Starting from this day, Queen found himself with two "ancestors" in every sense. He practically worshiped Shaymin, hoping that she would help him revive his banana plantation.
The second "ancestor" was the Gracidea, his most important objective at the moment. Since he didn't know the specific conditions for growing Gracidea, he planted its seeds in every region of Wano Country.
He created planting areas both indoors and outdoors—even in the Ringo region which is perennially covered with snow—just in case Gracidea turned out to be a cold-weather crop.
He even specially set up a few of Wano Country's Picture Tanishi, keeping a 24-hour watch on his crops.
He is not Vegapunk, who can create a bunch of clones of himself. Unable to stay in two places at once, he chose to stay in Ringo, where the climate is the harshest. Here, the flowers are most likely to have trouble growing, while in other places, he uses this method to monitor.
Shaymin wasn't quite as obsessed with this matter as Queen was. While she loved the scent of Gracidea, she preferred to stay in a warmer, more comfortable environment.
For Queen, this became a unique "test". Growing flowers wasn't that hard for him—it just required a bit of perseverance.
And when a foodie strives for food, they always have plenty of patience.
"Hey, hey! You two, go play farther away! Be careful not to touch my flowers!"
"But they haven't even sprouted yet."
"Doesn't matter! Same thing! Go play over there, or I'll stop making toys for you."
Queen waved his hand, shooing away Meowna and Wolff. Compared to their parents, these two had a better impression of Queen. They didn't understand much yet, and to them, Queen was just a big, chubby uncle who often brought tasty treats and made toys.
The siblings were almost six years old now, and their range of activities was gradually expanding. Besides Kuri, they can also be seen frequently in other areas.
This time they were in Ringo, simply because they wanted to have a snowball fight.
It was already late December. Although the temperature has also dropped in other areas, only Ringo and the summit of Mt. Fuji has extensive snowfall. If you want to have a snowball fight, Ringo is the best choice.
For the sake of fun toys, Meowna and Wolff temporarily moved farther away.
Normally, a snowball fight wouldn't affect the ungerminated flower seeds. The issue was the people doing the snowball fight.
For most people, the focus of a snowball fight was on the "snow", but for these two siblings, the focus was on the "fight" itself. They really know how to fight.
After moving to a different area, the siblings soon tumbled together in the snow, playfully wrestling in their own unique way.
"Um…are you sure we shouldn't stop them?" asked a rabbit Mink nearby.
"Ah, no need. They always play like this, and even the Duchess herself isn't worried, so we don't need to worry either."
Bepo was explaining the siblings' daily routine to the Mink who had newly arrived in Wano Country. In Wano Country, Setsuna and Zeraora didn't worry about the children's safety. Bepo wasn't following them because he was afraid something would happen to them, but because he was worried that they would go too crazy while playing and he wouldn't be able to find them.
As for the rabbit Mink, she plays a role similar to that of a "crown prince's companion," used to accompany one's child as they grow up.
They couldn't be too young, or it'd be unclear who was looking after whom. Nor could their talent be too inferior, or they wouldn't be able to play together. In this case, Carrot, three years older than the twins, was a perfect fit.
"Is that so?" Pulling out a carrot, Carrot asked with a slight hint of doubt in her voice. Being selected by the new Duchess wasn't a bad thing. At least, Wano Country has much more to offer compared to Zou Island.
Even though Setsuna had always helped improve the quality of life on Zou, its environment still couldn't compare to Wano Country's. The snow here in Wano was a new, fascinating experience for Carrot as well.
"Of course, and this is only the beginning. There's a lot more trouble ahead."
As Bepo spoke, he looked around, seeming to search for something, but in the end, he didn't find it and instead used the snow to build a small wall.
"Don't just stand there watching—come and help out."
Originally, even though Bepo followed Setsuna around, his status was definitely the lowest in the family. Plus, with his personality, he couldn't go a few sentences without apologizing, so now that he has a junior, he started acting like a senior.
"Are we playing too?" Carrot asked, a bit confused.
"No, this is to shield ourselves from the snowballs. I don't want my fur to get wet."
Before Carrot could fully understand what he meant, Meowna and Wolff had already switched up their tactics. Instead of simply scuffling, they started a "long-range battle."
The two of them moved farther apart, and the snow around them began to float into the air, eventually condensing into numerous snowballs in the sky, which then flew towards each other like a hail of bullets.
Some snowballs, due to poor control, veered off course and hit Bepo's just built wall, which quickly crumbled under the assault.
"Amazing... How are they doing that?" Carrot asked, astonished.
"They inherited it from the Duchess. It's a power known as Aura."
"You mean the same power that lets the Duchess communicate with Zunesha?"
"Yes, Lord Arceus granted that power to the Duchess, and they've inherited most of it. The Duchess wants them to train through activities like this."
Meowna and Wolff were the most talented Minks in the past several hundred years. Not only do they have the Mink's physique, but they'd also inherited Setsuna's Power of Aura and Zeraora's Power of Lightning.
Even though, for now, their Aura was only being used for a snowball fight, this hinted at a promising future for them.
The siblings' scuffling was actually part of how Minks grew stronger. Compared to average Minks, though, it was much more intense. By the end, both their clothes were soaked, and Bepo and Carrot had to take them back to Kuri on Altaria.
...
"Dad, Mom, Uncle Queen has a super cute hedgehog given to him by Lord Arceus!"
"We want one too! That hedgehog looks so adorable!" Meowna and Wolff shouted as they hopped off Altaria's back, searching for Setsuna and Zeraora to make their request. But unlike usual, Setsuna and Zeraora weren't at home.
Instead, they spotted their parents in a nearby farmland.
"Slow down! Slow down! Don't run so fast, you guys!"
Meowna and Wolff were followed by Carrot, while Bepo, behind them, was carrying all sorts of strange items and was slightly panting trying to catch up.
"Bepo, your stamina isn't great, is it?"
"S-sorry! I didn't think these things would be so heavy," Bepo panted. "By the way, Duchess, what are you doing?"
In the field, Setsuna and Zeraora were holding several large bundles of leeks, each taller than a person, seemingly preparing to plant them here.
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