#840 Plum Evolution Plan

All right, let’s dive into a bit of a pickle I’ve found myself in.

I received an unusual request from the Tenjin, Sugawara no Michizane himself, to transform his favorite plum tree into an Yggdrasil.

Previously, a cherry tree had been converted into one. This sparked a bit of competitive spirit in Michizane, the god of learning, who insisted that his beloved plum tree shouldn’t be outdone, thus hurling this absurd challenge my way.

But, as casual as he makes it sound, fulfilling a god’s request is anything but simple.

To explain just how complicated this is, let me tell you about the Sakura Yggdrasil we’re up against.

The whole Sakura Yggdrasil saga began when my wife, Platy, whimsically expressed her desire for Yggdrasil leaves.

Given my wife rarely asks for anything, the rare occasions she does make me want to show off my husbandly prowess.

So, to consistently get Yggdrasil leaves, you need lush branches, and for that, you need a sturdy trunk. 

With this in mind, I decided to grow an entire Yggdrasil. However, getting the original tree, guarded by elves, wasn’t going to be easy with conventional methods.

That’s when I thought of a clever workaround.

Grafting.

Even if I couldn’t get the main tree, I could get a small piece of its branch and graft it onto another type of tree.

After experimenting with various trees on my farm, the only one showing promising results was the cherry blossom tree.

The Yggdrasil branch, grafted onto the cherry blossom tree, gradually merged with it, eventually resulting in the Sakura Yggdrasil, a magnificent blend of the cherry blossom tree’s beauty and the Yggdrasil’s grandeur.

End of explanation.

That’s how the Sakura Yggdrasil came to be. Naturally, I tried grafting the Yggdrasil branch onto other trees, too.

That includes the plum tree. 

Alas, the results were disappointing. None but the cherry blossom tree could successfully merge with the Yggdrasil branch.

Given these results, fusing the plum tree with Yggdrasil seems near impossible. 

The conclusion seems pretty clear already.

But how do we overturn this conclusion? 

Perhaps consulting an expert is the way to go...

***

Who might this expert be, and what kind of expert they are, you ask?

Obviously, a plum tree expert. 

And that would be a plum tree spirit...

“Anything for you, Lord Saint-bai.”

In our orchard, there’s a special kind of spirit that inhabits the trees... a tree spirit, to be precise. 

The one that resides in the plum tree is named Onoko Ume.

With a look reminiscent of a plum fruit sprouting eyes and a nose, it hovers mid-air, facing me.

“But this is a tough order. Our previous attempt didn’t go well, so I can’t see this one merging with Yggdrasil either.”

“Yeah, you’re right...”

I wish I could say confidently, “We won’t know unless we try!” but we’ve already tried. 

And we failed.

Surely, there can’t be a situation more hopeless than this.

“However, our client has high hopes. They won’t be satisfied until the plum tree stands above all other flowering trees.”

“I’m honored they think so highly of me-bai! I’ll do everything to live up to their expectations and become a world-famous plum tree-bai! That’s my pride as Onoko Ume!!!”

Onoko Ume is as manly as its name suggests.

“All right! Let’s give grafting another go! Another Yggdrasil branch graft!”

“What a plum idea-bai! Just because we failed once doesn’t mean we’ll fail again-bai!!!”

Onoko Ume and I are bursting with enthusiasm. 

But despite our gusto to achieve our goal...

“It didn’t work...!”

“There’s no way it would be that easy-bai...!”

Go for broke, and you usually do end up broke.

Ultimately, the grafted Yggdrasil branch didn’t take form, and our plan flopped.

“Waaaah! Big brotherrrrrrrr!”

Huh? Who’s this? 

Startled by the sudden crying, I turn to see another plum tree spirit.

Aren’t tree spirits supposed to be unique to each tree type?

“Plummy!”

“Plummy?!”

“My little sister-bai!”

Plum tree spirits as siblings?!

I’m not sure about tree spirit gender, but Onoko Ume is undoubtedly the big brother!

“You tried soooo hard! You put in a tremendous effort! Yet, despite all that, Yggdrasil just had to get in the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!”

“Don’t cry, Plummy! Big bro still has fight left in him! As long as you’re cheering for me, I’ll become an even greater and mightier plum tree than Yggdrasil itself-bai!”

Onoko Ume pours its heart into consoling its sister. 

You could feel their deep bond of sibling love.

“Bravo! That’s the spirit!” 

“Ah! Sensei?!”

Another character bursts onto the scene. 

It’s Sensei the Lifeless King.

“Even tree spirits have familial love – or should I say, ‘fruiternal’ love! Because they’re fruits!”

Are you trying to be witty, Sensei?!

“Moved by your sentiments, I decided to lend a hand! To create a tree of divine stature, akin to Yggdrasil itself, it doesn’t necessarily mean we must solely rely on Yggdrasil. There are other ways!”

“Really, Sensei?!”

“With my summoning magic, I shall attempt to call forth a divine tree, rivaling, if not surpassing, Yggdrasil itself! Prepare to be astounded as I conjure a marvel beyond the peach and the pepper trees!”

As Sensei chants his spell, the weather suddenly turns. Dark clouds swirl, and lightning strikes with a crack! 

A blue-white bolt of lightning thunders down.

Everyone’s attention is drawn to a single twig, seemingly piercing the ground at the strike site...

“Could this be...?”

“The summoned divine tree equal to Yggdrasil has arrived... I’m not sure what it is, but it’s bound to be helpful!”

His uncertainty of what’s been summoned is the scariest part.

But it’s a generous gesture from Sensei. Surely, the twig will aid the beautiful sibling love of the plum tree spirit.

“Let’s do this!”

“Bring it on-bai!!!”

We promptly graft the summoned twig onto the plum tree spirit, Onoko Ume!

And what do you know, it’s as if the pieces of a puzzle smoothly click into place – they seamlessly merge together!

Then, as if there were no boundaries at all, they blend into one entity, growing as a single tree!

“We...did it! At least, the fusion was successful...!”

“Now, we must see if this fused plum tree possesses the sanctity and might of Yggdrasil...!”

Sensei and I watch the evolved plum tree, breaths held.

What could Onoko Ume, residing in this tree, possibly say?

“...Lord Saint, Sensei... thank you-bai. With your help, I’ve reached a new stage-bai!”

“Oh! Did we do it?!”

“This sacred energy coursing through my vascular system...! I can say with certainty-bai! I am now a sacred tree, a match for Yggdrasil-bai!!!”

“No way!!!”

Who would have thought things would actually go as planned?!

What kind of legendary tree has Onoko Ume fused with?!

Sensei summons indiscriminately from various realms, so it’s anyone’s guess!

“That’s right... From now on, please call me The Plum Tree of Knowledge-bai...!”

The Plum Tree of Knowledge?!

“Ah! A name that would surely please the god of learning himself! A fine evolution indeed!”

Sensei rejoices as if it were his own achievement. 

The evolution of the plum tree, seemingly impossible at first, appears to reach a triumphant conclusion.

But... I can’t help feeling unsettled by the name Plum Tree of Knowledge.

Is it a combination of Plum Tree + The Tree of Knowledge? 

So, the mysterious grafted twig was The Tree of Knowledge?

When you say the Tree of Knowledge...

...Isn’t that the tree in the famous paradise, the one that bears the fruits of knowledge? 

It’s called the Tree of Knowledge because of those fruits, right?

So, by that logic, the plums from the Plum Tree of Knowledge...

Would they also be considered fruits of knowledge?!

The very ones that the first couple of humanity ate and ended up being banished from paradise for!