Blake panicked for several seconds thinking that something bad was going to happen, that thing had just entered his body and from everything he had experienced in recent days he knew that danger was present in his daily life, but hearing the voice of the system was enough to calm him down in that instant.
[INT +3.]
"Was... Was that thing like those runic energy orbs?" Remembering what the system said, Blake quickly opened his stats and realized that indeed his intelligence stat had increased by three points after he absorbed that creature. "Okay, I'd better see if nothing weird happens in the future from absorbing that thing, if nothing weird really happens, then... Doesn't that mean I could also increase my stats infinitely?... I think that could be quite interesting… Or worrying."
Once he calmed down enough and saw everything in a positive light, he left his house for the town to take care of various things. Blake believed that it would be a normal morning apart from the fact that he had woken up in the middle of the forest, but that thought was dashed when he noticed how the town seemed to have totally changed.
The streets were brimming with laughter and packed with a huge crowd of people, different decorations were seen everywhere which were mostly colorful or related to beans, and the street stalls of the shops seemed to be fully occupied.
"W-what's going on here?" But his question was quickly answered when he saw the different banners that were on the stalls and noticed the familiar faces on each of them accompanied by the shouts that echoed throughout the area.
"Would you like to know how to properly care for your beans? You just have to come closer and you will find out the best tips for your plant to give the juiciest beans in the world! They can even grow to be the size of a pumpkin!" Shara's voice was as animated as ever and the people in the surroundings were attracted by those very words they had just heard.
"Are you serious, miss?!"
"Hey, get back in line, I've been here for half an hour!" A staggering number of what appeared to be tourists were piling up in front of the flower shop causing Shara to grin from ear to ear at how busy she would be.
As Blake watched all of this, a new scream was heard drawing his attention as well.
"Are you tired of always trying the same dish? You just need to buy our ingredients and your beans will taste like they were prepared by the gods themselves!" The animated voice of the Diamond store owner was enough for Blake to realize that Hazel had taken on a full businesswoman attitude.
"Yes... They are perfect for before going to sleep. (Although your stomach will not thank you)." And accompanying her, a not-so-animated voice could be heard that could only belong to Karina while new clients approached where they were.
"I've been waiting all year for this moment; I won't let it be taken away from me so easily!"
"Do you think you're the only one? my father said that he wants to try the Diamond store's special sauce at least one last time, no one will take a place in line from me!"
A new group of people came like a wave to the place making Blake doubt if it was a good idea to approach, but it seemed that a new voice was also going to fight for the clients of the place.
"Do you think that wearing anything is okay for the festival?! Well, you are wrong, the best way to feel completely part of it is by wearing the hats made entirely of leaves and adorned with the beans that we love so much! they come in different types in case you have a favorite!" Evelyn's refined and strong voice reached those tourists who had not yet decided which stall to approach, and that, accompanied by the peculiar products that she was offering, made it inevitable to attract interest.
"Miss, I want one of each!"
"I'll take ten, please!" The view truly looked like a war camp, you could see beans everywhere you looked and people seemed undiminished in their enthusiasm as well as enjoying everything the stalls had to offer. It only took that one glimpse for Blake to understand everything that was really going on.
"It's true, today is the so-called festival, now I understand why everyone acts that way." Blake carefully observed the entire show as he walked through the crowd, he even thought about greeting his acquaintances, but it was practically impossible with the large number of clients that were in each stall, so he continued on his way enjoying the atmosphere until he managed to see a black hair that he was looking for. "Gaius!"
Gaius was sitting in front of a stall that didn't seem to have many customers since he wasn't actually selling anything, so when he heard Blake's call, he quickly turned in his direction.
"Oh, Blake, it's you."
"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't come back yesterday, some things happened and I ended up sleeping, haha…" Blake felt like he was making a simple excuse, but that was exactly what had happened.
"So that was it, I thought that maybe something had happened to you, but since it was late, I assumed that you had returned to your house." Gaius did not doubt what he had said, although deep down he had completely forgotten about Blake.
"Haha... Yes, let's say that was it, by the way, I brought what you asked me, I hope it's enough." What Blake had given him was all the iron he had gotten and he could see how Gaius's eyes widened as if he had seen his favorite food.
"This is more than enough, I thought I had made a lot of tools for the position, but they flew like hot cakes in the morning, this iron will do to refill it, thank you very much, Blake."
"You're welcome, I'm glad I helped." Finishing his request and seeing that Gaius wasn't upset, Blake was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as he heard the voice of his dear disembodied friend.
[Request completed.]
Gaius entered the smithy to continue with his work, thanking him once more and Blake moved away from the zone to a more secluded place to open the reward that the system had given him. In front of him was a box with a simple metallic design that was obviously a new mystery box, he did not take long to open it with great expectations that were quickly destroyed when five pieces of iron appeared in his hands that did not look different from the ones, he had given to Gaius earlier.
"Are you seriously giving me this? Is the universe making fun of me?!" And despite his complaints, it seemed that no one could hear him. Blake just put away those pieces of iron and continued on his way until he realized where he had come to. In front of him was the square that he already knew, but unlike other days, this time it seemed that there was a party in the middle of it.
Many tables full of food were around the place while people enjoyed it, in one of them, you could see how the town cook handled his kitchen tools with incredible skill while continuously preparing dishes that seemed to be mostly related to beans. Decorations were accompanying all of this while a melody could be heard in the air as everyone present enjoyed the joyful atmosphere.