Considering that this was a joyous occasion since these three are the first nymphs to be born after the tribe gained a Guardian Totem and became the Morningstar Tribe, Nexus made another symbolic move.
He knew that to grow faith, grand gestures and small symbolic gestures are important to increase the worshippers' goodwill.
Before the nymphs can even bring their fruits, Nexus already controlled his mycelium, and the nymphs watch as several mushrooms grow at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The mushrooms don't look like the Morningstar Mushrooms that they are familiar with, though.
Morningstar Mushrooms have blue-colored caps, while these newly grown mushrooms are brown.
They were not Transcendent Mushrooms but just normal edible mushrooms.
When Nexus became a Transcendent, while he only gained two innate magic, it doesn't mean that those are the only abilities added to his arsenal.
Not only did he have an increased control over his mycelium, but he could also create non-Transcendent edible mushrooms.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your blessing!" The nymphs exclaimed in glee.
It seems like the Guardian Spirit was pleased with the birth of new nymphs; he even gifted these mushrooms to the newborns.
"Hmm, growing mushrooms, even if they are just normal mushrooms, still takes some of my mana. It seems like I need to prepare the nymphs and teach them how to farm."
Currently, the nymphs' sustenance mostly comes from the fruits, nuts, vegetables, and other plants growing in the forest, with the occasional meat or fish. Right now, their consumption cannot put a burden on the forest's resources yet, but once their population grows, foraging for plants wouldn't be enough to sustain them.
They need to be self-sustainable, and that can be fixed if they learn farming.
Considering that the nymphs could not even properly protect themselves in the past, it was no surprise that they didn't think of farming.
If they can't even guarantee their own safety, how can they guarantee the safety of their crops? They might just waste their time and energy if they farm.
Nexus took note of this, intending to order the nymphs to start farming, but his current focus was on the newborns.
While they didn't look like what he expected, as newborn nymphs look like a human-caterpillar hybrid, the newborns are still cute, and he became fond of them.
Perhaps it was because of the babies' connection with their Guardian Spirit that their attention was grabbed by the newly grown mushrooms.
The nymphs crawled toward the mushrooms, their tiny green fingers plucking them before they took a bite.
The mushrooms were both soft and fragrant, just enough for the newborn nymphs to slowly nibble.
Their faces immediately broke into big smiles as soon as they got a taste of the mushroom. It seems like they love the mushrooms since they can't help but eat more.
Whether it be the nymphs or Nexus, their hearts melted just by watching them.
The baby fever in the tribe grew even stronger, and the infertile nymphs couldn't wait to be fertile. They too want to make their own baby nymphs.
—-
Inside the Morningstar Tribe, a certain nymph can be seen holding a bag made from leaves and vines. From the bag, he sprinkled some brown powder on the base of a tree.
"I can't wait for these mushrooms to grow and try them!" The nymph muttered, feeling a bit giddy and excited inside.
Aside from this nymph, who was one of the early-level Transcendent of the tribe, there were also other unranked nymphs nearby sprinkling the same brown powder on the trees.
This brown powder was actually the spores of the edible mushrooms that Nexus could grow.
Using mana to make food seems wasteful. As such, he simply created several mushrooms that released a large amount of spores.
It was then the nymphs' job to spread the spores and take care of the mushrooms that would grow naturally.
They decided to spread the spores on the base of the trees in their territory since many mushrooms actually grow connected to trees.
While the nymph was busy sprinkling the spores, he saw another nymph approaching.
"Chief, what are you doing here? Aren't you busy catching water stone fish and trying to break through the high-level Transcendent?" The nymph named Neiro said.
"Hmm, I just wanted to make sure you guys are alright" Wyden replied with a nod.
He grasped the reason why the Guardian Spirit ordered them to sprinkle mushroom spores around.
The tribe now has three more nymphs. While their food consumption still wouldn't be a problem right now, once their population reaches hundreds of nymphs, even the resources around their tribe wouldn't be enough.
Once they consumed everything in their territory, they would either starve or be forced to go into farther places, which would increase the level of danger.
It would indeed be better if they could grow edible mushrooms inside their territory so that they wouldn't be facing the risks of starvation.
"Chief, we are sprinkling the spores inside the tribe; we hadn't even stepped out of the tribe yet. You don't need to worry about us and just focus on reaching the next realm" Neiro said wryly.
This chief of them is really kind, but sometimes, he worries too much. The nymphs basically aren't facing any danger since they just started.
They are still focusing on the trees that are within their territory, which means there is almost no danger.
"It's fine. Taking some time to check how you guys are doing wouldn't hurt" Wyden insisted.
The better the situation of the tribe becomes, the more he can't help but worry. Everyone was getting better and better days. He is afraid that something will happen and take these happy and peaceful times away from them.
"Alright. If you insist, then."
Neiro can only shrug his shoulders, and he even watched as Wyden started helping the nymphs assigned to grow the mushrooms.
The nymphs can't help but feel a bit bitter inside. This feels like the chief is taking their job away from them!
Sensing the growing dissatisfaction of the nymphs, Wyden coughed embarrassedly and decided to stop and let them do their work on their own.
Every nymph likes peace and is hardworking. Taking their work that made them feel that they were contributing to the tribe was indeed inappropriate. Wyden was just a bit carried away.
"Iruline! Where is Iruline? We need Iruline's help!"
Wyden was just thinking about the peace their tribe now has, but it seems like it would be shattered soon, as they heard the voice of an anxious nymph.
Considering that the nymphs' population was still low, their territory isn't that large yet. As such, as long as one shouts, every nymph in the tribe would hear them.
Wyden frowned, and he immediately went to the shouting nymph, and his face immediately turned ashen.
He saw an unconscious nymph being carried while Iruline, the tribe's one and only healer, anxiously ran to reach them.
Iruline didn't even have the time to ask what happened as she had to use her innate magic to heal the nymph.
Unfortunately, her healing magic is not that effective even when she entered the blood boil state, boosting her realm to the mid-level Transcendent.
The only fortunate thing was that while Iruline cannot immediately cure the wounded nymph, while the injuries are severe, they weren't fatal.
With Iruline's magic, the nymph would survive, but it was unclear whether she could make a full recovery.
"What happened to her? How did she get this badly hurt?" Wyden asked as soon as he arrived.
"Chief, it was the lizardmen. When we were gathering fruits, we were attacked by the lizardmen. Sheino… she… she did her best to protect me, but even in her blood-boil state, the lizardmen are still strong and outnumber us. We barely managed to flee" the nymph explained, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
This nymph was younger than Sheino, and since nymphs always protected their young, she might have decided to ensure the younger nymphs' safety even at the expense of her own.
"Lizardmen?" Wyden and the other nymphs frowned; the nightmare they had endured when they were attacked by the lizardmen before was refreshed in their minds.
Considering that they already annihilated the lizardmen that first attacked them, the lizardmen that attacked Sheino definitely came from a different lizardmen tribe.
The Dragonspine Forest has many small, medium, and large-sized lizardmen tribes. They are one of the most numerous races in the forest.
The previous lizardmen tribe was just the one closest to the Butterfly Nymphs, but there were many more lizardmen tribes scattered around.
They haven't enjoyed peace and prosperity for long, yet their tribe is now facing another threat.
Most lizardmen have always been cruel, and they like to take nymphs as slaves. Once the lizardmen discover a tribe of nymphs, as long as they have the power, they will attack the tribe.
Since they have been discovered by another lizardman tribe, the Morningstar Tribe has to prepare. Another battle against the lizardmen might soon start.