As Arin was refining the burst of mana that had erupted from the ground, the surrounding forest was flourishing at an astonishing rate. Even the Nature Heart sapling had grown by two centimeters, which was quite remarkable considering how slowly it had developed over the past three years. This alone demonstrated that the effects of the mana burst on the surrounding environment were not to be underestimated. Wherever the mana waves passed, the plants responded with explosive growth, transforming the familiar forest into something that looked as though it had been touched by a miracle of nature.
Every ordinary tree in the forest had grown approximately three meters taller, while their roots had dug deeper into the ground than ever before. It was as though the trees had suddenly remembered their full potential and were making up for years of comparatively slow development. However, the most beautiful change came with the collective blooming of every fruit-bearing tree throughout the forest. The Sonnenbergs had always made a habit of planting fruit trees throughout their territory, both to provide food for the animals living there and to ensure that their own family could enjoy the harvest.
As a result, there were considerably more fruit trees than one would normally find in a forest of this size. The sight was quite beautiful, as nearly half the forest had suddenly burst into bloom, with flowers covering the branches of countless trees. It did not matter that the current season was nowhere near the usual flowering period, as nature clearly had other plans. The colourful canopy was particularly impressive when viewed from above, where the individual flowering trees blended together into a magnificent display of colours. Even someone unfamiliar with the forest would have struggled not to appreciate the beauty of the transformation.
However, the changes beneath the canopy were no less impressive than those taking place above it. Herbs, flowers, and even the weeds that normally received little attention had burst out of the ground in response to the passing mana waves. Their growth was particularly noticeable because the forest had only recently begun recovering from winter. Under normal circumstances, the first signs of spring would have consisted of small patches of flowers and young plants slowly emerging from the soil. Instead, there were now entire fields of flowers and herbs, with new growth appearing every few steps.
Of course, the weeds were also represented in abundance, with nettles being among the most noticeable examples. The birds sitting in the surrounding trees barely had time to blink three times before a small clearing had been transformed into a miniature sea of nettles. Their green leaves and familiar stinging hairs covered the ground, making the previously open space considerably less inviting to anyone who wanted to walk through it. Not that the Sonnenbergs would complain about such developments, as nettles were an important part of the forest ecosystem and had several practical uses. Their sudden abundance was hardly a problem for a family that understood the value of maintaining a healthy and diverse forest.
However, the biggest changes were taking place beyond the Crimson Forest, which had always been particularly good at absorbing the incoming nature mana. The forest had already possessed special characteristics before mana arrived, and its connection to nature had only become stronger since then. Its plants were accustomed to absorbing nature mana, and the surrounding ecosystem had developed in a way that allowed it to benefit from such energy. The situation was considerably different outside the Crimson Forest, where the local vegetation had never experienced nature mana in such quantities.
Normally, very little nature mana remained available in those surrounding ecosystems. The nature mana produced there served a different purpose, as it would gradually transform into whichever mana attribute was most beneficial to the particular ecosystem in which it had been generated. This process helped maintain the natural balance while allowing the environment to become healthier, which in turn encouraged the production of additional nature mana. Consequently, nature mana rarely accumulated in quantities large enough for individual plants to absorb it directly. It was continuously being used to support the ecosystem rather than remaining available for plants to take advantage of.
The sudden arrival of such an enormous quantity of nature mana therefore represented an extraordinary opportunity for the surrounding vegetation. For the first time, countless plants outside the Crimson Forest had access to more nature mana than they could normally encounter throughout their entire existence. They were suddenly able to absorb an attribute that had previously been available only in negligible quantities, and their response was nothing short of spectacular. Around three hundred kilometers from the Sonnenbergs' territory, the landscape was turning green and flourishing as though winter had never happened.
Fields, meadows, and stretches of previously dormant vegetation were undergoing transformations that would normally have taken weeks or even months. Plants that had barely survived the winter were suddenly growing at an incredible pace, while others were producing flowers and new leaves despite the unfavorable season. The difference was particularly noticeable in areas where nature mana had previously been scarce. There, even relatively ordinary plants were benefiting enormously from the sudden change, creating patches of greenery that stood out against the otherwise winter-damaged landscape.
However, the people who were probably happiest about this sudden wave of mana were the farmers. Many of them had already begun inspecting their fields to determine whether their crops had survived the winter. Nearly every farmer had planted one of the available winter wheat varieties, hoping that at least part of their investment would survive until the warmer months. As it turned out, their decision had been particularly fortunate, as the sudden arrival of nature mana had given their crops an opportunity that none of them could have anticipated.
Every single wheat plant that had been planted seemed to sprout out of the ground like a bamboo shoot. The fields were transforming before the farmers' eyes, with the previously dormant crops suddenly growing at an astonishing speed. Before long, the wheat was no longer simply producing leaves, as entire fields were busy flowering at the same time. The farmers could barely believe their eyes, and it was difficult to blame them for grinning from ear to ear at the sight.
After all, this development could potentially allow them to harvest their crops twice during the same year. For farmers who had been worried about losing their winter crops, the sudden possibility of an additional harvest was almost too good to be true. Depending on how the plants developed and whether the conditions remained favorable, they could earn considerably more money than they had originally expected. It was difficult to imagine a better outcome for an agricultural community that had been preparing itself for another difficult growing season.
Sadly, there were not many farmers living near the Sonnenbergs' forest who could benefit directly from this development. Aside from the farming village situated at the bottom of their forest, most of the surrounding settlements had little agricultural activity. The only other significant group of farmers lived near the city the Sonnenbergs had established. Unfortunately, the surrounding landscape was not particularly suitable for conventional agriculture, as much of the available land consisted of wetlands. While such terrain had its own ecological value, it was considerably less convenient for cultivating ordinary crops on a large scale.
The adventurers, on the other hand, would have an absolute feast when they discovered what had happened. It was not just ordinary crops and flowers that had benefited from the mana wave, as numerous valuable herbs had also begun growing in considerable quantities. Some of these plants were already worth quite a bit of money, making their sudden abundance particularly interesting for anyone who knew how to identify and harvest them. Purple Loosestrife was one such example, and adventurers who knew where to look could potentially gather enough to make a respectable amount of money.
However, the truly fortunate individuals would be those who discovered the mutated plants that had absorbed enough nature mana to undergo the next stage of their development. Rather than simply becoming larger or healthier versions of their ordinary counterparts, these plants had developed into actual mana plants with unique characteristics. Such mutations were considerably more valuable than ordinary herbs, as they could possess properties that were not available anywhere else. Finding one of these plants could easily turn an otherwise ordinary expedition into an extremely profitable adventure.
One particularly interesting example was a cattail that had mutated to generate its own wind currents. Every seed produced by the plant was filled with wind-attributed mana, making it an unusual discovery even by the standards of mana plants. At first glance, it might not have been particularly obvious what practical applications such a plant could possess. Nevertheless, that would hardly stop people from becoming interested in it. There would undoubtedly be plenty of individuals and organizations willing to pay handsomely to acquire the plant and investigate its properties for themselves.
After all, discovering a previously unknown mana plant was an opportunity that few researchers or organizations would willingly pass up. Even if its immediate applications were unclear, understanding how it functioned could lead to entirely new discoveries. Someone might eventually discover a way to use its seeds, reproduce its characteristics, or incorporate its properties into something considerably more useful. For that reason alone, adventurers who managed to find such plants would have little difficulty finding potential buyers.
Similar developments were taking place throughout Europe, even if the Sonnenbergs' territory was an extreme example. Their chosen mana attribute had an unusually strong influence on the local plant life, which meant that the surrounding environment benefited considerably more than it otherwise would have. Nevertheless, the situation elsewhere on the continent was not all that different. Mana veins were beginning to demonstrate what they could accomplish when their energy was allowed to influence the surrounding environment, and the effects were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
In fact, the entire continent, and potentially the world, was receiving its first real demonstration of what an actual mana vein could do to its surroundings. What made this particularly interesting was that the mana veins were still contained within magical filter circles, which limited the amount of mana that could escape into the surrounding environment. Even with those restrictions in place, their influence was already spreading across enormous distances. It was a rather impressive demonstration of the potential that these structures possessed, especially considering that the current situation represented only a fraction of what they could eventually accomplish.
That is great, Arin thought as he finally opened his eyes after an hour of cultivation. He had decided to stop because he could no longer refine any additional mana, regardless of how hard he concentrated. To put it simply, he felt stuffed, as though someone had filled his entire body to the brim with nature mana. He could still feel the energy circulating through his body, but there was simply nowhere for it to go anymore.
It took him a moment to adjust to the light after keeping his eyes closed for so long. However, the moment his vision cleared and he looked at the forest surrounding him, his mouth fell open in astonishment. The familiar landscape had changed so dramatically that it almost looked as though he had stepped into an entirely different place. Instead of the forest he had been sitting in before beginning his cultivation, he was now looking at something that resembled the middle of spring.
And that was despite the fact that the temperature should have been around seven degrees Celsius at this time of year. Yet, rather than feeling the usual chill associated with the season, the air around him was pleasantly warm, almost as though it were a comfortable twenty degrees outside. The contrast between what he expected to see and what was actually before him was so great that Arin needed a moment to process it. He had certainly expected the mana burst to have some influence on the surrounding environment, but this was considerably more than he had anticipated.
Okay, what is going on? Arin thought as he looked around once more. Rather than immediately getting up and investigating the changes himself, he decided to sit back down and establish contact with the forest. If there was anyone who could explain what had happened during his hour of cultivation, it was the forest itself. After all, he had been too busy refining the incoming mana to pay attention to anything happening around him, and he was now rather curious to discover just how much had changed.