at about a thousand years."
Ritsuka scoffed. "A thousand years is plenty!"
Morpheus shrugged. "It's okay, but for us, it's useless. We manipulate mana without consuming it. Quantity matters less than our understanding of knowledge."
Still, he tossed fruits to Jeanne Alter, Ritsuka, and Mash. "Eat one. It'll boost your physical strength."
***
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