Chapter 282: Fertile Conversation (2/2)
Once he was done, the elf was silent for a few moments, her face more unreadable than normal. Finally, she asked. ”Can you really talk to plants?”
He snorted, ”I can, although there isn't too much benefit to it. I'm not sure if you noticed, but most plants aren't particularly bright. For instance, the grass we are standing on now is a little upset about being moderately crushed, and very confused about the sudden arrival of the darkness caused by our shadow. Even if I try explaining it to them, they lack the capacity to do more than yell their basic thoughts. More complex plants like trees are a little better, but they tend to be overly focused on the conditions of their environment. You know, the quality of the soil, access to water and sunlight, temperature and weather. That sort of thing. Trying to get them to talk about anything else is a massive pain.”
Tal sighed and looked slightly depressed. ”Is that all you have to say about it?”
”More or less. I'm sure there are some more intelligent conversation partners out there somewhere, but I've yet to run into them. Why, did I say something wrong?”
”No...it's just that the Sun Elves have spent a very long time trying to develop a method of communicating with plants as part of their efforts to better understand nature. While there have been some successes when it came to animals and even insects, they never were able to breach the gap when it came to plantlife.”
”That's unfortunate...I guess. Why do they even want to talk to plants? I can tell you from personal experience that they don't have much to say.”
”It's complicated…” Even with her facial expression remaining the same, Mike could tell that the elf was embarrassed by the shift in her body posture. Figuring that she was having a hard time explaining, he waited until she resumed. ”You are aware of my kind's beliefs regarding spirits, yes?”
He nodded.
”Well, there are many among the Sun Elves that feel that because plants are able to exist without the need to devour other lives, they must be something along the lines of an incarnation of minor spiritual entities. In other words, semi-divine beings. It is their hope that by mastering the ability to communicate with them, they can expand their understanding of the natural world...While I no longer share those beliefs, it is still shocking to hear that they are so incredibly wrong.”
[A Biochemistry class would be a big shock to them, from the sounds of it.]
At a slight loss for words, Mike glanced over at a nearby tree. It was a large and majestically sprawling oak that dominated much of the dorm's surroundings. He concentrated briefly on his Communication Magic and listened. While it wasn't exactly using words in the traditional sense, his skill managed to translate the hidden meaning of its thoughts, for lack of a better description.
”HEY! HEY! LOOK! I'VE GOT SQUIRRELS! THEY'RE IN MY BRANCHES! HEY!” It was yelling to its closest neighbor, a maple on the other side of the courtyard which didn't seem to be paying it any attention, judging from its own monologue.
”Wind, wind, wind, sun, wind, water, wind. It's breezy~.” Mike couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a poem or a song, since the tree delivered it in a monotone, but either case would be equally depressing.
Looking back at Tal, he shrugged. ”I don't know what to tell you. The trees of your homeland might be different, but I can safely say that the ones around here are not worth talking to.”
She nodded. ”Then perhaps it is for the best that they haven't succeeded in mastering that form of communication yet. I cannot imagine the kind of trauma such a discovery might cause those with deeply held religious convictions.”
There was a hint of a mocking smile on her face before she continued. ”In any event, shall we finish unloading? I need to return this wagon soon or risk incurring an additional charge.”
”Fair enough.” He shot back while grabbing a few more bags. Despite the fact that they likely weighed close to twenty kilograms, he was able to lift two at a time without any difficulty. He could probably do more than that, but then it became a matter of trying to balance the load, so he refrained.
”By the way, you mentioned something about offering advice after consulting you about my skill. Did anything occur to you while you were listening?” He asked once they were close to finishing.
”Truthfully, the nature of your skill eludes me. On the surface, it doesn't appear to be all that powerful. While communicating with everyone you come across can be handy, and the ability to persuade and even harm others with words is very useful, that is really only secondary to what I feel is the eventual destination of this path.”
”...You're talking about that bit about the Words of Creation mentioned in the skill's text, right?”
”Indeed. Though I have never heard of them before, it is believed that the System is managed using a kind of language. There are some that suspect learning to use that language would allow you to control reality itself, assuming the gods didn't prevent you from doing so. If your skill is capable of increasing in tier, it is entirely possible that you might end up with something approaching god-like abilities.”
Mike thought about it for a moment before replying. ”Which might cause some problems with the gods themselves. They don't seem to be particularly worried about people following the right way to power, but they'd probably be a bit upset if someone cheated their way there by hijacking the System.”
”Since the power would originate from the System, they may not be able to prevent you from using it, but I imagine it would make you a target of their hostility. I would recommend that, should you ever increase it's tier, you be very careful on how you make use of the resulting abilities.”
He nodded. ”A good suggestion. Anyway, I believe you mentioned needing to return a wagon?”
”Ah. Yes, I should be going. I will speak with you soon.” She replied before hastily clambouring back into the driver's seat and directing the horses pulling it back towards the University Gate.
[Now let's see if I can find a place to start working-]
Mike's thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sound of an explosion from the dorm. After determining its point of origin with Aerosense, he sighed. Had it been any other source, he might have been worried, but this...
[I guess I'll go check on Lily. Hopefully, she hasn't set fire to the building again.]