Alia opened the door of the tea warehouse, which immediately exploded with the scent of dried tea leaves. A pile of tea leaves was placed over each other that they almost reached the ceiling of the warehouse.

  She looked at Zoeske and said, "Follow me."

  He walked behind her in that crowded warehouse with tea leaves to a small table close to a small window. They stopped in front of it, and it looked like someone was studying the Sugmali tea tree and drew a sketches of it.

  She said, "Look at these two sketches."

  [The illustration will be available only in Patreon]

  "Do you see these two fungus beside the tea tree?" Alia said. "It's actually damaging the soil in areas that mostly dry like here. Which made the farmers uproot them off, but it was a coincidence when we discovered the main source of nutrition it went to."

  "Isn't it just grown in wet areas?" Zoeske asked.

  "That's right," Alia said. "Notice in the illustration, it has small hairs on the top of it to collect the water. But when Jacha was studying the Sugmali tea tree, he used the same experiments on these fungi to see how it would respond. And the results were shockingly unbelievable. What seemed to be damaging the area was actually helping it in its own way."

  "How?" Zoeske curiously asked.

  "Look at the next sketch of the anatomy of a fungus," Alia said.

  [The illustration will be available only in Patreon]

  "Jacha discovered that the mist actually contains magical particles, and these fungi actually extract the magical particles from the water and store both of them in different parts inside it. Then it transforms magical particles into energy and nutritious that keeps it alive."

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "But what does that have to do with the tea trees?" Zoeske asked.

  "First, I will explain why it becomes harmful when it dries out. When these fungi feel their end is impending, it starts releasing an acid. This acid has a high concentration of magic and harmful chemicals. So, it will destroy the soil and increase its acidity. However, when you foster it with magic in a moderate way, it will help distribute a healthy liquid into the soil that contain magical particles that some beneficial worms feed on."

  "Wow," Zoeske excitedly said. "So, even the ecosystem uses magic. And it's even more complex than how I have imagined."

  "We, the humans, haven't recognized yet how amazing the magic is," Alia said. "Now let's discuss your request. We will teach you the magic, but -"

  "Sorry for the interruption," Zoeske said. He turned his face to the other side. "I didn't expect a free service from you guys. I can serve this village for as many years as you want, but all I want is to achieve my goal and then I don't mind being a servant for you or anything."

  Alia spontaneously laughed. She said, "I can't believe you are at my son's age. Don't be negative, we already share a secret. So, we are a family now." With a strong strike on Zoeske's back, she said, "Cheer up."

  He coughs due to the strike, but he was curious to know how good Jacob is in magic. He asked, "Does your son know magic?" Zoeske asked.

  "He is amazing," Alia said. "Not that I am his mom, but here we call him the miraculous boy. He learned magic too fast, as if it's his second nature. He also contributed a lot in farming."

  Zoeske's face exposed his jealousy. His cheeks puffed and his eyes pointed at the left-down. Alia noticed that and said with a smile, "You will start learning it very soon."

  After Alia finished showing Zoeske the village and the warehouse, she took him to the farm. On the way, they met Jacob and Leon who were taking a break after they worked on the farm.

  "Hey!" Leon shouted at them and waved with his hands.

  "You guys taking a break after a few minutes of working?" Alia said.

  "It looks like a few minutes, but you actually took about an hour with him," Jacob said.

  "Him?" Alia angrily said, which scared Jacob and forced him to look away.

  "It's fine, Alia," Zoeske said.

  "You two," Alia said to Jacob and Leon. "Go and tell the other kids that our classes will be delayed until Zoeske learns the basics of magic first. And you, Jacob, the one who will teach him magic."

  "Why me?" Annoyed Jacob said.

  "To calm your ego down a bit," Alia said. She mysteriously smiled and walked away.

  Leon said, "What did she mean by that?"

  "No idea," Jacob said. "You! Your name is weird. I will call you Zo. Follow me."

  "Where are we going?" Zoeske asked.

  "Shut up and follow me," Jacob said.

  "Obviously a spoiled kid," Zoeske mumbled.

  "What did you say?" Jacob said. He barely heard anything.

  Zoeske nervously smiled and said, "N… Nothing."

  Leon said, "Don't mind him, he acts tough, but he is a good person."