Chapter: 148
The elves’… picky eating…?
I looked at Yggdrasil, who was talking with a completely calm face.
No, it’s true that elves don’t touch any ingredients that come from plants at all… But you’re telling me that’s the test?
While Sylphid was a bit unscrupulous with her test about racing against herself, it feels like Yggdrasil is just… pushing his responsibilities onto Baal disguised as a test.
Is this even fair?
“Picky eating…?”
“Yep. Picky eating. Do you know anything about elves?”
“Yeah. They’re the long-eared, long-lived race. I’ve heard they can connect with grasses and trees.”
At Baal’s words, Yggdrasil smiled slightly and continued.
“Well, then, this will be quick. Elves don’t put plant food in their mouths at all! Other races chow down on ingredients without any issue, but these kids refuse to even touch them.”
Well, since they can communicate with plants, it might feel like cannibalism, wouldn’t it?
Honestly, isn’t the real problem the elves who *do* eat plant-based food?
“At least they’re getting enough nutrition from meat or photosynthesis, but since they don’t use any ingredients from plants… They’re starting to lag behind compared to other races. They’re still managing with their innate abilities and experiences from their long lifespan, but… as time goes on, new things will keep popping up…”
Yggdrasil looked worried. Like a parent fretting over a kid who won’t eat their veggies!
“Therefore, I want to fix their picky eating… but every time I see those kids, my heart melts, and I can’t be strict. It’s been tough, so I hope you can handle it.”
Baal thought for a moment and then tilted his head.
“So how am I supposed to do that?”
“Well, I don’t really know. Since it’s a test, you’re supposed to figure it out, right?”
Yggdrasil… that’s a pretty irresponsible thing to say…
Anyway, to fix the elves’ carnivorous diet…
Hmm… How can this be solved?
First off, the biggest reason is probably that the elves can communicate with plants.
They can talk to them, so they probably don’t see the ingredients as food.
Well, if other humans could also communicate with plants or animals, they might hesitate to eat them too…
Hmm, wait, that’s not right. Beastkin can communicate with animals to some extent and still chow down… Hmm…
Okay, let’s skip the beastkin. That would probably derail the conversation.
In the case of elves, it’s probably also due to Yggdrasil being their god and the ability to connect with plants.
Eating the form of Yggdrasil? Oh, what a sacrilege!
They might see it that way.
Not just any god, but a world tree that created and nurtured their race, like a mother.
To force plant-based ingredients into the mouths of elves who revere Yggdrasil so much… Hmm…
I could do it, but… Can Baal actually pull this off?
I’m not so sure. Urgh. Sylphid and Yggdrasil, why make things so difficult for me?
Could it be that the whole Gaia incident has been exposed and they’re acting out by setting me a difficult test?
“Of course, this is a tough problem, so I’ll give you plenty of time. One month. In that time, somehow get the elves to eat veggies too.”
“Ugh…”
With Yggdrasil’s words, Baal’s worries deepened even more.
Changing the eating habits of an entire race in a month… Hmm…
This time… I think I’m out of ideas.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
“Ugh… What should I do?”
Baal was deep in thought while looking down at the elves.
They were skinning game and preparing meat.
Watching their skilled movements showed it wasn’t a new thing for them.
“What would Gaia do?”
“You mean me?”
I told him it was fine to call me Gaia when the other kids weren’t around, so Baal started using it freely.
Honestly, I’m still getting used to being called Gaia, so I sometimes think, “Gaia? Oh, yeah, that’s me.”
But hey, I’ve been called all sorts of names, so I’ll probably get used to it pretty fast.
I looked down at the elves, lost in thought.
“The reason elves don’t eat plants is likely because they can communicate with them, and because their revered god, Yggdrasil, is the god of plants.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“So unless we take away their ability to communicate with plants, and switch out Yggdrasil for another god… it might be impossible.”
I could just gather all the elves and forcibly change their nature, but that’s a stretch for Baal.
That said, gathering all the elves is a problem anyway.
Most of the elves live around Yggdrasil, but a very small fraction have ventured outside the woods.
After all, there are adventurous elves among them.
“So what should I do?”
“Hmm…”
Making the impossible possible? That might be too much for Baal.
Wait, what if I explore the loophole in the problem Yggdrasil set?
What Yggdrasil meant was picky eating, right? So if I could figure that out…
Hmm. The issue seems to be that they can’t be made to eat plants.
Wait, let’s flip that thought around.
What if there are plants that need to be eaten?
Plant parts that are meant to be eaten?
Suddenly, an idea zipped through my mind.
“Fruit.”
“Fruit?”
Baal cocked his head at what I said.
“Yeah, fruit. I think fruit could be the key.”
“Fruit… how so?”
I saw the puzzled look on Baal’s face and explained.
“Fruit is an organ developed to spread its seeds. It actually *needs* to be eaten, or else it won’t fulfill its purpose.”
“Something that really *needs* to be eaten?”
“Exactly. The plants might want their fruits to be eaten, after all.”
From the plant’s perspective, the fruit itself isn’t the main goal. The seeds are what matter.
Not to mention, animal droppings can help fertilize the seeds!
“I think this might be our best bet without completely changing the elf race.”
The test Yggdrasil set was merely to fix the elves’ picky eating. Simply getting them to eat fruit might be enough to pass!
It sounds a bit forced, but I believe this is the most feasible option.
“Hmm… I’m not sure, but if Gaia says so, then that should be right!”
Baal nodded without a hint of doubt, completely bought into what I said. Seeing his innocent side made me a bit worried.
If someone deceives this naive little guy, we might be in big trouble. Hmm…
Education. Education is the answer. I must give this reckless kid thorough training and turn him into a proper king of the gods!
“So I just need to bring a whole bunch of fruit and feed it to the elves?”
“No, if you do that without any finesse, the elves will get suspicious. Approach it slowly.”
“Slowly?”
I nodded at Baal.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
One day.
In the city of Alfheim, built around the World Tree Yggdrasil, a buzz began to circulate.
It started with a question from a young human boy who had come from outside Alfheim.
“I heard that elves don’t even touch things that come from plants. Is that true?”
“Of course! For us elves, every grass and tree is like family.”
“Then you don’t eat fruit either, right?”
“Exactly, we don’t eat fruit either.”
The young boy paused to think before responding.
“I learned that fruit is created to be eaten along with the seeds… Wouldn’t it upset the plants if we don’t eat the fruit?”
“Uh, is that… true?”
And thus started a small quandary.
“Is fruit made to be eaten?”
Even for elves who don’t eat anything that comes from plants, this sparked a lot of debate.
“Since plants are like our family, we absolutely cannot eat anything that comes from them!”
The die-hard carnivores insisted that nothing should touch their mouths.
“But isn’t fruit made to be eaten? Shouldn’t we respect the plants’ wishes and eat the fruit?”
The newly emerging moderate omnivores argued that eating fruit shouldn’t be an issue.
“Then shouldn’t we just do what the plants want? Our ability to communicate exists for that reason, right?”
Some even suggested letting the plants decide.
“According to ancient records, the World Tree once had pity on our starving ancestors and gave them fruit, which they gratefully accepted! This means the World Tree has practically deemed it okay to eat fruit!”
Others dug through historical records for answers.
“Then how about just collecting the fruit pulp to make wine? I’m tired of those dwarves drinking beer, so let’s try making fruit wine instead!”
What even is going on here?
“The elves already have a strong reputation for cherishing plants, so wouldn’t eating fruit ruin that image?”
“Well, we can just show our carnivorous side to other races, right?”
“It’s all to maintain the image of elves who care for plants. I’m really not on board with that…”
“Still, isn’t it necessary?”
And so, countless debates turned Alfheim into complete chaos.
The little human boy who started this mess, Baal, simply smiled as he looked down at the elves.
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