[Phantom Willow]:
["A deciduous tree reaching up to 20 meters in height."
"Prefers moisture and loose, well-drained soil."
"Branches are pale yellow or green, drooping straight to the ground when mature."
"Leaves are alternate, lanceolate to narrow-lanceolate, with long tapering tips."
"Growth period: 3 to 10 years. Upon maturity, it will develop spiritual awareness and form its own Illusion World."
"Any living being that touches its branches may choose to let their spiritual awareness enter the Illusion World."
"The initial Illusion World is completely blank. Once an external consciousness enters, the images within that being's mind will become nourishment for the world's evolution."
"The first being to enter the Illusion World gains control over the Willow's spiritual awareness and governs the evolution of the entire Illusion World."]
That was the full description.
When Ron André first skimmed it, he was confused.
Even after reading it again—
He still wasn't entirely sure what this "Illusion World" actually did.
As for spiritual awareness—
He had never even heard of it.
It sounded vaguely related to the soul or mind.
Shaking his head, Ron expanded his plantation space by another 15 square meters, merged it, and planted the Phantom Willow Seed.
Half an hour later—
A new towering tree appeared alongside:
The Puppet Tree
the Spice Pine
and the mutated Puppet–Emerald Cypress Hybrid
Compared to the others—
The Phantom Willow looked… extremely "hairy."
Dense branches cascaded down from the crown—
Like freshly blow-dried hair spilling to the ground.
Pale yellow strands covered the trunk—
Like a girl hiding her face behind long hair.
…Or a ghost.
If he parted the branches and saw a creepy face on the trunk—
Ron felt like that would somehow make perfect sense.
Then—
He suddenly realized a problem.
To enter the Illusion World—
You had to touch the branches.
But inside the dimensional plantation—
His real body couldn't enter.
Everything was controlled via consciousness.
Even the puppets couldn't help—
Because once inside, his awareness couldn't transfer into them.
Meaning—
Same limitation.
"So I have to move it out…"
Fortunately—
Inside Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop, there were special cylindrical glass chambers for large trees.
These containers:
Looked only 1–2 meters wide from the outside
But had massively expanded internal space
Automatically adjusted to the tree's size
Ron had never used them before—
Since he didn't plan to sell products from the Puppet Tree or Spice Pine.
But now—
He had a reason.
[System: "Proceed with transplantation?"]
"Yes."
The Phantom Willow vanished.
Ron exited the dimensional space—
Returning to the flower shop in the City of Chaos.
Inside—
Panic.
Jorina had clearly screamed.
Husky had rushed in from the neighboring tavern—
Standing protectively in front of her, eyes locked on the strange new plant.
"Ahem… relax," Ron said, stepping out from storage. "I added it. It's safe."
Husky lowered his guard.
The staff finally breathed again.
At the center of the shop—
Inside one of the cylindrical glass chambers—
Stood the Phantom Willow.
Though it looked smaller—
That was just spatial distortion.
It was still a full 20-meter tree.
Some branches extended out of the glass—
Drooping onto the shop floor.
And when passing through the glass—
Their thickness visually distorted—
Like chopsticks appearing bent in water.
A strange but elegant effect.
Ron didn't dwell on details.
He scanned the room—
Noticing a faint shadow in the corner.
Yuna.
Good.
With protection secured—
He stepped forward—
And grabbed a willow branch.
Instantly—
A strange sensation.
It felt similar to controlling a puppet—
But different.
His consciousness…
Split.
Or rather—
Duplicated.
A perfect copy.
At the same time—
A message flowed from the tree:
Enter the Illusion World?
Ron didn't hesitate.
He allowed the duplicated awareness—
His spiritual awareness—
To enter.
The next moment—
He stood in a completely blank world.
White.
Endless.
At first glance—
It looked just like his dimensional space.
But—
His real body outside still functioned normally.
As long as he held the branch—
The connection remained.
Then—
A green light appeared before him.
It floated.
Circled him.
This—
Was the Phantom Willow's own awareness.
After a few loops—
It descended—
And merged into his head.
In that instant—
Ron understood.
He now had full control over this Illusion World.